Difficulty Selling Premium Bikes

[avalonracing]

As I often say in real estate, the seller sets the price... the market sets the value.

As for why people are jumping on your great bike it goes back to the market and the planned obsolescence and convincing people if it isn't current, it is unrideable. There was just a comment to a post in the classifieds that referred to a fantastic high-end bike at a great price as unsellable because it had quick-release skewers on wheels with disc brakes.

[gemship]

Originally Posted by weisan

Johnson pal, asking the question is one thing but accepting the answer is another.

The old adage holds true: if you have to ask, you probably would never understand.

The answers that pals have given here = All the above.

My best advice is : Accept them and move on.

Ahh jeez, this is your best advice? Now coming from a guy with a whole fleet of used bikes massively discounted why surely you could soften the blow of reality just a bit?

[buddybikes]

Same as good antiques, may as well use them as firewood.

Clock collector (fortunately don't want to sell) market value for all except 2 are far less than I was hoping for in retirement.

[sg8357]

I'd only leave the parts on the bike if it was a vintage bike,
say a Herse or Raleigh RRA, where the parts are the bike.
Or a Weigle sold with out racks is less interesting where the
same bike with racks, pump etc.

[colker]

A custom made to measure high end bike is a harder sell than a production high end bike. If it´s made for someone else´s particular needs (weight, proportions etc..) how do i know it´s the best for me? All i need to know of a used Pinarello Dogma or standard Pego in my size is price and how it is kept.
If I order a custom frame i cannot expect it to turn into valuable commodity in the used market.

[gemship]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

Same as good antiques, may as well use them as firewood.

Clock collector (fortunately don't want to sell) market value for all except 2 are far less than I was hoping for in retirement.

Ha,ha, thats a riot. Years ago I busted up this old rocking chair my mom left behind in the house I grew up in. I was and still am renting it from her and I did just exactly that. In a fit of rage resulting from an argument regarding loss of my drivers license I busted up the rocker and chucked it into the woodstove. but it felt so satisfying. A while later my mom told me she saw it was worth something like 800 bucks on some antique show, that was another argument. However it was missing the seating area and in place of that was wood planks nailed to the top but who knows, it looked old, had patina and unique craftsmanship....

[jr59]

I wouldn’t call what you are/ have asked laughably low. Personally I think it’s still high. It’s a nicely equipped steel road bike. From a quality builder, although mostly unknown.

You seem to think it’s worth X, but the market has shown you it’s not worth anywhere near what you are asking. Sorry, no disc brakes, no thru axels, no fat tires, just the wishes of the market have changed, and what was “hot” now isn’t!

Even Pegs, and other very high end steel lugged bikes don’t bring the money they should, or did. So you can keep it, or take another 30-40% off the lowest price I saw it offered at, or give it to a co-op.
Or you can keep listing it on the bay, and hope and pray someone loves it, and has the money to buy it.

I understand this very well, as I sold off more than a few high end bikes and frames, for not a lot of money.

Good luck.

[dbh]

Also, don't discount the importance of the ad itself. For many of us, buying a high end bike off of the forum is more of an emotional or impulse purchase than the conclusion of a reasoned search for a particular bike/frame. How many of us have multiple road bikes, but jump at a good deal here or there because it's a good deal? Plenty I suspect. Taking that into account, anyone's ad should seek to leverage the psychological aspect of such a transaction by giving the buyer all the information he/she could possibly need. That means a ton of high quality photos (in the body of the ad itself), lengthy description of the bike and its condition, as well as a geo chart or the applicable measurements. If someone has to ask for all of this, the likelihood that they're going to pull the trigger on a purchase is less. It amazes me the number of ads for pricey used bikes with a photo or two and three sentences of text. You're asking a complete stranger to shell out a ton of cash for a (more than likely) discretionary purchase.

[gemship]

Originally Posted by jr59

I wouldn’t call what you are/ have asked laughably low. Personally I think it’s still high. It’s a nicely equipped steel road bike. From a quality builder, although mostly unknown.

You seem to think it’s worth X, but the market has shown you it’s not worth anywhere near what you are asking. Sorry, no disc brakes, no thru axels, no fat tires, just the wishes of the market have changed, and what was “hot” now isn’t!

Even Pegs, and other very high end steel lugged bikes don’t bring the money they should, or did. So you can keep it, or take another 30-40% off the lowest price I saw it offered at, or give it to a co-op.
Or you can keep listing it on the bay, and hope and pray someone loves it, and has the money to buy it.

I understand this very well, as I sold off more than a few high end bikes and frames, for not a lot of money.

Good luck.

Yeah but with the Pegs since Dario was an artist doing these unique paint jobs and since he's dead doesn't that add some value??? I mean they're like some kinda collectable artwork on wheels....

[geordanh]

Are we talking about the 7-11 hampsten on the bay? I’ve been noticing that and surprised as well FWIW it hasn’t sold. It’s a sweet bike. I think it’ll go eventually. I’d be patient for the spring or sell frame only.


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[Drmojo]

Originally Posted by pobrien

Hi OP,

If you do not need the money from the bike(s), I would look at donating them to a good cause where kids/youth/adults don't have a bike and would use and enjoy a nice bike for years to come.

I expect that you enjoyed the bikes and those memories and experiences are priceless. Maybe keep one and let the rest go to new homes.

Every city will have groups that could help you find good homes for the bikes.

Patrick

Just donate
good karma!
I have given away countless bikes:
never regretted it: young racers, older folk
etc etc etc
You don’t own things— they own you...

[jr59]

Originally Posted by gemship

Yeah but with the Pegs since Dario was an artist doing these unique paint jobs and since he's dead doesn't that add some value??? I mean they're like some kinda collectable artwork on wheels....

To his hand painted ones, maybe. No way to tell about those, cause so few come up for sale. Most of his, had stock paint.

[gemship]

Originally Posted by jr59

To his hand painted ones, maybe. No way to tell about those, cause so few come up for sale. Most of his, had stock paint.

That's interesting. I guess I thought even the stock paint was special.

[Heisenberg]

Originally Posted by pobrien

Hi OP,

If you do not need the money from the bike(s), I would look at donating them to a good cause where kids/youth/adults don't have a bike and would use and enjoy a nice bike for years to come.

I expect that you enjoyed the bikes and those memories and experiences are priceless. Maybe keep one and let the rest go to new homes.

Every city will have groups that could help you find good homes for the bikes.

Patrick

this x1000000

if you can't accept selling it for less than you sentimentally think it's worth, but still want to be rid of it, do this. donate donate donate.

if you want hardass fake-libertarian nate to take the stage: neat frame that has a meh group that looks terrible on it. part it out. you'll get a grand for the frame and have a pile of hohum parts leftover, and then you can donate those. or put them on a commuter. or whatever.

good pics+hot build applied well to bike=bike sold. also, hand-wringing threads about a "soft used market" always make me chortle. bicycles, especially extremely niche high-end bicycles, are not commodities. don't act like they are and you'll be happier.

i have an $8000 custom frameset in my possession, new in 2015. right now, i doubt i could sell it for more than $1500. i like it more than that, so i'm going to hold onto it, maybe build it again someday, maybe ride it, maybe give it to someone. see? it's easy.

[FlashUNC]

Wayyyyyy too high valuation on the frame. Expect about a third to half what you're looking for right now.

Welcome to used bikes. Depreciation curves are hell.