Difficulty Selling Premium Bikes

[msl819]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

What is considered the "best time" of year to sell?

I am sure that varies by region and bike type but I have found Spring to be the overall best. Weather is warming, people are wanting to get back outside.

[DaveS]

One other thought - as the price for a used bike approaches 50 - 60% of the price of a custom frame I become tempted to get a custom frame and hang some older parts on it.

(Full disclosure - if I didn't already have a Hampco bike in the garage I would probably take this off your hands)

[bob heinatz]

I recently sold a top shelf custom frame and I really had to lower the price to finally move it. If you want to sell it then the depressed used market will dictate its price.

[prototoast]

We're in the middle of a 10 year economic expansion--there just aren't that many people who want an older style bike who don't have 1 or more of them already. The bikes that are selling well in the secondary market are either ones that appeal to beginners (typically these will come from recognizable brands/models) or ones with newer features that people might not have already (e.g., fat tire, disc brake, di2, etc.).

I've seen your bike listed before, and have been tempted by it, and at $1600, it seems like a fair price if it were already set up to my liking, but it's not. I'd probably want to swap out the whole groupset, and despite my fairly large set of tools in my home workshop, I don't have what I'd need to remove those Power Torque cranks. So when all is said and done, maybe I net $300 from the groupset, $200 for the wheels, so I'm left with an $1100 frameset. Not terrible, but a price that's in line with a new Ritchey at MSRP.

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by prototoast

We're in the middle of a 10 year economic expansion--there just aren't that many people who want an older style bike who don't have 1 or more of them already. The bikes that are selling well in the secondary market are either ones that appeal to beginners (typically these will come from recognizable brands/models) or ones with newer features that people might not have already (e.g., fat tire, disc brake, di2, etc.).

I've seen your bike listed before, and have been tempted by it, and at $1600, it seems like a fair price if it were already set up to my liking, but it's not. I'd probably want to swap out the whole groupset, and despite my fairly large set of tools in my home workshop, I don't have what I'd need to remove those Power Torque cranks. So when all is said and done, maybe I net $300 from the groupset, $200 for the wheels, so I'm left with an $1100 frameset. Not terrible, but a price that's in line with a new Ritchey at MSRP.

I’m in Oakland and have the PT tools if you end up getting tempted.

OP, I think your price is fair but would agree that you need to move to Instagram or another platform. I don’t have Facebook but have heard of people being successful selling there.

[Kirk007]

I'd say wait until Spring then put it up for auction and accept what you get or make piece with keeping a great bike that is worth more to you than then market dictates, even if you don't ride it much. If you want to sell it now, drop the price to a place where it hurts and see if it sells, and make piece with that.

Maybe consider repurposing the frame to something different and fun - single speed for instance.

I have a Lynskey 29er that I can't give away here. Maybe I'll try Pinkbike but I've made my peace with keeping it and turning it into my townie/errand/ride to the gym and lock it up bike. Maybe I can then get mileage on my Honda Element to less than 2k a year.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by John H.

It is not hard to sell a premium bike- It is hard to sell a premium bike for premium prices.



This is even more true with a frame from a small builder. Other than 1-2 guys (like Richard Sachs)- the bike depreciates heavily. Probably 50% of purchase price immediately.

A well known brand like a Trek or Specialized will do a little better- But don't expect to recoup a large % of purchase price.



Reasons?



I think that we created part of this ourselves. Several years ago shops in the UK and other places in the world started selling parts, wheels, tires, frames etc. for much lower prices than in the USA. Some of the stuff was grey market, some just loss leaders. Free shipping included.

People on the interwebs (especially here) made it their lifes work to make sure everyone knew about these prices.

This did a couple things:

1.) It flooded the market with low cost gear.

2.) It created an artificially low floor for the pricing of used gear.

Say a derailleur sells for $400 retail (like a DI2 Dura-Ace). It also sells online from Wiggle for $299. This will likely drop the going rate for a used one to $150-200, maybe even less.



The other thing is the evolution of Ebay. It used to be a great sellers market for hobby type items like used bike gear.

But now with the current fee structure and also vendors selling tons of new gear- It is a less great place to sell your used gear.



Same for bike swaps- Used to be able to go to one and sell off lots gear and do well. Now you go to one and it is lots of shops selling their close-outs.

This right here is a pretty good explanation. I will add that there is a flood of used bikes and bike goods on the market that aren’t holding any type of value based on changing standards. A Hampsten is a great bike for those in the know, but to the average hobby or even experienced cyclist it is just another obscure steel bike.

The market is what it is. I am a bit shocked that the complete bike wouldn’t even get a bid at $1600, but that is only because I am aware of this niche bicycle world in which we all reside. Hand built steel frames are wonderful, but shops are pushing carbon with disk brakes, etap and fat tires which are great depending on the riding you do. A rim brake road bike isn’t obsolete to most of us that participate here, but to those who are new to the sport or just want the latest tech they kind of are.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jtbadge]

You're going to need to part it out.

The venn diagram of:
1. people looking for a small name builder, lugged steel frame, with threadless fork, that match your geometry
2. people looking for a retro-fetish 11 speed silver Athena group
3. people who think those wheels go with the rest of the build
does not create a very large overlap. Your best bet is on this forum, but your FS thread hasn't been updated in years so I doubt members here even knew it was still available.

Blurry pics and a sloppy bar tape job are not helping.

[weisan]

I would really like to understand what is going on ...

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.

[biker72]

I've sold a number of bikes at the LBS where I work. Lots of foot traffic and no shipping required.

A lot of them have sold in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If not then normally the first few warm days in the Spring will bring buyers out of the woodwork.

Unfortunately people are looking more for disc brakes and wider tires.

[joosttx]

Take a look at those “nicest looking/riding bike” threads. The majority of bikes on those threads are high end vintage bikes or middle tier modern bikes. There are very few high end modern bikes. I think that’s why they don’t sell here.

[m_sasso]

Vultures circuling, when you are ready to part it out and move the wheels let me know!

Thanks,

[KJMUNC]

Originally Posted by John H.

It is not hard to sell a premium bike- It is hard to sell a premium bike for premium prices.

Pretty much sums it up. And not even "premium" price, but often difficult to even get what most perceive as the market price.

As many have suggested, selling as a complete bike narrows your pool of buyers dramatically and discounts the overall price substantially.

The only bikes you see holding value (if you can even use that term) as those that have already taken the depreciation hit and are super desirable for some reason. Even Pegs and Sachs (prob the most $$ on this board, consistently) sell for a big discount from new, even though the sale price is still very expensive.

[dustyrider]

I think there is some confusion when it comes to worth and value in any used market. People end up attaching a worth to their used item and end up confused that no one but them see’s the value in it.
I think clean’s bike sales are a good example of value over worth. Where as your particular listing seems like a good example of worth over value. Our classifieds are frequented by folks who follow the market and know the value, but because we are bike centric we also understand worth, so a brand like yours is seen as being very close to value over worth. But not quite enough for the buyer.

With bikes it’s pretty tough right now. I have been tempted many times to buy a brand new frame that sells for close to 4 grand when it first comes out at the end of the yearly improvement cycle for something like 1500. It happens all the time with the big name brands. Maybe because there is the whole incremental marginal gains mentality out there or there is glut of unsold bikes.

Another thing with bikes that is easy to overlook, is size. You might have a 54cm Sachs and think it is worth thousands of dollars, the market suggests the bike might be valued at thousands of dollars, but this 58cm bike rider won’t give you a dime for it! Now if it’s a red 58 I might offer you a dime be had I hate the color red...selling used isn’t easy and sometimes it isn’t “worth” it either!

[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