A comprehensive guide to selling your secondhand bike

While you love your bike a lot, there comes the point when you need to decide to let it go. There are tons of reasons you would want to sell your bike after some time, and it includes but is not limited to planning to buy a new bike, needing money for something else, you do not get to use your bike anymore, and other reasons. Whatever the reason you want to sell your bike, the most important thing is that you know how to make a sale. And while you may think that selling a bike is easy, you need to think that you are not the only one that is going to sell a bike in the market. To give you an idea, below are everything you would ever need to know about selling your secondhand bike.

What to consider in selling your secondhand bike?

While you may still be emotional about the decision, you have just made, especially if you have a lot of memories with the bike, it would be good to check how much you should be pricing it. You might be asking yourself, ‘how to sell a used bike?’ and the answer lies in the things you need to consider before you decide to put it up for sale.

Check for problems

The first thing you need to do is check for any particular problem that your bike has. When it comes to selling your bike, you want to know everything about it to never have to worry about any question that will be thrown at you. This also means that you need to learn about all the nooks and crooks of your bike to ensure that you are well informed. This can also help you decide if you want to have it repaired before you make the sale or if you just go ahead and make the sale as it is.

Brakes matter

An important part of the bike would be the brakes, along with the handles, and you want to make sure that they are fully functional. No one wants a bike with broken brakes, so you might as well make sure that yours works the way that it should. Check your brakes and see if they work just fine. You can also have a mechanic check it in case you have problems with it. You would not want to sell a faulty bike, after all. You want to reassure your customer that everything is fine and be truthful about it at the same time.

Wheels are life

Well, basically, the feet of the bike are the wheels, and that is why you need to get going and see how your wheels’ condition is. You have to see if they need some air, if they need to be replaced or if they are fine just like that. You want to make sure that your bike is in working condition when you sell it.

Clean it up

No one wants to buy a bike that looks 100 years old or that goes for a year without washing, so before you decide to sell it, make sure that you scrub it and make it look as good as new. There is nothing better than to clean your bike when you plan on selling it later on.

Test it out

Now before you post it up wherever you plan on selling it, what you need to do is to test it. Try the bike and see if it actually works as a whole as much as every part of it does. This also gives you the ability to tell your potential client what to expect from the bike in case it has specific chinks that they need to know. This would certainly be something that you would want to consider

Pricing

Last but not least, you might as well consider how much you plan on selling the bike before you actually post it up. You want a reasonable price that is not too little that you are basically giving the bike away, especially if it is still well maintained. But you also do not want to overprice it to the point that no one wants to buy from you. It is important to make the most out of everything that you plan on making, and this certainly includes that.  

Benefits of selling your secondhand bike

Now that you have figured out what to look into your bike once you decide that you are going to sell it, you might want to learn more about what the benefits of selling your secondhand bike will be for you. After all, if keeping it outweighs the benefits of selling it, then what is the point, right? Below are some of the benefits that you might find to be quite useful.

Get the upgrade

One of the best benefits that you can get when you sell your secondhand bike is simply the fact that you can easily get a new bike that is upgraded from it. Basically, you sell your old bike so you can get a new one. This is good, especially if you are already eyeing something and you can use some extra funds to get what you want. There are people who are on a budget and want to buy your bike, while you can splurge on a new one when you sell yours. Thus, it is a win-win situation when you think about it.

Instant money

When you are planning to get something, or you are running out of budget for the month, you are bound to figure out ways to get money. Selling your bike is one of the things that you can do to get instant money. After all, as soon as you make the sale, the money is yours, and you have nothing to worry about at all anymore. Certainly, that is something that you would want to consider in the long run of things.

Learn new things

Also, by selling an item, you get to learn how to sell things on the market and get the experience so that you have an easier time the next time you sell things. Also, buying and selling bikes would be a good business to get into, and you might want to read more into that.

More garage space

If your garage is already full and your old bike is just taking up unnecessary space, this is a sure sign that it is time for it to go. Selling a bike that you barely use anymore for whatever reason is certainly a good way of dealing with it. You get to free up your garage space while also making money at the same time. You are hitting two birds with one stone, so who would not want that offer in the first place? You want to be able to get as practical as you can about things, and selling a secondhand bike you do not use anymore is certainly very practical.  

Different ways to sell your secondhand bike

Well, now that you know more about why you should be selling your secondhand bike right now and stop second-guessing yourself, you might want to learn about how to get things done. Where to sell bikes, and how are you going to sell them? Below are some of the different ways that you might want to check out when it comes to selling bikes.

Use bike exchange sites

Where to sell a bike is the number one question that might come to mind when it comes to seeing your secondhand bike taking so much space in your garage. Well, the good news is that there are bike exchange sites that can help you out. For example, Pro’s Closet is one of the largest marketplaces online for used bicycles and can help you out to get that sale you have been trying to make. There is no need to struggle when it comes to selling your bike when you check out different exchange sites.

Sell it to your friends

Another option that you might want to try would be to sell it to your immediate family and friends or your acquaintances. This would be a nice try as it would save you a lot of hassle and waiting time if you find a friend who is interested. They would also be able to see the bike in person, so there would be no misunderstandings whatsoever about the sale itself. You would be able to properly explain anything that you want to say to the potential buyer, and since you know them, the chances are that they already trust you, so the transaction is bound to be much faster.

Use social media

If the first two still do not work and you still are left wondering, ‘where can I sell my bike’? Then, you might want to try out using social media. Facebook marketplace, Instagram, and other social media sites would be a good direction to head. After all, everyone uses social media these days, so it only takes a matter of time to find a buyer interested in what you sell.

Put it on eBay

EBay is a popular site where people put up items they want to sell. If you are looking for a wide market audience and want to get yourself started selling things besides your bike, then eBay is the way to go. There are millions of sellers on eBay as well, so you should not have a hard time trying to figure things out. It would be good to have a lot of options when it comes to selling your bike, and since eBay is already a trusted site, there are high chances you get the sale you need.

Go to a used sports shop

When it comes to finding where to sell used bikes, another good option that you might want to check out would be a used sports shop that buys them. This is a good choice because there is a high chance you will find one near you. This means that you will be able to just bring your bike and make the sale. They are also likely to be in this business for some time now and should be able to give you a quotation for your bike. You still decide whether or not you are going to accept their offer, so that is another thing you would want to consider.

Forums can work wonders

­If you have checked out everything and nothing is still working for you, you can also opt to try posting on a forum where bike enthusiasts gather. This is a good option because then you will be able to find people who might be interested in buying your bike. Since they usually have memberships, the chances that you will get scammed are less likely.

Finding the right buyer for you is a struggle every seller goes through. However, with the things mentioned above, you will surely find the one that will be more than interested in your bike. You need to be enthusiastic and patient when it comes to sales, so do your best and get your bike a new owner today!