Dealing with idiots trying to sell a bike:

[Basement rat]

A few weeks ago, I had a guy come by with his friend who had been riding for years. His friend tried to tell me it was wrecked, that the frame was bent, the brakes were bad, the choke was wrong, the grips were dangerous and its a death trap... He had a pristine HD jacket on...

Today I have this:

Him: If you have time this evening , I like to stop by and look it at. Thanks

Me: My number is xxx xxx xxxx, I will be around this evening.

Him: Were in "Town A" are you?

Me: The bottom of the add says "Town B". about an hour and twenty min north of "Town A".

Him: Ok i will ask my friend, hi knows more about biks than me, if hi wont to go that far, will keep in tuch


I sent no reply.


A month and a half ago, a guy asked me to hold it two weeks until he left camp. He spent the money on something else when I called back to ask why he hadn't contacted me again.

Maybe its with bikes in this price range, that attracts tools. I don't know... I'm asking 2K OBO.

 

[Whitey80]

Never be afraid to laugh in someone's face and tell them to kick rocks. Put the bike away, shut the garage door, and go inside. I have to do it a time or two with every bike I sell.

 

[hillsy]

It's just the way it is with "cheap" bikes. There's always dickheads around.

I had one guy who rang me and asked me to "hold" a cheap ZX11 I had for him for 2 months. I said "No, but call me in 2 months and if it's still here it's yours". Sure enough, he called me after 2 months. The bike was sold ages ago. He got pissed at me for not holding it. WTF??

I also have this serial low-baller guy that (by email only) offers me about 1/3 of my asking price on anything I sell. Most of the time I tell him to fuck off......and HE gets offended. WTF???

 

[Captmilk76]

I'll give you $666.66 for the bike....jk.lol...looks nice

Sliced in by my Droid Razr

 

[Basement rat]

I get lots of calls for $1500.... I'll take 1800 at the first offer but its always 1500...

 

[Big R]

I sold a Honda CR60 a couple months ago on Craigslist. I was asking $250, and the ad specifically said: "the bike runs well and everything functions as it should. However, it is not restored and does need some odds and ends to really be reliable." Like Hillsy, I had one guy that constantly emailed saying "It looks like it needs a lot of work. How about $100 cash and I'll pick it up today."

To which my reply every time was: "It does need some work, and that is reflected in the price. If you want a restored CR60, look on eBay and be sure to have substantially more than $100."

 

[clem]

I sold a Honda CR60 a couple months ago on Craigslist. I was asking $250, and the ad specifically said: "the bike runs well and everything functions as it should. However, it is not restored and does need some odds and ends to really be reliable." Like Hillsy, I had one guy that constantly emailed saying "It looks like it needs a lot of work. How about $100 cash and I'll pick it up today."

To which my reply every time was: "It does need some work, and that is reflected in the price. If you want a restored CR60, look on eBay and be sure to have substantially more than $100."


Danger Rich that sucks, I was thinking that I would have room in the shed for that cr60 by the time Barber rolled around this year. Oh well live and learn, when its there, take it!

 

[620dark]

Effing tire kickers, eh?

I had a guy offer me $1800 on a bike I was asking $3400 for - the bike was ready to ride across country and he's telling me that it's not worth that much. Ok, thanks for your interest, now go away...sold it for the asking price in cash, that was sweet so hang in there - you'll find the right buyer.

 

[jay_kent]

My dad and I are always selling stuff, bikes, boats, trailers.

Same people constantly. One dude wanted to buy a utility trailer but he didn't have a car to come and see it.
It's the "I'll be there at 1:30" and never show up assholes that get me. Luckily it's a bit of an excuse to go to the shop and wrench.

 

[Basement rat]

Just had a guy call and drop by while I was working on my boat. Actually looked serious!, Didn't haggle, didn't want a test ride when I offered a spare helmet and said he would come by tomorrow with his wife and see if she could pull some money out.

We'll see...

 

[620dark]

We also sell used cars, and man, some of the people

My Dad had a guy who had just got out of prison show up with his hooker girlfriend and pay $6500 in cash for a pink Cadillac convertible. That was the last time my Mom let him sell cars out of the house...

 

[jay_kent]

Just had a guy call and drop by while I was working on my boat. Actually looked serious!, Didn't haggle, didn't want a test ride when I offered a spare helmet and said he would come by tomorrow with his wife and see if she could pull some money out.

We'll see...

Those dudes always seem to be the guys that buy, if they need to check with the wives they tend to be thinking about it and not just wasting some spare time.

you'll get it sold, just the shit that has to be waded through sucks.

hmm, seems I've been on the buying on of shit as well so...

 

[alexmac]

I hate haggling when I want to buy something. I wouldn't bother to look at a bike if I didn't think it was worth what the seller is asking. And if it I see it and I think it isn't as good as it looks in the ad... I will pass and look for one that is in decent shape.
I wouldn't want someone to waste my time with a low-ball and I certainly have enough respect for a seller that I won't waste their time either.

 

[MB]

Are you guys ever picky with buyers? I sol my 350 this week and took 400 less off one guy. Reason? Guy offering asking price was some trust fund kid who I knew would be calling me demanding a refund the first time it stalled or the carbs caught some crap.....or leave my hard work in a parking lot after a weekend if
Impressing his buddies with his brand new schott on....Buyer works with his hands, did his research....considerably less cash but it seems like a better deal for everyone concerned

 

[surffly]

On a side note its odd when we have threads like this and then the next week its some newbie with a "i found this on CL and want to low ball" and everyone talks about how bikes are not worth this that or the other thing.

Personally I dont mind the lowballs that come right away, its fine as they are just throwing shit against the wall and hoping something sticks. Its the guys that ask ten million questions over a week and then low ball. Or worse lowball and then ask questions.
My pet peeve is when I agree to an offer and then the questions start or you never hear anything from them. Was yes the wrong answer?
Really its just part of selling stuff on CL. People are ingrained to offer half. A 1500 offer on a bike listed at 2000 isnt really all that bad. they figure you will meet at 1750.

Comes down to a choice. Either deal with the lowballs and time wasters, or take less and sell fast.

 

[hillsy]

The other thing that shits me is when people email or ring up and the first thing they ask is "Will you take X amount off the asking price" when they haven't even seen the bike.

I tell them they can ask me that question face to face if they're serious

 

[Frog]

A few years ago I had a couple of guys call around to look at a CZ 350 I was selling, it ran perfectly and apart from a respray was immaculate, they tried to knock me down with the inane comment that it wasn't Japanese and the gearbox was clunky, which was normal on these bikes. You will always attract pillocks when selling bikes, haggling is normal, but unreasonable offers and unreasonable expectations are bloody annoying.

 

[redwillissuperman]

I get lots of calls for $1500.... I'll take 1800 at the first offer but its always 1500...

Not that this applies to your bike (i have no idea about the make or model) but Since I buy lots of bikes, I see the other side of the problem......

The guy has fallen out of love with the bike, it has sat for three years with leaking fork seals, old gas in the tank and the tires are all cracked. The fork oil has fouled the brake pads, and there are a number of small oil leaks peppering the spot in the shed. The bike has had no maintenance for the past 5 years and telling from the amount of sludge buildup around the sprocket, hubs, swing arm and other places, washing has been optional (and forgotten) since he owned it...BUT he saw one just like it in Cafe Racer magazine or on eBay that is $4800. ......

When I go to buy a bike, I add up the cost of all the basic issues to make it a basic runner again. I hate it when the seller quips in "that it just needs the carbs cleaned and it's ready to go". Unfortunately I haven't had success with just washing the outside of the carbs and a bike rumbles to life. It usually involves hours of removing the carbs, fiddling with stripped and corroded bits, plus a major overhaul of the carbs. Then the syncing and tuning starts. This is $500 worth of work. Add in a new battery, oil, ignition kit (plugs, points, condensor), gaskets set, air filter, a new lever for the broken one when it fell over, fuel filters, hoses, fork seals, brake pads, chain, and a set of tires and tubes (whew! That's a lot of labor too). This adds about $1500 to get a running driving motorcycle that will pass a standard vehicle safety. So sometimes a $1500 motorcycle is really a $3000 to $4000 motorcycle in disguise.

Everyone wants to buy a vehicle from me, because I always make sure it's "all done" before I put it up for sale. This usually means that the new owner can enjoy his purchase right a way, instead of having to get elbows deep in basic maintenance before he can go for a ride.

Now, I have no problem paying for quality. I bought a CL360T the other day for full song because other than cracked tires (but they were original), the bike was ready to ride.

I should write a book on how to sell a vehicle but here are some suggestions:
-be honest about its condition and even have an independent survey of what it needs to meet a standard road safety
-be available to answer the phone or email, and send more pictures/ video if it's not in the ad. Why list it for sale and then leave for vacation?
-show the good and the bad about the bike (not shooting the right side of the bike because it has a dent on the tank is not going to fool the buyer when he drives 20miles to see it)
-be prepared to answer the same dumb questions to each caller. You have said it a hundred times but they are just hearing it once.
-if they seem serious, let the buyer know that $XXXX amount of cash in your hand will let the bike go. Sometimes $50 or $100 either way will make a sale or throw in a helmet/ gloves if the buyer is a new rider.
-be prepared to sell the bike. This means emotionally and physically. Emotionally, you are not going to "get around to restoring it" nor will you take that ride up PCH...Physically, have the bike out, cleaned, fueled, aired, and charged. If its in your shed that is lit with a 40watt light bulb, the buyer will either lower his offer for the unknown or walk away.
-be realistic on pricing. Adding up the money you've spent on gas, oil and foam hand grips does not add to the value. However, if you put a $75 seat cover on the bike (a real one not stapled material from Danny's Fabrics) this can add $200 of value to the buyer

Which leads me to my final point:
-doing something poorly is NOT better than just leaving it alone. Painting everything flat black from a spray can (hoses, wiring, carbs) because you saw a movie does not add value- it degrades it. This especially applies to cars where the $99 paint job required $5000 of labor to undo.

I would also add that sellers shouldn't be weary of far-away buyers. I buy a lot of bikes sight unseen from across the country. Paying a shipping company $1000 is sometimes cheaper than going to see the Wrong Bike locally. I bought a great bike for my wife from a guy is Upper Michigan and I still need to pick up a sweet DT360 from Washington (but it's paid for already) from January.

 

[cyclepuck]

How about the guy that ask a ton of questions comes and looks at it for 30min. Then wants to know if you'll take a junk snowmobile, some truck axles and a speaker box on trade.

 

[andycafe]

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