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Best way to sell a bike?

2K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  cbdallas 
#1 ·
I'm thinking Ebay because I feel I'll generally always get top dollar just because how it works. I'd put it on CL but I really don't know what a fair asking price is. It's not like with cars where there are always 45 others for sale in the area.

It's an 06 VStar 650, something like 4500 miles on it, new rear fender and brakelight, just got a full service with records, led kit, laid down once, almost no indication of it though. Completely stock except for the LEDs.





What do you guys think I could get for it, and do you all agree Ebay is the best way to sell it?
 
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#2 ·
Blue book full retail is around $3765 and the trade in is around $2500. I'd expect to get somewhere in the middle between those two numbers on a decent sale.

Ebay will reach a pretty large audience. Craigslist gets a lot of local views. Watch out for scammers though.
 
#5 ·
You'll find it much easier to do on Craigslist if you just commit to a first-come, first-served method. Get some numbers from NADA & KBB, check the local market for prices on comparable bikes, and set a minimum price in your mind. Then, list it for a few hundred more than that.

When you start getting e-mails, invite the responders to come see it (I bring people to the WalMart about a mile from my house instead of bringing them to my house). Put in the ad that if they wish to test ride it, you need the full purchase price in your hand before they ride away. When in person, make it clear that if the bike isn't returned in exactly the condition it rode away in, the money's yours, and the title's theirs. It's very simple...I love Craigslist, and have never had an issue buying or selling bikes there. IMO, Ebay's a pain.
 
#8 ·
There's so many rules on Ebay, mainly in place to assure that THEY get paid. You can't terminate the auction after A because of B, C and D. Do you want a 3, 5 or 7 day auction? Do you want a Buy It Now option? Do you want to offer shipping? Then there's the listing fees, which are absent on Craigslist. BAH!
 
#12 ·
Okay what the hell? I've posted this and removed all the link I had in it and it's STILL getting flagged. I read the terms, it's huge but I read through what I thought were the relevant parts.

Does anything jump out here as "not on the level?"

Here's the exact ad, verbatim. I hope this doesn't break any rules, I don't think it would but man, this is really, really annoying.


2006 Yamaha V-Star 650. 4,750 miles. Second owner, EXCELLENT condition.







Hi my name is Tom and I'm a bit of a perfectionist. So when I bought my first bike I wanted a good bike that I know would work well. I landed on the Star 650 and it has served me very well. It has been GENTLY laid down once. Almost impossible to notice, there's a very light scuff on the lowest point of the exhaust. This bike was ridden almost exclusively on the highway except for once or twice on mountainous backroads of up North. Very very little stop and go, because when I rode this I lived in Northern Scottsdale. (wayyy North)







The bike was serviced about 1,200 miles ago from Apache motorsports in Scottsdale. General maintenance stuff, fuel filter, oil, etc etc etc plus a lubed driveshaft(very important, frequently overlooked) Also, there was a scratch on the rear fender so I had that replaced with a brand new one and a brand new OEM sticker to make it look 100% original. (And it sure was expensive, the sticker alone is $40!) Bike is an excellent in-town bike and to be honest if I hadn't moved to downtown I would never have gotten rid of it. It's got a VERY low seat height, a nice relaxed seating position and it's light enough to make it very manageable even for an inexperienced rider. As I said though, almost all of my riding was done on the highway. Now, this bike IS NOT BAD on the highway. However, I do not have a car, either, so naturally I wanted a bagger. I loved the Star so much I bought it's older brother, a Star 1300 with Corbin hardbags and a Corbin windscreen. I've had the 650 cruise along at 80 with no issues and plenty of steam left, but I never really pushed it.







Bike was never run very hard, especially not when cold. Adequate warmup time(15 seconds in the coldest weather, and another minute or two of riding before it felt completely warmed up) was always given before getting it going. The trunk on this thing is actually surprisingly big. I can fit an SLR camera, my phone, some tissues, and my GPS in there with some finagling. My 1300 for as "big" as it is will hold nothing more than paperwork! Chrome spoked factory wheels. Again, my 1300 has ugly alloys. I can't believe what a good package the 650 has.







The driveshaft is silent and virtually maintenance free. Never have to deal with stuff getting caught in a belt or constant maintenance of a chain.







Mods? Only one, and I think you already know what that is. Completely custom LED installation from AZ cycle Lights way out in Litchfield Park. THESE ARE 100% LEGAL. I have passed many, many cops with them on and never gotten pulled over. AZ law states that so long as the light is not directional(Read: Facing forward or backwards) you are fine, as you aren't really impersonating a police officer. I love being in a parking lot and a guy pulls up on his $24,000 Harley and I roll up on my $8,000 650 and I'm getting all the attention from the lights. The pics really do not do it justice, the blue is a very deep and phosphorous hue, it looks awesome. The chrome wheels really set it off in the front and rear and the engine being blacked out gives it a very unique black-blue coloring you don't see. The lights are typically $300 for the engine, $100 for the front and $100 for the rear(Charlie's website prices are not up-to-date I learned) but I wanted more than that so I had him add extra LED pods underneath the fork to give the front end even MORE light. The entire job cost $650, and is VERY well-done. All wires are completely hidden. When the lights are off there is absolutely no indication of the install except for a tiny switch behind the choke to turn them on and off. The lights are incredibly low-drain and were you to accidentally leave them on overnight(or over two nights) your bike would still start up just fine. Just make sure if that happens you turn them off before trying to start. Under normal circumstances you can turn them on before starting the bike, just when the battery is low. They also increase visbility! Reducing the risk of an accident, increasing the chance of getting second looks, how can you go wrong? :)







Again, great first bike. A beginner-specific forum recommends it in their very strict list of good starter bikes. It does, however, certainly offer enough comfort and power for anybody. Obviously if you're trying to win races or need to prove something you'll want an 1800cc bike, but if you like getting 50mpg and riding a bike that's still faster than 80% of the cars on the road in a good-looking, maintenance free package, you really can't go wrong with this cruiser. Compare this to what you get from HD, the big 4, or Triumph and you really can't argue this is the best choice.(It's why I got it.)







I'm a very active member on BBO and several other motorcycle forums and my reputation is important to me. This bike as well as myself are very trustworthy and will never screw anyone!







The bike has ALWAYS been garaged. Either in my personal garage in Scottsdale or in the parking garage where it currently resides. If there's anything else you'd like to know, don't hesitate to ask. I prefer text messaging, then email, the phone calls, but any are fine with me. I don't really sleep much so feel free to call any time. 3 am 8 am 9pm I don't care. Craigslist only allows 4 pictures but that isn't really good enough for me so I added links to several more high-res pictures.







My phone number is ate sicks zeroh, niyn zeroh ate, niyn zeroh niyn zeroh (I do that on purpose to avoid spam, sorry!)




I have lots of other pictures but I can only add four, just email me if you want more.




TEST RIDES: Are allowed: Full purchase price in cash must be given prior to, you must have a VALID motorcycle license. You assume completely responsibility for any incident or accident that may occur and will be held accountable. The bike is uninsured and I'm pretty sure the plate on it is expired. The road behind my apartment complex is fairly quiet, you could get it up to about 50 on there. If you do not have a MC license/are a new rider I can ride it up and down the road to show the bike is in full working order.







It runs perfectly everybody, no need to worry. :)







SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY
 
#14 · (Edited)
TBH, I would cut it down, give em the facts, tell them what they need to know and leave it at that. I would venture a guess most people aren't gonna read through your short story while browsing Craigslist. Something like:

Bike description, miles, year, model etc..
Been laid down? Any damage? Kept in a garage? How many owners?
List mods, professionally installed, etc..
Test rides only if full cash amount in my hand, if it doesn't come back same as it left, cash is mine, bike is yours
Other need-to-know information..
And then any contact info you want to have out there
Post in your pics at the bottom with their little picture uploader. Say you have more pictures upon email request..
CASH ONLY - cant stress this enough, people will trade you anything

simpler is better in this case
 
#15 ·
WAYYYYYY too long. I wouldn't read all that if I were shopping. Break it down to the facts, what you want for it, etc.

I don't know why it's getting flagged...some people do it just to be mean. But seriously....pare that WAY down. And saying "no need to worry" is what worries me most in a for-sale ad. Leave that out completely.
 
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