Where do people find the cheap bikes?

weekend_warrior said:

I just love the CL adds " Don't bother with low ball offers" or "I know what I've got". That just means you want to much and I should move a long.

What are your thoughts on the "firm" add? Toss an offer or move on down the road?

Click to expand...

I agree that the owner knows it's over-priced and trying to "high-ball" buyers ... oh and it offends me to see those.


WW, I hear and understand you won't "haggle" via phone or text.
And you acknowledge that distance can play a factor.

From my POV, haggling is one thing and trying to figure if it's worth the drive to even look is something completely different. Might be a fine line, but travel can get expensive and from a buyers perspective, increases the bottom line. So it has to be factored in.

If you blow off someone who is interested, but wants to figure out if the two budget's align, you are missing a sale ... a sale that very well could be more than what locals are offering.

So I don;t quite understand your no discussion of price over the phone. I don't understand why it matters so much.

JMHO ...

tshelfer said:

Frankly, in that price range these days, your best chance may be to pick up a street-legal dirt bike with a lost title. Whatever you pay for the bike, though, factor in about $125 extra to cover the bonding fee + assorted state fees. If you have a buddy who can run the VIN first, the risk isn't really high, since that's exactly what the bonding company will do. If the bike later turns up on a stolen list, it's the bonding company's problem, not yours. Just be prepared to spend all day walking the red tape.

Click to expand...

I spent $200 to bond a bike. $125 is a great deal!
Perhaps she should 'get her feet wet' on a little scooter. They often show up on Clist at the end of a school year as the college students leave town.

Yeah, offer me half of my asking price and I won't even respond.

kurt said:

Yeah, offer me half of my asking price and I won't even respond.

Click to expand...

Probably won't be an issue as long as your asking price isn't high dealer retail plus.

mitchntx said:

If you blow off someone who is interested, but wants to figure out if the two budget's align, you are missing a sale ... a sale that very well could be more than what locals are offering.

So I don;t quite understand your no discussion of price over the phone. I don't understand why it matters so much.

JMHO ...

Click to expand...

I was just referring when you put an add on CL and then get a text that says "will you take X for it" Usually like 50 to 60% of the price. They have not seen the item in person and feel inclined to ask for 50% off? Even if they had the money and would swoop in for the deal it just means we are likely to far apart anyway. Also, its more the way you approach it. To send a text asking "what is your bottom dollar".... not so much. I have had that one more than once. If you were to call and say your is budge it X and I wanted to see if I'm in the ball park its going to a be a price I can live with or not. I would let you know up front to not waste our time if I can't live with it or let you know we are close.

If you take the time to actually call me and are genuinely asking questions about the item and seem interested it goes a long way. Like with a bike, how many miles or hours on it, does it have any known issues, etc.... I'd defiantly be inclined to discuss price and meet. Especially if you let me know that you would be coming from a ways out. Always much better in person so both can see it and discuss any issues that are brought up. With a dirt bike, especially if you take the time to load it up and meet someone halfway. You get there and they are like "well I didn't realize it had scratches on it" and try to beat you up for more ( had that happen). I try to maKe sure my ad represents the item and its condition (no old photos and photos of any major blemishes). Less to deal with when meeting up as its out in the open.

I think, for the most part, we agree. I can see that ... a blind shot. Makes perfect sense and I've dealt with my share of those. It's not a huge deal to me. A simple "no" takes 2 seconds to compose and send.

I guess I was reading it more a bit more generically ... as in discounting most any discussion via phone (primarily text, but a call as well).

20 years ago, classified section in the paper left a buyer little recourse but to go physically look. But a paper's circulation typically defined the driving distance.

Now, placing an ad is cheap (or free) and there is no boundary. So for those of us who are from those printed paper days, our compass (and maybe tolerance) is a bit different than those who have adapted to the technology.

No argument ... a F to F dealing is ideal and best case scenario. In my world a handshake is a bond and there are few reasons to breach that contract. Do it and you lose all respect. If unsure, don't shake my hand. Just be honest and don't lead me on. That will crawl under my skin faster than anything else.

The tech has eroded simple things like critical conversation, trust and integrity. But the tech is a paper trail to help track who has said what. And it is now the new world. Adapt or get left behind, right?

I never ignore an inquiry if it looks like a legitimate buyer (as opposed to a spammer, scammer, or dealer). As to the person who calls or emails and asks "Will you take xxx," there are ways to handle that scenario.

If the offer meets my bottom dollar price, I can either accept on the spot, or say "I'll consider it" or "You're in the ballpark. Come ride it and we'll talk more."

If the offer is below what I'm willing to accept, my standard answer is "That's too low. The price is negotiable, but after you've seen it." If he's a flipper looking for a steal, he'll move on. If you have something he really wants, you've given him incentive to up his game.

I choose not to get upset by low-ball offers. It isn't personal; it's just business. Over & over, people on this forum get upset by sellers (usually dealers) who don't take their offers seriously. And then we turn around as sellers and get upset at prospective buyers who do exactly the same thing. The best way to make a good sale - or a good buy - is to keep telling yourself it's just business.

Personally.... I'll entertain a text response or two to see if they are interested or just trolling for desparate people trying to off load stuff.

If I ask $3K for something and they text me an offer of $1200, I seriously doubt they'd be coming to my house to pick it up if I said yes. They'd probably wonder what was wrong with it. I typically don't answer those as they are just ridiculous and I don't believe there is a credible buyer on the other end. (of course...this does assume that my 3K list price is reasonable....if I go weeks and get nothing but offers at half my price, then maybe I've misjudged the value)

Moving on...if the text seems reasonable at all, I really try to respond and then get them to move from email or text to a phone call. You can get a lot of information and idea of how legitimate a buyer is after 5 to 10 minutes on the phone. Most people won't actually call you if they aren't actually serious about trying to buy the item at a reasonable price. It's much easier to send a lowball text than to offer that in a conversation over the phone.

For the actual buying decision and final negotiation, I do agree face to face is the best.....but by then, the seller is at an advantage as the buyer has already went to the time and expense to drive there and buy it. That advantage increases the further the distance the buyer had to travel. With the Internet, I look at bikes 300 miles away. Pictures and an online description and details are a good start, but it's not enough to make a decision to buy. Said another way, there's no way I'm going to drive 300 miles without a phone call to discuss the bikes history, maintenance, to get an idea if the buyer has taken care of the bike, and to get a feel for how much they can move on the price.

So.... start with text or email, move to a phone call, finish face to face. That's my sales and buying model and it seems to work out well for me. Oh...and patience...it sometimes takes a bit of time for the right buyer to find the right seller. If you sell your bike in a day, you either got lucky or you under priced it. I try to post at a fair price but I'll adjust after a couple of weeks and then keep dropping every couple of weeks until it sells. At the end of the day, price almost always dictates the speed of the sale.

tshelfer said:

I choose not to get upset by low-ball offers. It isn't personal; it's just business. Over & over, people on this forum get upset by sellers (usually dealers) who don't take their offers seriously. And then we turn around as sellers and get upset at prospective buyers who do exactly the same thing. The best way to make a good sale - or a good buy - is to keep telling yourself it's just business.

Click to expand...

Very well said, Tim.

tshelfer said:

I never ignore an inquiry if it looks like a legitimate buyer (as opposed to a spammer, scammer, or dealer). As to the person who calls or emails and asks "Will you take xxx," there are ways to handle that scenario.

If the offer meets my bottom dollar price, I can either accept on the spot, or say "I'll consider it" or "You're in the ballpark. Come ride it and we'll talk more."

If the offer is below what I'm willing to accept, my standard answer is "That's too low. The price is negotiable, but after you've seen it." If he's a flipper looking for a steal, he'll move on. If you have something he really wants, you've given him incentive to up his game.

I choose not to get upset by low-ball offers. It isn't personal; it's just business. Over & over, people on this forum get upset by sellers (usually dealers) who don't take their offers seriously. And then we turn around as sellers and get upset at prospective buyers who do exactly the same thing. The best way to make a good sale - or a good buy - is to keep telling yourself it's just business.

Click to expand...

Agree.

It's just business and the buyer and seller have different jobs.

As the seller, your job is to try and sell your item for as much as buyer will pay. As a buyer, your job is to buy for as little as the buyer will sell. In a perfect deal, both buyer and seller should have to compromise a bit but walk away feeling like it was a good deal for both and that neither party "won" but neither party "lost".

2WheelNut said:

Agree.

It's just business and the buyer and seller have different jobs.

As the seller, your job is to try and sell your item for as much as buyer will pay. As a buyer, your job is to buy for as little as the buyer will sell. In a perfect deal, both buyer and seller should have to compromise a bit but walk away feeling like it was a good deal for both and that neither party "won" but neither party "lost".

Click to expand...

Exactly! I still have a book on my bookshelf written by a retired car salesman some 30 years ago. After he gives 120 pages of information that help the buyer get the best deal, he concludes that, ultimately, "A good deal is one in which the seller and the buyer both feel good about it."

The idea of cheap bikes and especially cheap bike cannonball rides appeals to me. One was the 555 where they were limited to $500 bikes, 1975 or older, and 500cc or less.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re2nsYMvskk"]The 555 - YouTube[/ame]