grumpier.mike wrote:
I figure a relatively new, really clean and well maintained bike is worth no more than 40-50% of list. Now if you go to EBay you will see lots of used bikes priced quite a bit higher, but those tend to be relisted time and time again. Nevertheless, people are free to charge and pay whatever they feel comfortable with.
Definitely this. I was recently looking for a used road bike, and it's amazing how many people completely misunderstand the used market. If someone is close, you can barter with them a bit, but if they're asking 80%+ of MSRP, they're probably not ready for that bitter pill.
So, I recently got a good deal on a 2013 Specialized Roubaix Expert, full ultegra for $700 used (non-original owner, motivated seller and legit with registration papers). Might have been worth up to $1000-$1200, but not much more than that. The seller had swapped out the rear derailer and cogs for cheaper components for easier pedaling, but had the originals, so I think that might have scared off some potential buyers. The only issue was some paint missing on the top tube because of a poorly taped race number.
Meanwhile, there's a very similar bike being offered (and still available a month later) as a "Deal!!!" for $2150 because the MSRP 5 years ago was $4300. Good luck with that.