I have some used equipment I want to sell on ebay such as a drivetrain, a frame, a seatpost, etc. When is the best time of year to sell these types of items or does it make a difference? In otherwords, when is demand the highest?
Also, what are the strategies you use? I’ve been told the best way to sell is to not set a reserve and also to set a low initial bid. This is supposed to generate the intrest in your item. However, I’m worried that I am going to sell a frame that I value in the range of $200 - 300 dollars, for only 50 or 100 bucks by doing this. Is this a reasonable concern?
I have had lots of success selling on ebay. I have always gotten the minimum of what i wanted for an item, 95% of the time i get more. A perfect example is my old QR Kilo tri bike which i bought used for $600 and at the time was 2 years old. I sold last summer on Ebay for $750 after riding for 2 years. I was hoping to get rid of it for about $500, so imagine my surprise when I saw that auction end.
I’ve heard similar, that things sell. What was your strategy? Do you just put your stuff up without a reserve then? Anytime of year that is better than others?
Set up the initial bids for the absolute least you are willing to part with. If it doesn’t sell, list it again. Check to see how much similar parts have gone for by doing an advanced search and look for completed items only.
I think spring and summer are the best time for selling bike parts. Be very specific when writing the description and answer questions honestly. If you make a mistake in the listing, correct it as soon as possible and let your bidders know about it.
You will get many more hits on the item if you have a picture.
Hope this helps
jaretj
Oh, and don’t be dissapointed when they don’t leave any feedback.
Ebay is an efficient market. Get a couple good pictures, no reserve with no minimum and you will get what it is worth on the “open market.” If you can place a value on your items, go ahead and set a reserve but no minimum. You want lots of bidding action. Bidding action triggers free advertising from ebay to the interested watchers. List the items so they sell around 10 pm central time, (action nationwide) make sure the auction does not end on a Friday or Saturday (nobody at their computer.)
I am a self proclaimed eBay expert and sell over $10K/month some months. I sell consumer electronics, and by far the most profitable auctions are the $1/no reserve auctions. The best time to close is Sunday evening, and the worst time is Saturday evening. Make sure to include a picture.
All of this being said, eBay would not be my first choice for selling a used bike frame. Not sure where you are, but if you have Craig’s List in your area, try that first. www.craigslist.org. I have sold two bikes this way, got the price I was looking for each time.
Another place to sell stuff is on the Slowtwitch classifieds…
Be sure your ad looks good, good format, good pictures, correct spelling and grammer, etc. With good looking ads I’ve seen tons of USED items sell for MORE then new retail. I’ve bought and sold lots on eBay. I watch stuff all the time so i know how much things are worth or what people are paying for that item in a set condition. This way I’ll know if an item is over priced or not when I’m in the market for a similar item.
I regularly buy cycling stuff on ebay that’s poorly listed (bad pictures, bad grammar, et cetera). I clean the stuff up, take some good photos, make a good marketing pitch, and I always make money. I sell all my items using a Buy It Now price. Personally, I hate having to wait days to simply try to win something. I’d rather plunk down a little extra $$$ and get it now. Of course, your Buy It Now price has to be reasonable. For example, I bought a new frame/fork on ebay last year for $600. I rode it for a year and 4,000 miles and last week I sold it on ebay for $750. (I started my auction at $700 and had a Buy It Now price of $750).
Another thing you should do is research what items like yours have sold for in the past. You can use the Refine Search tool to search ended auctions. This gives you a great idea of what people are paying and what you can expect.
I ought to hire you to sell some wheels for me…done a ton of buying so my rating is sky high…just never sold anything…suppose a digital camera might help some huh?