Selling a bike online can be very challenging. What platform should you use? How much do you need to sell it for? Can I box and send a bike myself? For many, there are a lot of questions, and it can be challenging to know how to proceed.
In this article, we will explain exactly how you can by running through our step-by-step guide so you know exactly the correct route to take when selling a bike online. Here is everything you need to know.
How to sell your bike online?
Step one: Inspection and pictures
Start the process of selling a bike by giving it a good clean. You want to get it looking as nice as possible, so use a good cleaner and possibly degrease and regrease. Buyers typically avoid dirty bikes because they give the impression they haven't been looked after.
Alice Huot
Next, we have the inspection. You should fully go over it to ensure that everything is in good working order and that no parts need replacing. This way, you know exactly what is on the bike and its condition, ready for the description.
Once that has been done, pick a nice background and get some good bike pictures. We recommend the drive side, the offside, a close-up of the components, tires, wheels, and most importantly, any scratches or damage.
Top tip: Ensure that the photos are good quality and that you have a nice, clean background. The more photos you can take, the better, so the buyer will be able to see as much as possible.
Step two: Find a platform
The second step in selling a bike is finding the right platform. A highly recommended service is buycycle. This service offers many advantages, such as buyer and seller security, a large audience, a bike valuation tool, and a huge audience to sell to. We also have guides to learn more on Where to sell bike and which are the best bike selling websites.
Top tip: Using buycycle is one of the best ways to go, as everything is kept so simple and you are protected as a buyer and seller. This is rarely offered by bike buying and selling websites.
Robert Ferri
Step three: Research prices
Next, you will need to research the prices for your bike. Starting the selling process on buycycle will give you a valuation for your bike. This isn’t just on original price and age but equipped components and the condition it is in.
We also recommend looking at the buycycle stock to see similar bikes and roughly what they are currently being sold for. Using buycycle, you will also get recommendations for the price you should sell depending on how fast you want the sale to go through.
It's important to be realistic about the price you want. We often see people selling bikes going on the price they paid new and sentimental value when this doesn't often matter to the person looking. You can also read our guide on how to negotiate your bike's price.
Top tip: Researching prices is important, but it’s good to understand that the price can vary depending on the time of year, type of bike, and even bike size.
Step four: Add to buycycle
Next, it is time to add the listing to buycycle or whatever platform you are using. All you have to do is go to sell. Then you will tell buycycle the bike you have using the search box. It will also ask about some of the components, such as gearing, to ensure it can be priced right.
Now, we add the photos as discussed before. If you are unsure what to take, buycycle has a guide that runs through the correct photos for the best sale and shows the buyer exactly what they need to see.
Then, we discuss the condition. If the bike is practically brand new, then this is where you need to mention that. If the bike needs slight work or a complete overhaul, then this is also the place to mention this, as it heavily affects the value. Finally, you finish by entering your price, depending on how quickly you want it to sell.
Top tip: When you have the listing created, you can share the page with groups that might be interested in a bike like yours to help sell it quicker.
Step five: Send the bike
After the bike has sold it’s time to organize getting it sent to the buyer. If you are using buycycle, they will send you everything you need to box the bike up and send it across properly protected. The instructions and video guide are fantastic.
After this is done, it’s out of your hands. All you have to do is wait for the money to come in the bank, typically a couple of days after you have sent it across.
How to sell a bike online: A final note
The future of bike selling is online, and there's no denying that's where you will get the best price for your bike. We highly recommend using the buycycle service and learning how it works, as this will be a great tool for buying and selling bikes as your cycling progresses.