Difficulty Selling an eBike

[Sparky731]

Just sold my 2020 Trek Verve+3 with 2,200 miles on it. Took 3 weeks on Craig’s list. 400 views on FB Marketplace but no responders. Got a decent price. More than I expected.
Key: Don’t try to make a buck, but rather help make someone else feel happy to own an ebike! Good luck with your sales!

 

[Taylor57]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned or not, but my understanding is that buying used generally means there is no warranty...

 

[LimboJim]

In my experience (40+ "new" ebikes since 2015), some ebikes come with transferable warranties, but most do not.

A lot of consumer-direct ebikes' warrantees are hardly worth pursuing anyway. Responses to claims can take weeks, months or more, and they often won't cover LBS labor charges. With the pandemic-induced parts supply shortage, the delays can be even longer.

 

[Taylor57]

I have been more that satisfied with the responses of my DTC sellers fyi. Espin, Frey and Lectric...

 

[PedalUma]

I have seen warrantees that on the surface look fine. You just pay for return shipping to the Service Center; if they determine that it qualifies they fix it for free, and bill you for return shipping. But if the 'service center' address is in outer Mongolia than it costs more to ship it there than to buy a new product online with shipping included.

 

[ebiker76]

Probably not. I was using a broad brush to help the discussion in explaining and considering the situation. Have the bikes you have worked on differed significantly? That would be important information to share. Form the ones I have touched, these bikes have components of Big Box store grade and are heavy with poor weight distribution. Here is a photo from yesterday when we did 35-miles of hills. That was fun.

I have a Vika+ which I ride at least 10 miles a day. At least once a week I ride 26 miles roundtrip to Terra Santa over and back on the Mission Trails Summit trail (elevation 820 ft). More than a bike for mostly flat elevation, I think. Thanks

 

[Dallant]

Not really going to work because doesn't matter how much you sugarcoat something that isn't a GREAT deal to a potential buyer.

Stubborn sellers need to understand when something doesn't sell, they are asking too much for it, no excuses.

It really all depends on price, availability, quality of what’s being sold. If someone needs/wants it and can’t find it elsewhere, you can ask more but you have to know the market and competition. I recently sold my totally stock Miata and because of its particular set of equipment, condition, and low miles I had potential buyers from as far away as Texas and Colorado. I probably should’ve asked another grand. The first guy tried to get it for $5k less than I sold it for.
On the other hand, it also really depends on how much you just want it gone. Lowballers just want to steal and so patience/stubbornness can sometimes be a virtue.

 

[LimboJim]

It really all depends on price, availability, quality of what’s being sold. If someone needs/wants it and can’t find it elsewhere, you can ask more but you have to know the market and competition. I recently sold my totally stock Miata and because of its particular set of equipment, condition, and low miles I had potential buyers from as far away as Texas and Colorado. I probably should’ve asked another grand. The first guy tried to get it for $5k less than I sold it for.
On the other hand, it also really depends on how much you just want it gone. Lowballers just want to steal and so patience/stubbornness can sometimes be a virtue.

Agreed! I just sold two Haibike eMTBs for almost exactly what I paid for them nearly two years ago - still in excellent condition as I rode them minimally (they were acquired for my eMTB Rentals & Tours biz that never got off the ground). One of the bikes wasn't even "listed," and the one that was (for just a few days) got several eager responses on CL.

I felt a bit like I was "interviewing" prospective owners, and it sure seemed like I could've gotten 10-20% more if I was greedier... The guy I "hired" to look first saw the unlisted one in my garage and called his friend to come see it. They bought simultaneously with minimal quibbling.

 

[Dewey]

Not that I’m selling my DIY ebike but I do wonder when the time comes how to value all the mods and component upgrades

 

[Dallant]

Not that I’m selling my DIY ebike but I do wonder when the time comes how to value all the mods and component upgrades

Hard to say. I feel mods are generally very individual additions that may or may not be valuable or necessary to a potential buyer. For instance, someone might love the de-restriction device they put on whereas that would be a real turn-off to me. Same is true of cars, etc.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned or not, but my understanding is that buying used generally means there is no warranty...

I bought my bike from an LBS, with a manufacturer's warranty that was the best in the business (5yrs!). However, the following year they (BH) pulled out of the N. American market. So my warranty ain't worth the paper it's printed on.

Casting aspersions on an item is a standard method of bargaining. The winner will always be the person with the most patience and the ability to walk away from the deal.

 

[Asher]

There are times when being a stubborn seller makes sense - if you have a product that few people want, but those who do are willing to pay well for it - or similarly, you live in a small city where there aren't many buyers to begin with. But if it's a common enough type of ebike and you're selling it in a major metropolitan area, the inability to sell it means your price is too high.

These types of markets are known as thin and thick markets.

Thin Market: What it Means, How it Works

A thin market on any financial exchange is a period of time that is characterized by few buyers and sellers which may lead to price volatility.

www.investopedia.com

 

[hoggdoc]

I bought my bike from an LBS, with a manufacturer's warranty that was the best in the business (5yrs!). However, the following year they (BH) pulled out of the N. American market. So my warranty ain't worth the paper it's printed on.

Casting aspersions on an item is a standard method of bargaining. The winner will always be the person with the most patience and the ability to walk away from the deal.

I have said for decades "a warranty is only as good as the company offering it". Think this proves my point.

BTW why not name the company that left you without a warranty? By doing so you may save someone in another country the problem you now have.

 

[hoggdoc]

Not that I’m selling my DIY ebike but I do wonder when the time comes how to value all the mods and component upgrades

You may be better off to break it down and sell each component separately.

 

[rawlus]

i’d be wary of battery health and motor life in a used ebike. see a decent amount of new ebike owners on reddit over powering their bikes or making potentially incompatible upgrades to controller, motor of battery without understanding fully the dependencies.

the further from stock the used bike is, the more wary i’d likely be. i’m prob not the type who would pay a premium for someone else’s “mods”

 

[Dallant]

I might buy a used Trek ebike if I could have my local Trek guy examine and run a diagnostic printout on the system & battery.

 

[LimboJim]

I might buy a used Trek ebike if I could have my local Trek guy examine and run a diagnostic printout on the system & battery.

I got this done by the closest Bosch-certified LBS when I sold my 2015 Felt LebowskE in 2018.
Showing it only had 36.2 full charge cycles definitely helped me get my asking price!

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I have said for decades "a warranty is only as good as the company offering it". Think this proves my point.

BTW why not name the company that left you without a warranty? By doing so you may save someone in another country the problem you now have.

My bike is listed in my signature somewhere, though I don't think it shows up when you are on a phone. The company is BH, a Spanish bike manufacturer. I still love love love my bike.

 

[creativepart]

I finally sold my Blix Vika+ ebike. In the end it was Craigslist that sold it. I started at $1200 and over time lowered it to $900 to be cheaper than the 'Lectric folding bike.

A nice young lady bought it - texted, came out to the house, test rode it and paid full asking.

She was happy to get a bike that looked brand new that sells new for $1699 for only $900. She had looked up the bike online and knew exactly what she was buying.

So, in the end all it took was a reasonable price and plenty of time. Oh, I did get a couple of really strong offers to sell it if I would ship the bike but I found shipping an eBike to be a big deal and super expensive for a private citizen and not an eBike company.