Resell advice?

Emma H

Emma H

New Member
I just bought my second ebike--needed a throttle due to a problematic knee that acts up from time to time--and am looking for tips to sell the first. It's well-maintained Haibike hardtail with a $4500 MSRP I picked up for $3300 as a floor model in 2016 with the original Bosch 28 mph motor. It has an upgraded stem ($60), grips ($50), front light ($200, professional install by Bosch tech), Schwalbe Marathon plus tires ($70-80? only a few hundred miles on these), and a second, more portable charger ($150). It's also set up for a dropper post, though I'll be taking the actual dropper off it. About 3100 miles with recently replaced cassette, chain, and brake pads. The battery is still going strong and I've kept it above 20% always--it will do 25 mi on hilly (Seattle) terrain at full assist. What price range could I expect to get for it? Is $2800-3000 reasonable given the upgrades and the original MSRP?

And for the actual selling:
Do you recommend listing online? If so, what would it cost to have a shop box and ship it approximately?

If I find someone local, what do you do to make sure they don't just ride off with your bike? The ebike shops I've been to grab your ID but I'm concerned that's not enough without the insurance they presumably have against ride offs. Do you recommend Venmo'ing half over or something ahead of time?

If someone does ride off with the bike, would renter's or veloinsurance insurance cover it since it wasn't locked to an immovable object, do you think?

The last time I sold a bike it was for $200 and wouldn't make or break me, so I want to do my homework beforehand.
 
Going to craigslist will get you a ballpark figure but don't expect exact year and model. Go to bicycles and type in electric in the search and/or craigslist front page and search "ebike". Those two searches will probably show you the majority of electric bikes available. You can try "Offerup" and "Letgo" also. I don't frequent ebay so I'm not really sure about the number of bikes there.

If listing online here or elsewhere, you should be able to get a rough estimate of cost here bikeflights or other bike shipping services.

To keep someone from riding off you could hold on to their ID while they're riding? Take a picture of their driver's license? Make them leave a deposit? I'm not sure about the insurance.

At 3100 miles and a 2016, $2800 seems a little steep to me but I'm no expert.
Good luck w/the sale!
 
Emma H said:
I just bought my second ebike--needed a throttle due to a problematic knee that acts up from time to time--and am looking for tips to sell the first. It's well-maintained Haibike hardtail with a $4500 MSRP I picked up for $3300 as a floor model in 2016 with the original Bosch 28 mph motor. It has an upgraded stem ($60), grips ($50), front light ($200, professional install by Bosch tech), Schwalbe Marathon plus tires ($70-80? only a few hundred miles on these), and a second, more portable charger ($150). It's also set up for a dropper post, though I'll be taking the actual dropper off it. About 3100 miles with recently replaced cassette, chain, and brake pads. The battery is still going strong and I've kept it above 20% always--it will do 25 mi on hilly (Seattle) terrain at full assist. What price range could I expect to get for it? Is $2800-3000 reasonable given the upgrades and the original MSRP?

And for the actual selling:
Do you recommend listing online? If so, what would it cost to have a shop box and ship it approximately?

If I find someone local, what do you do to make sure they don't just ride off with your bike? The ebike shops I've been to grab your ID but I'm concerned that's not enough without the insurance they presumably have against ride offs. Do you recommend Venmo'ing half over or something ahead of time?

If someone does ride off with the bike, would renter's or veloinsurance insurance cover it since it wasn't locked to an immovable object, do you think?

The last time I sold a bike it was for $200 and wouldn't make or break me, so I want to do my homework beforehand.
Click to expand...

Just ti give you some context. I sold a very similar bike for $1650 with lots of upgrades.
Check this listing: https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-commuter-bike-1670-w-lots-of-upgrades.26473/

I think at this point, you should list it for $1400. EVs and E-bikes depreciate fast.
 
Heh. That's my bike exactly. The local market is pretty good here in Seattle--most bikes go for 150% of Blue Book prices but I'll try at the low $2000s, I suppose.

Thankfully I have the storage to keep it around for longer if need be and the weather has been lovely around here, just a tad cold (40s-50s with sun).
 
Since this is the really old Gen. 2 Bosch motor and a small battery of only 500wh , an ebike w/o warranty or untrasfferAble warranty you’d be lucky to get 7-800$ for it.
Now a new ebike With warranty that starts at 2k , see Giant or A Trek Verve, is vastly superior to yours.
Nobody in their right mind would buy a used ebike w/o warranty. This can be a very expensive lesson and it is for many members here on Ebr. You can read many threads here about this issue.
We are at Gen. 4 Bosch motor and 700wh battery capacity being very common. Or 2 dual batteries.
Can try hold on to it for sentimental reasons and give it away for free in a few years.
 
fooferdoggie said:
after Christmas may be a good time.
Click to expand...
It's my experience that after Christmas, everyone is tapped out. April around here would be the best month.

As another point of reference, Bosch just released a new generation of motor. So you are now another generation behind. I'd be shocked to see $2,000 and above. Pretty much everyone figures in the cost of a new battery pack when buying used. That's like $900 for that.
 
The biggest hurdle is getting that 'someone' that is ready to buy now able to find your bike. It's like a needle in a haystack. Now you're competing with your local bike shop. But you only have ONE to sell. ;)
List it here, put in on CL, ebay it. You only have to ship it if you are willing.
 
Craigslist has comparable, not obviously stolen bikes in the $1800-2800 range in my area, btw. I'll update when/if I sell it and we'll see how close y'all guessed it. :)
 
Emma H said:
Heh. That's my bike exactly. The local market is pretty good here in Seattle--most bikes go for 150% of Blue Book prices but I'll try at the low $2000s, I suppose.

Thankfully I have the storage to keep it around for longer if need be and the weather has been lovely around here, just a tad cold (40s-50s with sun).
Click to expand...


Take a look at the BBB... ballpark price range around $2,000 plus upgrades. Hope this helps. ;)

BicycleBlueBook

www.bicyclebluebook.com www.bicyclebluebook.com

1575269007032.png
 
I think you would do well to get $1200 to $1500 for it. Figure about half of what a new one sells for, otherwise any potential buyer just figures to buy a new one.

Everyone is deeply discounting new bikes, and in Seattle you have RadPower just down the street selling new City's for $1200. Not saying they're the same or otherwise, just that that is where the mindset goes for a new ebike shopper. Any accessories or options are worth about twenty cents on the dollar, if any.

I'm not sure how valid the BB for bikes is, as I have had my practically new Specialized Crossroads Elite on craig's for a month at the private party range. It was a $700 bike new three years ago, listed now for $325. It still appears as new, is a beautiful bike, we're in the epicenter of bikes and millions of people, several college campuses within a short dirve, and zero calls or offers. Nada, zilch, nothing, zero. LOL

Good luck! And be sure to list it here. Newcomers are arriving daily and it might be just what they're looking for.
 
Browneye said:
I'm not sure how valid the BB for bikes is...
Click to expand...
Agreed!

I've been selling and buying bikes using Craigslist, newspaper classifieds, and other venues for a long time and would say sometimes it's just plain hard to nail down a value.

I've seen plenty of offers where folks are asking more than you could purchase the same bike new and seen the exact opposite where the price is more or less a give away. There are a lot of variables; location, time of year, availability, age, condition, reason for selling, is the person selling a "don't wanter" or are they a little too proud or emotionally attached, and even the quality of the ad.

It's not usually easy to get a comparable price for bikes as it is for cars or real estate.
 
While extras may help you sell your bike, I doubt it will bring you more money.

Pick a price that you think is reasonable and advertise it. If you don't get any responses your price is probably too high and you need to lower it. You may have to do this more than once.
Bicycles seem to depreciate quickly like boats and RVs. I think the depreciation on ebikes is even worse.
 
FlatSix911 said:
Glad to help... what did you decide to do?
Click to expand...

I'm going to list it at my company, where I've had a lot of people stop me to ask about it/comment on how cool it looks, for $2200 with the expectation it will be haggled down (but, as I say, I'm perpetually surprised by the resale market locally...so I think it's worth a shot). If I don't get bites, I'll list for lower on FB Marketplace and Nextdoor (where I've gotten better prices for things) for a bit lower. If I don't hear anything, I'll list in the spring online. I'll probably be having knee surgery in Jan/Feb (to address the knee problem that necessitated the throttle-assist one) so if I don't sell locally by mid-Jan, it will be easier just to wait for better weather. And, who knows, I may switch back to it if my knee fully heals--I really do love the bike.
 
Ebiker01 said:
Since this is the really old Gen. 2 Bosch motor and a small battery of only 500wh , an ebike w/o warranty or untrasfferAble warranty you’d be lucky to get 7-800$ for it.
Now a new ebike With warranty that starts at 2k , see Giant or A Trek Verve, is vastly superior to yours.
Nobody in their right mind would buy a used ebike w/o warranty. This can be a very expensive lesson and it is for many members here on Ebr. You can read many threads here about this issue.
We are at Gen. 4 Bosch motor and 700wh battery capacity being very common. Or 2 dual batteries.
Can try hold on to it for sentimental reasons and give it away for free in a few years.
Click to expand...

There are brand name class-3 e-bikes with brand name motors starting new with warranty at $2K USD regular price?
 
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