Are you looking to buy a used bike or get one off your hands? The internet offers great tips for buying and selling used bikes. Other than going to a typical bike shop, here are a few handy suggestions that may help you as you start looking to sell or buy a used bike.
Buying/Selling On the Internet
The World Wide Web offers limitless possibilities and opportunities. This is perhaps the best place to start when you are looking to either buy or sell. Here are some suggested websites to visit:
- Ebay offers you a connection with people around the country and the world who are looking to buy and sell their bikes. Remember to take into account potential shipping costs. If you are looking to buy, Ebay is a great way to search for something that is within your price range. You can adjust your searches to fit what your personal needs.
- Craigslist is a better option when you are hoping to buy a used bike from someone that is close to you. Being able to purchase from someone in your area eliminates heavy shipping costs and time.
- BikeForums.net offers you the chance to buy and sell your bike as well as share information and tips with other cyclists. This site reaches a wide cyclist-specific community. You should be aware that they charge a small fee to post your bike for sale on this website.
- Oldroads.com is a smaller website that caters to those who wish to buy and sell vintage bikes and bike parts.
Off the Internet
- Swap Meets offer a great opportunity to find good deals on bikes. The downside is the time you have to take to go and to browse with the risk that you will not find what you are looking for. Click here to find information about the swap meets in Utah. There are, of course, swap meets across the country, some of which are specifically for cyclists who are looking to buy and sell bikes. The swap meet in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania that will be held this October is one example.
- Bicycle Charities like Bikes for Kids Utah are dedicated to helping place bicycles in the hands of kids who want them but can’t afford to buy them. Visiting these charities may have contacts where you may be able to buy a bike that otherwise would be donated or buy one from an organization that will use that money for charity.
Extra Tips
Here are a few guidelines to remember if you have a bike on your hands you want to get rid of:
- If your bike is badly bent out of shape, be sure to check and see if you can sell any of the parts so you don’t have to throw the whole thing away
- Department bicycles typically do not have a high re-sale value
- When selling a bike online, you must include the size. In order to figure out the size, measure from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of where the top tube and the seat tube meet on the frame.
Sources: Sheldon Brown and Bgindy
Photo Courtesy of insidestory and Creative Commons.