How do you value a bike?

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Vantage

Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
I know this question has been asked and answered many times in the past however, unlike an off the shelf bike, I've built mine around my own tastes and fit which would limit the number of interested parties.
Assuming I list every single part and what I paid for it, how much does one knock off the total cost?
 
Location
Cheshire
Quite a lot i expect, but you might be lucky. I sold a mint £1000 list road bike for £300 a couple of years ago. Its a buyers market.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
You can but put a price on it, and then see what interest you get. Decide what the minimum you are prepared to let it go for, and then offer it at a higher price to allow bartering down to your minimum.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Bikes are going cheap these days unfortunately. As what others have said, price what you want for it. If it doesn't sell or has no interest, keep on lowering the price until it does gain interest.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Usually the value of the second-hand components, without a frame. That's unless the frame is a particularly good one. A 'whole' bike is worth less than the sum of the parts.

And like others have posted it's a buyers market at present. Many asking prices are far too high. The same Argon E-116 carbon TT bike I picked up for my son some sellers are asking £1500-1800. We paid £625.
 
Find a similar spec production bike. It doesn't have to be an exact match but similar grade in key components, controls, mechs, chainset. We used to match stolen and damaged custom bikes like that when I worked in bike insurance.
 
OP
OP
Vantage

Vantage

Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
Thanks for all your help on this.
I think I'll keep it. Looking at other classifieds I think I'll lose more than I'd be happy with.
 

alicat

Legendary Member
Location
Staffs
^^^^ You can always advertise it just above the price you'd like to get for it. Your only loss will be the cost of the ad and your time if you don't sell it.
 
When it comes to selling bikes, patience is key.

My thumb in the air measure is usually half the RRP if in good working order and condition. My last bike netted £400, not bad for a bike that originally cost me £799 but it took a good 3 months to shift. Of course, as standards and tech move on, obsolete setups will naturally be worth much less.

Popular brands will command a higher price, particularly winners various best bike of 2018 awards etc, niche brands are much harder to shift, but that's necessarily a deal breaker, if enthusiasts want what you have, eventually someone will make the right offer. For instance I have never had a problem selling a Surly bike, in fact as I am careful about getting a good price on used items, most often I usually make a bit of profit when it comes to selling. Discount retailer bikes are never going to hold their value, so avoid those at all costs.

Best time of year to sell seems to be spring when people are looking to start a new hobby or get out more as winter weather passes, so unless you have the latest model and stand to lose more to depreciation, maybe consider listing in Spring. I had a lot of low ball offers before I had someone interested enough to come for a look. Even my buyer tried to haggle me down, but I stood my ground and asked for the full £400 and he eventually obliged. Don't fear people walking away from a deal. A quick sale will never result in top price.

My personal preference is to list on gumtree which is free, and if I really struggle to drum up interest, I resort to ebay which has a higher viewership, but that naturally comes with steep fees, but that when the priority is a quick sale.
 
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Archie_tect

De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
Location
Northumberland
When I bought my road bike second hand from a fellow CCer it had better Shimano 105 components than the Tektro and Tiagra components on the more expensive newer model so it was worth a bit more second hand which I was happy to pay- people who know the quality of the components will offer you a reasonable price- I'd just list the components but not their price, and ask what you want for the complete bike. Good luck!,
 
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U

User6179

Guest
I would never sell another bike, strip it for parts, keep the parts you know you will use again and punt what is left if it is worth something.
 
Put it on Ebay with a low reserve. What you get for it is the market value.
Yes, that way you'll market price, but bikes like shares that trade at very low volumes are far less liquid than goods trading at higher average volumes, this characteristic lends itself to a higher price volatility. The price you get on one day is not necessarily the price you get on another. That's why biding your time with classifieds is always the better option, unless a quick sale is the priority (i.e. I'm moving to cycling nirvana next week and N+1 can't come with me).
 
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