Is there money to made buying and selling bikes

[Brains]

Like the post above I have a mate that builds decent tourers out of bits which he either sells on e-bay or makes for friends.
After every project he ends up with loads of left over bits, which he also sells on e-bay. I doubt he makes a profit overall, but he must break even on a hobby which he enjoys

 

[Gravity Aided]

I have a fellow near me who fixes up bikes as well. If you wanted an old bike or nice rigid mountain bike, you came to me. If you wanted a cruiser or suspension mountain bike or hybrid, you went to him. He fixed up a nice European bike and I mean he really did a fine job on it. Repainted, new components, etc. Then he put it on Craigslist and it's just had its first anniversary there. My cardinal rule is this: Never ever get so far into a bike that it requires repainting and such, you'll never get your money out of it. Unless you want it for yourself. This sort of work can give you both the contacts and expertise to be able to acquire and maintain a truly fine cycle for yourself, and pay a bill or two now and again.

 

[nickyboy]

The other week I bought an Italian scarf from a charity shop for 50p and sold it on ebay for £7.50 plus p&p, but I wouldn't class myself as a trader in scarves or anything. Just keep an eye out for a bargain and don't expect to make a fortune.

Did you split the profit with the shop you bought it from? What with it being a charity and all?

 

[Tin Pot]

Did you split the profit with the shop you bought it from? What with it being a charity and all?

Ha ha! I was waiting for someone to post that.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Did you split the profit with the shop you bought it from? What with it being a charity and all?

If you donated an old book to a charity shop and it turned out to be a rare first edition worth thousands would they split the profits with you?

A charity shop is a business and they play by business rules.

 

[User32269]

I found that when my job involved driving around in a van I found lots of bikes dumped out for the scrap man. I also managed to do a deal with a couple of guys who collected scrap to buy bikes for a tenner from them.
These would be mostly poor quality, cheap bikes. If the frames were mangled they would be stripped for parts, this kept costs down. I would only pay to replace cables and pads. They would usually sell for between £30 and £50 on Gumtree. I would sometimes have them for ages. I done it as a hobby and like to see them having a new lease of life, no chance of making a real wage. Kids bikes don't sell.
It's hard to find decent vintage bikes at realistic prices now. You can make money on old racers if you find them cheap enough. They sold well on flea bay if you are prepared to box them up for a courier to collect.
One tip, female specific vintage bikes often go very cheaply, they sometimes have good quality components and cost less than the chainset alone is worth.

 

[DCLane]

Like @biggs682 I do a bit of this, mostly for interest.

Do I make money at it? Usually a bit, but there's not a great amount to make. I tend to buy either 1980's Raleighs & Peugeots which are popular for re-sale or more modern bikes that have been used occasionally. Poorly described eBay ads are a useful source, although I don't have the time to look at Gumtree/Shpock/etc. There is also the risk that you are buying a stolen bike: at least once I've walked away from a potential bargain.

Sometimes I'll make £100-150 for a bike that's had little needing doing, but most of the time it's £20-40. You need to be comfortable with knowing that buying a 'bad' one means losing money: it's rare but there are a few where stripping the bike's the only option. I won't waste my time on BSO's simply because I can't be bothered, and have a decent enough job to be OK with that.

 

[Alan O]

I've renovated one bike and built up another from a frame, largely using eBay vintage components. I did both for myself and spent about £250 apiece (excluding Brooks saddles), which is nowhere near what I'd get if I tried to resell them.

I also got an old rigid MTB with stuck gears for £30 which only needed the indexed shifters cleaned and relubed, and I expect it would sell for more now. I'm going to replace cables throughout, new brake blocks, new pedals, new saddle and keep it for myself - but if I added the cost of those parts I wouldn't get my money back by selling.

To make money on a bike clean-up, I really do think it needs to be little more than cleaning and adjusting, and new cables and brake blocks at the most - and then only if you got it for a real steal in the first place.

I think there's a better chance of making money doing the opposite - buying up bikes and stripping them for parts. Decent old derailleurs can easily go for £20, and if the bike has good brand brakes, brake levers, seat post, stem, cranks... the value of parts can soon add up. Add in a recognised frame maker, and I reckon you could do well, though you'd almost certainly have to dispose of some unsaleable old parts too.

I regularly see vintage steel bikes going for under £100 with components that I think would sell for twice the bike price or more.

 

[gaijintendo]

The biggest pleasure i enjoy is getting a previously unused bike back in service

The sheer variety of bikes you have ridden as a consequence of that too. It must be a tremendous privileged.

 

[biggs682]

The sheer variety of bikes you have ridden as a consequence of that too. It must be a tremendous privileged.

Yes i like that side of it as well , still prefer the solid feel of an aged steel frame though

 

[MichaelW2]

If you buy a cheap noname low end bike you won't won't be able to sell it for much more. Look for major brand bikes going cheap at car boot sales. You have to get there early, do a quick scan and I'd the cheap bikes that are worth much more. Carry a bit of extra cash in case you see something special. I can transport one bike on my trailer.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Early bird, for sure. The bigger the event, the earlier you get there. Sometimes in the line, you run into others who tell you about other sales. Props to bicycle commuting as well, that's how I found this:

Cost me less than a good meal out with Mrs. GA. A Trek 600, a fine 531 sports/tourer, all original equipment.

 

[nickyboy]

If you donated an old book to a charity shop and it turned out to be a rare first edition worth thousands would they split the profits with you?

A charity shop is a business and they play by business rules.

I'm not entirely convinced by this argument. Charity shops don't seem to be run on business lines. If I went in my local Macmillan and found something dirt cheap that I could sell at a profit, I would tell them as otherwise it's money I'm making that they could be making. But that's just me

 

[nickyboy]

Of course I didn't, why would I?

Cos the profit you made in buying and selling could have been for the benefit of the charity rather than yourself. No problem with folk buying really cheap stuff from charity shops to use, but buying cheap stuff to resell at a profit doesn't sound like a very charitable ethos to me

 

[Cycleops]

Cos the profit you made in buying and selling could have been for the benefit of the charity rather than yourself. No problem with folk buying really cheap stuff from charity shops to use, but buying cheap stuff to resell at a profit doesn't sound like a very charitable ethos to me

I would also not feel comfortable profiting by the charity shops mistake in selling something way below its real value. Depends on your upbringing and attitude to other people I guess.