The problems with selling a used custom steel bike are two-fold. First is that you have to come to grips with the fact that a custom frame is valuable because it is custom. The freedom to change things until they are perfect for you is valuable. That value is completely spent once the bike is made. It's no longer custom for the next person who buys it, because the next owner can't change anything. That immediately removes whatever premium you paid for it being custom right off the top of your re-sale value. Taking a $3500 custom Rivendell as an example, the resale value of a custom Rivendell is not a lot higher than the resale value of a stock MUSA Rivendell, like an Atlantis or a Roadeo. The second problem is your buyer needs to already be a fan of your builder to be motivated to buy your bike. Finding a bunch of Bob Brown fans looking for a deal might be hard.
Personally I sold a Davidson Signature frameset and experienced these issues first hand. It was a ~$2200 frameset in 1992. I sold it in 2010, eventually resorting to eBay, for $400. My buyer was understandably thrilled at the deal he got. Bill Lindsay El Cerrito, CA On Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 8:58:02 AM UTC-7, SeanMac wrote: > > Wow - what a bunch of enablers you folks are! In all seriousness, I > really do appreciate all of your comments. I really did enjoy riding the > Cheviot when I was in Walnut Creek a few weeks ago. I remember being > surprised by how quick the bike felt. I have a Tubus rear rack and a > "Mark's rack" that would be added to the Chev. With this setup I think it > would be an ideal around town / bike path bike. I rode a green bike, but > really like the orange color - with the cream headtube being a nice bonus. > > I still regret not buying a Rambouillet ten years ago. Since this looks > like the last run of Cheviots, it seems like I would be a fool to not pull > the trigger. > > Any advice on selling a go-fastish bike? The only way that I can justify > purchasing the Chev is by selling off the Bob Brown bike that I currently > own. I assume that there would be little market on this list. Where else > might I turn? Suggestions on setting a price? Is there a standard > depreciation rate for bikes that I can/ should use to help me determine my > price? What are the benefits / pitfalls of selling on ebay? > > Sorry to be so filled with questions. However, I'm entering unknown > territory and this group is filled with knowledgeable folks. > > Thanks again, > Sean > > On Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 11:43:40 AM UTC-4, Joe Bernard wrote: >> >> I still have some residual issues with mixtes being perceived as "girl >> bikes", but I don't see it in the Cheviot. The toptube has more of a >> downslope-like-a-mountain-bike look than a true mixte. If it rides anything >> like my Appaloosa - which I think it's comparable to - then you should get >> one. I rode my Joe at RBW once, then went back a few days later for >> another, then went back a couple days after that to buy it. I loved the >> blue with green-wrapped Noodles, and knew that color was going away. If you >> dig that Chev, buy it! > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
