I am unsure as to how long you have been trying to sell your bike, but selling to the public is tough. You are probably asking a price that is right at high retail or at least retail, and no matter how pretty or how clean the bike is, folks will hardly ever pay retail for a bike when buying from an individual. In fact, almost never. They could go to the dealer and buy the same bike, get financed,
and probably get a warranty of some sort. If they are going to pay at or near retail, then they want dealer services. And they know full well that the dealer is going to come down to make the sale. The dealers are the pros, and even they very seldom get full retail for their used units. They almost always adjust their prices to market prices. The buying public knows this. I would bet that you know it as well? What it boils down to is probably less than 1% of individual folks selling bikes get retail for their bike. I would bet you already know this? If you want to sell your CLEAN bike, and get paid cash on the spot, then I am your guy. I am not going to play games, I am not going to barter, and I am not going to waste your time. I don’t have to borrow my uncle’s truck and trailer, and come on my next day off. I don’t have to scrape the cash together. If you are truly trying to sell your bike, I am truly interested in buying it at a realistic price, or at market price. All of the sites are full of bikes. Most all are “super clean.” 99% of the owners are asking full retail. They will probably still be doing so this time next year. Unless, unless they are willing to sell the bike at what the market will bring. That is the price that I offer. Saves us a lot of time, doesn’t it…………
I don’t play games. I don’t low ball folks in hopes that they will hear my price and come down and meet me somewhere between what they are asking, and what I am offering. I promise you that I don’t operate that way. That is a senseless waste OUR time. Both your time and my time. I give you a price, that is based on true market value, not what is listed for retail that the dealers don’t even get. After I give you that price, you make the next contact. The price that I offer can go down. If I come to get the bike, and there are any obvious surprises, my offer goes down. I am basing my price on the bike being clean. Not soap and water clean, but the following criteria:
ü Tires in good shape. Not run underinflated. Decent tread life left.
ü Rust and corrosion. Absent, or to a minimum.
ü Paint in the shape that has been represented.
ü Mechanically sound, and in the shape it should be for the mileage. The bike need not be perfect, but I need to know the true condition before I come to get it. My company has purchased over 7,000 motorcycles in the past 15 years. Average over 500 a year. We are on target to purchase more than 1,000 units this year. We already have buyers for the bikes. Many are here in the United States, and many are overseas. Buyers all over know that we are going to bring them clean bikes that are in good shape. If you want to continue to take calls, go through the effort of explaining every detail, over and over and over again just to hear “well, I will think about it,” or “that seems a little high,” or “what is your bottom line price,” or “I might just come buy next week and take a look,” then that is what you are in for. And, the statistics prove that close to 99% of buyers are NOT going to pay what you are asking. They simply are not going to do it. Look at craigslist! It is full of motorcycles, most priced at or above retail. Many are up for their second, third, fifth or twelfth month. It is a game that nobody wins. Many of the bikes that disappear from craigslist are sold to us. Truth be told, probably most that are sold on the websites such as craigslist are purchased by us. My offer is up to the market value of the bike to be sold. You can advertise it for whatever you want, but for me to pay you hard American cash for it, and come pick it up, then that is my offer. That price is not put out there in hopes that you will come down a bit. I cannot go up from that. It can go down if the bike is not what I was led to believe. I purchase a heck of a lot of bikes and have many repeat sellers. Quite frankly exactly because I don’t waste their time. If you are tired of the games that no one wins, and the empty promises and bartering, then I am your guy. I will show up, look over the title, look over the bike, and hand you cash. It usually takes less than 10 minutes. And, you are done. More importantly, you are PAID, and if you hold the title, you are paid in CASH! If you owe money on your bike, that is no problem. Once we settle on a price, in most cases you can sign the appropriate paperwork, and WE will pay off the bike and the title will be sent to us. We are well versed in pay offs, and we do it almost every day. We make it painless……………
Thank you,
Tony
