How To Sell Your Old Bike Online

At Westbrook Cycles, we speak to lots of customers who have come to us to purchase a new bike - who have an old bike that they need to sell. Reasons for selling an old bike are numerous, some riders do not get on with certain types of bike and never ‘bond’ with the bike, most often however bikes are sold to either make room for a new bike, or to free up cash for a new bike purchase. 

Below, we run through some of the best ways you can get the most money for your bike on the second hand market, whilst looking at some of the best places to sell your bike onto its next owner. 

Spruce up Your Bike

One of the best things you can do to secure the best amount of money for your bike, is to make sure it’s clean and presentable for advertising photos and visits from prospective buyers. Make sure you have given the bike a good clean, a ‘mini service’ is a good idea, as is replacing tired and scruffy looking parts of the bike, such as handlebar grips and even pedals. 

Be realistic with your price

An overpriced bike is never going to sell on the second hand market, all it will do is attract ridiculous lowball offers and unknowingly enter you into a bidding war with a complete stranger. Price your bike sensibly from the start and you will hopefully attract the right buyers. To find out the value of your bike, search for previously sold models on forums and sales sites. 

Be honest about condition

Depending upon how you view dings and scratches will have a massive bearing on how your bike is viewed by other people, and if you describe a massive dent in the frame as a small ding, you are being unfair to prospective buyers. Try and photograph any areas of damage so the buyer can make their mind up before travelling to see it - saving you both time and hassle. 

Take plenty of photos

One blurry photo of your bike against a garage wall is never going to sell the bike. Clean the bike first and take photos outside in good light - and take plenty of pictures of the components of the bike. If photographing and selling a mountain bike, take photos of the suspension (front and rear) wheels and tyres, all of the brakes, shifters, cranks, derailleurs as well as the bars, grips, stems, saddle and seatpost. The more expensive the bike and components, the more photos you need to sell to serious buyers. 

Remember the Details

Post whatever details you can about the bike, and if you cannot remember all of the details - carry out some research online to see what the correct details of your bike are. Brand, size, year, price, condition, components and recent maintenance should all be detailed. It’s also worth mentioning anything that the bike needs. 

Post your Bike for Sale

Where you post your bike for sale is entirely up to you, and a lot of where you post your bike will depend upon what type of bike you are selling. A standard mountain bike you are looking to sell to the everyday recreational user, will sell fine on the usual selling platforms of Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and Ebay. Selling a more specialist machine will benefit from selling on specific selling sites, such as bike forums and facebook pages - which usually are not too hard to find. 

Buy your New Bike from Westbrook Cycles

Once you have sold your old bike, or have at least made plans to sell it - you can order your brand new bike online from us. We stock and supply a massive range of bikes from the world’s leading brands, such as Scott, Giant and Cannondale covering everything from road bikes to full suspension mountain bikes.