Hi guys, my 5 cents worth, or rather my R120k worth... Over the last 3 months I have been looking at the classifieds 2-3 times/day, as I was looking for 2 dual suspensions XC bikes; one for myself, and one for my wife. The brief was fairly simple: Not more than 2 years old, preferably carbon frame, reputable mainstream brand, high end parts, pretty photos, and a detailed description of what was being sold… I am not currently working, so have/had heaps of time to scour the ads, and came to a few conclusions of bike ads being in 3 categories of sellers/pricing: Silly, Reasonable, and Deals 1) SILLY: Advertised bike value would sometimes be 30-50% of the true market value. This represented roughly 20-25% of ads (Often someone who probably hasn't ridden for a few years, has an 8 year old 3X10 MTB sitting in the garage that they are trying to sell, or someone who is emotionally attached to their bike, and loves their bike as much as they do their children, or has over-spent on a build or upgrades to an older bike). These are also the bike ads that tend to have weekly “price reductions”… 2) REASONABLE: Fairly and correctly priced market value, or 10-15% above market value (before negotiating price). This represented about 60-70% of bikes advertised. Most of these sellers seemed to be seasoned bike riders, or serious 2nd hand private bike sellers. 3) DEALS: Bikes priced slightly below market value, probably only 10-15% of ads that I viewed over the last 3 months. I attributed this to several possible reasons: Lesser known brands (South Africans tend to favour certain brands, especially those starting with an “S”), desperate sellers, slightly older bikes (5+ years, but that still offered decent geometry/components/value). Some observations: Most private sellers were selling 2nd hand bikes for 20% less than a similar bike being sold through a traditional bricks/mortar bike shop (who were advertising on bike hub). Surprisingly high number of sellers included only minimal information on the bike (year/components), or incorrect information about the bike model and year - this made viewing their ads frustrating, and immediately makes one sceptical or weary about the seller (Tip to sellers: Include ALL info/year/component details correctly!). Almost every ad I enquired about the seller was prepared to sell the bike for 10% (or more) below asking price, indicating that all the sellers I engaged with (from my small sample size) listed their bikes above the market value, and for what they were REALLY willing to sell their bike for. (Both my bikes I purchased for 10%+ below asking price). Even on an informal market platform, “customer service” does count, as much (if not even more), than through a traditional retail channel… Not replying to a message enquiry, or taking 2-3 days to reply frustrates a buyer. I can think of 2 specific sellers (with more than 100+ previous ads) who stood out: One of them replied consistently within minutes/hours, and the other who replied within days… Final conclusions: I purchased 2 bikes in the last month on bikehub, after spending 2+ months researching and looking through EVERY ad on bikehub, making offers, engaging with sellers, missing out on deals, pulling out of deals, and finally being rewarded by waiting patiently (not my default strong point) for the right bike, at the right price The first bike I paid R70k for a 2020 model (R140-150k new), and the 2nd bike I paid R50k for a 2019 model (R115-120k new). No prizes for guessing which one was mine, and which one my wife got... haha Bikehub is a great platform, and I received EXCELLENT support from the bikehub back-office teams whenever I had a question/query or problem sending messages, or seeing messages. (10 out of 10 kudos to them!). The sellers ranged from Excellent to mediocre, and everything in-between... The ads that were well written, detailed, and factually accurate were the ones that got my attention and interest, and also the ones that eventually led to a successful sale/purchase. Advice to sellers: Reply within minutes/hours, not hours/days, and ensure you know the product you are selling, and advertise it correctly. Advice to buyers: Do your homework first, ask questions about the bike history, and service history, and always try view the bike. And wherever possible "buy expensive, pay cheap:
