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Is selling on the classifieds becoming more difficult?


M L

South African Economic Times   

384 members have voted

  1. 1. Are you finding it increasingly difficult to sell things on the classifieds?

    • I sell things quickly and easily - it seems people have money
      27
    • I sell things fairly quickly
      146
    • I find it rather difficult to sell things - I struggle to sell and get low ball offers
      211


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These two certainly need a mention...

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/164052-mtb-fork-tange-1-chrome-moly-26/

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/307315-giant/

 

Most sellers are seriously unrealistic with their pricing.

 

If I see a reasonably priced item that I want, I won't even try and haggle the guy on price. But rarely do I see such an advert.

 

On a side not, who, like me, gets seriously annoyed with ads that say ''BARGAIN'' or "PRICE DROP"?

WE DON"T CARE!!

 

I think that fork has been advertised since 1842?

 

This one is going to be around for a while in my humble and biased opinion. https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/306714-trek-superfly-100-elite-gary-fischer-collection/

 

GLWS.

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3) pricing on new bikes is increasingly aggressive which erodes resale value

 

 

I believe this to be the biggest problem. The prices of new bikes is a literal joke, yet idiots pay it. Come selling time they might either realise they have been duped, or they actually still believe the R50k they spend on an alu hardtail with SLX components and entry level wheels was a good buy.

 

Thus, they try and sell for R45k "as new", but people will offer them R20k, which sounds like (and probably is) the right price.

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MTB's don't retain their value and I have learnt this with each build.

 

Guaranteed to recover 50% of your spend if you sell within a year from purchase date.

When I started cycling the rule of thumb as "the cost of ownership is 50%" which meant that as soon as the bike left the bikeshop it lost 50% of its retail price.  With this in mind, I can understand why selling on the classified would be sluggish.  It you are not selling a specific thing that is satisfying a niche demand of a buyer, then the cost of ownership rule applies.

 

In the end the buyer beware.  The buyer is taking a risk that the second hand item is in good/bad condition and this is translated/quantified into the difference between second hand price and new price.

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This part easily adds about R10k to the price:

 

"This bike has always rolled well and pulls away from its peers."

 

My bad, just showed how cloudy, biased and uninformed my judgement really is. :wacko:

 

It is either a trick bike, or an e-bike.

 

Think I am straying off topic again... :blush:

Edited by Traveler
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This part easily adds about R10k to the price:

 

"This bike has always rolled well and pulls away from its peers."

Sounds like a Lance Armstrong Advert...

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First, in line with most of the posts, South Africans just don't get "second-hand" pricing. In the UK, US and elsewhere. if something is used for a year or two, it would be 40% off or half price of retail. In SA, guys still want 80% of full retail price. You can just order a new from overseas for cheaper.

 

BUT, second, and the main reason I have stopped buying from the hub classifieds, is that people are selling trashed gear. I bought disk brakes that once you install, you figure out they don't work and then the seller doesn't want to know about it. Obviously he sold them because they are broken.

 

Likewise, I have bought wheels and even a Giant Anthem, that looked fine, rode fine, but then problems quickly started. When I took them to the LBS, the mechanics told me "ja, that bike belonged to X, he trashed it on the Epic, told him the bearings etc were about to go, can't believe he tried to sell it at that price"

 

(and this is not from dudes on the flats, these purchases are from motherf..kers in Constantia).

Edited by Baracuda
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BUT, second, and the main reason I have stopped buying from the hub classifieds, is that people are selling trashed gear. I bought disk brakes that once you install, you figure out they don't work and then the seller doesn't want to know about it. Obviously he sold them because they are broken.

 

Can be, but I must say that I have both bought and sold road and MTB's on the Hub, sold a trainer and a training watch, bought another trainer, and I cant remember if there was anything else, and they were all in perfect condition. Obviously you get c**ts everywhere in life, but don't overlook the classifieds here - there are still honest and moral people here who will do decent business. 

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I go through the ads regularly and am always amazed that so many sellers seem to ask almost full retail price for their 2nd hand stuff. No warranty, it's used, yet they think it's worth almost what it would sell for new in the shop.  They're dreaming.

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Another factor in the online buy and sell space is Facebook’s buy

and sell groups. You see more and more speciality and luxury items in these groups and being able to buy from or sell to someone with a social media presence (stalk them before you engage!) helps with credibility. Bikehub has seen an increase of users simply registering to sell unwanted cycling gear opposed to active members buying and selling. Furthermore there are more “shops” buying and selling on Bikehub. What was meant to be a direct channel to the consumer now grew an extra leg, with extra overheads and margin required. We therefore see the same items for months on end in some instances opposed to real movement in the classifieds.

 

My prediction is that gumtree / olx will die off due to the emergence and evolution of the FB marketplace. Bikehub’s classifieds may also become a topic in the “remember when... “ thread in years to come.

 

I have found that items priced to sell often moves quickly and without too much haggling.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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When I started cycling the rule of thumb as "the cost of ownership is 50%" which meant that as soon as the bike left the bikeshop it lost 50% of its retail price.  With this in mind, I can understand why selling on the classified would be sluggish.  It you are not selling a specific thing that is satisfying a niche demand of a buyer, then the cost of ownership rule applies.

 

In the end the buyer beware.  The buyer is taking a risk that the second hand item is in good/bad condition and this is translated/quantified into the difference between second hand price and new price.

 

I use formula  of 50% of new price and R1k/year deduction .

 

I bought few things of the hub, never had issue, but you have to be quick to get the right priced items .  Got indoor trainer other day for R250, bloody bargain!

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