Why is it hard to sell a Second Hand Mountain Bike in SA

[Shebeen]

I notice @LukeForce hasn't been here since monday.

Would love to know more about the bike he wanted to sell where the value he held in it was way above "market" expectations.

1x is the best thing that happened to MTB for me. My 2x10 drivetrain works just great and I've been able to pick up cheap cheap cassettes for the past 4/5 years here from people swapping over. The well seems to have dried up there now though!

[RobertWhitehead]

34 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

1x is the best thing that happened to MTB for me. My 2x10 drivetrain works just great and I've been able to pick up cheap cheap cassettes for the past 4/5 years here from people swapping over. The well seems to have dried up there now though!

I donated around 20 cassettes and shifters the other day 

[BreadPitt]

I’ve never had a problem selling bike and kit here or marketplace tbh. It’s about pitching it right, good price but then I’m not listing overly expensive epics along with 39 other people.

i do think the market here for new is really over the top price wise for most people so when it comes to selling you’re dealing with people who don’t want to spend eye watering cash on a new bike but on the flip side you can take a rinsing on the price you paid. It’s only fair you get a decent percentage back but there is the issue - gap between the two. I’ve always worked on the fact your new bike price is going to take a good 35%+ drop in the first year and then after that it’s a combo of the bike, the need, the uniqueness and the spec to see how much of a bth you’re going to take on it. 

I tend to get my frames and bikes overseas now. Even with the dodgy exchange rate new / outlet sales are better than here, second hand market is bigger, you can get a wider variety of the bikes I like and when it comes to me selling then they tend to be pretty rare here and generally cover more of my costs. I tend to get bikes like orange, ibis, transition, raaw, mondraker, evil, cotic, etc keep them for 8 months to a year and then find something new. Not cos I like new newness but because I love how different bikes ride, how they challenge you in different way, hone skills differently and give you different fun. 

Currently on waiting in a new frame to arrive and riding a 2018 Transition Smuggler. Having come off a Ripmo (which wasn’t that long and slack) you can really feel how cramped up the angles are and the reach difference is glaring. 

Sure the industry is trying to sell bikes 24/7 and telling you the next thing is the best thing but also things have moved on and a lot of time for the better… just not as much as they claim. My smuggler is still one of the funnest bikes ever. 

[cadenceblur]

27 minutes ago, BreadPitt said:

I’ve never had a problem selling bike and kit here or marketplace tbh. It’s about pitching it right, good price but then I’m not listing overly expensive epics along with 39 other people.

i do think the market here for new is really over the top price wise for most people so when it comes to selling you’re dealing with people who don’t want to spend eye watering cash on a new bike but on the flip side you can take a rinsing on the price you paid. It’s only fair you get a decent percentage back but there is the issue - gap between the two. I’ve always worked on the fact your new bike price is going to take a good 35%+ drop in the first year and then after that it’s a combo of the bike, the need, the uniqueness and the spec to see how much of a bth you’re going to take on it. 

I tend to get my frames and bikes overseas now. Even with the dodgy exchange rate new / outlet sales are better than here, second hand market is bigger, you can get a wider variety of the bikes I like and when it comes to me selling then they tend to be pretty rare here and generally cover more of my costs. I tend to get bikes like orange, ibis, transition, raaw, mondraker, evil, cotic, etc keep them for 8 months to a year and then find something new. Not cos I like new newness but because I love how different bikes ride, how they challenge you in different way, hone skills differently and give you different fun. 

Currently on waiting in a new frame to arrive and riding a 2018 Transition Smuggler. Having come off a Ripmo (which wasn’t that long and slack) you can really feel how cramped up the angles are and the reach difference is glaring. 

Sure the industry is trying to sell bikes 24/7 and telling you the next thing is the best thing but also things have moved on and a lot of time for the better… just not as much as they claim. My smuggler is still one of the funnest bikes ever. 

Do you buy secondhand from abroad as well? 

[BreadPitt]

31 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Do you buy secondhand from abroad as well? 

Mostly secondhand (pinkbike / eBay / marketplace) with clearance and sale stuff from online, shops, direct brands etc. Much bigger markets, more options, more realistic prices due to more customers and  more competition. 

Before I get flamed, I do support local brands, shops, workshops etc but for a lot of the different brands the market is too small in SA to support a distributor when you factor in the many costs, fees, add ons and taxes. I bought Transition from the local agents back in the day but they dropped out a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a grey importer, I’m not selling for business or profit. I don’t have a big paying job, I work for myself and my model is pretty much be a bit smart, work the angles and (hopefully) when I’m bored and there is a new itch to scratch then the sale of the current toy pretty much covers the next toy with minimal additional outlay. I’ve got a family to think of and I can’t be spending the kids school fees on my vain hobby! 

[MORNE]

Might have popped up here somewhere already…if so, apologies. 

A while back someone created a thread querying why their basically new (2023?), high end Trek wasn’t selling for something ridiculously low like R35k or something.  They were reminded that Trek decided to shaft him by selling the top end full carbon model on one of their ‘stock purge sales’ for 10-15k more than his asking price. 

Lets be clear, the big cookie cutter brands controlling the supply chain, then purging R100-150k bikes for less than half price -  are a big part of the problem. Also why smaller brands need to do flash sales to keep up and/or go bust…latest one being YT. 

So…it’s hard to sell a second hand bike if its not something particularly special or unique, there are 14 variants of it already in classifieds, and you can get a new version next month on a flash sale for the same price as secondhand. These points all of course feed each other too.

 

Edited July 18, 2025 by MORNE

[cadenceblur]

Indeed and here is a great example..

Not quite the same bicycle - but you get the point!

I'd tell my kid - "you'll grow into it!"

 

Edited July 18, 2025 by cadenceblur

[WT]

3 minutes ago, cadenceblur said:

Indeed and here is a great example..

 

But clearly this one is black and therefore clearly worth it😜 Plus you also get peace of mind knowing it survived being personally stress tested by the seller. Clearly an extra security layer that even Spez themselves dont provide!

With all included, this clearly a steal!😜

[Nic Brigando]

Factor in the 'value' difference between brands, and you put secondhand sellers of the top-end brands in a rough spot.

Sure, you can list your mid-range Spez Epic for 50% of the cost you bought it new, but for that same price, you can pick up a top-range Titan Cypher with better components. The 2nd hand market is flooded with both Spez Epics and Titan Cyphers, and countless other brands in between; how on earth is your Epic going to stand out, unless you drop the price significantly below the others?

I recently went through the process of buying a 2nd hand bike with a friend that wanted an older bike with high-end components. She settled on a 2014 spez epic, and methodically went through 20+ almost identical ads before she went for one of the LTD Edition burry stander ones. It had a key point over and above the rest of them - it was the LTD Edition. And the rest of the ads, while all viable options, are left to sit on the classifieds, all identical, until they either get lucky or get frustrated and drop the price.

Not to mention that you can build a bike with similar specs with a bit of patience and a bit of bike knowledge. A sub 12kg FS bike costs less than 20k if you get the right components and frame.

[Nic Brigando]

In the never-ending chase for newer tech, N+1 and marginal gains, it's important to remember;

The best bike is the bike you already have.

[LazyTrailRider]

On 7/14/2025 at 3:44 PM, RocknRolla said:

By the replies on this thread, the OP did not reach his target market.

I'd like to see some opposing views from the folk who does not think twice about dropping whatever the asking price is for the latest bicycle model marketing blurb.

These folk I assume also would be happy to recover whatever they can on the previous bike, no matter the "perceived fairness or unfairness" of the OP. 

I do agree that the cost of new bikes means that I'll not be buying a new bike ever. 

Unfortunately for my wallet, I have over the years been guilty as charged.

I bought 2022 Stumpy Evo new, added a few upgrades (total spend just under R100k), rode it for a year and put just under 400km on it. Then bought a Levo SL2 (also new) for R150k and added a Traverse SL carbon wheelset, nicer brakes, and a new Lyrik Ultimate to it, total spend R180k. Sold the Stumpy for R60k.

I've put 1300km on the Levo and it is mint (no scratched derailleurs here) because I am pedantic about my stuff, but I'm under no illusion that I'd likely only get R80k for it.

Here's the thing: There are people like me out there who have ridden bikes their entire lives who genuinely get immense satisfaction from fiddling with the latest tech. Specifically suspension, but brakes, geo and things like drivetrain dampening (man, recent years' bikes are SO quiet). Oh, and carbon wheels.

Sure, value still matters to me (I'm not silly enough to buy XXSL or a Reverb AXS post, or heaven forbid Flight Attendant), but it puts a huge smile on my face to pin it down say the Snakes at Tokai and feel the noticeable difference in composure on a big hit between a Charger 2.1 and 3.0 damper (yes, it's better). Do people like me keep the manufacturers who release new stuff going? Yes. Do I mind? No.

Edited July 18, 2025 by LazyTrailRider

[The Ouzo]

22 hours ago, Underachiever said:

Same with cars - buy 2nd hand every 7-10 years

the same perception of the OP on selling his bike applies to people selling their used cars, they mostly all think they are worth more than what they have been offered.

its always, "but I paid x amount for it when I bought it" or "they are selling for x amount on autotrader". Advertised price <> selling price

like somebody mentioned earlier, an items worth is only what people are willing to pay for that item. 

[LazyTrailRider]

12 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

Advertised price <> selling price

Also, the advertised price includes the dealer's costs and profit to finance and keep something worth several hundred K on a shiny floor for a month or three, keep it clean, advertise it, and pay people to show it to interested buyers, spend hours helping them with their paperwork, etc etc.

[The Ouzo]

6 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

Also, the advertised price includes the dealer's costs and profit to finance and keep something worth several hundred K on a shiny floor for a month or three, keep it clean, advertise it, and pay people to show it to interested buyers, spend hours helping them with their paperwork, etc etc.

everybody wants 5 star treatment, fancy shiny dealerships that also offer aftersales service and qualified staff, but nobody wants any % of the cost of all of that to come from their purchase.

[Jaco Steyn]

On 7/16/2025 at 8:42 PM, Shebeen said:

ja. who the hell actually buys a new bike???!!!

I bought my bike, a Pinarello FP Quatro, brand spanking new while I was on a training course in the UK. The bike shop in Chester had a sale to make space for the next summer season's stock. I bought it as a "from dad, to dad" birthday present for me in February 2011 for R22 500 and I think my credit card to this day has not yet fully recovered from that purchase😁. 

But, I did a bit of online searching before I bought it, if I purchased that same bike locally in South Africa, it would have cost me ±R45 000. That just goes to show how much of a mark-up we have to endure in South Africa. That bike now is just over 14 years old and will probably last me till I am too old to cycle anymore. I am 62 years old currently, so hopefully another 10 - 15 years.

Below is the first photo I have taken of my bike after getting back to South Africa. 

Edited July 18, 2025 by Jaco Steyn

[cadenceblur]

24 minutes ago, Jaco Steyn said:

I bought my bike, a Pinarello FP Quatro, brand spanking new while I was on a training course in the UK. The bike shop in Chester had a sale to make space for the next summer season's stock. I bought it as a "from dad, to dad" birthday present for me in February 2011 for R22 500 and I think my credit card to this day has not yet fully recovered from that purchase😁. 

But, I did a bit of online searching before I bought it, if I purchased that same bike locally in South Africa, it would have cost me ±R45 000. That just goes to show how much of a mark-up we have to endure in South Africa. That bike now is just over 14 years old and will probably last me till I am too old to cycle anymore. I am 62 years old currently, so hopefully another 10 - 15 years.

Below is the first photo I have taken of my bike after getting back to South Africa. 

and I am sure that bike has given you many happy miles and plenty of smiles, and you have not had the itch to swop it out since!

But wait! those are rim brakes - you need to upgrade!! if not for anything else -  for the vastly superior stopping power that awaits

Edited July 18, 2025 by cadenceblur