Does anyone sell Privately anymore?
Discussion
Hi all,
On my latest AutoTrader deep dive for a bike I noticed the number of private sales was extremely low. I know the ratio for trade/private has always been favouring the trade side but it seem at the moment that private sales are almost non existent. Here's a few examples for you:
1. Honda CRF1100 Africa Twin - 100% Trade bikes for sale. No private sales what so ever (82 vs 0)
2. BMW S1000XR - 8.5% of bikes a private sellers (153 vs 14)
3. Ducati MultiStrada 1200 - 26% private sales (57 vs 15)
4. KTM 1290 Super Adventure S - 11.5% private sales (78 vs 9)
5. Kawasaki Versys 1000 - 7% private sale (136 vs 10)
On average 10% of bikes are private sales across the 5 examples above which means 90% are in trade hands. (Figures rounded).
Goes without saying that this doesn't mean private sales aren't happening.
Obviously hundreds of examples but picked some at random. This isn't a criticism as such more an observation as someone who is currently selling two bikes privately and have (in my opinion) priced them very sensibly, cheaper than most and undercutting traders, loads of pics and a video etc Yet the number of enquiries is on the floor.
I don't have a preference when buying bikes, be it through a trader or private. I understand the risks of private sales, no warranties, returns, dodgy characters, unknown histories etc. Research is critical for me in this instance.
Is this situation the norm? Has it always been this ratio? Do you prefer a trade purchase?
Typically, certainly in my experience, "trading in" will always yield a lower sale price over a private sale. Is everyone just sucking it up these days and taking the financial penalty?
I've had a few trade in quotes and the numbers are staggeringly low. 20% lower than my Autotrader prices. I think what's most frustrating is that we all know the bikes would then be on for premium money on a forecourt. Of course, that's not new behaviour. Buy low, sell high. The dealers have to make money. All understood.
I'm also coming across this common theme of "there's no movement in the deal / the price is the price". There seems to be no more haggling or chucking in a tank of fuel and some new mats!
General open topic....go!
On my latest AutoTrader deep dive for a bike I noticed the number of private sales was extremely low. I know the ratio for trade/private has always been favouring the trade side but it seem at the moment that private sales are almost non existent. Here's a few examples for you:
1. Honda CRF1100 Africa Twin - 100% Trade bikes for sale. No private sales what so ever (82 vs 0)
2. BMW S1000XR - 8.5% of bikes a private sellers (153 vs 14)
3. Ducati MultiStrada 1200 - 26% private sales (57 vs 15)
4. KTM 1290 Super Adventure S - 11.5% private sales (78 vs 9)
5. Kawasaki Versys 1000 - 7% private sale (136 vs 10)
On average 10% of bikes are private sales across the 5 examples above which means 90% are in trade hands. (Figures rounded).
Goes without saying that this doesn't mean private sales aren't happening.
Obviously hundreds of examples but picked some at random. This isn't a criticism as such more an observation as someone who is currently selling two bikes privately and have (in my opinion) priced them very sensibly, cheaper than most and undercutting traders, loads of pics and a video etc Yet the number of enquiries is on the floor.
I don't have a preference when buying bikes, be it through a trader or private. I understand the risks of private sales, no warranties, returns, dodgy characters, unknown histories etc. Research is critical for me in this instance.
Is this situation the norm? Has it always been this ratio? Do you prefer a trade purchase?
Typically, certainly in my experience, "trading in" will always yield a lower sale price over a private sale. Is everyone just sucking it up these days and taking the financial penalty?
I've had a few trade in quotes and the numbers are staggeringly low. 20% lower than my Autotrader prices. I think what's most frustrating is that we all know the bikes would then be on for premium money on a forecourt. Of course, that's not new behaviour. Buy low, sell high. The dealers have to make money. All understood.
I'm also coming across this common theme of "there's no movement in the deal / the price is the price". There seems to be no more haggling or chucking in a tank of fuel and some new mats!
General open topic....go!
Prefer to buy privately every time. The owner speaks volumes for the bike generally. I love the whole experience of going to visit, the chats, the being shown around whatever is of interest there, a glimpse into the lives of others, their set up/man cave it's nice to know you're not alone with this sickness/hobby 
Not sure I like to sell privately, haven't sold a bike for ages but cars are a pain. So many timewasters.
Not sure I like to sell privately, haven't sold a bike for ages but cars are a pain. So many timewasters.
I think there are fewer private sellers on AT than before, I think the cost of advertising on Autotrader and hassle in selling privately is the barrier. Isn't it £40 a listing?
Personally speaking when I've had a vehicle of value I've traded it or WeBuyAnyCar. Sure I get less but a) no hassle and b) money now is better than maybe money later.
If the car is only worth a few grand I've put it on Facebook marketplace.
When buying I'm not fussy about trade or private.
Personally speaking when I've had a vehicle of value I've traded it or WeBuyAnyCar. Sure I get less but a) no hassle and b) money now is better than maybe money later.
If the car is only worth a few grand I've put it on Facebook marketplace.
When buying I'm not fussy about trade or private.
The last bike I sold a bike privately was a couple of years ago so things may have moved on, but my experience was that Autotrader was going to be too expensive. Ebay and FaceAche is a nest of vipers, even the FaceAche forum for that model just came back with nonsense.
I ended up selling it through one of the bike magazines. It was free to advertise and anyone paying for a bike magazine is more likely to be a biker looking for a new bike rather than some pirate trying his luck.
I ended up selling it through one of the bike magazines. It was free to advertise and anyone paying for a bike magazine is more likely to be a biker looking for a new bike rather than some pirate trying his luck.
Bought my FireBlade privately a couple of years ago, as indeed I bought my Impreza a few years before that. If you're looking for something too old to be warrantied by a main dealer and not so valuable to be sold by a 'boutique' place, the private market has a lot to offer. It depends what you are looking for though.
Have you checked the prices for adverts on Auto Traders recently? They're f
king obscene.
I sold two cars through Facebook marketplace and had less chancers than I did via AT.
Most recent bikes have been sold through trade in and one privately.
I cannot be dealing with waiting another 6 weeks - 6 months for the circa £500-£1000 I MIGHT get with selling it privately.
king obscene. I sold two cars through Facebook marketplace and had less chancers than I did via AT.
Most recent bikes have been sold through trade in and one privately.
I cannot be dealing with waiting another 6 weeks - 6 months for the circa £500-£1000 I MIGHT get with selling it privately.
MattOz said:
I'm trying to sell privately at the moment and have had absolutely no joy. The usual scammy e-mails and occasional call, but that's about it. Now almost 8 weeks in. I do understand that a £20k bike is a tricky sell, but it's been surprisingly flat.
I had a bike up for private sale around the £3k mark a few years ago. Zero interest. I sold it to Superbike factory and they in turn sold it for £500+ profit in a couple of weeks at Christmas time.It was a pristine 6k mile 4 year old bike. Goes to show what value punters put on buying from a dealer. I always prefer to buy from the owner but with bikes it’s hard finding stuff nearby even in the south east.
trickywoo said:
I had a bike up for private sale around the £3k mark a few years ago. Zero interest. I sold it to Superbike factory and they in turn sold it for £500+ profit in a couple of weeks at Christmas time.
It was a pristine 6k mile 4 year old bike. Goes to show what value punters put on buying from a dealer. I always prefer to buy from the owner but with bikes it’s hard finding stuff nearby even in the south east.
£500 is not a big premium to get the convenience of buying from a dealer and some protection from the Consumer Rights Act.It was a pristine 6k mile 4 year old bike. Goes to show what value punters put on buying from a dealer. I always prefer to buy from the owner but with bikes it’s hard finding stuff nearby even in the south east.
Buying privately can be a faff, with a high cost in time and mileage to view a few bikes.
Wander into a good dealer, see models of bike you've never heard of, compare a few, maybe get a test ride, chat to salesmen who are there to help instead of a grumpy owner who resents you as probable timewaster. And you can probably get servicing thrown in or at least sorted.
Also many people will get finance.
I've known people buy a bike at a showroom, having gone in there for a pair of gloves.
If you know you want a certain model from a certain year, it's easier to find one privately, look at it and buy it or not, than if you want to compare options.
Last bike I bought I knew exactly what I wanted, I bought from a dealer because they had a nice one, job done.
There were some advertised a bit cheaper, but it would have been a day to travel to view each one.
Had there been one local privately, I'd have looked at it, if convenient.
But private sellers often want a lot for something 'sold as seen'.
With the demographics of motorcyclists shifting older you're probably seeing that those who are selling bikes are not necessarily in need of getting every possible dollar from the sale and are happy to take the hit by selling/trading in at a dealer to not have to deal with the hassle of selling privately.
I don't mind buying privately at all, but will always trade in vs sell privately, mainly because the general public are all obnoxious.
Plus in Canada there is a tax break if you trade in, you only pay tax on the net amount. (Yes you have to pay tax on used goods, not sure what the VAT rules are in the UK)
Plus in Canada there is a tax break if you trade in, you only pay tax on the net amount. (Yes you have to pay tax on used goods, not sure what the VAT rules are in the UK)
I have seen the shift you are on about.
I rarely visit Auto Trader any more. The prices on there seem to reflect the fact that it costs a lot to advertise on there. I tend to buy my bikes through eBay. Cant stand FB market place, the search tool is crap throws up all sorts. At least "most" of the people on eBay can write a semi coherent advert.
Even on eBay, more and more sellers are traders and I think that is due to people being busy and CBA with all the crap that goes with trying to sell a bike privately. After selling a few things recently I can definitely see the appeal of just trading in. So many scammers, tyre kickers and joy riders.
However, I would like to counter, that on the whole the buying and selling experience in the UK is brilliant compared to Cyprus where I am now..... Trying to get a Greek Cypriot to sell you a car or motorbike is like trying to get blood from a stone! The whole system is so archaic and creaky, its all done on paper and with signatures and you need a witness and all sorts, then to travel to an office in the capital to get it signed over to you. I wouldn't mind all the checks and diligence, but when you see what most of them ride around on and how they do it seems a bit of a waste of time
I rarely visit Auto Trader any more. The prices on there seem to reflect the fact that it costs a lot to advertise on there. I tend to buy my bikes through eBay. Cant stand FB market place, the search tool is crap throws up all sorts. At least "most" of the people on eBay can write a semi coherent advert.
Even on eBay, more and more sellers are traders and I think that is due to people being busy and CBA with all the crap that goes with trying to sell a bike privately. After selling a few things recently I can definitely see the appeal of just trading in. So many scammers, tyre kickers and joy riders.
However, I would like to counter, that on the whole the buying and selling experience in the UK is brilliant compared to Cyprus where I am now..... Trying to get a Greek Cypriot to sell you a car or motorbike is like trying to get blood from a stone! The whole system is so archaic and creaky, its all done on paper and with signatures and you need a witness and all sorts, then to travel to an office in the capital to get it signed over to you. I wouldn't mind all the checks and diligence, but when you see what most of them ride around on and how they do it seems a bit of a waste of time
For some added info on the AutoTrader performance:
I have two add running and Im keen to sell so I stumped up for the £40 fee (x2)!
I have a Triumph and a BMW on.
Triumph has done 96 views
BMW has done 85 views.
1 call from a chancer who just wanted to low ball me on the phone for the BMW
Facebook MP - I ran a boosted ad for a day £10 (x2). The stats suggest:
BMW: 1110 clicks on the listing, 21 saves, 1 share
Triumph: 575 clicks on the listing, 11 saves, 0 shares.
I do however have the FB chancers, currently got one guy telling me an equivalent, more expensive bike with more miles is a better bike than mine value wise. Sure!
I havent tried Ebay yet. What are the fees for selling a vehicle on Ebay?
I have two add running and Im keen to sell so I stumped up for the £40 fee (x2)!
I have a Triumph and a BMW on.
Triumph has done 96 views
BMW has done 85 views.
1 call from a chancer who just wanted to low ball me on the phone for the BMW
Facebook MP - I ran a boosted ad for a day £10 (x2). The stats suggest:
BMW: 1110 clicks on the listing, 21 saves, 1 share
Triumph: 575 clicks on the listing, 11 saves, 0 shares.
I do however have the FB chancers, currently got one guy telling me an equivalent, more expensive bike with more miles is a better bike than mine value wise. Sure!
I havent tried Ebay yet. What are the fees for selling a vehicle on Ebay?
Unlike many of you, I have rarely set foot in a dealer's. Out of 150 or so, only one of my vehicles has been bought through a dealer, that was "We sell classic bikes" (via Ebay), the bike was a customer's bike being sold via their site. Bought sight unseen during the Covid lockdowns.
Obviously having bought many a vehicle, I've had to sell a few over the years. Something that I used to love, but now look on as a chore - "everyone knows their rights", hmmm. Local newspaper classifieds and Thames Valley Trader used to be my first option, but I'm not sure they even exist nowadays. I've come around to using Facebook - free, convenient, huge amount of views, and often you have the ability to easily check potential buyer's backgrounds, you also have to deal with a huge amount of timewasters; the likes of Car and Classic - free, convenient, more likely to be contacted by seriously interested parties, but a much smaller audience; Ebay - probably the best value, huge audience, relatively low costs, and stuff usually sells if you price it right - sadly they seem to be committed to pissing off private sellers by trying to control every aspect of every sale.
As for buying... Personally, I love buying stuff from private sellers. Met many an interesting person through collecting a Morini, only to find they have a barn full of Italian classics and the day ends up being spent chatting and drinking coffee with a like minded soul. Never not been offered a coffee by a chop or custom seller, even got cooked lunch by one chap's missus when we went to see a hardtailed XS1100...
Have occasionally met the unsavoury, like the nutter who wanted to fight me because I stated that the exhaust on his VFR would need replacing due to a huge, rusting bulge... but it all adds to the colour of life.
Obviously having bought many a vehicle, I've had to sell a few over the years. Something that I used to love, but now look on as a chore - "everyone knows their rights", hmmm. Local newspaper classifieds and Thames Valley Trader used to be my first option, but I'm not sure they even exist nowadays. I've come around to using Facebook - free, convenient, huge amount of views, and often you have the ability to easily check potential buyer's backgrounds, you also have to deal with a huge amount of timewasters; the likes of Car and Classic - free, convenient, more likely to be contacted by seriously interested parties, but a much smaller audience; Ebay - probably the best value, huge audience, relatively low costs, and stuff usually sells if you price it right - sadly they seem to be committed to pissing off private sellers by trying to control every aspect of every sale.
As for buying... Personally, I love buying stuff from private sellers. Met many an interesting person through collecting a Morini, only to find they have a barn full of Italian classics and the day ends up being spent chatting and drinking coffee with a like minded soul. Never not been offered a coffee by a chop or custom seller, even got cooked lunch by one chap's missus when we went to see a hardtailed XS1100...
Have occasionally met the unsavoury, like the nutter who wanted to fight me because I stated that the exhaust on his VFR would need replacing due to a huge, rusting bulge... but it all adds to the colour of life.
the cueball said:
I have a bike up on Market place and a few selling groups at the moment... the amount of timewasters and utter st that's being sent to me is shocking.
Absolute waste of time.
Timewasters and dealers fishing for a silly low price come with the territory of this platform. That said, I have had some success with Marketplace. A lad near to my city has got in touch and after a phone call (critical to determine character) it seems he is a thoroughly decent AND serious guy - we meet tomorrow for him to examine the machine I am selling.t that's being sent to me is shocking.Absolute waste of time.
I have the bike on eBay as well and so far, not a whisper - priced extremely low and in incredible condition with extras.
Autumn never was the best season to sell... But... some out there are still searching keenly! A full suite of photos and some personalisation for the reason of sale is key, I reckon. As someone alluded to earlier, buying a bike from someone who as truly cared for it and has a certain 'sickness' is ideal...
I found private to be full of messers. My last two tuonos I got offered xxx as a trade and would put £500 more private only to have so many stupid messages asking just about everything and anything
I remember two saying "quick sale cash ready" and would offer me less than my trade in. Like seriously... My trade in is my trade in so if I don't get more I'll just px
Towards the end I would just take the piss and when they asked for more pics and videos I would send ones of me being an idiot on it as I felt that was about the best their IQ would be able to manage
My current tuono I'll be selling but at 35-40k mileage I'll probably be better to break it rather than sell or px
I remember two saying "quick sale cash ready" and would offer me less than my trade in. Like seriously... My trade in is my trade in so if I don't get more I'll just px
Towards the end I would just take the piss and when they asked for more pics and videos I would send ones of me being an idiot on it as I felt that was about the best their IQ would be able to manage
My current tuono I'll be selling but at 35-40k mileage I'll probably be better to break it rather than sell or px
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