How/where to sell a mobility scooter
Discussion
My mother passed away late in December, we're in the process of finalising her accounts and deciding what to do with her belongings. She had an electric mobility scooter which she bought a couple of years ago and hardly ever used. She paid about £1500 for it as a refurbished model and it's still basically in the same condition it was when it arrived.
Dad has no use for it so we're looking to sell it. Given the specialised nature of the item I wondered if there were any companies that buy these things in to refurbish and sell on? We did approach the company she bought it from and another that she had some accessories for it from but neither of these could help. Just wondering if there's a better way than simply putting it on eBay, Gumtree, Facebook etc.
Dad has no use for it so we're looking to sell it. Given the specialised nature of the item I wondered if there were any companies that buy these things in to refurbish and sell on? We did approach the company she bought it from and another that she had some accessories for it from but neither of these could help. Just wondering if there's a better way than simply putting it on eBay, Gumtree, Facebook etc.
I’m sorry to hear of your loss.
Unfortunately, you may find that the scooter market seems to be rigged.
I needed one for my mum and picked up a lovely model from a guy who sadly was deteriorating health wise.
Paying him the requested £500, which seemed a very decent price, I asked why he hadn’t offered it back to the dealer at 3 months old and only used twice.
He responded that he had and their offer was £400, around 10% of what he had paid (he even gave me the invoices as proof).
He refused on principle to sell back to them, as his condition was taking his sight and making the scooter impossible to use.
They’d also legged him into a “bespoke cover”, which was effectively a £300 clear tarpaulin.
When I needed a couple of track rod arms for another model we can pack into the car, that dealer outlined I’d be better replacing the whole scooter as other elements would be beyond repair if the track rods were worn!
It’s STILL in fantastic condition 3 years and many miles later other than a tiny amount of play in the steering (now fixed with a £5 rose joint off eBay) , picked up for £300, the same dealer selling that model secondhand for £1800 when I enquired after the part (which they wouldn’t supply). Same story with a broken charger, £300 to replace, pattern charger sourced from eBay for £15 which is actually better.
Maybe when the ashtrays get full in his Rolls Royce the dealer just changes cars….
Your best bet is gumtree and eBay to get a feel of the real market value of what you have and post an add.
Batteries are expensive so if they are in good condition, mention this on the web advert.
Take plenty of good quality photographs against as plain a background as possible.
Show any accessories (charger etc).
I ended up going through a few for my mum to get the combination we have now, a couple of the cheaper models as we worked up to the current ones I donated to a hospice and a local charity shop respectively, as I didn’t want dealers to profit from them.
By definition, there are lots of used models out there that sadly get little use, it really angers me that people are ripping off old folks with some of the new prices being charged for stuff that’s actually worth a fraction of the new value based on prices for nearly new….
Unfortunately, you may find that the scooter market seems to be rigged.
I needed one for my mum and picked up a lovely model from a guy who sadly was deteriorating health wise.
Paying him the requested £500, which seemed a very decent price, I asked why he hadn’t offered it back to the dealer at 3 months old and only used twice.
He responded that he had and their offer was £400, around 10% of what he had paid (he even gave me the invoices as proof).
He refused on principle to sell back to them, as his condition was taking his sight and making the scooter impossible to use.
They’d also legged him into a “bespoke cover”, which was effectively a £300 clear tarpaulin.
When I needed a couple of track rod arms for another model we can pack into the car, that dealer outlined I’d be better replacing the whole scooter as other elements would be beyond repair if the track rods were worn!
It’s STILL in fantastic condition 3 years and many miles later other than a tiny amount of play in the steering (now fixed with a £5 rose joint off eBay) , picked up for £300, the same dealer selling that model secondhand for £1800 when I enquired after the part (which they wouldn’t supply). Same story with a broken charger, £300 to replace, pattern charger sourced from eBay for £15 which is actually better.
Maybe when the ashtrays get full in his Rolls Royce the dealer just changes cars….
Your best bet is gumtree and eBay to get a feel of the real market value of what you have and post an add.
Batteries are expensive so if they are in good condition, mention this on the web advert.
Take plenty of good quality photographs against as plain a background as possible.
Show any accessories (charger etc).
I ended up going through a few for my mum to get the combination we have now, a couple of the cheaper models as we worked up to the current ones I donated to a hospice and a local charity shop respectively, as I didn’t want dealers to profit from them.
By definition, there are lots of used models out there that sadly get little use, it really angers me that people are ripping off old folks with some of the new prices being charged for stuff that’s actually worth a fraction of the new value based on prices for nearly new….
the mobility scooter market seems to work a lot like the hospital-style bed/walk-in shower/special-to-old-people furniture market in that there are a lot of shysters hawking very ordinary products at huge mark-up and the used market is down to what you can get on ebay or gumtree, probably the latter is better to reduce the incidence of people wanting it posted. Battery condition is the most important thing and being willing to deliver it locally will probably help.Sorry for you loss.
If I recall you frequent the city of Aberdeen - there used to be a place near the Haudigan roundabout - next to the service station - that advertised second hand scooters.
My travels now either take me that way late at night or avoid the area completely, so unfortunately cannot say if they are still there.
I have picked up a wheelchair on Facebook / gumtree, same situation as yours. Possibly sell privately, and advertise through the paper, something those in need of a scooter would read?
If I recall you frequent the city of Aberdeen - there used to be a place near the Haudigan roundabout - next to the service station - that advertised second hand scooters.
My travels now either take me that way late at night or avoid the area completely, so unfortunately cannot say if they are still there.
I have picked up a wheelchair on Facebook / gumtree, same situation as yours. Possibly sell privately, and advertise through the paper, something those in need of a scooter would read?
On eBay to get a good idea of prices do advanced searches for sold items.
My dad must have been a mobility scooter collector and when he died I used eBay to sell a few mobility scooters which were a bit specialised as being either rugged all terrain or eFoldi which fold really small but run lower than a Sinclair C5. I priced these items really low to sell and went to lengths to highlight deficiencies but they attracted too many bids.
The main problem I had was interest from clearly vulnerable people who needed a mobility scooter but couldn't afford dealer prices and the hardest saddest part was they looked at the scooters that I was shifting on eBay as a lifeline. I tried to dissuade them but couldn't.
My dad must have been a mobility scooter collector and when he died I used eBay to sell a few mobility scooters which were a bit specialised as being either rugged all terrain or eFoldi which fold really small but run lower than a Sinclair C5. I priced these items really low to sell and went to lengths to highlight deficiencies but they attracted too many bids.
The main problem I had was interest from clearly vulnerable people who needed a mobility scooter but couldn't afford dealer prices and the hardest saddest part was they looked at the scooters that I was shifting on eBay as a lifeline. I tried to dissuade them but couldn't.
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