Where do you look for used bikes?

[blackmamba]

Hi. I’m thinking of a changing my bike and it’s been a while since my last purchase (15 years!). Where do you guys look to buy / sell? Is it Autotrader or are there any more bike specific sales platforms (as well as PHs of course).

Thanks

[bogie]

Autotrader good to get an idea of whats out there, and/or dealers I know/have used in my region.

[podman]

Start with the freestuff , Facebook marketplace has worked well for me, as has PH.

Gumtree as well but be prepared to ignore some of the daft messages you will recieve.

eBay is more effective than bikeyrader IMHO

[Dog Star]

I recently sold two bikes - a 4XV R1 and a 2008 KTM 250 enduro.

I used Autotrader, FB and eBay. Same asking price on all platforms.

Autotrader was absolutely useless - not one single enquiry about either. The bikes, especially the R1, were bloody cheap too and my adverts were nice with great pics.

I can’t remember which was which now but one sold through FB and the other eBay (classified).

I’d not bother with Autotrader again.

[black-k1]

Have a look at MCN too.

[Discendo Discimus]

I've always used Ebay or Facebook.

Never had any issues if I'm honest. If the bike is described well and there are plenty of pictures I'll go and have a look and agree a price.
What I will never do, is knock somebody down before taking the time to view a bike. Nor will I bombard the vendor with messages such as "is this still available" an hour after the listing has been created.

I'd advise always going to view a bike with an open mind before committing to buy. Don't let excitement get the better of you and bring a friend who's sensible if possible!

[TimmyWimmyWoo]

I sold my KTM 1290 SAS last year through eBay.

It took 2 or 3 months.

I also listed it on AutoTrader, and that was a complete waste of time and money – I paid for the more premium ad and I think I got about 300 total views on the ad in three months? It was barely any eyeballs. I wouldn't use it for selling a bike privately.

Facebook groups got eyes on it but no one was really interested.

Facebook marketplace garners a whole load of spammy messages, many of which seem legit but a bit of digging will expose the buyers as hacked accounts, often from other countries. I managed to find one seemingly interested party on Instagram, where I DMed him and he said his FB had been hacked.

[trickywoo]

TimmyWimmyWoo said:

I sold my KTM 1290 SAS last year through eBay.

It took 2 or 3 months.

I also listed it on AutoTrader, and that was a complete waste of time and money – I paid for the more premium ad and I think I got about 300 total views on the ad in three months? It was barely any eyeballs. I wouldn't use it for selling a bike privately.

Facebook groups got eyes on it but no one was really interested.

Facebook marketplace garners a whole load of spammy messages, many of which seem legit but a bit of digging will expose the buyers as hacked accounts, often from other countries. I managed to find one seemingly interested party on Instagram, where I DMed him and he said his FB had been hacked.

Its interesting as having watched the market closely there are more dealers on A/T who aren't on ebay than the other way round. When I was looking for an expensive new / nearly new Superduke or Tuono in November 2022 the best deals were to be found on A/T.

I also had zero success with a private sale on A/T though and on that basis would agree with your advice to avoid it.

[SteelerSE]

I've given up selling anything on Facebook Marketplace - full of scammers. Ebay is good and I didn't even consider using AutoTrader or another paid for ad site to be honest.

[Motorsport3]

Similar experience to mine. Autotrader for a couple of months yielded hundreds of views but just one interested party who ultimately came by and bought it. So a bit hit and miss really.

Does anyone know why Pistonheads don't do bike adverts any longer?

[Ecosseven]

In terms of buying motorcycles not all dealers advertise in Autotrader / MCN / Ebay. Always worth a look on your local dealer websites.

[blackmamba]

Very helpful feedback, thank you. I hadn’t even thought of eBay for bikes but will take a look there and others suggested.

Interesting no one has had a good experience with Autotrader.

[Bikerjon]

I always use autotrader as the first place to look. I like buying privately if possible, but one thing I've noticed with autotrader is private sellers tend to overvalue their bikes by a lot! Ebay is a close second. I wont go near facebook or gumtree, but it sounds like some people do OK on them.

[OutInTheShed]

I've not bought or sold a motorbike on FB, but for other things there are some fairly well managed specialised buy'n'sell pages.
Classified ad on ebay is worth a thought, let's face it we all look on there?
Depending on the bike, it might be worth considering the owners' club?
Gumtree for cheap things?
MCN?

[SteelerSE]

Bikerjon said:

I wont go near facebook or gumtree, but it sounds like some people do OK on them.

I think that there are buyers out there but the noise from all the scammers etc means you need patience that I don't have. More power to the people that can deal with it.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I look across Facebook, autotrader and ebay. I always prefer private where possible. No offence (and I mean none) to any dealers but I'd rather cut out the markup if possible and speak to the person who owns the bike, guage them.

Sometimes the private bike is the same price but its a better spec/has more on so I'll go that way.