“Are you selling your motorcycle?”
If yes, then you must know a few things before considering selling. Because as you already know, it is very difficult to find potential buyers these days. Moreover, the market is now more competitive, especially for selling reasons. New motorcycles are available at reasonable prices, which makes it more difficult to sell used bikes. But if you really want to sell your motorcycle for whatever reason, you must do it fast by going through a few stages. Here in this section, we will help you to learn a few tricks for selling your motorcycle.
How to Prepare Your Motorcycle for Selling
Stage 1: What to Do Before You Sell a Used Motorcycle
Getting better value for your bike could be difficult but there are a lot of things that you can do to maximize the resale price. So, follow these steps given below:
The Appearance of Motorcycle: Stating the obvious, but cleaning your motorcycle is very important for a lot of reasons. Let’s assume, you are the one who is thinking to buy a used motorcycle because of a financial issue. You visited a seller to see the bike. And when you first looked at that bike you saw a used motorcycle covered in dust and mud.
I am sure you immediately lost interest in that particular bike.
Right?
Of course, you did. Because no matter how good its engine or other components are, you just can’t say yes to a bike that is in a bad state.
That’s why is it is important to clean your bike before meeting any potential buyer. Do a general cleaning and then do special areas like under the seat, metal parts, battery, and other areas. But, don’t go too far, such as doing a new paint job. Otherwise, someone will notice and assume that you just patched it up.
For more information, you can go to our section of cleaning tips for your motorcycle.
Checking Parts and Accessories: Once you finished with the cleaning, you must ensure that all parts are working perfectly. Because, if someone takes your motorcycle for a test ride and faces any trouble while riding, it won’t be good for selling. On the contrary, it will affect your sale in a very bad way.
So, make sure you have any valid safety certificate available before selling it. Moreover, it would be better to take your motorcycle to a mechanic to check all the parts.
Another important thing is to remove excess accessories from your motorcycle. The truth is, extra accessories leave a bad impression on the buyer. Most buyers will assume that it has been thrashed and all these accessories are used to hide something.
You may love the accessories but it doesn’t mean everyone will.
Most people like to see the original parts and check for performance and condition. So, make sure you put everything in order and make sure all original parts are in good working condition.
Stage 2: Research for Selling Price
It is important to determine that your asking price is appropriate. You can check the price online and take suggestions from official price comparison websites. An internet auction and classified listings are other ways to market your bike for sale. Once you have checked the bike’s valuation, it will be easy to decide the selling price.
Make sure you put a price on it accordingly because some buyers like to negotiate. So, it would be better to advertise a slightly higher price, so you can negotiate the actual selling price you want. In that way, you can sell your vehicle easily without any loss. To keep the buyer interested, you also must gather all your motorcycle documents, such as ownership, service details, warranty details, and other documents. All of the documents and the well-maintained motorcycle will give the buyer great reassurance and a fair trade option.
Stage 3: Selling Options and Advertising
There are many options to advertise your motorcycle. But, the No.1 option is online advertising. Because advertising a motorcycle for sale in the newspaper is old-fashioned. No one does that anymore. So, the best option is online, as mentioned previously. You can go to motorcycle-related websites and forums and provide the main details of your motorcycle. This method is free of charge and can give you a better price. In your online ad, you can provide highlights of the important things like mileage info, selling price, and description of accessories, etc. And you can also use good tags and a suitable title.
Before you meet the potential buyer, you must take a few precautions. Such as, whenever possible, take pictures of your motorcycle in public places, meet the buyer at a safe location, and don’t mention the address in your advertisement. To reduce the number of instances of theft, you have to be on the safe side.
Stage 4: Test Rides
If you are going to allow a test ride on your bike, make sure the rider is qualified to ride your motorcycle, that he/he has the proper credentials, and are experienced enough to handle the ride. Make certain anyone that is test riding your motorcycle is wearing a helmet and that the helmet is approved by safety standard like DOT, SNELL, etc.
You can also ask for a fee as a measure to cover any potential damage.
Stage 5: Selling on Consignment
It is important to verify the proper insurance coverage information of a dealer/shop in case of theft and accident before selling your motorcycle on consignment.
Well, in most cases, very few deals are sold on consignment. Nevertheless, getting a consignment agreement in writing will be good for your peace of mind.
You can also go for other options for selling your motorcycle, such as a trade-in or selling for cash. There are a lot of ways to sell. You can decide on any method which is appropriate for you.
Stage 6: Finalizing the Sale
Before finalizing the sale, you must clear the terms of the sale and put it all in writing. Both parties must retain a signed and dated copy of the agreement. And keep your registration and number plate for yourself. Don’t give it to anyone to use under any circumstances.
Most importantly, if the transaction involves a money order or cheque, then verify the payment method before turning over possession of the bike.
The best way to sell your motorcycle is to follow these steps and be honest with the buyer. You will be able to sell your motorcycle at a better value.
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