WWBTD...selling a bike

My only thought would be to give it away.

I mean, we would all love 500 bucks in our pocket if we can get it.  But if you feel ripped off and angry about being forced to sell it for $300, is it worth it?  Sure, you get a begrudging $300, or you can give it away for free to someone who might really appreciate it.  Then you can look back and feel good, rather than ripped off.  Sometime peace of mind is worth a couple hundred bucks.

I was JUST talking about stuff like this today and why I hate selling used stuff (once a truck or garage sale).  For example, I was selling a brand new golf club (lob wedge) I won, but didn't need.  Probably woth 30-40 bucks?  Had it marked for 3 bucks and someone of course offered 2.  We settled for 2.50 but I was more mad that they guy was so cheap to pay the extra buck for a brand new iron.  Looking back, it would have been worth the 2.50 I WOULDN'T get to just agree to sell it to him, then break it over my knee and watch his face.

You may do better advertising to bike people.  I found Craig's list to be pretty useless.  I was trying to sell my motorcycle once for a VERY good price and all I get were basically joke offers.  I wanted $3500 and they would offer $900.  Or offer to trade me a 25 year old beat up Cadillac for it.  If I don't want my motorcycle, why do they think I would want some old POS car worth $500?

You have to consider shipping with places like that.  It's going to run around $100, I suppose.  That typically goes on the buyer, but they will try to recoup that back by offering less on the bike.  So you still get shorted.  Local is better, obviously.

The thought of giving it away has crossed my mind.  Again, not sure I have the time or effort in me to figure THAT out in the next four weeks.  I know no one local to Abilene or here that needs a bike and can't afford one.  I guess there would be the off chance that someone in the tri club here would know someone that might be at the clinic Saturday.  But that's a long shot.  And if you put "free bike" up on Craigslist you really aren't able to screen...you'll get all sorts of people replying with sob stories who will probably just end up selling the thing a week later.

I won't feel begrudged or angry if it sells for $300.  Now, $100...yeah...I get that's out of line and way too low ball.  And quite honestly I bought the new cyclocross bike for my deployment sort of BANKING on selling my old bikes to pay for it.  So, while I don't *need* the money, the $300 would go a long way towards helping offset the cost of the bike I bought.

All that being said...I just wondered if I was expecting too much or if $300 sounds reasonable to most people familiar with bikes...selling something "for what it's worth" doesn't bother me.  I just want to know if I'm selling it for what it's worth or if I'm essentially giving it away.

The more I think about it the more I think I would be crazy to think someone would pay much more than $300....

Are you driving back on I-10? Post an ad on NOLA craigslist. Or Houston.

I have a tri bike I love.  This one I rode for many years but in the end came to the conclusion that it wasn't quite the right size for me.  I kept thinking I'd use it as a trainer or "crappy weather" bike but almost 3 years later I've ridden it a handful of times...and every time I do I'm uncomfortable...it's doing me no good in my house, it needs to go.

I would give this a shot, I bet someone buys it 

I'd also try ebay with the minimum bid (and shipping fees).

Also to me the last paragraph in your craigslist ad makes it sound like either you are desperate to sell which will invite lowballs or that (and this may just be the skeptical-craigslist-purchaser in me coming out) you are trying to offload a stolen bike away from where it was taken.  Might be worth just leaving it out and removing the ad when you leave town.

This is basically what I would do.   Put it back on BT for $300 (plus shipping) and see if anyone takes it.  I'd do it now, so that if you don't have any takers by the time the tri-club meets, you can unload it there.  I actually see that as a good opportunity.  If I am a newbie, a bike at say $400 would be something I'd be very interested in.  Especially if I didn't have to look for it, and could ride and take it home that day.     It's a size that would fit a large number of folks.

Actually, I figured I was having trouble selling it because you have to be pretty darn short to fit it!  I'm well outside of "average dude" territory.

I forgot to mention that it's been on the tri club's for sale forum since I got here too...lots of views, no interest.

I do appreciate everyone's input.  In the end I decided to give it a shot to sell it to this guy.  I'm meeting him tomorrow morning at 0900.  I guess if he bails or decides to not show up or balks when he physically sees the bike then I might still have time to get over to the tri club clinic and hope...I don't mind helping out a newbie, but I'd hate to gamble on the clinic and have missed the more solid sale.  The more I thought about it the more I realized that if the bike just sat around for another year it wasn't going to increase in value...might as well just take what I can get now.

If anyone accused me of offloading a stolen bike I would just pull out my computer with the few HUNDRED photos I have of myself with this bike over the last 8 years.... :D  I can probably produce the original sales receipt too (if I was allowed to go back to TX to do so!).  I also have the original stem and saddle....something you probably wouldn't have if you'd stolen the bike!

And I guess if they still didn't believe me I could whip out the military ID and the TDY orders that say why I'm here in Florida...

Plus I just don't think I sound like a bike thief! :D

F'ing figures...just checked my e-mail and have another "very interested" reply to my CL post...someone who will be in Destin (very nearby) all weekend.

*sigh*

I told them I would let them know if my buyer flakes.  Of course, I don't know that they won't make a lowball offer too...but WHY do I always get a promising lead AFTER I've (maybe) sold something?

Ha! Exactly what I am trying to avoid!  I move FAR too much to be toting a bunch of bikes around!!  In my house if a bike isn't being used it needs to GO!

Convert it into a single speed, replace the saddle with an ironically brown leather one, Put on some neon rims and sell it for $1200 to a Hipster. 

In all seriousness it seems like YOU feel the bike is worth $500, but the market is telling you its not. Either you're in the wrong market or it really is worth only $300.

A quick search of ALL the Craiglists in the USA for a 2005 Cervelo Dual suggests your valuation is OK, just not in the market where you're trying to sell.  

 http://www.adhuntr.com/2012/05/all.html?cx=partner-pub-9413604915893153%3Ao8xsd8d7h7s&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=2005+Cervelo+Dual&as_qdr=a&sa=Search 

Try ebay. Or a bigger city. 

P.S. Please edit your ad, it does not help your cause. Its way too long, with too much wishy- washy crap.   Post a simple, factual ad. Don't go into any complex explanations.

Sample Copy:   "51cm 2005 Cervelo Dual. A fast aluminium Triathlon bike. 10sp. ultegra drivetrain, dura ace shifters, FSA gossamer cranks. Extra saddle and stem. Some paint scratches. No pedals. $475 firm."

Ha!  VERY good advice and something I will keep in mind next time I sell something! :D  I post like I talk I guess. :D  I must stop that I suppose!

I checked out your search link.  I only clicked a few of them but most of those Cervelos SOUNDED like they were in better shape than mine.  So, maybe I would have gotten a bit more in a metroplex, but I think I should be happy to have gotten what I did considering where I live and how far I had to drag the bike to sell it!

If BT is interested, it turns out the buyer (if he was being honest...and I think he was) is a fireman in Panama City Beach who works the ocean rescue for IMFL every year.  He's getting into tri's and his station chief is REALLY big into tri's (has done Kona) and is going to help him get set up on the bike.  That made me feel a bit better about the price. :D

I cried a bit as the bike drove away...realized on my way over to meet the buyer that *all* of my Triathlon PRs have been set on that bike...at least for overall races.  The only PR that bike didn't set was my bike split for an IM.  Overall IM it owns....HIM it owns...Oly it owns...kinda cool.

The only SUPER embarrassing part was that I was late getting there and I COULD NOT get the dang back wheel on the bike!.   I'd intended to be there WELL before him so I would have time to put the bike back together...I had taken both wheels and the saddle off in order to fit the bike into the back seat of my car (better protected than on the roof, ya know?).  So I was still working on this when the guy showed up.  NO JOKE it took BOTH of us 20+ minutes to get the back wheel on.  I still can't figure out what is wrong.  I finally got it on there but taking the skewer OUT and getting the wheel in place and putting the skewer back.  It was stuck as if the wheel was too wide for the rear dropouts...this is a fairly new wheel and I GUESS I had never taken it off the bike since I bought the wheel but STILL...SO embarrassing!  I thought he was going to back out for a second because the wheel wouldn't go on the bike!

I appreciate everyone's advice!  Sometimes I just need to "talk things out" with someone that knows what I'm talking about!  I have no significant other and none of my local acquaintances really know anything about bikes.