Advice needed re sale price UNUSED 1981 Raleigh Prima

[padma50]

This bike has never been ridden - ever!

I have to sell but have no idea what I should ask for it. My local bike shop were intrigued by its
history but suggested you guys might help with a price.

Sometime in early spring 1981 this bike was delivered by mistake to my parents house. The only label on it was their address and despite trying
to find the intended recipient they never did.

The bike was stored in their spare room until June that year when it was put in the loft, wrapped in a blanket, prior to a big family wedding (guests coming to stay). This is why we remember the date. However over time it was forgotten.

Fast forward to 2022.

House being cleared after death of our mum and bike rediscovered!

I have tried to find out what sort of price I should expect for this bike but no one seems to have ever encountered anything like it before. I want to put a realistic price on it but know nothing about bikes. Told to look for serial number - it is WB1000 134.

I’m hoping you guys could help in some way.

Thanks

 

[sjcprojects]

Welcome to the forum. Totally unused bikes like this one do still turn up from time to time. Last year I sold a nice bike that had barely been ridden and was almost like new - it got plenty of watchers on eBay but still only sold for £150.

The fact this is totally unused will definitely spark interest, but the BSA branded bikes from this era are not particularly sought after (BSA was the brand Raleigh used for bikes sold through catalogues at this time, hence it being delivered). It is a 531 frame, though, so probably near the top of their range, not a cheap job, but certainly not particularly high specced, either. Basically this is definitely rare due to the condition, but not necessarily highly desirable due to the actual model of the bike.

I would guess you might get around £150-200 for it - the market for this sort of thing peaked a few years ago, really. Personally I’d probably put it on eBay at a £100 starting price and see where it got to. There are lots of optimistically priced ‘rare’ bikes on eBay that just never seem to sell.

Nice story and bike, anyway

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Welcome to RB. I Think @chickendrumsticks restored one of these. Very cool find/bike, thankfully to big for me

 

[chickendrumsticks]

Yes the market has peaked somewhat. Mine sold (albeit upgraded quite a lot) around 4 years ago. It fetched £400 or so. @sjcprojects above is spot on. ebay, £100 start price on auction.
Stress all its good points. Point out it's a Raleigh Worksop build and that it's Reynolds 531 frame tubes.
I'll probably forget I wrote this and buy it! Good luck.

 

[padma50]

Welcome to the forum. Totally unused bikes like this one do still turn up from time to time. Last year I sold a nice bike that had barely been ridden and was almost like new - it got plenty of watchers on eBay but still only sold for £150.

The fact this is totally unused will definitely spark interest, but the BSA branded bikes from this era are not particularly sought after (BSA was the brand Raleigh used for bikes sold through catalogues at this time, hence it being delivered). It is a 531 frame, though, so probably near the top of their range, not a cheap job, but certainly not particularly high specced, either. Basically this is definitely rare due to the condition, but not necessarily highly desirable due to the actual model of the bike.

I would guess you might get around £150-200 for it - the market for this sort of thing peaked a few years ago, really. Personally I’d probably put it on eBay at a £100 starting price and see where it got to. There are lots of optimistically priced ‘rare’ bikes on eBay that just never seem to sell.

Nice story and bike, anyway

Thank you for your very helpful information and advice @scjprojects and thanks too to @chickendrumsticks for additional information and advice.

 

[padma50]

Or even “thanks to @sjcprojects”.. sorry I’m dyslexic

 

[sjcprojects]

No problem – if you do go down the eBay route, it's always going to be a bit hit and miss as it's always partly a question of timing. Price-wise it could easily go above my guess if the right person happens to see it. I guess as it didn't cost you anything at least there's not exactly anything too much to lose, really. Another option is to sell it on here, but then you would need to name an exact price which can be tricky, even if you're open to offers (which is always a good idea). Best of luck with the sale, anyway. I'm sure it will find a good home somewhere.