There are some sellers of new items claim to be private, although I don't get how that's possible.Is your competition on new parts and accessories?
There are some sellers of new items claim to be private, although I don't get how that's possible.
Sold a Seven frame last week and got charged £85Just sold my Ribble 653 on eBay the day no transaction fees start! The gods are smiling on me.
I never barter on Gumtree collections, always full price or walk.They say it's to compete with the likes of Vinted etc but nothing in life comes for free.
I obviously welcome the fact that it's free but I have never been fussed about the FVF because it's not as much as the difference in how much you can sell something for and the easiness of doing it.
Something I can sell on eBay for £75 might only get 40 on gumtree or FB plus I don't have people coming to my house all the time and dealing with all that 'it's not as good as the pics show mate' or whatever and then bartering on the doorstep, or having some scrote come round for a £3 brake disc and knowing where I live when he can see from my other listings what else I've got in my garage. Their money back guarantee makes people more comfortable buying items too so they spend a bit more.
I feel for respectable businesses trying to make a living while having to deal with the "side-hustle" crew.
I would be interested to know where the line is between a legitimate hobby and a business in terms of buying and selling used bikes though. I have bought bikes I like the look of for the last 20 years when I see something at a decent price. Over the years I still have many of those bikes that I fixed up, rode and then just stored in my garage. I am now running out of space and am trying to downsize my collection. Most of these bikes will be worth more than I paid for them so am I in business or just selling off my stuff I don't need any more. Is it a case of turnover or motivation, i.e. did I buy something to flip or to enjoy then just got tired of and wanted to move on to try something new?
I think it's clear to see that your situation is the latter.I feel for respectable businesses trying to make a living while having to deal with the "side-hustle" crew.
I would be interested to know where the line is between a legitimate hobby and a business in terms of buying and selling used bikes though. I have bought bikes I like the look of for the last 20 years when I see something at a decent price. Over the years I still have many of those bikes that I fixed up, rode and then just stored in my garage. I am now running out of space and am trying to downsize my collection. Most of these bikes will be worth more than I paid for them so am I in business or just selling off my stuff I don't need any more. Is it a case of turnover or motivation, i.e. did I buy something to flip or to enjoy then just got tired of and wanted to move on to try something new?
I have seen this a couple of times, scroll down to look for business information and they are private.There are some sellers of new items claim to be private, although I don't get how that's possible.
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If you buy new, it's covered by consumer protection.
There are also offshore sellers, often with multiple ebay identities to avoid detection and vat, sometimes their stock is handled in the UK by gig- economy staff who don't have any idea what's in the boxes, so when it goes wrong it's impossible to get any sense out of anyone.
We've all had that experience i imagine.
But there are quite a few "used bike" dealers claiming to be private too.