Whats been your most profitable bike purchase?
- Thread starter slackboy
- Start date
mrkawasaki
Retrobike Rider
It is an interesting and sensitive topic for sure. I think I have nearly always bought consciously and prudently, which implies it is important to me to not lose money at the end of the affair. Of course there is an extra thrill/bragging rights to get something you have longed for at a 'below market price', but it's never been the highest priority to me come sale time. Of course having more than a few low priced acquisitions in the early days of both RB and Ebay has seen some marques/models emerge as 'icons' over time, mostly due to a heady mix of scarcity, condition and 'shared values'. I am lucky my values aren't so universally shared, so I've had a few bargains in my eyes that remain bargains ie. if I sold I wouldn't get my money back! If I've bought well for me though, this doesn't matter much, because the value in the pleasure of ownership/rebuilding/riding is where the real value lies. Generally, the bikes I have sold that have commanded a substantial increase over purchase have been bikes I would have kept if they were genuinely my size (and not a size I thought I could live with!). I am not so charitable that I would part with a bike I paid a nominal sum at below market price, because I imagine/fear it could easily be flipped for profit/split for parts by an unknown buyer (which of course they're entitled to do). There are some bikes I have had for sale for a long time that I don't lower the price on because I think they're bikes that deserve more attention ie. they're better than any current 'market valuation' or consensus! I would imagine most long termers here have more or less got what they thought they wanted by now and had a few fiscal bargains along the way. I suspect that the real top end of the market - rare iconic bikes immaculately and expensively restored - are the slowest to shift, even though we might agree on their worth. Should these sellers need to sell then here is where the biggest liabilities/next relative bargains lie.
gradeAfailure
Senior Retro Guru
Quite the opposite for me on the last bike I sold (Cannondale SM400) - ended up selling it for half what it cost me to buy and refurb because no-one was interested in it.
Mind you, when I joined here I'd picked up a Yo Eddy on eBay; had grand hopes of rebuilding it but ended up selling it all off after I'd stripped it down. Prices and desirability had risen so much in the time I had it I ended up making back quite a bit more back than I paid, and that was still selling at under market rate at the time!
Mind you, when I joined here I'd picked up a Yo Eddy on eBay; had grand hopes of rebuilding it but ended up selling it all off after I'd stripped it down. Prices and desirability had risen so much in the time I had it I ended up making back quite a bit more back than I paid, and that was still selling at under market rate at the time!
focomat 1c
Retro Guru
Re:
Several years ago the local auction house used to sell off lost/found bikes every month ( on behalf of the police I believe )
There was one item that caught my eye as slightly unusual , listed as ' a 1960's roadster ' , and I left a bid .
A couple of days later , for less than £ 30 , I was the owner of what turned out to be an extremely rare 1946 BSA Paratroop bicycle .
These bikes were non folding versions of the bikes used by commandos in WW2 .
After the war BSA produced these civilian versions , but only sold a few as there were so many government surplus
ones available for a fraction of the price
Google ' paratroop bike ' for details of the above and you will see that my model , the 904 DCP with a 3 speed hub is the rarest of the rare
There were a couple of problems ! the lot I bid on also included 4 other bikes , ladies and childrens , all sold on later
for more than my original outlay
Then there is the question of money . Extreme rarity does not always equate to a high monetary value , however I am very happy with
my purchase
Several years ago the local auction house used to sell off lost/found bikes every month ( on behalf of the police I believe )
There was one item that caught my eye as slightly unusual , listed as ' a 1960's roadster ' , and I left a bid .
A couple of days later , for less than £ 30 , I was the owner of what turned out to be an extremely rare 1946 BSA Paratroop bicycle .
These bikes were non folding versions of the bikes used by commandos in WW2 .
After the war BSA produced these civilian versions , but only sold a few as there were so many government surplus
ones available for a fraction of the price
Google ' paratroop bike ' for details of the above and you will see that my model , the 904 DCP with a 3 speed hub is the rarest of the rare
There were a couple of problems ! the lot I bid on also included 4 other bikes , ladies and childrens , all sold on later
for more than my original outlay
Then there is the question of money . Extreme rarity does not always equate to a high monetary value , however I am very happy with
my purchase
ajsaunders
Old School Hero
Capitalism keeps milenials out of their parents basement. Embrace it and don’t dog people for making a buck.
Unfortunately I’ve only lost money on retro bikes. They are are more of a love of what I couldn’t afford in high school...
Unfortunately I’ve only lost money on retro bikes. They are are more of a love of what I couldn’t afford in high school...
boswell
Retro Guru
Re:
I bought a Marin Mount Vision frame (no swing arm) for about £15 to get a spare Spring/Damper for mine. I cleaned it up and sold the the frame, seat post and seat post clamp separately made a nice profit and have spares for mine.
The Pace RC200 I bought has been most profitable, I paid roughly market value for it 3 years ago and I'm still profiting from it by riding it often and keeping me physically and mentally fit!
I bought a Marin Mount Vision frame (no swing arm) for about £15 to get a spare Spring/Damper for mine. I cleaned it up and sold the the frame, seat post and seat post clamp separately made a nice profit and have spares for mine.
The Pace RC200 I bought has been most profitable, I paid roughly market value for it 3 years ago and I'm still profiting from it by riding it often and keeping me physically and mentally fit!
Tricky1977
Marin Fan
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Bought a spare Palisades for the saddle and pedals for £15, and sold all the anodised bits for around £50, and I’ve kept the spares especially the decent Marin Lite tyres
Bought my fire mountain to split for £80 and made £300-400 from parts but I’ve absolutely loved every moment of stripping, cleaning, photo’ing and listing the parts... the profit just allows me to buy more bits and tell a good tale at home
Happy to karma the frame
Bought my fire mountain to split for £80 and made £300-400 from parts but I’ve absolutely loved every moment of stripping, cleaning, photo’ing and listing the parts... the profit just allows me to buy more bits and tell a good tale at home
Happy to karma the frame
Re:
I paid £500 for my STS Lobo full bike a couple of years back and sold it for £2200 a couple of months back
£500 offered was whilst out riding and I approached a guy riding it. He was just pleased to have cash for a newer bike which was better for trail riding.
I paid £500 for my STS Lobo full bike a couple of years back and sold it for £2200 a couple of months back
£500 offered was whilst out riding and I approached a guy riding it. He was just pleased to have cash for a newer bike which was better for trail riding.
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