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I might be misunderstanding, but I'm having trouble imagining online bike markets as the dominant form of selling bikes. Wouldn't shipping cost be a big problem

I might be misunderstanding, but I'm having trouble imagining online bike markets as the dominant form of selling bikes. Wouldn't shipping cost be a big problem? Or are they city-specific markets, where people meet up in person for the actual exchange? The linked site seems to be for all of Switzerland, which is definitely not within biking distance. In Copenhagen people mostly buy used bikes from: the monthly police auction of abandoned bikes (good for cheap bikes of random-skewed-towards-bad quality), used bike shops, for-sale flyers posted in apartment lobbies or offices, word of mouth, postings on Facebook, etc.

jasonjei 12y ago
I agree--It's truly difficult to buy a bike online. Things like seat height, comfort, handlebar, gears, etc. cannot be easily assessed just by online materials. You cannot adequately assess a product without doing a test ride. While I am an occasional bicyclist and have a limited understanding of what bicycle enthusiast looks for, I can't imagine anyone willing to shell out serious dough for a bike without looking at it. Heck, some bicycles cost as much as a 250cc-650cc motorbike. As a motorcyclist, I would never complete a transaction without first looking at the bike and kicking the 2 tires, or at least being able to ride the bike within the limits of the law on a public road.
mikeryan 12y ago
In SF the way most people sell their old bikes are via craigslist. are they city-specific markets, where people meet up in person for the actual exchange? - Yes. In my experience both selling and buying bikes this way its not been not as difficult an experience as stated in the article. My wife has sold two bikes on craigslist, she sold them for a fair value (She knows bikes well) and everyone has been happy. As a buyer I can get a pretty good assessment of a bike's value based on some pics and a description. You can actually find a lot of good value in the used bike market if you're comfortable doing some repairs yourself and you know what to look for. There's a lot of sellers who have an old bike in the garage they're just trying to get rid of when they move that might be a nice steel frame commuter once cleaned up.

jasonjei 12y ago

I agree--It's truly difficult to buy a bike online. Things like seat height, comfort, handlebar, gears, etc. cannot be easily assessed just by online materials. You cannot adequately assess a product without doing a test ride. While I am an occasional bicyclist and have a limited understanding of what bicycle enthusiast looks for, I can't imagine anyone willing to shell out serious dough for a bike without looking at it. Heck, some bicycles cost as much as a 250cc-650cc motorbike. As a motorcyclist, I would never complete a transaction without first looking at the bike and kicking the 2 tires, or at least being able to ride the bike within the limits of the law on a public road.

mikeryan 12y ago

In SF the way most people sell their old bikes are via craigslist. are they city-specific markets, where people meet up in person for the actual exchange? - Yes. In my experience both selling and buying bikes this way its not been not as difficult an experience as stated in the article. My wife has sold two bikes on craigslist, she sold them for a fair value (She knows bikes well) and everyone has been happy. As a buyer I can get a pretty good assessment of a bike's value based on some pics and a description. You can actually find a lot of good value in the used bike market if you're comfortable doing some repairs yourself and you know what to look for. There's a lot of sellers who have an old bike in the garage they're just trying to get rid of when they move that might be a nice steel frame commuter once cleaned up.