How to Buy or Sell a Vintage Trek
This page has tips for finding a Trek to buy
and for selling your vintage Trek.
Some suggestions for photographing
your bike for the sale process, or for providing photos for the
Vintage-Trek Gallery, also are included at the bottom of this page.
FINDING A TREK TO BUY
Here are some suggestions for finding a vintage Trek
bicycle to buy. Remember - the hunt is part of the fun. Finding a local
bike is always best - as you can inspect it personally and you can avoid
shipping costs (on the order of $50 - $100 or more). Sales are slow
for road bikes in the Fall and Winter, which can be good times for negotiating
a lower price.
eBay.com is probably the easiest way to find
a vintage Trek. One can search for "Trek road" or "Trek
racing" with words to exclude "aluminum carbon". Typically,
there are 3 to 10 vintage Trek bikes on eBay.com at any one time. You
may need to return every few days to locate the right bike. For members
of eBay (joining is free), they have a service that will send you an
e-mail when an item is listed that meets your description (search preferences).
The downside of eBay is that packing and shipping will cost extra and
there is some risk of shipping damage.
NOTE: Packing a bike carefully for shipping is critical
- the bike must be reinforced and protected by the box. Simply putting
a bike in a used "bike box" and shipping it is a recipe for
disaster. In the case of damage, the first thing the carrier (especially
UPS) will say is that the packing job was inadequate, so you effectively
have no insurance. Ill will all around.
OldRoads.com You could post a "wanted to
buy" (WTB) note on the vintage lightweight discussion list at http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1.
Few rules there, but civility is a requirement.
Bikelist.org is home for
noncommercial bicycle-related mailing lists. http://www.bikelist.org/.
It has a searchable archive at http://search.bikelist.org/.
iBOB You could make mention of your needs on
the iBOB discussion list. You will have to join first but it is easy:
http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-bob.
BOB is "Bridgestone Owners Bunch", but they have a kinship
with vintage Treks. A couple of cautions: 1. This is an unmoderated
list - Lots of off-topic messages and a small number of the folks there
are pretty rude, and 2. You will get dozens of emails a day from the
list.
BOBishBikesFS · BOBish Bikes For Sale
on Yahoo Groups http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/BOBishBikesFS/
is a forum to list (and discuss) BOBish bikes for sale. BoBish bikes
include vintage Treks.
Classic Rendezvous You could try posting a "Wanted
to Buy" message on the Classic
Rendezvous Mailing List. You must first join the list before posting.
Important - Read the rules before posting. Dale Brown, the site owner,
limits bikes and discussions to pre '84.
rec.bicycles.marketplace
This is a usenet newsgroup that can be accessed through Google Groups.
(Google Groups can be accessed at Google.com
by clicking on groups.) One can search for particular items for sale
or can make a "wanted to buy" (WTB) post.
Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org/
This giant site includes sections for used bikes for
sale by city or region. You can post a "wanted to buy" note
here. One can search for an item on Craigslist
overall (not just by region). Use a search engine (Google or Yahoo etc.)
and include "Craigslist" as the first keyword. Follow this
by what you are looking for. For example "Craigslist Trek 760".
Used Bike Shop There may be a bike shop nearby
that specializes in used bikes. Seattle is fortunate to have Recycled
Cycles and Second
Ascent. Portland has Sellwood
Cycles. Be patient - it may take weeks or months to find a suitable
Trek. If you have a specific bike in mind, mention it at the shop as
they often will have bikes in the back waiting for floor space.
Bike swap meets are a good place to find used
bikes. Even cruiser bike swap meets can be a source of bargains for
vintage lightweights. To locate swap meets, try searching on the Internet,
visiting local bike club web sites, or talking to folks at local bike
shops.
Garage Sales and Rummage Sales. Finding bikes
at garage sales takes diligence. People visit perhaps 20 sales before
finding a vintage lightweight of any description. However, there are
plenty of stories of people "striking it rich". Rummage sales
(including church rummage sales) have lots more items. Get there early
before the good bikes are gone.
Thrift Stores: Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul
Stores, The Salvation Army, Value Village, Savers, Thrift Town, and
others. These are good places to look for used bikes, but the selection
is spotty; one had to be diligent. With the return to popularity of
road bikes, prices have gone up; the $5 bargain bike is rare. For some
stores, employees have first choice at the new items, which limits the
quality of the bikes for sale on the floor. Stores in higher-income
neighborhoods tend to have bikes that originally sold for more money.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SELLING A VINTAGE
TREK
Sheldon Brown Excellent information is given
at Sheldon Brown's Guide to Selling your Used Bike http://sheldonbrown.com/selling.
eBay.com is the probably best place to sell a
bike that has some value. The buyer paying $50 - $100 to pack and ship
makes little sense for a $100 bike. It is a hassle to post the listing,
and then you must be prepared to pack and ship the bike, but the best
price is gotten here. Good detailed pictures are a must! Close-ups are
critical. Good pictures can mean 30% more in price. (See bike
photography below.)
Classic Rendezvous You could try posting a for
sale message on the Classic
Rendezvous Mailing List. You must first join the list before posting.
You must by specify a price; it is not acceptable to list it there as
best offer. Important - Read the rules before posting. The site owner's
requirement is pre '84.
iBOB You could make mention of it on the iBOB
discussion list. You will have to join first but it is easy. http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/Internet-bob
iBOB is Bridgestone Owners Bunch, but they have a kinship with Treks.
Their vintage interest overlaps with the date of vintage Treks. A caution
- this is an unmoderated list. A small number of the folks there are
pretty rude.
BOBishBikesFS · BOBish Bikes For Sale
on Yahoo Groups http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/BOBishBikesFS/
A forum to list (and discuss) BOBish bikes for sale.
OldRoads.com You can also list it for free on
the OldRoads.com discussion forum for vintage lightweights http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1.
No firm rules here and it is easy to list. Just click on post.
rec.bicycles.marketplace
This is a usenet newsgroup that can be accessed through Google Groups.
(Google groups can be accessed at Google.com
by clicking on groups.) One can search for wanted to buy (WTB) posts
or can make a for sale (FS) post.
Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org/
This giant site includes sections for used bikes for
sale by city or region. Post your for sale listing here.
Used Bike Shops There may be a local bike shop
that specializes in used bikes. They may buy yours, or take it in on
consignment. A used shop typically will buy a bike for 40 to 60% of
what they will sell it for. They may offer more if you take the money
in store credit. If they don't sell used bikes, your local bike shops
may have bulletin boards where you can place a 3 x 5 card with picture
offering the bike for sale. This can be very effective.
Selling success can vary by season. Road bikes
typically sell for more money and more quickly in the Spring and early
Summer.
BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Here are some suggestions for photographing bicycles.
For selling online, you need close-ups of various parts of the frames,
so you will need a camera that can handle that: either with a zoom lens,
or a camera that can focus as close as a foot or so. Use a tripod or
other support to reduce shaking of the camera, especially if a zoom
is used. Even two crossed sticks, with the camera held above the cross,
will help a lot. It is good to have one overall picture from the left
side, OK to cut off the ends of the wheels. Close-ups should include:
the lugs, bottom bracket, fork crown, brakes, decals, dropouts, derailleurs
and crank. Hint: clean the bike first.
Photos without close-ups suggest the seller has something
to hide, at least that will be the assumption by potential buyers. The
bid price will be lowered accordingly. Pictures showing "warts
and all" give the buyer the feeling that there will be no surprises
when the bike arrives. The potential buyers can then bid higher with
more confidence.
Try for a neutral, contrasting background. Outside on
a cloudy day or in the shade works best. Bright light, a flash or the
sun, makes highlights that mask the details of the frame. Sheldon Brown
offers an alternative method that uses a flash, which gets good results:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/selling.html#photos.
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