Haggling on used motorcycles | GTAMotorcycle.com

Haggling on used motorcycles

Catman

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I see here that some people don’t like potential buyers asking about reducing a price before going out to see it. My take on that is , I either ask before going to see it , or accept the price and then go see it. Setting up a meeting at full asking price and then haggling when there is rude imo.

And was thinking , what is acceptable in asking for a lower price. Let’s say a $3000 bike. What is offendable and what is within range of reason?
 
The right price depends on a lot of variables:

-Demand/supply for bike
-Condition of bike (Big one in my book)
-Does it come with safety?
-Your budget.
-Number of KMs
-Age of bike
-Number of owners?
etc etc

Logistics of negotiating price also depends, if I'm talking to several buyers and my time is limited I cant possibly visit each and every nice bike

Sometimes you negotiate without seeing bike in person(with experience you will know what to look for and what a bike needs in upcoming maintainence and expenses with just seeing a few pictures), sometimes you negotiate face to face if you like
the bike enough to make the trek to see it.

Heck I've had buyers who dont even bother negotiating because the price is really good, they just come with cash to pick up the bike
 
I see here that some people don’t like potential buyers asking about reducing a price before going out to see it. My take on that is , I either ask before going to see it , or accept the price and then go see it. Setting up a meeting at full asking price and then haggling when there is rude imo.

And was thinking , what is acceptable in asking for a lower price. Let’s say a $3000 bike. What is offendable and what is within range of reason?

The whole point of looking at the bike is to inspect it and make sure it is what you want and nothing is wrong. You might spot something that in your mind brings the value down and in my mind are right to ask for a reduced price or to haggle over the price. You are not buying a new vehicle here where you can expect everything to be perfect and have a warranty to cover if something does go wrong. Once you buy it any problems are yours.
 
The whole point of looking at the bike is to inspect it and make sure it is what you want and nothing is wrong. You might spot something that in your mind brings the value down and in my mind are right to ask for a reduced price or to haggle over the price. You are not buying a new vehicle here where you can expect everything to be perfect and have a warranty to cover if something does go wrong. Once you buy it any problems are yours.

this, I will sometimes try to haggle price before going to see a bike if its further away instead of driving all the way there and wasting time. But usually I rather actually haggle in person, I've sold enough bikes and nothing is more annoying than people trying to haggle price and don't even come to see it or try to haggle more afterwards for no reason.

biggest thing is also condition of the bike, you can never tell until you are actually there what the actual value should be.
 
I have no issues with people haggling...never hurts to ask and everybody's perception of value is different, but PLEASE, have a good reason to ask for reduction and have an honest conversation. Man Up!
Don't just ask for 50% off just because you think the seller will "bite" or "meet half way"...that loops you in with all the kijidiots out there.
 
If your offer too low to start, I'll say No. If you ask to see it and negotiate after, no problem. I usually ask if there is room for negotiation or tell the seller that I'll make an offer after inspection. Go from there.
 
I see here that some people don’t like potential buyers asking about reducing a price before going out to see it. My take on that is , I either ask before going to see it , or accept the price and then go see it. Setting up a meeting at full asking price and then haggling when there is rude imo.

And was thinking , what is acceptable in asking for a lower price. Let’s say a $3000 bike. What is offendable and what is within range of reason?

why not just ask the seller how much he is willing to go under? I got a $300 reduction...I was happy, he was happy....Life moves on...
 
Ask if firm really means firm. If the price is too high imo at that point say thanks and hang up.

If they say they have some room to move then have at it.

Haggling also works better off season. No. One wants to store a bike for the winter if they need the money, room, etc. Unfortunately you are in prime time right now
 
Ask if firm really means firm. If the price is too high imo at that point say thanks and hang up.

If they say they have some room to move then have at it.

Haggling also works better off season. No. One wants to store a bike for the winter if they need the money, room, etc. Unfortunately you are in prime time right now

Thats only sort of true.

Weather only affects half the price, the other half is affected by how long the seller has had the bike up for sale...Iv seen multiple guys who were "firm" early in the season who are now selling for crazy good prices simply because they thought a buyer would come along and hasn't...so for the best deals look in the winter for bikes that have been up for a while
 
Depends on how motivated the seller is. If not, doesn't matter how long it's been up. They want the price they want.
 
"I'll pay you half of what you're asking, in cash"
Thank goodness it's cash and not bits of string

[video=youtube;joATmqzZ4As]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joATmqzZ4As[/video]
 
Asking if the seller has room to move before going to see it is a good idea. Sometimes a bike is a long way away and if the advertised price is firm but you view it as too high then your decision is made for you.

Tapping out an email saying ,"You're asking $3000; I'll give you $2000." is a waste of time for me as a seller, and as a buyer; if you've priced a bike that goes for $2000 at $3000 (based on the marketplace) then I'm not even going to try as the price is unrealistic.


I've had guys show up and offer a lot less than I'm asking and I've declined, and I've gone to look at bikes and decided not to make an offer, or had my offer declined. It's just a transaction, nothing personal. Just be polite and gracious and both parties move on.
 
Depends on how motivated the seller is. If not, doesn't matter how long it's been up. They want the price they want.

Yeah they tell themselves that. Some people lie to others, some just lie to themselves.

If they are putting a bike up for sale, its for a real reason. (wife, insurance, money) If it were completely up to us, we boys would never part with any of our toys

Spoke to a guy who was selling a bike, it looked meticulously maintained, had service records etc, but I wasn't going to pay him a price with which I could go and get the same model, in clean condition for 1/3rd of the mileage.
We discussed at length, finally suggesting that he not sell the bike as he would never get the price he was asking for, so he might as well just ride it himself.

He was stubborn as a mule,(but i went my own way and bought another bike I liked) and held he out for many months...commenting that he would not lower price and someone at some point WILL pay his asking price.
With his conviction I almost believed him myself..

A few days ago I saw him posting it up for a lot cheaper...perhaps he came to his senses?
 
and sometimes it's within the range and needs someone actually wanting to buy and not dreaming/tire kicking.
 
The whole point of looking at the bike is to inspect it and make sure it is what you want and nothing is wrong. You might spot something that in your mind brings the value down and in my mind are right to ask for a reduced price or to haggle over the price. You are not buying a new vehicle here where you can expect everything to be perfect and have a warranty to cover if something does go wrong. Once you buy it any problems are yours.

This. All of this.

I don't haggle on the initial contact at all. I go and see what I'm buying first.

IMHO trying to negotiate on price before you've even seen the vehicle is a waste of time. I'm reminded of several vehicles I looked at online that seemed great in photos but were complete and utter turds when I arrived to actually see them in real life. In one instance the photos he used were clearly from when the vehicle in question (a Jetski, in that case) was brand new and he'd just taken delivery - the Jetski I actually saw when I arrived at his place was a beat up sun bleached piece of crap. I also looked at a motorcycle once that had terrible photos in the ad but was advertised as being in "great shape". It was anything but when I actually got there - there was a reason the photos were intentionally bad.

Anyways, my point is...why negotiate on the phone when it turns out you may not even want to touch the thing with a 10 foot pole when you get there?
 
If I'm going a long distance to see something, its usually something I think I have an interest in, and its probably not a stupid price or I wouldn't be bothered . I'll ask about some 'room' once its worth talking about, if room is needed to do the deal.
The guy that lists the price 'fishing expedition style', to see who bites is probably not going to be that easy to deal with, and I'm not driving 300kms just for a look.

The guy that came to look at a Ducati I had listed that set up a viewing, at 2pm on on Tuesday. That rang my doorbell and once in the garage announced "I'm not really looking for a Duc, I really like talking about bikes and this sounded interesting" , well thanks for that on YOUR day off you shift working doosh.
 
Pic don’t always reflect condition.

I prefer to avoid negotiating price sight unseen. But every circumstance is different.

I’m looking at cars right now. Based on condition and what they need, I’ve got an idea on price point and have no problem making an offer less than advertised. And they are putting a price on the ad because the know they will get low balled.

If the seller and buyer are in sync with the value of what is being purchased, it’s not a problem.

I’ve had a few folks selling their car and stay firm on price but, i think they are emotionally attached, have a lot of money tied up in it for the work done and I’ve told them, it’s nice but, they don’t get the money you put into them.


And it’s the same for bikes.

Had some offers in my HD. Told them not to bother. Had another come and look and make an offer. Told them no thanks.

Had a fella say my prices was just right and bought it after verifying the bike was as described. Sold it, no problem.

But it was a process to find the right buyer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Anyways, my point is...why negotiate on the phone when it turns out you may not even want to touch the thing with a 10 foot pole when you get there?

Exactly. If you haggle on the phone and come to an agreement on the price I would say that is your unwritten contract agreeing to buy the bike unseen.

How can you haggle on something you are not even sure you want to buy till you see it? Makes zero sense.
 
will not discuss a reduction without the buyer coming for a look first
what I tell them is to come see it, if it's a clean, fast transaction
then we can discuss price, no discounts for time wasters

if they are making the initial contact, the price is not completely out of line

OP, if you see something priced at 3,000
you can try 2,500
likely end up at 2,750

but face to face is always better
 
The worse type of buyer is someone who asks a thousand questions without seeing the bike and then slaps you in the face with 50% of asking price. Hate such aholes
 

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