Buying a used bike is not something which is new. Time and again, it has been experienced that people who are amateur riders and have limited budgets prefer to buy second-hand motorcycles. No matter, if people buy a used bike from a nearby person, a dealer, an online vendor, or from anywhere.
What matters the most is the safe purchase and sale of a mileage-driven, ideal-conditioned, and performance-oriented second-hand bike. So, here in this blog, our key focus is for you to know the safe way to sell your a used motorcycle and experience convenient pleasure ahead.
How to ensure safety when purchasing privately?
Understanding what the risks are is no help against falling prey to phishing, check fraud, or violent crime. But, if you are thinking of putting your motorcycle up for sale online, it behooves you to take a few precautions. Here are a few tips that could help to create a safe environment:
Choose a Secure Location
Then be sure to pick a safe location. Generally, public parking lots near highly trafficked areas are the right and permissible ways to go about things. Some even ask buyers if they can meet them at or near the police station as a further cautionary measure.
Take A Friend with You
Don't go it alone. Hopefully, bringing along a friend or family member for support can create an even safer environment. Also, when you're selling a motorbike and the bike is one of your main means of transportation-- tie! The companion gives you a lift home.
Do Confirm the Identity
Require the buyer to present his license. Before meeting, the name and telephone number should correspond perfectly to what you have seen online. If they do not, just check the ID early on as soon as you see them and it will be easy to get out of buying.
Rely on Safe Payment Methods
Ask the buyer in advance what method of payment is to be used. Both cash and cashier's checks are very safe methods. Personal checks are not. If the buyer stipulates the use of an escrow account, investigate carefully. Escrow scams are another of the pitfalls to be avoided.
Do Create A Bill of Sale
Bills of sale were a means to ensure protection for both seller and buyer in private transactions. Have one drawn up ahead of time, and be sure that it includes all the relevant details such as bike
make, model year color, etc., including VIN. The bill of sale should also have the odometer reading, date, and price. Any conditions for the sale must also be included in this document.
Do Acknowledge the Test Ride
Things are different with a motorcycle because generally, the seller can't go along for test riding. But most of them insist on having the cash in their hands before they do a test ride. In addition, you have to be certain that the potential buyer is licensed and experienced-a little extra effort won't hurt. You should also reconfirm what kinds of situations are covered by your bike insurance policy.
But are Private Sales Worth the Risk?
In sum, you now know the biggest potential pitfalls of online motorcycle sales and how to avoid them. So what's it going to be? Would you take a chance to make a few extra dollars in a private sale?
That decision is something that you should have to make yourself. Of course, you can make a more informed decision by researching other, safer possibilities.
Advantages of Selling to the Dealer
While most people figure their motorcycles will sell lower at these sales lots, good dealers pay more fair prices and are less likely to try haggling as much out of you than a private buyer would. Also, riders intending to spend the money on new bikes will gain a leg up in trade-in value if they keep their old ones and don't sell them entirely. The advantage of selling to a dealership rather than searching for a private buyer has advantages beyond these, too. Others include:
Seamless Efforts
It takes lots of effort to find a private buyer, negotiate an agreeable price, and manage the entire sale. Sellers also have to do cleanup work such as repairing the motorcycle, touching up on cosmetic damage, cleaning it, and stripping all personal accessories. They need to investigate prices and channels of sale; they must write out a good ad that will catch people's eyes--and then carefully screen every prospective buyer who expresses interest. But unlike the majority of people who wash down their bikes and check into going rates before handing them over to dealers, sellers who take this angle do not need to worry about advertising or researching potential buyers.
Fast Availability of Funds
But there is a lot of preparation to go into that, in order to get the property ready for sale on safety terms. Just like most sellers, they wait weeks or even months to get a suitable buyer. When sellers take their bikes to dealerships for either trade-in value or direct sale, they'll leave the same day with cash.
Ensure Guaranteed Safety
There's nothing sellers can do to ensure their safety, no matter how many precautions they take.
To do that meant selling a bike to some professional dealership, where the likelihood of getting cheated or even murdered has been reduced by zero. For cautious riders who are aware of the pitfalls awaiting those selling goods online, this benefit alone is enough to make up for losing that small chance at finding a buyer willing to pay more than market prices.
Opportunities to Upgrade
Indeed, most avid motorcyclists aren't trading in their bikes because they are tired of riding. They're doing it because they need to clear out some space in the garage, and want money for replacements better suited to their needs and styles. In that case, you should go to a dealership with an old bike and trade it in. In weekly or twice-weekly dealing, you can get the most variety and affordability from motorcycle dealerships--or as a seller of an old bike.
Do Dealers Buy Bikes Online?
If you are thinking at this stage that it would be great to kill two birds with one stone and sell your motorcycle online directly to a dealer miles away while avoiding having personal safety concerns or dealing with lowball offers from the local dealership, forget about it. Also, ensure a hassle-free way to do old two-wheeler valuation from the very comfort of your place. Thankfully, it is. So you don't have to ride your bike across the country just for drop-off. There are even some dealerships that offer to buy bikes in other cities or states.
For example, when you sell a bike online to the dealer there will be some differences. No longer can you simply march into a dealership and have your motorcycle looked at to see how much it's worth; instead, communications must be out through e-mail or over the phone. Nationwide dealerships that purchase bikes have established networks, making it convenient to get the bike appraised and arrange for shipment.
Dealerships will, in fact; purchase out-of-state bikes without seeing them. They'll want to know if the motorcycle is in good condition, they will ask for photos and send a shipping partner over. After the bike is received, its condition will be checked and certified by a dealer. They'll send you a check and in turn mail the title to your motorcycle. The only thing is to remember that an honest buyer ensures his own welfare because the dealership will refuse to purchase or return shipping costs if its mechanics discover damage undisclosed in advance.
Concluding Thoughts
Both buying and selling of second-hand motorcycles is a matter of strategic thing. Specifically, selling your used bike demands proper research, used two-wheeler valuation, and an encounter with a reliable buyer. So, choose to have your old bike sold at a reliable platform called Wheels of Trust (WOT) and acquire the best possible price.
For those who do not know, WOT is an online platform where you can check the two-wheeler value of your choice based on mechanical, electrical, and physical conditions. This platform provides further flexibility to sell your existing two-wheeler at an expected choice of price.
