Have Luck Selling Your RT???

[BlueBeam]

I'm trying to sell a real nice 04 R1150RT. I'm not getting any response from the 5 or 6 places I've advertized it. Is the market FLOODED with Blue RT's? Has anyone been able to sell theirs?

[John Ranalletta]

I'm trying to sell a real nice 04 R1150RT. I'm not getting any response from the 5 or 6 places I've advertized it. Is the market FLOODED with Blue RT's? Has anyone been able to sell theirs?

Allen, don't mean to be flip, but you can either price your bike to sell or price it to keep.

 

I've sold 3 bikes and all three sold within a few days of listing. One sold within an hour. Why? Because I had made the decision to sell it when I priced it. Could I have gotten another 3-400 bucks? Maybe, but I priced it to sell, not keep.

 

Drop the price, re-advertise. If it doesn't sell, it's priced too high. These things aren't rare hens teeth and there's a buyer for yours out there, at the right price.

 

I just bought another bike from a seller 800 miles away. She told me another would-be buyer just a few miles from her sent several emails hemming and hawing about buying it. When she told him it was sold, he complained that he was interested first. Sheesh. It was only a $2,400 bike.

 

How badly do you want to sell; and, are a few hundred dollars really worth the anquish?

[Zot]

I'm trying to sell a real nice 04 R1150RT. I'm not getting any response from the 5 or 6 places I've advertized it. Is the market FLOODED with Blue RT's? Has anyone been able to sell theirs?

 

Maybe your asking price is too high, but remember that most people expect to "low ball" the asking price anyway.

You can always take a little less than your asking price but if there is no response to your ads, I would say drop the advertised price a bit.

[CLEAN1]

Where have you advertised it? How many miles? How much are you asking?

 

In looking at the classifieds on this board, I have seen quite a few R11xxRT bikes for sale recently, some with fairly low miles. A few have been reported as sold and others might still be for sale.

 

It does seem that a lot more than usual of this model have been posted foe sale recently. With so many choices, it is a buyers market.

 

If you want to sell it, what others have said - lower the price and it will sell.

[Lawman]

Sell on Ebay..I sold some oceanfront property in Arizona there and got a very good price..

[Rich06FJR1300]

i'm sure you've tried www.ibmwr.org right? i sold my RT through that site

[BruceWA]

Am experiencing the same thing. What ever happened to negotiating? There is no expectation on my part to get asking price, my other observation is that there was litterally a flood of 04 RTs in blue on the market.

[keithb]

I completely agree with JohnR. You can price it to keep it or you can price it to sell it. A lot of people look at NADA for pricing guidelines. Forget KBB. KBB is dealer driven pricing which most people feel is overstated or overpriced. Go to Cycletrader, ibmwr.org, Craigslist, or any other "motorcycle for sale" resource and get comps on your bike. Trust me on this one, if you are shopping for a bike/car or whatever and you have done your homework and you know what the market is and what a good price is when you see it you have to pull the trigger or the item will be gone. I have a feeling as more and more riders hear about the advantages of the 1200 vs. the 1100/1150's they are making a move up which means there is more competition in the marketplace. Right price + right buyer + patience = Sale.

[NoHeat]

Take the aftermarket farkles off and sell them separately, if you've still got the instructions, box, etc.

 

They're worth more that way than on the bike.

[catmandoo]

i think i would tend to agree that the market is probably flooded with them as people upgrade to the 1200.and it's probably gonna get worse before it gets better.i know when i bought my 2000 rt-p there was alot of em out there,nowadays you don't see near as many for sale.

[keithb]

Very good point about removing the farkles No Heat. This will effectively allow the seller to lower the price of the bike and still be in the game. You can recoup the dollars as you sell the accessories. If you leave them on the bike they add nothing to the value and you are pretty much giving them away.

[leikam]

Where have you advertised it? How many miles? How much are you asking?

 

here's his ad in our Classifieds

[Rocket_Cowboy]

What ever happened to negotiating?

 

It all comes down to perception, IMO.

 

Not wanting to leave money on the table, a seller might start off with a higher price, when what they're actually willing to take is much less. Seller looks at this as starting high and negotiating down to a fair price ... hopefully higher than what he's willing to take.

 

Buyer sees lots of ads out there, and has to narrow down his search criteria somehow. Probably narrows it based on personal preferences; color, miles, maybe model year if there were minor differences in the model. Price is also a factor. Buyer seeing many similar bikes for sale, also wants to buy for as low as he can get away with. All things considered equal, buyer will most likely start negotiating with the lower priced individual because the likelihood of closing a sale at the buyers price range is greater. If the buyer is looking to spend say $6,000, and there's a seller listing at $7,000 and another at $8,000 ... buyer will most likely open talks with the $7,000 seller as that's a smaller difference to overcome.

 

That said ... if you think you've got the $10,000 specimen in a sea of $8,000 models, and that's what you have to have for the bike to let it go, stick to your price. Somewhere out there, there's probably a buyer who sees the same value in the bike as you do. It's just more likely to be a longer process in getting it sold. If you want it sold sooner rather than later, lowering the price gets more people interested. The one exception ... if you continually drop the price...like say dropping the price $500 every other week or so, potential buyers seem to wait longer, waiting to see just how low you're willing to go before holding firm. If you're going to drop the price, do so with intent and conviction and see if that doesn't increase interest.

 

Just my $0.02 worth ... or at least, that's my asking price for the opinion.

[HexHead]

As everyone else has said, the only reason it's not selling is price. Most people have an inflated opinion of what their bike is worth.

 

Let's make this really easy. How much would you pay to buy your bike? That's a good starting point for you.

[UberXY]

Most people have an inflated opinion of what their bike is worth.

 

Let's make this really easy. How much would you pay to buy your bike? That's a good starting point for you.

 

Amen.

[John Ranalletta]

Take the aftermarket farkles off and sell them separately, if you've still got the instructions, box, etc.

 

They're worth more that way than on the bike.

Maybe. That knife cuts both ways. In my few selling experiences, I found buyers who wanted the bike BECAUSE it already had the MOST COMMON & MOST DESIRED upgrades.

 

There are lots of buyers who don't want to re-farkle and will buy the bike, in part, because they are getting a savings on the aftermarket parts they'd buy anyway.

 

My sense is that aftermarket parts in good condition sell for about 50% of retail. Deduct PayPal and shipping charges and one may get more for the parts if left on the bike.

[dmk]

Am experiencing the same thing. What ever happened to negotiating? There is no expectation on my part to get asking price, my other observation is that there was litterally a flood of 04 RTs in blue on the market.

 

Negotiating is expected, but most buyers assume you are only willing to negotiate so far. I personally skip over any ads that are more than 10% higher than what I would be willing to pay. Most of the time a seller asks for significantly more than the going rate, it's because they have an unrealistic idea of the bike's worth.

[Tom02RT]

BlueBeam ...

 

I realize that geography can play a role ... but you have your bike priced too high for private sale. Your asking price is what a dealer would get for an '04. At least in Omaha area.

[NoHeat]

Take the aftermarket farkles off and sell them separately, if you've still got the instructions, box, etc.

 

They're worth more that way than on the bike.

Maybe. That knife cuts both ways. In my few selling experiences, I found buyers who wanted the bike BECAUSE it already had the MOST COMMON & MOST DESIRED upgrades.

 

That might be in some cases, but I'll bet not here. The OP's bike has the following aftermarket accessories, with my comments added:

 

Throttlemeister -- locking your throttle open is not for everybody

Piaa lights -- expensive bulbs to replace almost annually, not for everybody

lower foot pegs -- fits a special-size rider? not for everybody

large wind screen -- ditto

GS mirrors -- useful if you haul a lot of camping gear, but not everybody does that and moreover it makes the bike look different in a way that not everybody will like

 

Somebody will really want to buy each one of those items, for sure. But I'd guess there's little overlap among the people who crave exactly those accessories and the handful of bike buyers in CT who are seeking a used blue RT. For the accessories, he's better off selling them separately, to the buyer anywhere in the country who really wants that item.

[NoHeat]

Your asking price is what a dealer would get for an '04. At least in Omaha area.

 

That's right. My local dealer is offering an '04 right now for almost exactly the same price as in the OP's classified ad. And if my experience is any guide, unlike a private seller this dealer will include all new fluids and fix any problems discovered shortly after the sale.

[GoGo Gadget]

I sold my '04 RTL with 8k miles, Cee Baileys windshield, 2 Bros exhaust, MotoLights, Top Case, BMW Nav I and Stanton Engine guards.

 

I advertised it in Jan or Feb for $11,900 and stated that if I did not get any bites, I would be de-farkling and selling those seperately and lowering my price. I was immediately swamped with folks wanting to buy the farkles.

 

The one guy who said used farkles are worth about 50% of new is probably about right. Used farkles on a bike are worth less. You can't raise a price much, if at all, based on accessories.

 

Being lazy, I prefered to sell as is, so I held off for a bit on removing stuff. I got a few initial inquiries, then nothing for a bit. In March, I suddenly got hit with more inquiries. I had sold the Nav I to a buddy, so dropped the price $150.

 

I negotiated a deal for $11,500 with me throwing in all the OEM stuff, since the guy was not interested in what I had on my bike and wanted OEM. I assumed he sold off the farkles he did not want. He flew in to take the bike, and immediately rode to the nearest BMW dealer to get a Throttlemiester as he could not imagine riding without one.

 

I got lucky, since a few weeks after selling, I started seeing them pop up for closer to the $10.5k-$11k mark.

 

The '07 has some features over the '05-'06, which are changed over the '04, which are changed over the '01(?)- '03 RT's. Every change pushes the value of the preceding models down. That is why HD has such a great resell value. They change very slowly.

 

 

My $.03 ( I charge more than RocketCowboy )

[grayghost]

I've sold a number of things on ebay, (you just have to deal with some stupid questions, re: 'why are you selling it?', etc.)a car, a couple of motorcycles so it does work. I set a reserve and DO NOT disclose it. I even put in my ad not to ask the reserve. I sold one bike for more than my buy it now price, (which disappears when reserve is met). Somethings I've had to list twice. I didn't ship the motorcycles, but did have a couple of buyers arrange to pick up a side car and a trailer for towing behind the motorcycle.

To protect myself I only take paypal or US postal service money orders. I also state that in my ad, yet some people still send them "from the bank next door". I tell them fine, I won't release or ship the item for an additional 2 weeks, (also stated in my listing). So far it's worked for me. Ebay is great for selling farkels, I had an LT and sold the tank bag to someone in Denver, the saddlebag liners to South Carolina, the top case liner went someplace else. I like it because it's a national market.

I don't sell out of the US because of customs concerns, I really don't want to deal with it.

[HexHead]

Take the aftermarket farkles off and sell them separately, if you've still got the instructions, box, etc.

 

They're worth more that way than on the bike.

Maybe. That knife cuts both ways. In my few selling experiences, I found buyers who wanted the bike BECAUSE it already had the MOST COMMON & MOST DESIRED upgrades.

 

There are lots of buyers who don't want to re-farkle and will buy the bike, in part, because they are getting a savings on the aftermarket parts they'd buy anyway.

 

My sense is that aftermarket parts in good condition sell for about 50% of retail. Deduct PayPal and shipping charges and one may get more for the parts if left on the bike.

 

I disagree. Most people want to make the bike their own. Leaving the farkles on may help you sell the bike faster, but not for more money.

 

When I bought my Beemer, I traded in my Duc after taking off most of the aftermarket goodies. Between the tax savings and the money I got for the aftermarket stuff, I ended up with at least best case scenario selling the bike privately. And didn't have to hassle with selling the bike.

[Fugu]

What ever happened to negotiating?

 

People continue to get less intelligent, that's what.

 

They either make ridiculous low ball offers without anything to support the number, or they get offended if a buyer makes them an offer they don't like like it's a personal insult.

[UberXY]

I've sold a number of things on ebay, (you just have to deal with some stupid questions, re: 'why are you selling it?', etc.)a car, a couple of motorcycles so it does work. I set a reserve and DO NOT disclose it. I even put in my ad not to ask the reserve. I sold one bike for more than my buy it now price, (which disappears when reserve is met). Somethings I've had to list twice. I didn't ship the motorcycles, but did have a couple of buyers arrange to pick up a side car and a trailer for towing behind the motorcycle.

To protect myself I only take paypal or US postal service money orders. I also state that in my ad, yet some people still send them "from the bank next door". I tell them fine, I won't release or ship the item for an additional 2 weeks, (also stated in my listing). So far it's worked for me. Ebay is great for selling farkels, I had an LT and sold the tank bag to someone in Denver, the saddlebag liners to South Carolina, the top case liner went someplace else. I like it because it's a national market.

I don't sell out of the US because of customs concerns, I really don't want to deal with it.

 

I put my truck on eBay with a buy it now price of $2000 more than I was asking for it locally, and it sold in 2 hours to a no hassle guy who flew in, paid me, and drove 3 days home.

 

eBay, in my opinion, is much better than having dipshits come to your home and waste your time, which I do not have a lot of. I tried to sell my R11S locally and people kept coming over and test riding it for fun. Sold it on ebay in a few hours for mo' money and the buyer was great to work with and happy to get the bike.

 

BTW, I have sold out of the US and the customs problem is the buyers problem. I sold my '47 Indian to a guy in Norway and on my end all I did was sign the title and provide a bill of sale, same as I would do for a local sale.

[John in VA]

I set a reserve and DO NOT disclose it. I even put in my ad not to ask the reserve.

 

I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on eBay, including motorcycles. I've never understood the point of a secret invisible reserve, which just invites trolls to bid $5, which looks pretty silly when listed as the going bid. It also invites the "What's your reserve?" spam. When selling, I just start the bidding at the minimum price I'll accept -- for all to see. I price it to sell, with no BuyItNow. It just seems like a more straightforward process to prospective buyers.

[BlueBeam]

OK! OK! I'm lowering the price to 10,800. And that IS negotiable. I may take off the "stuff". I bought it with those options on it. It was one of the reasons I bought that particitular bike. (Thanks for all the input)

[RichEdwards]

I was not happy with the trade-in I got for my '03 RT. But then I thought of Chuck Berry, who purchased a new Cadillac every year and was never happy with the trade-in offer from the dealer. So he kept each and every Cadillac. I can't afford that.

[GregB]

I've bought and sold a bunch of stuff on eBay, including motorcycles. I've never understood the point of a secret invisible reserve, which just invites trolls to bid $5, which looks pretty silly when listed as the going bid. It also invites the "What's your reserve?" spam. When selling, I just start the bidding at the minimum price I'll accept -- for all to see. I price it to sell, with no BuyItNow. It just seems like a more straightforward process to prospective buyers.

If you want to sell it, start it at $1. Be BRAVE, it works out better on average. Of course, the few times it doesn't is going to hurt!