What's the current best practice for selling a bike via FB marketplace? A pal is selling an £800 Santa Cruz and only bite so far from FB is a guy in a nearby town who seems to want to have the bike delivered! Should he walk away or is there an alternative way to do the deal that avoids the risk of being conned?
I do a lot of eBay and FB trading…..
if someone wants a bike delivered then, just like eBay works, I would want paying upfront…..simples
FB is worse than eBay for chancers in my experience. Without eBay feedback scores to guide you, tread carefully & always be prepared to walk away - make sure to research their profile to feel happy even before corresponding in the first place 👍
A pal is selling an £800 Santa Cruz and only bite so far from FB is a guy in a nearby town who seems to want to have the bike delivered!
Have a read of this first:
ROAD.CC Depending on whereabouts in the country you are and how the FB "buyer" comes across, I'd say there's a possibility that your mate turns up to deliver the bike and is greeted not by a legitimate buyer holding £800, but by a group of chavs holding knives...
Equally of course it might be entirely genuine but it's something to be aware of...
Never sell a bike on FB, or any bike parts, once a you give the buyer the collection address they can then scope out the house on Google earth and see your shed/garage etc... then pop round in the early hours to scope out the security then come back with the appropriate tools, even if your security withstands an attack, you will still have a repair bill for any damage caused and the local scum will know where you live and that you have bike stuff, they are now making fake FB profiles with loads of pics and posts so even when checking out their profile it makes them look legit
I try to use Ebay as much as possible and the selling fees are paid by the buyer, yes you get a little less because of that but id rather make a little less money than have my property targeted
Once the bike is sold then use someone like The Cycle Courier Company to send the bike, no need to box up, fully insured, pics taken upon collection, will collect and deliver a bike to anywhere in England and Wales for £75
What's the current best practice for selling a bike
A stealth ad on STW often works wonders. What is it, apart from a Santa Cruz?
Thanks for the advice all. Further exchanges between my pal and the buyer revealed more dodginess so my pal canned the plan. TFFT!
