FleaMarket or (getting Fleeced Market)

[beemerred]

I thoroughly enjoy looking at the "flea market" and have on occasion gotten a good deal. $50 spare windshield for my `02 K/RS , a flip-up helmet ( tried it on in St. Lou and made a friend of the seller), and a nice spare Killanmanjaro coat/pants set. BUT when I see a `04 GS for alot of money ( that bike although has very low miles is soon to be 5 years old) or a `77 R100 for also alot of money I sometimes want to :scratch and ask "what were they thinking?" Well, I`ll keep looking and :scratch

[shire2000]

Price is directly related to what the market will bear. Up here in Canada a good condition old Airhead sells for about double what they will sell for in the USA.

A good example would be the nice but not perfect 1979 R100RS I picked up in Portland for $2300 Cdn and brought home, cleaned and tuned and sold for $6800. Total I had into it was just under $2600 Cdn which inlcuded what it cost me to go and get it. Picked up a 1981 R65LS on that same trip for $1600. Replaced the seat, tires and exhaust, again cleaned and tuned and sold it for $4300 Cdn. And the prices we sell them for is less than the appraised value up here. We are not trying to gouge anyone. Just make enough to help support our old bike habit.

I usually make the trip south of the border at least twice a year with my brother-in-law to pick up bikes. Usually get 4 at a time, sometimes more. This helps to reduce the costs of transporting them. We bought an older diesel cube van just so we could do this. We can get 6 full bikes in it and lots of parts. We like to pick up at least 4 to work on over the winter and sell in the spring.

My profits all go into my bank for my next toy which will be to build up a nice sidecar unit. But that will still be a while down the road.

Also, I just checked the Airheads for sale at the Flea Market and do not see any pricing that is grossly out of line. But then, maybe I just keep a closer eye on that sort of thing. Airheads are becoming colletor bikes and are going up in value.

Just think of it like collector cars. What a collector will pay for a beautiful 1970 Mustang Boss 302, 1968 Camaro RS, or whatever, may seem to be way out of line compared to what it sold for originally. But they just don't make them like that anymore. And there are getting to be less and less of them still on the road. This is the same thing with older BMW motorcycles. Some people may not think that a 30 year old BMW is Vintage, but there are lot of people that collect them and love riding them. And they just don't make them like that anymore.

:ca

[rcliffor]

I have to laugh when I see what people are asking for bikes on Craigslist and ebay. It really becomes obvious on Harleys that have "lots of chrome". Having lots of farkles really does not add to the value (although farkles will help sell the bike). Anyway, the right price is the one that makes both buyer and seller happy.

[kbasa]

A good '77 RS is worth some serious coin.

[JK]

A good '77 RS is worth some serious coin.

Likewise, bad women! :hug


J.K. :wow

[beemerred]

You guys are exactly correct that just because I do not know the value of something does not mean "it aint so". It`s kind of like art. I know what I like and what I`d being willing to pay for it. That is why I sometimes:scratch

[shire2000]

That is perfectly understandable. I look at the styles of the "modern" bikes and :scratch . I look at the older bikes, even ones that might be considered a basket case and :dance . Maybe I am getting ready for geezerville :gerg Will be totally living in the past and letting the rest of the world implode around me. :dunno

:ca

[osbornk]

The value of a bike is very dependent on local factors. Here in the mountains where I live, anything European does not bring what it is worth. Since the flea market is international, what some of us would consider overpriced might be priced fairly for other parts of the world. You can drop the price but you can't raise it after it is listed.

[shire2000]

You bring up a very good point. We are living in a global market. When you advertise your item on the internet it can be looked at from anywhere in the world. I have purchased and sold many items all over the world. When I advertise items, I always check what the present going price may be for a similar condition item, from many different places, including my local dealers. Basically, you have to know what your competition is doing. And if I want a really quick sale, I can lowball my item and ship it out fast.

I do see some idiots who will only sell to their respective country. Most say it is because shipping outside their country is too much of a hassle. That is because they have no idea how to do it. Also, they end up getting much less for their item than they could have.

It goes both ways. If you want the best bang for you buck, you have to look to the global market.

I am a proud Canadian :ca But I will buy and sell with anyone.

[PGlaves]

It goes both ways. If you want the best bang for you buck, you have to look to the global market.

I am a proud Canadian :ca But I will buy and sell with anyone.

Greetings most kind and important Sir. I am now in Nigeria, most recently from my homeland is Zimbabwe. I wish to guaranteed purchase your fine B M and W if you please ship to Kenya where my brother resides with his wife and 7 finest of children.

His eldest son is sending you cashiers check certified and guarantee by the National Bank of Zimbabwe, and Mr. Robert Mugabe himself too, so as to not delay my receipt of your finest B M and W in amount $3,424,877,000,000 Zimbabwe dollars. Once my cousin receives the assurances in shipping bill of lading international you should then also send the extra $2,960 Canadian dollars back to my Uncle here in Lagos, most kind sir, and please keep the additional $40 Canadian as a token of my highest esteem and appreciation for we can do business, Yes!

... or some such similar .....

[robsryder]

A good '77 RS ....


I thought that they were all good. Some just better than others. :)

[kgadley01]

Greetings most kind and important Sir. I am now in Nigeria, most recently from my homeland is Zimbabwe. I wish to guaranteed purchase your fine B M and W if you please ship to Kenya where my brother resides with his wife and 7 finest of children.

His eldest son is sending you cashiers check certified and guarantee by the National Bank of Zimbabwe, and Mr. Robert Mugabe himself too, so as to not delay my receipt of your finest B M and W in amount $3,424,877,000,000 Zimbabwe dollars. Once my cousin receives the assurances in shipping bill of lading international you should then also send the extra $2,960 Canadian dollars back to my Uncle here in Lagos, most kind sir, and please keep the additional $40 Canadian as a token of my highest esteem and appreciation for we can do business, Yes!

... or some such similar .....

Paul, you crack me up!!! oh and thanks for a great seminar in Gillette, it was great. Kenny... :thumb

[will3hawks]

It has been my experience that there is always some nut in the flea market who thinks that his bile is worth 3 times it's actual value. I simply ignore the crackpots and deal with someone who has his brain turned on.

As for Nigerian scammers, I recently had a 94 K1100RS for sale and was contacted by the dirt bags. I quoted him a price of $19,000 plus $4000 for shipping. The idiot agreed to the price and told me he was sending me a check. I was asked who the check should addressed to and the address and phone number. I gave him the name of Tom Corbet, 16 Strawberry Place, Harrisburg, Pa. along with the appropriate phone # and asked him to go ahead and send the check. He got back to me and sent me a UPS tracking #. I wrote him back and told him that he had just sent the check to the Pennsylvania Attorney General who would be glad to receive it and he could look forward to being contacted by Mr. Corbett's fine staff. The "shipper" also contacted me and told me to send him the $4000 and tell him where to pick up "the item". I gave the Attorney General's address and number and encouraged him to go there directly and ask for Tom Corbett. I never heard from the *******s again.

[wsteinborn]

...I do see some idiots who will only sell to their respective country......

I used to sell globally, but got really hosed a few times when the items when missing and all of a sudden the shipping insurance didn't pay off nearly what the claimed/actual/insured value was, leaving me to make up hundreds of dollars difference out of my own pocket.

Tidbit: Sending a registered and insured package to Canada (via US Postal Service) and having it disappear will result in two things:
(1) Finding out that "Registered" in the USA means everyone that touches it has to sign a log, but not so in Canada, and
(2) Even though something is insured for hundreds of dollars, and is worth that hundreds of dollars, the USPS will cap the payoff at less than $45 dollars, and it takes a year or more to get that.


Don't even get me started about shipping to Greece or New Zealand....

So now, I will sell to someone outside the USA, but only if there is someone in the USA to take receipt of the item. I cannot afford it otherwise.

[shire2000]

You guys crack me up. I know that I cannot guarantee delivery thru the United States Postal Service, either sending to the USA or receiving from the USA. They must still think that they can get away with "The stage coach was held up and your parcel was all they took. Ooops, Sorry."

When shipping to any other country, I will only accept payment via a third party such as PayPal, but not always Paypal. I do use others. It protects both parties. I will never accept a cheque of any type. I also will only ship using an international shipping company or courier that I trust. Bob's Cousin's Courier and Waffel House, just doesn't cut it for me. If people will not accept that, then I do not deal with them. I do have a mail drop in Washington state where I can have things transshipped to me, if I really need an item. But usually I just find it elsewhere. I just can't be bothered with people who can't take a little time to research what they are doing. If you only want to sell to the locals, then only advertise to the locals and keep it off the International network

But then, I have even had a "good old boy" from Arkansas refuse to sell to me, even though I was going to be in his area in about 2 weeks and would pick the item up in person. Wouldn't sell to anyone but a "bonified USA Citizen". I then politely gave him a suggestion what he could do with his parts. He was not at all pleased with that suggestion


I have shipped parts to every continent and have received from all of them. The biggest hassles always seam to be with some parts of South East Asia. But my closest neighbouring country just South of me is a close second, which is probably because I do a lot more business with the USA than any other country. I am almost at the point where I will only buy whole bikes that I can pick up in person from the USA, and parts from just about anywhere else. If I cannot pick the bikes up myself then I arrange for another person to do it for me. I do not bother with trying to have a bike shipped. You just never know what could happen. It could end up in Nigeria, or Zimbabwe!

And if anyone hears from that cousin of a Prince from Zimbabwe, let him know I am still waiting on his banking information so that I can place the deposit in his account, prior to him placing the full 35.8 Million US Dollars into mine for holding purposes. If you can, please get his banking info to me real quick. I really want to help the poor guy. Now, if only I could remember how to make a withdrawal on an international account I do not own. hmmmm.

:ca