Selling a motorcycle on craigslist

[Naptown]

Anyone sell big ticket items on CL? I do a TON of buying and selling on CL, but wonder about selling a Harley. My father is ready to sell his '99 Electra Glide and wants to let the Harley shop clean it, tune it, and sell it. Obviously, they take a cut. Not sure what the cut is, but I was wondering if I could get that commission.

Here's the kicker - he wouldn't want to let anyone test drive the bike due to the nature of the beast. How do you get around this? Test drive after full payment? What's acceptable form(s) of payment? Cashier's check? Cash?

Should I just list it in the INGO classifieds since you are all honest people?

 

[phylodog]

I sold my '01 Road King on CL. I did allow the guy to test ride it but I felt comfortable with him and he brought his father with him also (father owned a bike shop for years). I don't know how you could protect yourself but having them provide proof of insurance and a MC endorsement on their license would be a start. I'd treat it like anything else, if you feel comfortable with them you may allow much more than if you don't.







If "Mayhem" shows up, don't let him ride it. I've seen the commercial.

 

[JCDPA]

The problems you'll run into with CL is spam emails, teenie-boppers playing games, and people who never show up. Don't let that deter you, but it's best to NOT post your phone number as spam robots will pick those up and you'll get calls for everything under the sun. Same with your email address - use CL's anonymous email. I always tell those inquiring to email me THEIR name and number so I can call them back. If they are serious, they will do that. If I get emails without their info, I delete them.
You're right with the deaers - they will want a BIG cut.

Oh, NEVER, EVER let them take it for a test ride without proof of insurance and leaving their license with you.

 

[in625shooter]

I didn't fall for this but my story. I sold a motorcycle (Honda VTX) on Craigslist 2 years ago. Be prepaird to get an e mail from someone in Algeria. They will have a johndoe@yahoo or something, claim to work the oil fields off Nova Scotia or some other BS story. They will want to send you a fraudulent check sight unseen with more for you to set up shipping for your bike . That was the first hint, I mean this is Indiana, even at yard sales they try to get a lower price on something thats only a dollar! Not only did it sound too good, they type it like their English accent......very broken! (which was a hint too)

I sold it to a legitamite 'local" person who enjoys it to this day (had 2 bikes and am married so you know what I was told)

Good luck

 

[ductileiron98]

I sold a 1995 Triumph Speed Triple on CL back in 2010 and the sale was effortless. The buyer handed me cash and away he went. I let the guy test ride my Triumph. He was a gentleman in his 60's, had tons of years of experience, and I wanted the motorcycle gone. He just went around the block a few times. I guess it depends on your gut feeling. And how bad you want the item sold.

 

[LEaSH]

If you're trying to sell something worth $10k, get a deposit for $10k.

 

[rotortech]

I buy and sell bikes on CL frequently. No test rides without the cash (my asking price) in my hand while you ride. I also would like to see a Motorcycle endorsement on their license. Real buyers are OK with this. Negotiations after test ride to final price. I have also negotiated the price before test ride, then the buyer hands me the money while he rides the bike. If he likes it, we finish the deal. Like ductileiron said, if I have a good feeling about a buyer I might let him ride it without the cash.

As others have said, watch out for idiots and spam. Right now is the best time to sell a bike. The weather is turning warm and people have the fever. Demanding cash and the M endorsement seems to weed out some of the tire kickers. Good luck.

 

[Naptown]

I do a TON of buying and selling on CL, but wonder about selling a Harley.

Yeah, I'm not worried about spammers or any of the other games. As mentioned, I make weekly craigslist sales; if not daily. I have my own tricks to help weed the good from the bad.

That's pretty much what I thought - Test drive with full payment in my hand (unless there is another qualifying circumstance that I want to allow it).

 

[jeff1980]

+ one on holding the cash. I've sold a LOT of bikes and I will NEVER let anyone ride unless I'm holding the cash. I don't care how much experience they have Anyone can have a mishap.

The way I see it, if they're leaving with my five thousand dollar item, then their five grand in cash is staying with me.

I've had people say..... well, my truck is right there..... I DO NOT CARE! your truck with no title does me absolutely no good........ You drop my bike, walk back, get in your truck and off you go leaving me with nothing but one very expensive lesson.

Also, I always make it clear that they are "buying" it with a guaranteed refund. Bring it back in a reasonable amount of time and you get the money back, no questions. This way, not only do I not need to worry about my bike but any damage they may cause to someone else's property is totally on them.

Also, in my experience, Ebay Classifieds attracts a much better class of buyer. It costs $10 but it's always been money well spent for me.

 

[dubsac]

I sold my bike on CL, I didnt allow a test drive till i had the money in hand. The only thing i hated was even though I had NO TRADES posted mentioned Id have people wanting to trade cars, boats and motor homes. Along with the occasional lowball offer it was sold in a week.

 

[MikeDVB]

Bought and Sold all of my motorcycles on Craigslist. Make sure to have the VIN checked to make sure it's not stolen when buying and make sure to check the bills are real when selling. Also, NO TEST RIDES WITHOUT CASH IN HAND. Make it clear (I suggest recording) that once they hand you the cash and take the bike for a ride - if they lay it down, damage it, break it, etc - that you keep the cash and they keep the bike.

Beyond that, you'll get a LOT of lowballers. I tend to list things way higher than I actually want for them, so the sheeple can feel like they got a good deal or talked me down when they do eventually settle on my *actual* asking price.

There are a LOT of spam/junk responses but it's pretty easy to tell. If they ask you to ship it, tell them to f*ck off. If they tell you they will mail you the payment and arrange for somebody to pick it up - tell them to f*ck off.

I deal local-only face-to-face cash only myself.

 

[Naptown]

I avoid spammers by telling them to write something specific in the subject line. Something like, "I'm not a TURD" or something similar. If they can't follow basic communication requests, they get nothing back from me.

I've also found it's important to write in the ad, "Item is still available if you are reading this." That way, you can avoid all requests of "Is this still available?" Those are the ones that typically come with the standard scammer form email.

 

[JoshuaW]

What a lot of people seem to do is tell prospective buyers that they need to bring their insurance, license with motorcycle designation, have cash in hand, AND arrive on their own bike (although if they were buying their first one after a year break or something, Im not sure how that would work).

I have sold a few cars on CL with no issue. I just told everyone they had 24 hours or 100 miles to bring it back, and if it was in the exact same condition I would give them their cash back. Just ignore scammers. One time I did go along with one, just to see how far they could take it. I wound up with a well forged "Paypal" email for $2500. I forwarded it on to Paypal's security team and replied that I didnt see the funds in my account. The "buyer" insisted that it would take a few days to clear, but he absolutely needed the car to shipped to the port immediately. I told him to arrange the shipment and as soon as the funds were in my account I would let it go. Never heard back from him after that, but I id get a very nice thank you letter and a few follow ups from Paypal's security team.

 

[ZbornacSVT]

The way we moved ours.....we let them take a test drive when we had a full cash deposit. They had 30 minutes to bring it back in the same condition it left in. Weeds out tire kickers real quick.

 

[Naptown]

Is a state form 44237 a good vehicle for a Bill of Sale?

https://forms.in.gov/Download.aspx?id=5521

 

[rotortech]

Is a state form 44237 a good vehicle for a Bill of Sale?

https://forms.in.gov/Download.aspx?id=5521

Absolutely good. I have used that form along with police affidavit to get title for a bike that I bought without title. When the people at the BMV see that you are using their state form, it goes through like lightning. No questions at all.