Selling a bike on Facebook, need some advice | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Selling a bike on Facebook, need some advice

Lessons from my recent experience:
Kijiji is dead. Never got a single response.
Facebook is the place now, but all the scammers migrated there too.
I found that with just a few questions, I could easily weed out the scammers/tire kickers:
  • Where do you live/how far would you need to travel to come see the bike?
  • What was it about my bike that caught your interest?
Failure to answer both of these questions (or simply repeating "what's your lowest price") told me they were jokers/scammers.

On the other end, I tried to make my ad appear as human and real as possible. a few final sentences with some appeal to emotion I hope let everyone know I'm not a scam seller.
I listed a used slightly rusty strut bar on Kijiji last Saturday and somebody contacted me within 15 minutes, they ended up buying it. And a whole bunch of other stuff I hadn't listed yet, including a parts car lol.

Even if Kijiji only got like 10% of the interest that FB does, I'd still list it. It's free, it takes like 90 seconds, and more eyeballs means more money
 
I listed a used slightly rusty strut bar on Kijiji last Saturday and somebody contacted me within 15 minutes, they ended up buying it. And a whole bunch of other stuff I hadn't listed yet, including a parts car lol.

Even if Kijiji only got like 10% of the interest that FB does, I'd still list it. It's free, it takes like 90 seconds, and more eyeballs means more money
100% The only place I didn't post the Scrambler on was AutoTrader...but I will do when I re-list it.
 
On FBMP some people get far too easily offended by the "Is it still available?" question but....

It is the default response and depending on how someone is viewing your ad (app, browser, platform, etc) it can be easy to hit it by mistake just scrolling through ads. Odds are they are not interested and hit it by mistake, don't sweat it as a seller. I still respond yes just in case but I am not offended by radio silence afterwards.
 
On FBMP some people get far too easily offended by the "Is it still available?" question but....

It is the default response and depending on how someone is viewing your ad (app, browser, platform, etc) it can be easy to hit it by mistake just scrolling through ads. Odds are they are not interested and hit it by mistake, don't sweat it as a seller. I still respond yes just in case but I am not offended by radio silence afterwards.
Very good point.

A buyer bay be looking at a specific item/bike/car and may ask 10 sellers if said item is available.
Perhaps that first one to respond will be the one the buyer will engage with asking for more details.

Also, no point in sending a paragraph of questions if the item is not available in the end.

Also, many people will ask if its still available but will later change their mind.
 
On FBMP some people get far too easily offended by the "Is it still available?" question but....

It is the default response and depending on how someone is viewing your ad (app, browser, platform, etc) it can be easy to hit it by mistake just scrolling through ads. Odds are they are not interested and hit it by mistake, don't sweat it as a seller. I still respond yes just in case but I am not offended by radio silence afterwards.
Agreed. I've had people message me 'are you still interested?' and it turned out I hit the button by accident so I apologize, tell them that I hit it accidentally and I'm not interested. Easy.
 
I don't mind buying something from someone if they're being truthful. When they don't know anything about what it is that they're selling or 'selling for a friend who's out of the country' the alarm bells go off.
How is this any different than buying new from a dealer? I would be surprised if more than 10% of the sales people actually knew more than their customer about the bike they were interested in. When I buy, I just want the price to be right, ownership to be in the name of the person selling, and UVIP in hand (or to be provided before closing).
 
I have yet to sell anything on FB Marketplace. The way I understand it, once you start a conversation with a stranger, they automatically become a friend and have access to more info than you normally make public. And apparently they use this feature to access your personal info and friends list? Someone please correct me if mistaken, as I feel like I'm missing out on a huge market by not listing there. I did make a separate FB ID just for selling but I suspect with it being less than a year old, I'll just be seen as a scammer.
 
I have yet to sell anything on FB Marketplace. The way I understand it, once you start a conversation with a stranger, they automatically become a friend and have access to more info than you normally make public. And apparently they use this feature to access your personal info and friends list? Someone please correct me if mistaken, as I feel like I'm missing out on a huge market by not listing there. I did make a separate FB ID just for selling but I suspect with it being less than a year old, I'll just be seen as a scammer.
I can safely say I’ve never seen any posts from an FBMP contact in my feed. I’ve seen them as potential contact…but will look more closely.

The chats themselves go to a ‘Marketplace’ folder.

Hell I’ve recently seen 3 GTAM members popping up as potential contacts in recent weeks. Looking at you @Wind Shear and @Scuba Steve.
 
I am amazed at how bad some of the pictures are on Marketplace!
If your trying to sell something try to make it look good.
Pictures of bikes covered in junk taken in in dark garages just don't cut it.
Take the time to stage your bike to make it look the best.
Take at least four pictures to show front, back and both sides.
Make sure only the motorcycle is visible in the picture as not to distract potential buyers.
Cover the plate number!!!
I always include one other picture in the ad.

No Bozo copy.jpg
 
I have yet to sell anything on FB Marketplace. The way I understand it, once you start a conversation with a stranger, they automatically become a friend and have access to more info than you normally make public. And apparently they use this feature to access your personal info and friends list? Someone please correct me if mistaken, as I feel like I'm missing out on a huge market by not listing there. I did make a separate FB ID just for selling but I suspect with it being less than a year old, I'll just be seen as a scammer.
They don't automatically become friends. You are able to message each other without the message stuck in purgatory and iirc you can see their online status. I have no idea if they can see a less restricted version of your profile.
 
I am amazed at how bad some of the pictures are on Marketplace!
If your trying to sell something try to make it look good.
Pictures of bikes covered in junk taken in in dark garages just don't cut it.
Take the time to stage your bike to make it look the best.
Take at least four pictures to show front, back and both sides.
Make sure only the motorcycle is visible in the picture as not to distract potential buyers.
Cover the plate number!!!
I always include one other picture in the ad.

View attachment 67651
Why cover the plate number? If dirty cops are looking up my plate, I have bigger problems than a facebook ad.
 
Why cover the plate number? If dirty cops are looking up my plate, I have bigger problems than a facebook ad.
A copy of a valid plate is a good way to fool photo radar.
 
I’ve bought an old car, 2 parts bike, an ATV and a few vintage bikes. All were great deals, the ATV needed some undisclosed repairs that were cheap on parts, but heavy on labor. A garage queen ADV bike was my deal of the century.
 
I've used Kijiji for almost 15 years, get decent results for a range of things I've sold, minimal game players in my experience.

FBMP is a shambles, I've used it, but don't like it.

What about Autotrader?
 
I've used Kijiji for almost 15 years, get decent results for a range of things I've sold, minimal game players in my experience.

FBMP is a shambles, I've used it, but don't like it.

What about Autotrader?

autotrader.png

Autotrader?

May as well print out your kijiji ad, take that print out, stick it in envelope, seal the envelope, bring that envelope to the bank, put the envelope in a safety deposit box, lock the safety deposit box, ride home, and wait for the phone calls to come pouring in.

Autotrader's a ghost town, more barren and sparse than Mars. Only bots roam there.
 

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