Sell Your Bike Gear Online

July 1, 2016

Every year, shiny new bikes, components, and accessories become available — all of which you must have. Unfortunately, your bank account says you’ll have to choose between food or that sweet wheelset you’ve been dreaming of ... stupid bank account.

You could start saving for that awesome wheelset, but saving money takes time and you want to get those wheels rolling now. If only you could make some quick cash without resorting to illegal activities.

Hmmm ... oh wait! There’s all that old bike stuff out in the garage. You could sell it! But how? 

Anymore, selling off your old cycling gear is easy. You can start with emailing your friends and local bike clubs, but if that fails, other online avenues can sell your gear quickly. Here are three options I’ve had success with over the years:

Craigslist

If you want to sell your bike locally, Craigslist is a good bet and it’s completely free. Since this is a tool for selling items locally, larger communities give you a better chance of making a sale. Since the transaction will most likely take place face-to-face, there may be some haggling with the price, so be prepared to stand your ground. Also, Craigslist offers good articles on safety and avoiding scams on their website — worth a read.

eBay

If you don’t mind auctioning off your gear to the highest bidder and shipping it to their door, eBay works really well. Just post your sale items and watch the bidding frenzy take off. You definitely run the risk of selling your things for dirt cheap, but you should do better than garage sale prices. Just make sure you understand eBay fees and don’t underestimate shipping costs.

Adventure Cycling Forums

If you’re selling bicycle touring gear, you want in front of bicycle tourists and that’s where our very own Adventure Cycling Forums come into play. Creating an account and posting to our classified page is free for private, non-commercial parties and puts your used gear in front of thousands of bike travel enthusiasts. You’ll just have to work out shipping and payment with the buyer.

No matter how you choose to sell your gear, remember that you stand to make more money if you write a detailed description of your item and include good photos. 

Josh Tack photo

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