The time has actually come – you’ve really decided to sell your baby.  Maybe you’re hard up and need the money. Maybe your significant other has put the proverbial foot down, and you want to keep domestic tranquility ranging free, at the cost of your motorcycle. Yeah, it’s ok to cry a little bit. It’s like the quote from “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. You know the one: “It’s enough to make a grown man cry; and that’s ok. You go ahead, tear.” (And if you’re a female, this still applies.)

Now, how do you go about actually doing this? I mean, what do you need to know about selling your motorcycle for the right price, not just a price that makes both parties decently content? Just as with our post on buying a motorcycle (go here for Part 1: https://kodakey.com/the-motorcycle-life/2015/02/buying-your-dream-motorcycle-part1/), you’ll need to use all kinds of avenues, and advertise on and talk to all kinds of people and places to reach the right buyer. Some ideas are Craigslist, the local newspaper, those bulletin boards at grocery stores, or in the student center building at the university nearby (students love motorcycles for all sorts of reasons: you can get the ladies, park closer to your classes…). Also don’t neglect to tell everyone you know about your motorcycle and that you want to sell it to someone who will take good care of it.

As you post ads on Craigslist or elsewhere, there are some things you absolutely MUST do (and we mean that):

• Post pictures! You’d be amazed at the ads you find that neglect this step. How is your baby’s next owner supposed to recognize that your motorcycle fits their dream, if you don’t have at least one picture with the ad?
• Tell us why you bought your bike, and what you like most about it. Buying a motorcycle is a subjective decision, and it may help narrow out non-serious buyers, if you sell us on your baby and tell us that you bought it for speed and not for looks. Suddenly you’ll narrow out the people who are looking for a certain design, but let those looking for speed know that you have something they might want to check out.
• List your dream price, but hint that you might go lower. The easiest way to do that is to add “OBO” (or best offer) to the price. Yes, this means you’ll have to negotiate, but don’t worry, we got you covered. Just go to the next step.
• Negotiating simply means finding a win/win situation for both you and buyer. Be genuine, and try to see things from their point of view. Figure out a way you’re both happy. However, be careful that they do not take advantage of you. If you are honest and genuine, you should be able to sense pretty quick whether they are being the same with you. Let them test the bike a bit to make sure this is what they’re looking for. If it is, they’ll be willing to pay more, and it will give you a leg up in the negotiation process.

Hey, good luck as you go about to selling your motorcycle for the right price, and I mean really.