Flip That Bike! (Honda Shadow 600)

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scott s · #1 Unread post by **scott s** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:32 pm

A co-worker of mine has a "lady-friend" who has a 2001 Honda Shadow 600 Deluxe. It seems she was engaged recently and financed the bike for her future husband. Turns out he was a loser and stuck her with the bike and the payments. She just wants to get out from under it.
It will have a clear title in her name by the weekend. It has 11,that miles on it. Her father just spent over $300 at the dealer for a new battery, starter, plugs, tune-up, carbs cleaned, etc.
While I've yet to see it in person I'm told it's in great shape and runs fine; just needs a good detailing from sitting under a covered shed for a while after she "repossesed" it from her ex.
I'm not thinking about replacing my XS, just flipping it to make a few bucks. I can get it for $2,000. The guides say it's worth something in the ~$3300-3400 range, but perusing ebay I see a few that are not selling or meeting reserve at ~$2500-2750.
Think I could sell it for a profit?

zed · #2 Unread post by **zed** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 3:39 pm

Forget the bike! Go after the "lady-friend"!
Any woman who's willing to buy her man a new bike is worth getting to know!

ceemes · #3 Unread post by **ceemes** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:59 pm

zed wrote:Forget the bike! Go after the "lady-friend"!
Any woman who's willing to buy her man a new bike is worth getting to know!

ooooooooo.........you are gonna burn in hell for that.......but..........I have to agree.

matthew5656 · Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:33 pm

Even if you list a successful auction, eBay can eat you alive with insertion fees, final value fees, paypal fees, and other miscellaneous costs. If I were you, I would advertise the bike on your local craigslist domain. As far as I know, the entire website is non-profit and will not charge a dime to list any product. It's also less difficult because a potential seller will more than likely pick the bike up themself, and you won't have to work with the UPS for such a large package.

The Honda Shadow is a very popular bike for beginners and veteran riders alike, so I bet it has a decent chance of selling on craigslist.

my 2cents.

scott s · #5 Unread post by **scott s** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:53 pm

Right...I would definitely try Craigslist and a few local (free or near free) avenues first.
I suppose my real question is: Would I be able to flip it? I'm watching a few on ebay to see where they sell.
My local independant bike shop says it's a good deal on a good bike and he could have sold a dozen of them this year if he had them. I'm just trying to not get stuck with it all winter and ending up selling it for a $100 profit or something....

Veda · #6 Unread post by **Veda** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:36 am

I too would worry about being stuck with it all winter. It's almost August now, by the time you complete the sale and get it cleaned up will it be late August? Not sure that many people buy new bikes where you are that late in the year, or if they do are they waiting that late to try and find a bargain?

Do you like detailing bikes? Are you going to get sick of cleaning all the chrome bits before they're done?

Have you sold a bike before? Do you have time to wait around for potential buyers to come see it? Deal with no-shows? People spending an hour in your driveway looking it over?

Is all that stuff worth a potential $500 profit?