Sell your bike

a detailed guide

Get ready

Selling your bike via PC? Better read the 1st step and get everything ready up front to save some walking. Selling via mobile? A measuring tape is all you need!

1

Create the ad

This is probably the most time-consuming part, but it will save you a lot of time later and can also lead to a higher selling price: more money for you! So it’s well worth doing this right.

Location

Go to Selling a bike on BikeFair. Select the exact location where you’re selling (incl. house number – that will help to place the “approximate area” of your bike. We never publish your full address!) and how far are you willing to deliver for free. Note that bigger free delivery distance can mean more interested people, but it is binding and in case the buyer doesn’t like the bike in the end, you may need to take more than one such trip.

Are you in a rush? Make sure to select the appropriate - in several cities we can take the bike off your hands right away.

Details about your bike

Enter the brand (e.g. Giant, Trek, Bianchi, Batavus) and model (e.g. XC2000, Primeur). Pick the bike type and gender and indicate its condition. Then check the frame size of your bike. Frame size is the distance from the pedal axis to the bottom of the seat tube. See image ➔

Read more on frame sizing here. Complete additional details and fill in your bike’s features. For instance, does the lock go with the bike? Make sure to tag this here to make your bike more interesting. The more complete picture you paint of your bike, the more likely it will sell first time around.

Bike verification

Fill in your bike’s frame number and ideally also submit the frame number photo – this will earn you BikeFair’s verification badge! We will check the frame number for you for free. If there’s anything wrong, we always let you know first and provide free advice about ideal next steps. You can usually find the frame number here:

Confused? Read more about frame numbers.

Asking price and finishing the ad

Finally, set the price you want to get for your bike and decide if you want any additional help in promoting the bike on and beyond BikeFair. Add some, but at least 5, great photos (our photo guide is available here), name your listing and pitch the bike with a nice description of what makes it unique. In case there are any issues, mention them here, this will save you some disappointment and failed handovers later. Key thing to keep in mind: always be honest with what you fill in.

Check your ad and create your account

That’s (almost) it! Check your ad for any mistakes and if you’re happy, go ahead and log in or create your profile. Aside from the common things, we will ask you for two peculiar ones:

a) Your bank account number (IBAN) – you will get paid for your bike by a bank transfer, and we need to know where to send you the money.

b) Your ID scan for identity verification – this is (usually) a voluntary verification which gives your ad extra credibility and helps us preventing resale of stolen bikes. We use an automatized, extra confidential and safe service of our payment platform (“bank”) for this and we do not store this internally. In case you didn’t fill in your bike’s frame number, the ID verification will be obligatory.

2

Let us find a new owner for your bike

Here comes BikeFair's magic. We re-post and advertise your bike on several social meadia and marketplaces. All marketing and customer service is out of your hands.

Of course you can also re-post the link to your bike on your social media to help us speed the process up!

The only VERY IMPORTANT thing to do is make sure that if your bike is sold elsewhere (or it is no longer for sale for any other reason), you cancel the ad on BikeFair. You can do so in your bikes tab.

3

Set up the handover appointment with the buyer

Once we find the buyer who wants your bike and PAYS FULL DEPOSIT for it, we will let you know. Time to set up a “test ride”/handover appointment!

There are two ways to do this:

a) Via You can access the chat by clicking the chat icon in the main menu, or in the sub-menu of your personal dashboard. Remember that you need to be logged in to access the chat.

b) Via WhatsApp/SMS. If the buyer of your bike shares their phone number, you may also contact them this way. You can find the number in your order details page. Remember the buyer has already paid a full deposit in case of any problems.

Keep in mind that the free delivery you have offered in step 1 when creating the listing is binding – you should be able to meet anywhere within this range with the buyer. We show this area on the of your bike ad.

Some buyers choose to get their new bike delivered. If that is the case, we'll set everything up and our delivery company will get in touch with you about when can will pick the bike up. The delivery is on buyer’s own risk, so by the time you’re giving the bike up, the hand-over will already be confirmed (and money on its way to your account).

4

Meet the buyer and hand the bike over

Depending on what you agreed on with the buyer, simply meet them and let them decide if they want the bike or not.

A couple of tips & tricks::

1. Dress your bike up. A clean and well oiled bike will always look more appealing than a dirty squeaky one.

2. Don’t forget to bring all of the promised equipment and - if still available - an original receipt.

3. Be kind and polite.

4. Give the buyer a chance to ride the bike. No worries about run-aways, we have the deposit ;)

5. You know the bike best. Explain the buyer any special traits they need to know and give them a head start.

6. If you have the skills and tools, help them adjust the bike (e.g. saddle height) to their needs.

7. If the bike doesn’t fit or the buyer doesn’t like it for any reason and decides not to take it, do not worry. We’ll find another buyer for you. The buyer will get a refund and there’s no other hassle for you.

5

Get paid

One of BikeFair's greatest traits: You can sit back and do nothing - the money is sent to your bank account. It's processed automatically and takes only a few days.

Not sure which account you entered? Check that in your profile settings.

More questions? Check our FAQ

Sell your bike now
Still got more questions?
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