So you want to sell your bike? Given the size of the used motorcycle market, even in a
country as small as the UK, this can sometimes be a difficult task. A
buyer searching any of the classifieds will be presented with dozens of examples
of the make, model and year they are looking for. So how do you get them on the
phone to you rather than the bloke selling the identical GSX-R or R6 in the next ad?
First impressions count - a buyer will likely skim over the headlines of the
bikes for sale until something catches their eye. Follow the steps below to
ensure that your ad is the one that stands out.
When posting a bike ad on ridetrader.co.uk you need to fill in several pieces of
information, we'll concentrate on the ad title and body text to see which pieces of info work
and which dont:
Your motorcycle advertisment title. Good and bad examples:
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Bad Examples: |
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"2003 Suzuki GSX-R 750 for sale".
Not enough info here, the other ads will probably contain more tempting text.
Also why put 'for sale' - that's why its listed on a classifieds site! |
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"Suzuki RGV-250 1991, needs engine rebuild, cracked fairing".
Too negative, why shout the bikes bad points in the title? By all means explain
these problems in the description but as a title its just put any potential
buyers off straight away. |
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"Honda CBR600rr grate bike!!!!!! VERY QUICK, BLOWS ANYTHING AWAY!!!!!! RACE
EXHAUST AND REARSETS!!!!!"
Contains a few issues - first is misspelling, check your title carefully for typo errors.
DONT WRITE ALL IN CAPITALS, IT IS NOT NICE TO READ, DONT SHOUT!!!!! (or use
gratuitous punctuation). Also, this title suggests that this bike has not had an
easy life and this may put a buyer off. |
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Good Example: |
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"Honda VFR 800 V-TEC 2003 (53). Superb condition, metallic blue, only 6,000
dry miles. Stored undercover. 12 months Tax & MOT. Full main dealer service history. Reluctant sale
due to redundancy. £2995.".
That's better, a positive title that reassures the buyer that this may be worth
looking at and also contains plus points such as the low mileage and service
history and suggests a genuine reason that this bike is for sale. |
The advertisment text, an example of what information to
include.
We'll use our Honda VFR example above and complete the ad by adding some
descriptive body text. Try to pre-empt buyers questions, if it were you buying
the bike, what information would you want to know?
Honda VFR 800 V-TEC 2003 (53). Superb condition, metallic blue, only 6,000
dry miles. Stored undercover. 12 months Tax & MOT. Full main dealer service history. Reluctant sale
due to redundancy.
£2995 ono. Located in Someville, Cheshire.
I have owned the bike from new but am unfortunately forced to sell due to being
made redundant. Bike is in excellent condition, has been kept garaged and never
ridden in the wet. Taxed and MOT'd until June 2010.
Comes with both keys, all paperwork and stamped service book showing full set of
Honda main dealer stamps. 6000 mile service has just been completed by main
dealer (plus new chain and sprocket fitted at the same time) and a new set of
Bridgestone 014 tyres were fitted less than 200 miles ago. Bike has always been
extremely reliable and given me no trouble whatsoever.
Bike is mainly stock with the following modifications:
- Datatool alarm, professionally fitted by Honda dealer. 2 x fobs included
- Set of black Givi touring panniers and rack, fitted 6 months ago and still as-new (cost over £400).
- Touring Gel seat (original seat will also be included in sale)
- High capacity gel battery
- Scottoiler (dealer fitted)
Only bad points are slight scuffs to the offside mirror from the garage wall and
a minor scratch (2-3mm) to the left fairing.
Bike is available for viewing most evenings and weekends. Phone Bob on 0xxxx
xxxxxx if you wish to view the bike or have any questions. If you wish to test
ride the bike, the full cash price must be left as a deposit.
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If you read the ad above you should see we've answered
the majority of the questions a buyer may have. It is surprising the amount of
advertisments that simply state "2003 Honda VFR, blue, good condition, £2995
ONO", a more descriptive ad as shown above is likely to result in much more
interest.
Photos
It is important to attach good quality images to your advertisment. Ads with
photos are much more tempting to a buyer. Good quality means taken with a proper
digital camera if possible, not a low resolution snap taken with a camera phone
(although if this is all you have at your disposal, it is better than no
pictures at all!).
Ride Trader allows you to post up to 4 pictures with your ad so take advantage
of this to show off the bike from various angles and provide closeups to
showcase the shiny bits.
Once you are ready to post your ad, click here to
advertise your motorcycle for free on Ride Trader.
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