RealClossic STRAIGHT SELLING
When a reader asked for advice on this subject I was initially a little surprised. I'd assumed that everyone was fairly familiar with the process of selling an old bike – after all, it's usually an essential element of the ‘buying a new bike'equation. But that's from the perspective of a flibbertigibbet whose shed may as well be fitted with a revolving door. FW and I endure the selling process as a necessary evil, made bearable by the impending arrival of the new machine.
After chatting to many of yourgoodselves, however, I understood that some folk simply haven't sold a motorcycle for a couple of decades. You may have just one or two classic bikes and now might be the right moment for you, personally – to move one on to a new home. In the old days it used to be straightforward. You put an advert in a magazine, just like this one. Some time later, people rang you up, came and kicked tyres, made an outrageous offer, gave you cash on the spot and rode away.
Well, that can still happen. But there area whole host of other selling methods and you might find one of them more convenient. There are also a few general principles which apply in almost any circumstance and which should make selling a little more straightforward.
AUCTION ACTION
Superficially, selling through an established auction house looks like the fuss-free solution. They handle the marketing: you provide the motorcycle. You don't need to worry about cheques bouncing, PayPal fees or fake £50 notes. No one will come to your house to kick tyres, drink your coffee, make insulting offers – and pass your details along to his dodgy mates with the skanky Transit van who specialise in the wrong kind of ‘shed clearance’.
However, as with any service, you will pay a price for the auctioneers'expertise and efforts. You may pay a listing fee, and if the bike sells then you will pay a seller's premium. The proud new owner also pays a buyer's premium. On a bike which sells for a hammer price of £10,000, that means the seller might pay a 6% fee (£600) while the buyer pays 12% (£1200). There's a VAT component, too, but it makes my head hurt. So with these rates the buyer pays c£11,200 and the seller receives c£9400 – and different auction houses have different fee structures.
There are also different types of auctioneers: global players who specialise in high-end marques which sell for big bucks; local salerooms who have a selection of old bikes in with the agricultural machinery and house clearance items. As you might imagine, they attract radically different audiences and achieve sale prices at opposite ends of the scale.
The types of classic motorcycle you are selling will probably dictate which auction house is more suitable for you: some simply won't have the expertise to manage the salethat they are unlikely to achieve a good price for your workaday helping of grey porridge.
