How to sell motorcycle on facebook (with tips). I have been selling motorcycles on Facebook since 2010, and I still believe it’s the best place to sell and flip bikes. Local facebook groups and Facebook Marketplace, represents a huge opportunity. Facebook is free to join and there are no fees for selling either.
So what are the best options and tips for selling motorcycles on the worlds biggest and most powerful social media site, and why is it such a good opportunity?
Find out below.
Facebook Marketplace
Basically Facebooks own classified ads service, it’s built to challenge the likes of eBay, Gumtree and Autotrader. It allows sellers to list cars by location and category and posting is free. Users can then search for items by location and category.
It’s available via desktop or the facebook apps. The apps allow you to manage messages and enquires via the apps, so everything happens in one convenient place.
Facebook buy and sell groups
Facebooks buy and sell groups are a massive opportunity for motorcycle flippers, and work really well in conjunction with Facebook Marketplace. They are one of the best ways to sell a bike at the lower end of the market. Members join to received notifications when a car goes for sale in the local area, so are normally motivated and looking to buy. There is no limit to the number of groups you can be a members of, so its best to join as many as possible in your area.
Most areas have specialised groups focusing solely on motorcycles or scooters, with some having tens of thousands of members that you can advertise to directly. You can find and join these groups by simply searching your local area or postcode on Facebook. Joining is easy, but before posting to a group, read the groups rules first. These can vary from group to group.
These groups enable you to put your bike right in front of potential buyers and it’s very easy to manage. So if you aren’t taking advantage of buy and sell groups you are missing out. If your local area hasn’t got a dedicated motorcycle selling group, then you should consider starting one.
Specialised car groups
If you have bought something a little different to sell. You may fine looking for a group specialising in that particular make and model a good idea. This allows you to put the motorcycle directly in front of a potential audience. You may have to wait longer and sell nationally but, some of the people looking for motorcycles in these groups are prepared to pay a premium for the right bike.
This is also a great tactic if you have a classic motorcycle for sale.
Posting to Facebook Marketplace & groups
Posting to Facebook can be done via desktop or the Facebook app, and is super simple. You can post simultaneously to marketplace and buying and selling groups. Simply start by posting the bike to the marketplace and Facebook automatically asks if you want to also add the advert to the groups you are a member of. All the bikes you have listed across all the groups can then be managed in app. Once a bike is sold you just mark it as so and it’s removed from all the listings, notifying anyone who has enquired that the item is now sold.
Facebook Marketplace and groups guide you through the posting process. But it’s still important to list all the relevant information regarding the spec and options. Make sure to include the following facts in order:
- Year of registration & registration plate info
- List of equipment and special features
- Approximate mileage
- Full service history if it has it
- Number of owners if low
- Price
- Contact details if you want to be contacted directly.
Great photos are also important on Facebook. They don’t need to look super professional but you do need to photograph the correctly. Check out my advice on how to photograph a car with a smartphone here – How to photograph a bike with a smartphone.
Handling enquires
Facebook Marketplace and groups both work a little differently. Potential buyers will contact you directly from the listing in Marketplace, they also have the option to make you an offer. When selling in a group people normally express interest by commenting on the post first, the conversation then normally moves to direct messaging.
How you handle the enquires is up to you. But I normally work on a first come first serve basis. If someone want to come a view the bike I will normally hold it for them until the next day. Its alway best to set a time limit so you can move on to the next interested party. But every transaction works differently. Just let the other interested parties know you will keep them updated.
Haggling is a big thing on facebook. So it’s important you allow a little movement in the price. But if the post has had lots of comments or likes you can use this to your advantage and get the full asking price.
How to value a car you plan to sell
You need to be honest and objective about the bikes condition. Try to see things from a potential buyer’s perspective. Look at the car and give it an honest appraisal, deciding if the car is clean, average or a little rough. None of these thing are necessarily a bad thing. In fact selling a bike that isn’t perfect can be easier than selling one that is.
But if you are looking to sell a motorcycle quickly it needs to be priced competitively, either at or below market value. So again look at it objectively and from a potential buyer’s perspective.
There are several ways of finding our your bikes value. Using an online valuation service is a great way to start. These guides work well and can give you a good idea of your cars value. You should also look at more localised classified websites, Facebook selling groups and used dealers.
Viewings
So you have someone coming to see a motorcycle. Below you find a very simple sales process that works at every price point and with every potential purchaser.
I have broken the process down in to 5 basic steps
- The meet and greet
- The walk-around
- The negotiating and closing
- The paperwork
Meet and greet
First impressions count. So make sure the bike is spotless. When meeting the potential purchaser simply smile, shake hands and introduce yourself.
The walk-around
99% of people viewing a bike will know little or nothing about bikes. The friend they bring along with the wearing overalls, will again know nothing. He or she may well decide whether the sale goes ahead but you will have little influence on that outcome so again its best to say nothing. Just leave them to it.
I normally just stand a few feet away and simply let them look over the bike. I don’t tell them anything or try and sell them anything, I just leave them to it. It’s just that simple.
They will walk around and may ask a question or two. The questions are normally very simple I will list the most common below.
When was it last serviced?
Can we see the service history?
Is it ok to start it up?
How long have you had it?
Has it ever dropped it?
Does it have more than one key?
Try and answer them with as simply as you can. If you don’t know the answer just tell them that you don’t know. It’s best not to lie or make anything up. It’s generally best to say as little as possible. Just stand there and let them get on with it.
Negotiating and closing
Again I really favour saying as little as possible at this point. If they are also staying quite its still best to say nothing. A few minutes silence is often a good thing. Just stand there and say nothing, let them have some time to think and talk first.
After a few minutes they may simply indicate that they want the to buy the bike, or are interested in buying the bike, or simply say it’s not for them. It’s very hard to influence someone at this point. But hopefully your perfectly presented bike would have done the hard lifting for you.
Often they will indicate they are interested, but want to negotiate on the price. If this happens again saying as little as possible just tell them to you to make an offer. At no point would I offer a figure to them.
But don’t be disheartened if they say it’s just not for them or they want to think about it. There is very little you can do to influence people.
If they want to go ahead just move straight to the next step.
Payment
Most people will be dealing in cash on Facebook. I advice taking payment either in cash of via bank transfer. You should never take payment via Paypal or cheque.
Transferring a vehicles ownership
The transferring of a vehicles ownership is an important step when selling a bike. The process varies from country to country and from state to state in America. So it would be impossible to cover it all here. So I have included a guide to the process in the UK below.
If you’ve sold a bike, there are still a few things to do after you’ve hand over the keys. The new owner isn’t officially the bikes owner until the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have been informed. So how do you do that?
All UK vehicles are issued a Vehicle Registration Certificate which is also known by its official document number V5C. But commonly still referred to as a logbook. The latest examples are red, blue and pink in colour, having taken over from the previous blue, green and cream style. The V5C is created by the DVLA when a car is first registered. The keeper of a vehicle is the person legally responsible for it. But the named keepers on the registration certificate isn’t necessarily the vehicle’s owner. Essentially the keeper of a vehicle is the person legally responsible for it.
When selling a bike you should inform the DVLA of a change of keeper, and that should be done as soon as possible. As in the event of a motoring law being broken its the registered keeper who will received any speeding fines or parking tickets.
Section 6 of the V5C is left blank, ready for the new owners details, address and date of sale, mileage and driving license number. I advice all parts are completed in full. Section 6 can also be used to indicate a change of the registered keeper’s name or address. So it’s important that the changes keeper box is ticked. After completing section 6, section 8 must be signed and dated by both parties. All thats left is for you to tear-off at the bottom of the V5C registration document and send it to the DVLA. Section 10 of the V5C registration certificate can then be given to the new owner.
This exists to provide a new keeper with temporary documentation before a new V5C is issued in their name. Legally this is called a V5C/2. There’s also space into which the new keeper’s name and address, and the date of sale or transfer can be entered. These should be the same details as entered into section 6. The sections are perforated allowing for the sections to be separated, sections 9, 11 and 12 can be discarded.
Taxing a motorcycle
Section 10 of the V5C or V5C/2 can be used to apply for road tax, which the new keeper will need to do before using the bike on the road.
Obtaining a replacement V5C document
If you have have lost your V5C/2 and need to apply for road tax, or have mislaid the V5C document, a replacement can be obtained by completing a V62 form. You will need to complete all five sections, including section 3 to indicate why you require a replacement V5C.
We’ve written a article covering everything you need to know about transferring a vehicles ownership in the UK here – How to transfer ownership of a motorcycle in the UK.
Receipt and invoice
With the V5C not constituting legal entitlement to the vehicle. You should also supply a signed receipt or invoice made out in the name of both yourself and the new keeper. Which together with section 10 will help prove entitlement to the vehicle owner if any legal problems arise.
The receipt or invoice should also include the following :
1. The date
2. Price
3. Make and model
4. Registration number
5. Vin number
6. The names and addresses of the buyer and seller
Make two copies – one for you and one for the buyer – and make sure all parties sign both.
Tips for selling cars on Facebook
- Rules. Always read the rules in Facebook buying and selling groups. These can be strict and page admins can be overly zealous enforcing them. You can find yourself being banned.
- Description. Always provide a full and honest description of the bike. This will save both you and the potential buyer time and money.
- Haggling. Leave a little haggling room in the price. Everyone want to feel like they got a good deal, even if they haven’t.
- Groups. Search and join as many local selling groups as possible. It really is a chase of the more the merrier when it comes to selling groups.
- Payment. Only except payment via bank transfer or cash. Never except any other form of payment.
- Valeting. If you are looking to get top value for your bike always make sure its clean before a viewing, this will do the majority of the selling for you.
- Keys. Never leave the buyer alone with the keys.
- Paperwork. Always have the V5C and service history ready before a viewing.
- Buying cars. You can also use Facebook as a source for buying bikes to flip.
- Safety. Always meet at your home or place of work. Never take the bike to a potential buyers home.
- Profile check. Always take a look at a potential buyers profile. If you see anything you don’t like make you excuses and look for a new buyer.
Conclusion
I have based a whole business around selling bikes on Facebook, I also know lots of other people that make money sell other goods using the platform. The site is dead simple to use and handling the enquires is a doddle. If you put in a bit of effort it can be really successful and is a great car selling opportunity.
But if you find its not for you I maybe you should consider Gumtree, is a bit of a sleeper in the car flipping world. It may not be the most obvious option. But the platform is well thought out and easy to use it’s also mostly free to private buyers. We have also written a guide on how to sell cars on the site –
