Yes, I think that simonhill encapsulates they key business issues of selling second hand bikes. Add to the above the number of person- hours and materials required to turn a used bike into a safe saleable commodity, the profits are slim if non-existant. It is only through the efforts of volunteer mechanics that many bike refurbs are financially viable. (note: where I volunteer, volunteer refurbs are checked by professional bike technicians before resale).simonhill wrote: ↑21 Oct 2021, 8:25pm Apart from the refurb charity/local council type places, secondhand shops often have a business problem.
When they sell a secondhand bike it it has to be guaranteed. It has to meet safety standards, etc. There is usually VAT on the price. (I don't think there is a second hand scheme for bikes like there is for cars or antiques.)
A bike has to be acquired fairly cheaply in order to be able to sell at a reasonable price but still turn a profit. Hard to compete with Argos, etc.
Maybe The Chancellor can address some of these issues in the upcoming budget.
Here is a fairly typical example of what I had to do yesterday to get a low-mid range mountain bike ready for sale.
1 Rough front hub. Strip, find cone pitted, & replace with similar but slightly shorter from second hand parts box. Fiddle for ages with spacers.
2 Chain very worn, replace. Thankfully cassette & chain rings seem to accept the new chain.
3 Front derailleur shifter pod broken. Find replacement from old parts box
4 Front derailleur seized. Remove clean, ease-off, refit.
5 New derailleur cable, problem with indexing, much cursing.
6 Rear wheel out of true. Retrued.
7 Rear disk pads replaced, disk cleaned. Efforts needed to stop the subsequent break squeal including sanding rotor.
8 Headset service
9 Clean, adjust & index rear derailleur
10 Bike filthy, serious cleaning required.
11 Replace grips
12 Lube seat post
All the above for a bike that might sell for £200. If my 5 hours of labour were not free and if we didn't use second hand parts if available, the refurb would be financially unviable. For me, however, I am delighted that the bike will not go to scrap & will have a second life.