Flipping bikes for side income

oceantrav
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oceantrav 6/3/2020 3:34pm
6/3/2020 3:34pm
i was buying and selling bikes for maybe 3-4 years, stopped a couple years ago. I would just low ball people and find desperate people, get the bike, then sell it for $500-$1000 more. Wouldn't fix anything or do anything to the bike most of the time. By the end, so many people knew I was selling and buying bikes Id have people hit me up to buy they're bikes. Sold up to 5 bikes a month. Would talk most people into delivering the bike too.

Moved from GA where it was easy two years ago to florida where a lot of people try doing it, I got robbed, and gave it up. Make enough money now its not worth the hassle

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oceantrav
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oceantrav 6/3/2020 3:36pm
6/3/2020 3:36pm
Falcon wrote:
Get a dealer license, buy at the auction, sell on Craigslist or Marketplace. You can make money if you do it right.
imoto34 wrote:
You talking about from IAA etc?
I use to use buy from NPA (National powersports auction). I paid a guy $100 per motorcycle i bought using his license. Didn't get much from there, prices were usually higher than i could low ball people on from craigslist or marker place.
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SEE ARE125
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SEE ARE125 6/3/2020 3:50pm
6/3/2020 3:50pm
Don’t buy bikes listed for sale. Most sellers have done their research and priced accordingly. Instead, just find other guys that own bikes and then go talk to their wives. The wives are usually pretty willing to sell them, and they price the bikes based on what the husband told the wife he spent, which is usually half of what he really spent. lol
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The Shop

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Kennyfreemoney 6/3/2020 3:51pm
6/3/2020 3:51pm
I’ve done 4 or 5 in the past year. I try to find something that needs a top end and cosmetic repairs. My goal is $400-700 profit on each one. I’ve done it so far. Honesty if I make $200 I’m happy. I enjoy working on bikes. It gets me off the couch and I feel like I’m getting bikes back out there being ridden that otherwise wouldn’t be.
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oldfarp
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oldfarp 6/3/2020 4:01pm
6/3/2020 4:01pm
SEE ARE125 wrote:
Don’t buy bikes listed for sale. Most sellers have done their research and priced accordingly. Instead, just find other guys that own bikes and then go...
Don’t buy bikes listed for sale. Most sellers have done their research and priced accordingly. Instead, just find other guys that own bikes and then go talk to their wives. The wives are usually pretty willing to sell them, and they price the bikes based on what the husband told the wife he spent, which is usually half of what he really spent. lol
LOL that's funny as hell and in most cases would actually work. I'm getting to the age where all my friends are quitting riding mostly because of women and it's actually really depressing. I'm never stopping. I can see a day where I dont take risks as much, but I'm never gonna hang it up.
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oldfarp
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oldfarp 6/3/2020 4:04pm
6/3/2020 4:04pm
Kennyfreemoney wrote:
I’ve done 4 or 5 in the past year. I try to find something that needs a top end and cosmetic repairs. My goal is $400-700...
I’ve done 4 or 5 in the past year. I try to find something that needs a top end and cosmetic repairs. My goal is $400-700 profit on each one. I’ve done it so far. Honesty if I make $200 I’m happy. I enjoy working on bikes. It gets me off the couch and I feel like I’m getting bikes back out there being ridden that otherwise wouldn’t be.
Yeah I mean that's not bad at all, as long as its light repairs and I dont have to touch the crank or trans. If you can flip 1 per month for 600 that's 7200 a year which ain't bad for power washing and spraying SC1 on new plastics and tires, etc... I enjoy working on bikes and restoring them. Obviously ideally I'd make more than that.
bonseff
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bonseff 6/3/2020 5:22pm
6/3/2020 5:22pm
I have built a few old school bikes, find cheap deals, buy parts. But yo, the effort and personal time you invest ...

Unless you are a trained mechanic, your labor will never get you a profit. It's a labor of love to bring bikes back from the dead.

my 2 ¢
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Falcon
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Falcon 6/3/2020 5:32pm
6/3/2020 5:32pm
Falcon wrote:
Get a dealer license, buy at the auction, sell on Craigslist or Marketplace. You can make money if you do it right.
imoto34 wrote:
You talking about from IAA etc?
Yes, or NPA
imoto34
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imoto34 6/3/2020 5:52pm
6/3/2020 5:52pm
Falcon wrote:
Get a dealer license, buy at the auction, sell on Craigslist or Marketplace. You can make money if you do it right.
imoto34 wrote:
You talking about from IAA etc?
Falcon wrote:
Yes, or NPA
Is NPA about the same as crashed toys?
sumdood
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sumdood 6/3/2020 6:14pm
6/3/2020 6:14pm Edited Date/Time 6/3/2020 6:15pm
Probably make more flipping burgers
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cwtoyota
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cwtoyota 6/3/2020 6:35pm
6/3/2020 6:35pm
Used bikes are often parted out on ebay these days.
There's more money to be made by selling them in pieces than flipping them as a whole bike.


thephoenix 6/3/2020 6:37pm
6/3/2020 6:37pm
Well, Pastrana took flipping bikes for profit to a whole new level.
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KX500
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KX500 6/3/2020 7:33pm
6/3/2020 7:33pm
cwtoyota wrote:
Used bikes are often parted out on ebay these days. There's more money to be made by selling them in pieces than flipping them as a...
Used bikes are often parted out on ebay these days.
There's more money to be made by selling them in pieces than flipping them as a whole bike.


Usually true. I've probably parted out more than I have flipped. So many old bikes need so much cash put into them, that it just doesn't make sense to try to flip them vrs. part out.

The down side to parting out is it usually takes over a year to sell all the parts from a bike - even when you try to have the lowest price for what you're selling.

Also, I only deal with old 2 strokes, so every one parted out is a bike that'll never be replaced by a new one just like it (except YZ125 & 250).

I'd say I average making $1000 on Every bike I part out - and that is after taking out purchase cost and all the ebay & shipping fees. Probably the lowest I've ever been left with was $650-$700 but then had a few that I made $1200-$1300 on.

I'd way rather flip a bike and keep it in circulation - and if I figure I can make at least $800 or so, that's what I do. It is nice to have the cash all at once & not have to sell, box & ship it part by part.


kb228
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kb228 6/3/2020 8:32pm
6/3/2020 8:32pm
With dudes posting clapped 05’s for $3500 i dont know how youd make any money. Lately all ive seen is guys asking $1000 or more money than what the bike is worth.
sandman768
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sandman768 6/4/2020 4:53am
6/4/2020 4:53am
It’s a sellers market right now.....good time to unload that roach you been fixing up with Chinese parts & jb welded cases...
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mjr119
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mjr119 6/4/2020 9:22am
6/4/2020 9:22am
I just sold a 2014 Yz250 in 6 days and made $850 dollars. Sold it the day after i listed it for sale on FB marketplace. I didn't even wash it. I lubed the chain and wiped it down with 303 because I was out of SC1 lol.

Back in 2015/2016 I was buying current/1 year old 450's and making $1000+ on each one. Too much competition now to have those margins. I might get one or two of those a year. Now I aim to make around $500 per bike and anything else is just gravy. Like others have said, I enjoy doing it. It's fun. I like dirt bikes and I love making money. Combine the two.

I also sell jet skis, boats, heavy equipment. Hell I would buy a space shuttle if the price was right.
sumdood
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sumdood 6/4/2020 11:02am
6/4/2020 11:02am
"I didn't even wash it. I lubed the chain and wiped it down with 303 because I was out of SC1 lol".

Note to self : Don't buy a bike from mjr119 LaughingLaughing
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mjr119
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mjr119 6/4/2020 12:42pm
6/4/2020 12:42pm
sumdood wrote:
"I didn't even wash it. I lubed the chain and wiped it down with 303 because I was out of SC1 lol". Note to self...
"I didn't even wash it. I lubed the chain and wiped it down with 303 because I was out of SC1 lol".

Note to self : Don't buy a bike from mjr119 LaughingLaughing
Lol it was in good shape otherwise. Not ready for SLC round 3 or anything. but perfectly fine for the older gentleman that bought it.

I am just saying, most times I do very little to the bikes to get them ready to sell. If something needed a lot of work I wouldn’t buy it. I like the quick and easy turns.
miketherider 6/4/2020 1:28pm
6/4/2020 1:28pm
Mini bikes are in demand, anything two stroke has become gold to some, and any 90s motto stuff is hot. You can definitely make some money, but the buy in/up front cost is more than it was 10-15 years ago. I’ve flipped a few the past couple months and I’m using that money to get a vapor blaster and remodel the garage to hopefully do more. I’ve also picked up some basic work here and there just because I can change a tire, work on a carburetor and properly set/adjust the valves on a 4 stroke.

There’s always a demand for bikes, but these days you gotta hustle to make it happen.

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