I had always wanted my family to share my biking passion, and I was fortunate enough to have them inherit it naturally.
Lately, we noticed that my little one was getting big for the bike she had. While this sparked joy to watch her grow physically, we now had a perfectly usable bike resting in our garage.
I am a big believer in reuse and recycle, so I didn’t want to throw it away. My family and I investigated to sell or donate this bike. In that process, we came across various methods to do it precisely.
You can Sell your Used Kid’s Bike on/to:
- Your local bicycle/ sports store
- Second-hand bike selling websites like Pro’s Closet
- eBay
- Discussion forums like cyclingforums.com
- Facebook Marketplace/ Craigslist
- Your neighborhood mechanic
- Your friends and family in need
You also have a personal choice to donate it to a charity or an orphanage.
Before planning to sell a used bike, you need to make sure that it is perfectly functioning.
To assist with the transaction process, ensure that you mention any form of damage on the bike. Support your claims by posting several videos and photos of them.
Be realistic about your estimated resell value. Consider your bike’s age and the condition of the frame and its components before concluding its price.
Bicyclebluebook.com can help you estimate your bike’s resell value appropriately.
Local Bicycle/ Sports Store
If your local sports store provides pawning used bikes for cash, you can consider it an option.
This method’s advantage is that you will get the work done daily with immediate money transactions.
However, these shops may lack the expertise to quote a reasonable price for your bike, and their business model might make it hard for them to pay the amount you deserve.
If you want an easy way out of your child’s bike, this can be your method’s choice.
Second-Hand Bike Selling Websites
A good example of this can be Pro’s Closet. A website like Pro’s closet gives you an option to Sell/Trade your bike.
Platforms like this help you connect to a potential customer for your bike efficiently. These websites promise a hassle-free experience and do all the major work for you.
They act as a mediator between you and the buyer while charging a minimum amount for their services.
Another example of such a site is Protestedgear. If you are comfortable bearing the extra amount of these website service charges, this is the method for you.
For a no-payment process, you can choose Craiglist or other forums to sell your kid’s bike.
eBay
It’s a well-known fact that you can find and sell anything on eBay. This auction-style popular website can prove to be very beneficial for marketing your kid’s bike.
eBay helps you reach your potential buyers on a global scale. You might face a surge of consumers for your child’s bike.
Shipping and eBay fees are the two extra charges you have to bear. Apart from that, you have a choice to bargain, chat, and find the right buyer.
eBay is also a popular website to sell individual parts. If you are comfortable doing that, you may find people willing to buy separate bike elements.
Discussion Forums
The Internet has many biking/cycling-related websites and discussion forums. If you are an avid bike rider, there is a chance that you might already be part of one.
Examples of such forums can be BikeRadar.com‘s Second Hand Bike Forum and Cyclingforums.com.
Join a forum that caters to your locality as shipping and sending the bike far away is not cost-effective.
There will generally be no service fee involved like eBay and other websites.
Although you market your kid’s bike to cycling enthusiasts, these forum’s traffic and exposer can be fewer than other websites.
If you are lucky, you might find a local buyer through the forum and successfully sell the bike.
Facebook Marketplace/ Craigslist
Craiglist is a no-cost online platform to market any form of goods or services. Popular in America allows you to meet your buyer personally and discuss the criteria for purchasing the bike.
If you are comfortable meeting various people to sell your kid’s bike, Craiglist is the right place for you.
The main advantage here is for the buyer to test the bike before agreeing to purchase it physically.
Facebook Marketplace has recently bloomed to be a great potential in the selling and trading business. Quite similar to Craiglist, you should expect a very diverse variety of buyers interested in your bike.
These platforms are popular for their bargaining and negotiation. You might require a certain level of patience and negotiation skills to find your right buyer.
When selling online, you must be careful of potential scammers. When dealing with and meeting Internet strangers, the most important thing is to make sure transactions are safe and secure.
Many police stations have started offering special areas for such transactions to occur.
Neighborhood Mechanic
Choose this option if your kid’s bike has witnessed a lot of crashes and damages.
In cases like these, selling the cycle as a whole might not generate the desired value; the more profitable method can be to trade various parts of the bike that might be operating properly.
The easiest way to get this done is to contact your local mechanic, who can buy and repurpose the spare parts for his other projects.
You also have the option to sell the spare parts yourself on Craiglist and other biking websites mentioned in the article above.
Friends and Family in Need
My favorite way is to find someone in your circle to purchase your kid’s bike. When I say your circle, I mean your family, friends, or your local biking group. It always better to find someone you know to conduct second-hand trading.
This method removes the hassle of meeting strangers and having long sessions of bargaining and negotiations.
You can initiate the process by spreading your desire to sell your kid’s bike through the word of mouth technique, or you can broadcast it through your email and Facebook post.
If you are fortunate enough, you might find someone in your “circle” willing to purchase your kid’s bike off your hand.
Donating your Used Kid’s Bike to a Charity/ an Orphanage
“I have found that among other benefits, Charity liberates the soul of the givers.”
Maya Angelou
Donating your kid’s bike to a charity or an orphanage can be another opportunity to put your kid’s bike to good use.
Locate a neighborhood charity that might provide your kid’s bike to a child in need. You also have the option of donating it to your local Good Will store.
Online Options:
- Charity Bicycles, Inc. – Bike Shop, Bicycle Repairs, Electric Bike
- World Bicycle Relief | Global Bicycle Charity
The websites mentioned above make it easier to find a legitimate place to donate your kid’s bike.
Having a thorough investigation done in case of choosing an online organization is a must. Be careful of scammers and bogus websites.
Churches and other religious institutions are also known to raise charity drives and collect valuable goods from the neighborhood to share them with people in need.
You have the option to affiliate yourself with such establishments and donate your bike there.
Another good option to donate your bike would be your local orphanage. Surely your kid’s bike will find another enthusiastic user there.
Conclusion
It is your personal choice to either sell or donate your bike. Whatever choice you may go after, it's always better than discarding a usable bike to trash.
At the start of the article, I find options to reuse and recycle as much as possible.
While researching this subject, we were able to find a nice second-hand bike that was suitable for my daughter. I hope this article also proves to have a similar beneficial experience for you.
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