> Message: 6
> From: LouDeeter@aol.com
> Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 19:27:22 EDT
> Subject: Re: [CR]Now:Maximizing Profits --Parting Out
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>
> In a message dated 9/12/2002 7:15:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> chuckschmidt@earthlink.net writes:
> > Part it out or sell as complete bike. Which would net maximum
> > dollars he asked?
> >
> Having parted a bunch of bikes, my experience tells me the sum of the parts
> is higher than the sum of the whole. Unless the bike is one of those rare
> bikes or has a heritage that makes it a collector bike with the original
> parts, you will almost always get more if you sell the parts and the
> frame/fork separately. Since I don't buy bikes that fit that category, I
> have no knowledge of that end of the market. Since I always advertise a
> "shipped" price, I just have to watch shipping as the rates have increased
> this past couple of years. My wife doesn't like all the trips to the post
> office either, but that's another story. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
>
>
>
Lou:
You are absolutely correct IMO. I told e-RICHIE the same when he asked me yesterday. I cannot, though, (perhaps unfortunately....) think of a single case where the bike would sell for more than its parts sold one at a time. I have never parted a bike to sell the components individually, but lots of folks do. There's nothing inherently "bad" or "immoral" about doing that. If no one did, we'd have a tough time finding enough parts for our "restorations."
I sometimes refer to parting the bike out as the "Bill Ward method." Anyone remember Bill's bi-monthly handwritten eight-page parts lists from a while back? He would disassemble a bike, then carefully clean, grade, and catalog all of the parts (not a trivial task...). Frames were then sold without the headset or BB. He found it was more profitable to sell the chainrings separately from the crankarms, for example. Much more work and time, but higher total dollars in the end.
BTW, e-RICHIE, that Frejus is my size!
Cheers,
Greg Parker
A2 MI USA