So say the Olmo sold for $1000, this guy made $300 gross. Take away 5%-9% ebay and paypal seller charges and you are at about $280 lets say. Is the amount of work involved in selling everything separately (photos, setting up auctions, communications, packaging, post office, etc.) worth the time? Everyone will make their own decision on that, but it's a challenge to make a good living at this rate, even if it is fun.
<snip> I experienced a situation similar to Chuck's this past fall. I sold an Olmo with all the pantographed parts on Ebay. It sold for less than I expected--it was in very good condition. I shipped the bike Fedex ground on a Wednesday and to my utter dismay and horror, it was fully parted out on Ebay the following Sunday night! And of course, to further torture myself, I tracked all the auctions of "my" bike parts. All in all, he sold the parted out Olmo for around 30 percent more than he paid for it.
Now at the time I had sold this Olmo, I had also sold 2 other complete bikes and a bunch of parts and had done rather well.... So I kind of figured that was bike karma--you win some and you lose some.
Rob Anderson
Brooklyn, NY
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John Siemsen San Luis Obispo, CA