How to Buy or Sell a Vintage Trek
This page has tips for finding a Trek to buy and for
selling your vintage Trek. Some suggestions for photographing your bike
for the sale process, or for providing photos for the Vintage-Trek Gallery,
also are included.
FINDING A TREK TO BUY
Here are some suggestions for finding a vintage-trek
to buy. Remember - the hunt is part of the fun. Finding a local bike
is always best - as you can inspect it personally and you can avoid
shipping costs (on the order of $50).
Ebay.com is probably the easiest way to find
a vintage Trek. One can search for "Trek road" or Trek racing"
with words to exclude "aluminum carbon". Typically, there
are 3 to 10 vintage Trek bikes on Ebay.com at any one time. You may
need to return every few days to locate the right bike. The down side
is that packing and shipping will cost extra and there is some risk
of shipping damage.
OldRoads.com You could post a wanted note on
the vintage light weight discussion list at http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1.
Few rules there.
iBOB You could make mention of your needs on
the iBOB discussion list. You will have to join first but it is easy.
http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-bob
iBOB is Bridgestone Owners Bunch, but they have a kinship with vintage
Treks. A couple of cautions: 1. This is an unmoderated list. A small
number of the folks there are pretty rude, and 2. You will get dozens
of emails a day from the list.
Classic Rendezvous You could try checking the
Classic Rendezvous for sale listings: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/forsale.htm
or list (it's free) on the wanted list there http://www.classicrendezvous.com/wanted.htm.
The target of the site owner, Dale Brown, is pre '84, so don't ask for
a mid-80s bike or frame.
Used Bike Shop There may be a bike shop nearby
that specializes in used bikes. Seattle is fortunate to have Recycled
Cycles and Second Ascent. Portland has Sellwood
Cycles. Be patient - it may take weeks or months to find a suitable
Trek.
Bike swap meets are a good place to find used
bikes. Even cruiser bike swap meets can be a source of bargains for
vintage lightweights. To locate swap meets, try searching on the Internet,
visiting local bike club web sites, or talking to folks at local bike
shops.
Garage Sales and Rummage Sales. Finding bikes
at garage sales takes diligence. People average perhaps 20 sales before
finding a vintage lightweight of any description. However, there are
plenty of stories of people "striking it rich". Rummage sales
(like church rummage sales) have lots more items. Get there early before
the good bikes are gone.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SELLING A VINTAGE TREK
Sheldon Brown Excellent information is given
at Sheldon Brown's Guide to Selling your Used Bike http://sheldonbrown.com/selling.
Ebay.com is the probably best place to sell a
bike that has some value. The buyer paying $50 to pack and ship makes
little sense for a $100 bike. It is a hassle to post the listing, and
then you must be prepared to pack and ship the bike, but the best price
is gotten here. Good detailed pictures are a must! Close-ups are critical.
Good pictures can mean 30% more in price.
Classic Rendezvous You could try posting on the
Classic Rendezvous for sale listings: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/forsale.htm
or list (it's free). The site owner's requirement is pre '84.
iBOB You could make mention of it on the iBOB
discussion list. You will have to join first but it is easy. http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/Internet-bob
iBOB is Bridgestone Owners Bunch, but they have a kinship with Treks.
Their vintage interest overlaps with the date of vintage Treks. A caution
- this is an unmoderated list. A small number of the folks there are
pretty rude.
OldRoads.com You can also list it for free on
the OldRoads.com discussion forum for vintage lightweights http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1.
No firm rules here and it is easy to list. Just click on post.
Used Bike Shops There may be a local bike shop
that specializes in used bikes. They may buy yours, or take it in on
consignment. A used shop will buy a bike for about 60% of what they
will sell it for. They may offer more if you take the money in store
credit. If they don't sell used bikes, your local bike shops may have
bulletin boards where you can place a 3 x 5 card with picture offering
the bike for sale. This can be very effective.
BIKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Here are some suggestions for bike photography. For
selling on Ebay.com or for the Vintage-Trek gallery, you need close-ups
of various parts of the frames, so you will need a camera that can handle
that: either with a zoom lens, or a camera that can focus as close as
a foot or so. Use a tripod or other support to reduce shaking of the
camera, especially if a zoom is used. Even two crossed sticks, with
the camera held above the cross, will help a lot.
It is good to have one overall picture from the left
side, OK to cut off the ends of the wheels. Close-ups should include:
the lugs, bottom bracket, fork crown, brakes, decals, dropouts derailleurs
and crank. Try for a neutral, contrasting background. Outside on a cloudy
day or in the shade works best. Bright light, a flash or the sun, makes
highlights that mask the details of the frame. Sheldon Brown offers
an alternative method that uses a flash, which gets good results: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/selling.html#photos.
For this web site, the best digital picture size is
generally in the 1024 to 2048 (across) pixel range. However, as small
as 640 pixels across is adequate. If you only have paper prints, I can
scan them and return them to you. The .jpg file format is best for sending
photographs. Uncompressed formats, such as .bmp, are fine but the file
size tends to be very large.
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