COLLAPSE IN SALES DUE TO LOCKDOWN
Private and trade sellers alike batten down the hatches
New and used motorcycle sales have come to a virtual standstill as dealers close their doors and the number of bikes advertised for sale on eBay dwindles.
The frequency of daily motorcycle auctions on eBay has dropped to around 50, whereas it is normally 200 or more. Classified advertisements are still around because they can run until the machine is sold or the listing expires. Machines that are up for auction are attracting very few bids, if any, let alone meeting reserve. An immaculate 2003 Honda CBR600F with less than 20,000 miles up, failed to reach even £1500. Classic bikes seem more resilient, perhaps because the buyers are better-off and may already be retired. However, under the lockdown it’s almost impossible for buyers to travel to collect purchases anyway. Some dealers are offering online sales, but MCN has been unable to find one that is actually doing much business. It looks like dealers are keeping their contact details open and inviting potential buyers to approach them for future business. Besides, almost all dealers seem to have closed their service departments, so PDIs, first services or even
‘We only have one or two mechanics in’ DEALER SERVICE MANAGER
getting a bike built up out of a crate isn’t happening right now. “I am just coming in about once a week,” one service manager told MCN. “We are only taking jobs by appointment, and we only have one or two mechanics in.”
At the same time, there appears to be an increase in scam activity, or perhaps the scam advertisements are more noticeable because they are not ‘drowned out’ by the usual number of genuine advertisements. A popular fraud right now is to copy a previous listing and its photographs, preferably through a hijacked account. The bikes offered this way are invariably priced too low to be true. One of the big giveaways is that the seller invites you to contact them directly via email but MCN recommends that you never do this. They may offer to have the bike couriered to you but you should never hand over money for a machine that you haven’t seen in person.