 1Likes
 |
|
24 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 3
|
|
|
buying in low price and selling for higher in europe
Hello everybody,
I'm thinking about doing a long motorcycle trip around europe next summer.
Since my budget is pretty low i thought i could cut down expenses by buying the motorcycle in one country and selling it in another. I have time and i don't have specific region in mind so i'm very flexible about were to buy and sell.
My budget for the motorcycle and the necessary equipment is about 2000 euro(i have french nationality if it's help).
Do you think it's a reasonable idea?
|
25 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3
|
|
|
I don't think it's good idea. There is always fees and problems in selling a vehicle in an other country. And if your budget is only 2000 euros the bike would only be about 1000 euro. I don't think you could make mutch gain on a 1000 euro bike anywhere.
Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
|
27 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 3
|
|
|
What if it was 2000 euro just for the bike?
|
27 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by hillelze
What if it was 2000 euro just for the bike?
|
The same principle applies at any point in the overall scale of pricing.
That is why there are motorcycle dealers in existance; it is they who are actively in the market, constantly, and who buy at trade prices and sell at consumer prices, thus covering their own costs and making a living by practice of their trade.
In contrast, quite a number of private sellers appear to want to sell their bike at near enough to a dealer's price without providing any of the attendant services of those dealers.
Nor am I saying that it can't be done, but it does involve time and some effort equivalent to that expended by the dealers.
e.g. not least, you have to find a buyer who sees value in your offering after having found a seller who did not fully realise the full value of their machine when they passed it on to you (and that short answer neglects other factors such as the mileage that you have added to the bike in the interim).
ps
Some dealers offer such a service. A buy back scheme basically but they won't guarantee a buy in price = that will depend on the condition of the bike when you return to them.
__________________
Dave
|
27 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 3
|
|
|
What made me think that it's possible, is the huge difference in prices between eastern-europe and western-europe. When i was traveling in eastern-europe the price of almost everything was 50% in compare the the west. If it's the same situation in the used motorcycle market it start to sound reasonable, isn't it?
|
27 Nov 2015
|
 |
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Sunderland
Posts: 254
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by hillelze
Hello everybody,
I'm thinking about doing a long motorcycle trip around europe next summer.
Since my budget is pretty low i thought i could cut down expenses by buying the motorcycle in one country and selling it in another. I have time and i don't have specific region in mind so i'm very flexible about were to buy and sell.
My budget for the motorcycle and the necessary equipment is about 2000 euro(i have french nationality if it's help).
Do you think it's a reasonable idea?
|
If you listen to all that say you can't you will start to beleave it, if it's something you would like to do then have a go, if it doesn't work out the way you wanted so it's still an experience you can build on, when I was 16 I used to cycle every where so I cycled to Blackpool from Sunderland it took about three days there and three days back with some days In-between, I was skin and bone when I got back as I didn't have much money, my mam nearly killed me, if I told them I was going I would have never done it.
|
27 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,131
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lowrider1263
If you listen to all that say you can't you will start to beleave it, if it's something you would like to do then have a go,
|
Walking around the world is possible. But I don't think it is cheap ... think about the time taken and the food consumed.
------------------------------
What are the import duties you would have to pay on the motorcycle?
And would the motorcycle comply with the local standards for brakes, lights, emissions etc etc?
While 'Just do it' maybe a good marketing thing .. there can be a loss of money rather than a gain in buying and selling a vehicle .. particularly in different countries. Investigate before you do it, afterwards is too late hillelze. Govt customs department can tell you about import duty. And there will be some govt department on putting the vehicle on the road.
|
28 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Sunderland
Posts: 254
|
|
|
Oz is much more strict on transport than we are in Europe, it's quite easy to move around here with a motorbike with out much cost, no extra insurance with been in the eu.
|
28 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warin
Walking around the world is possible. But I don't think it is cheap ... think about the time taken and the food consumed.
------------------------------
|
 but coincidentally, I used to try to follow this guy's progress.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Bushby
I am not sure where he has got to, but Russia is proving to take a while.
__________________
Dave
|
28 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
Posts: 2,104
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warin
What are the import duties you would have to pay on the motorcycle?
And would the motorcycle comply with the local standards for brakes, lights, emissions etc etc?
While 'Just do it' maybe a good marketing thing .. there can be a loss of money rather than a gain in buying and selling a vehicle .. particularly in different countries.
|
Those with long memories may recall the buy in Germany and sell in The Gambia route that was in vogue twenty or so years ago, where the profit could pay for the trip. So it can be done - but you do need to research your market.
If the o.p. can buy bikes in eastern EU Europe for "50%" and sell them - presumably in western Europe - for the going rate then, as I understand it, he's perfectly entitled to do that. Subject to sorting out the paperwork of course, but taxes shouldn't be an issue within the EU. How a French national would legally get on the road with a bike bought in Romania or Latvia I've no idea but people have done stranger things.
Import duties from outside the EU are a different matter. The bike I have in the US is likely to stay there as import duties would come to well over 25% of the purchase price. And that's not counting the cost of freighting it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warin
Walking around the world is possible. But I don't think it is cheap ... think about the time taken and the food consumed.
|
Also 20yrs ago I remember reading about Ffyona Campbell doing this and thinking that were worse ways to travel than by bike !
Last edited by backofbeyond; 28 Nov 2015 at 12:21.
Reason: parts of post missing (?)
|
29 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: BC, sometimes
Posts: 578
|
|
|
I have done this and did OK; broke even after buying a bike in the US, riding it all over North America and shipping to the UK; even after shipping and import taxes I sold it about ten years later for what I paid and spent, but that was also due to exchange rate movement over the period....
Possible? -Yes.
Easy? - No.
Predictable profit? - Definitely not.
|
29 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
|
It's not too likely to work OK within the Euro zone for a range of reasons related to the last post.
A few years ago bikes were flowing out of the UK as Europeans bought up stocks from UK based dealers - because of the low value of the UK £ to the Euro.
That has now reversed and second owner bikes are being sold into the UK market from Europe.
A guy I spoke with a few years ago involved in the trade told me that the key rate of exchange that fixes the direction of this is 1.25 Euro to the £ (now at around 1.42 as of today).
__________________
Dave
|
29 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: BC, sometimes
Posts: 578
|
|
Also, too many other variables - popular models in Europe are often not so desirable in the UK; I did OK as the bike I brought in was unique in the UK and somebody wanted it. Had it been a regular model I would have lost big time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
It's not too likely to work OK within the Euro zone for a range of reasons related to the last post.
A few years ago bikes were flowing out of the UK as Europeans bought up stocks from UK based dealers - because of the low value of the UK £ to the Euro.
That has now reversed and second owner bikes are being sold into the UK market from Europe.
A guy I spoke with a few years ago involved in the trade told me that the key rate of exchange that fixes the direction of this is 1.25 Euro to the £ (now at around 1.42 as of today).
|
|
30 Nov 2015
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
Posts: 2,104
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by docsherlock
I have done this and did OK; broke even after buying a bike in the US, riding it all over North America and shipping to the UK; even after shipping and import taxes I sold it about ten years later for what I paid and spent, but that was also due to exchange rate movement over the period....
Possible? -Yes.
Easy? - No.
Predictable profit? - Definitely not.
|
There are some sectors of the market where it's still possible to do this - some classic bikes (mainly Japanese stuff) that are virtually worthless in the US and seem to command high prices in the UK for example, but the way the £/$ rate is at the moment together with the relative market values it certainly wouldn't be viable to bring my US GoldWing over here.
Within the eurozone though there's bound to be some variability in vehicle values between countries but whether it's enough to make the effort of buying / selling one relatively low price motorcycle worthwhile is the question. Any potential profit could very easily be lost by "transactional" issues like paying too much / subsequently finding hidden faults etc - and that's before dealing with the paperwork. Most of the dealers I've known have said the profit is in the buying, not the selling. If there is a market there then you can pretty much guarantee traders will be dabbling in it already.
|
7 Nov 2016
|
|
Registered Users
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Posts: 42
|
|
You have to be cautious in Eastern Europe when buying a bike.
There was a time (not so long ago) where one of the main entry points for US cars/bikes/boats/ATVs was Lithuania.
I personally know people that were in this business for years. Ship stuff by container loads. Many containers  cars mainly went to former Soviet Union republics.
Anyway, to cut a long tory short, many bikes were imported with salvage title... either MVA, Dropped, flooded or whatever ... not all... but many would have been hurt in the process and that's how they became so cheap and attractive.
Often times ,even if damage is cosmetic , insurance companies would just write the bike off. You never know what happened to frame etc.
I am not saying you will pick up a dud, not very likely. But still, something worth keeping in mind.
That's the reason why bikes are so much cheaper there. Not because they make them for pennies on the dollar or anything
with that said, if i was in the market for a bike there... and knew seller , knew the damage (if there was any) and knew who repaired it.... it is rather attractive NOT to pay 50% extra
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|
helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
Linear Mode
