How Sellers Find Success Using ChopperExchange
More than 175,000 American made V-twin motorcycles across the United States have been sold on ChopperExchange.com since its inception in 2003. It is clear that many online sellers find success selling their motorcycles using ChopperExchange, but a few repeat sellers have been more successful than others. To understand why people choose to list their motorcycles on ChopperExchange and how they do so successfully, we interviewed four private sellers who have sold multiple bikes on the website.
The four private sellers who were interviewed are Bruce Murakami from St. Petersburg, Florida, Tom VandenBosch from Muskegon, Michigan, Will Fuller from Marshfield, Minnesota, and Edward Habedank from Sturgis, Michigan. They chose to list their motorcycles on ChopperExchange over competing sites for very similar reasons, but their main reason for listing was the nationwide exposure the website provides.
Because ChopperExchange is specific to American V-twin motorcycles, it is targeted to a very focused audience of motorcycle enthusiasts across the nation. Approximately 10,000 unique online users from all across the United States visit ChopperExchange daily in hopes of finding a motorcycle.
Habedank attributes his success to the websites availability to so many buyers. Habedank sold five Harleys to out of state buyers he would otherwise have no contact with if it weren’t for ChopperExchange. Same goes for Murakami who also sold motorcycles to out of state buyers, which is hassle free due to affordable, yet reputable shipping companies.
“It’s all about exposure. Over half of the bikes I’ve sold on your site went to buyers out of state,” said Murakami.
The private sellers also like the ease of use of the website for both sellers and buyers. If you are selling a motorcycle, simply visit the site and click “Sell My Motorcycle” to get started. If you are looking to buy a motorcycle, you can filter a search based on the year, make, model, location, price, and condition of a motorcycle, and send a seller an inquiry from the listing.
More than 25,000 American V-twin motorcycles in quality condition are listed on ChopperExchange, which is a much larger variety than most dealerships offer. The ease of shopping from the comfort of home allows customers to compare prices and motorcycle features before purchasing.
“I chose ChopperExchange because I’d seen the quality of bikes being sold and knew that was the place to sell a nice bike,” said VandenBosch who has sold three bikes on ChopperExchange.
Pricing is also very competitive on ChopperExchange. The average selling price for units sold on the website in 2017 was $12,076, which is a higher average than competing sites. The average selling price in 2018 so far is $12,721, which is 3.7% increase from the previous year.
“There were solid offers on my bikes and I got pretty much what I was asking if it was priced fair,” said VandenBosch.
In addition, ChopperExchange monitors all inbound messages and listings to ensure the safety of both buyers and sellers. Filtering messages is extremely important due to the prevalence of online scamming and fraud.
“Unlike one of your competitor’s sites, I generally do not get any ‘scammers’ that I have to deal with,” said Fuller.
Fuller has sold 27 motorcycles using ChopperExchange. He attributes much of his success to providing complete, detailed information, clear close up photos, and a video with a narrated walk around of the bike starting.
“Buyers want information and honesty from sellers…Being honest with a prospective buyer is the key to successful transactions,” said Fuller.
The average days to sell a motorcycle on ChopperExchange, if it sells within a year, is 67, but many sell their motorcycles in less time. For example, Habedank sold the first bike he listed on ChopperExchange in two weeks. The time it takes to sell a motorcycle on ChopperExchange varies based on the time of year, photo quality, type of bike, description, price, and more. Fuller has also found success selling his motorcycles quickly on the website.
“I have had bikes, after listing, sell in a few days to 60 days with the average being in the 2-3 week range to close the sale,” said Fuller.
Although many motorcycles sell quickly, it is important to have patience. If a listing isn’t selling, it is easy for a seller to make changes to any aspect of the listing by logging into their account. Often times it is necessary to include better quality photos, update the asking price, or to add additional information to the description.
Sellers can also take advantage of the many features offered on ChopperExchange, such as highlighting their listing to make it stand out, promoting their ad to the top of search results, placing their ad in a special showcased section for 30 days, or paying for a Facebook post to be seen by over 732,000 followers.
“I highly recommend ChopperExchange to anyone who has a quality motorcycle for sale and wants to be able to highlight all the features you want to stand out,” said VandenBosch.
