On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 2:07 PM, William <tapebu...@gmail.com> wrote: > On ebay (I'm sure you've all noticed) is a used custom Rivendell > frame. It started at $2700 I think, then for sure eventually went > down to $2200 and now is at $1985. The seller is not even the > original owner, but claims the value in that this frame is 'good as > new' and you don't have to wait a couple years to get one. > > I, for one, have always been amazed at what people think the re-sale > value is for custom stuff. Here's a news flash: after the original > purchaser has made their custom decisions, it is NO LONGER CUSTOM. > When I buy your used frame, it's not custom. I don't get to choose > the color, the fit, the braze-ons. They are stock. Your used custom > is at best, one of a kind, and you can describe it as having been > custom built, but it's not custom anymore. That ship has sailed. > > So, if a new custom costs $3000 and a new stock frame costs $2000 from > the same builder (Waterford Rivs, for example), then your used custom > is worth some percentage less than $2000, in my opinion. Am I wrong > about that? Would you pay more for a used custom Riv (that fit you) > than you would for a used Hilsen (in your best size)? I think they > have identical value, assuming they are the right bike for the > application, etc etc. > > What do you think the resale value of a used $3000 custom riv frameset > is?
I disagree on some of the points, depending on the frame in question. If it has different specs - tubing, geometry, details - than available on a production frame, it's still a custom. The degree that it's different might be all over the map, but it's still a custom bike. The value is exactly what someone will pay for it, and that value will come from how much those different details are worth it to you. For example (not knowing this frame), if it's basically an Atlantis but with horizontal dropouts, it wouldn't be worth more than an Atlantis plus that modification plus a paint job. If it's a more rare custom made with very light tubing (for example), it could arguably be worth more than any current production frame, if that's what you want. Personally, the value of getting a custom would be the experience of getting it new, made just for me. Once it's a used purchase, it's a simple measure of the features of that particular frame -vs- other similar available frames. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
