Right now, the two biggest players in the used bike market are The Pro's Closet (that’s us) and Buycycle. We’ve been studying our competition and this post aims to compare and contrast how we each approach buying and selling used bikes.
Here’s the basic gist:
- The Pro's Closet (TPC) offers a streamlined, Certified Pre-Owned bike buying experience, plus a low-hassle way to sell or trade-in used bikes.
- Buycycle offers a marketplace where buyers and sellers can directly engage with added convenience and protection, offering more diverse choices and potential deals.
Understanding the differences between us will empower you to choose the used bike business that suits your needs.
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Overview of What TPC Offers:
- Certified Pre-Owned Bikes: A comprehensive certification process ensures quality.
- Detailed listings: All bikes are listed with thorough descriptions and high-quality images.
- Trade-in options: Sellers can opt to trade in their old bikes.
- Generous Return policy: 30-day returns with no questions asked.
- Customer service: A dedicated support team to assist customers.
Overview of What Buycycle Offers:
- Wide selection: Access to a diverse range of bikes from various sellers.
- User interaction: Direct communication between buyers and sellers.
- Payment security: Ensures secure transactions to protect against fraud.
- Shipping assistance: Provides shipping and shipping materials to facilitate sales.
- Support system: Assistance and guidelines for a smooth transaction process.
Buying from The Pro's Closet vs. Buycycle
The Pro’s Closet
- Certified Pre-Owned bikes inspected and serviced by professional mechanics
- 30-day no questions asked returns
- Detailed listings and photographs
The Pro's Closet provides a curated selection of both New and Certified Pre-Owned bikes. Our Certified Pre-Owned bikes all undergo a thorough inspection process and are serviced by a team of professional mechanics to ensure quality, reliability, and safety. This provides buyers with more peace of mind. Detailed listings and photographs that document all components, repairs, and cosmetic blemishes so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Buycycle
- Negotiable prices
- ~3-4% Buyer fee
- Professionally refurbished bike options with no fees + a warranty
Buycycle offers a more traditional marketplace experience, presenting a variety of bikes from different sellers, which can range widely in terms of price and condition. Buyers and sellers can communicate directly and even negotiate. For hosting the listing and providing shipping, Buycycle will charge a small buyer protection fee (generally ~3-4% depending on location) which will be added on top of the sale price. There are also “refurbished” bikes that are professionally serviced, have no buyer fees, and come with a 1+ year additional warranty.
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Return Policy
Returning a bike that doesn’t suit your needs isn’t commonly accepted when buying privately. A big advantage of services like The Pro’s Closet and Buycycle is the ability to return a bike.
- The Pro’s Closet Return Window: 30 days
- Buycycle Return Window: 48 hours
At TPC, we stand behind our service, inventory, and shipping processes with a 30-day money back guarantee. If your bike doesn’t meet your expectations, or the fit isn’t quite right, we'll take it back. We gladly issue a full refund or store credit for purchases made in the last 30 days. Shipping costs will be deducted from your refund.
Upon receiving the bike, the buyer has 48 hours to begin the claims process for repairs or returns. Buycycle is unable to honor any claim if this time period is exceeded. If Buycycle accepts your claim, you’re entitled to one-time compensation per order. There are a few conditions. If the size is incorrectly listed, or there’s safety-relevant frame damage (carbon, aluminum, steel), Buycyle will contact the seller and cancel the sale. Returns won’t be accepted for bikes that don’t fit, bikes whose arrival exceeds its estimated delivery time, or visual defects that don’t pose a safety risk.
Shipping Internationally
Currently, TPC will ship bikes domestically to the 50 United States and all Canadian Provinces. We are unable to ship to other international locations at this time.
Buycycle will ship internationally to these countries:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
- USA
Selling with The Pro's Closet vs. Buycycle
The Pro's Closet
- Sellers submit 2 or more photos and details to get a bike valuation
- Sellers receive an offers within 48 hours
- We provide shipping labels but no packing materials
- We don’t buy everything
- Sellers might get less
TPC tries to streamline the process for sellers, offering a straightforward path from valuation to sale, with the platform handling many of the logistics. Submitting a bike is quick and easy, and if we’re interested in buying your bike, you’ll receive an offer for instant cash or store credit (paid upon receiving the bike) within 48 hours. There’s no pressure to accept. Store credit offers are generally higher, to incentivize trading in your bike.
The downside is, because of our Certified Pre-Owned service, offers tend to be lower than what sellers can expect to get selling privately. The upside is selling your bike is quicker, easier, and less stressful when you don’t have to interact with private buyers. Also, because all our used bikes are Certified Pre-Owned, we tend to be a bit pickier about what we buy and there’s a chance we won’t be interested in your used bike. Visit our Sell/Trade page to see what we’re looking for.
Buycycle
- Sellers create and maintain their own listings
- Buycycle offers pricing guidance for sellers
- Sellers can communicate with buyers to answer questions or negotiate
- Buycycle provides shipping labels and packing materials for sellers
- Buycycle charges a small seller fee when bikes sell
Buycycle caters to sellers who prefer direct engagement with potential buyers. This approach demands a bit more effort from sellers, requiring them to manage their own listings and potentially negotiate with buyers, but it can potentially maximize how much money they get for their bike. Buycycle, however, will provide shipping labels and packing materials to facilitate shipping.
Buycycle also charges a 3.5% selling fee on each successful sale of a bike. This fee covers the cost of platform maintenance, shipping, and organization. There are no fees for registering, uploading, or shipping bikes. Sellers who successfully sell a bike will receive a Trusted Seller badge.
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Customer Service and Support
At The Pro's Closet, we are super proud of our Ride Guide team. They provide a responsive support system, aimed at ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the buying or selling process. They not only ensure that any issues are resolved efficiently, but they also have extensive knowledge of all aspects of cycling and can offer detailed guidance and assistance to buyers who need help deciding on their next purchase.
In contrast, Buycycle’s customer support team is mainly focused on supporting the peer-to-peer transactions on its platform. They are there to help sellers and buyers use the platform effectively and facilitate resolution processes if something goes wrong.
Can you ask the Buycycle team questions about a bike you’re interested in? Sure. We’re pretty biased though and like to think our team is the go-to for gear chat because they live and breathe cycling and know cycling products inside and out.
Conclusion
Choosing between The Pro's Closet and Buycycle depends on your priorities. If you value a hassle-free experience, The Pro's Closet is your go-to. For buyers seeking potentially lower prices, sellers seeking higher payouts, and increased selection thanks to private sellers and international listings, Buycycle offers an appealing alternative.
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