How to Sell your ELF| Purchase Elf eBike

BUYERS AND SELLERS MARKETING TIPS

Now that ELFEBikeConnection is no longer actively selling ELFs , I'm glad to SHARE with you my recipe to for selling it in about 3 weeks.

You should inspect your trike in order to know what's working and what's not; AND then you can price it accordingly.

HOW TO INSPECT YOUR ELF

First of all, do you have inferior front antlers? This problem existed for the earlier built units. (see ELFEBikeConnection website https://www.elfebikeconnection.com/shipping-supportinfo ) Scroll down to section entitled ‘Recalled Parts’.

If you have these antlers, then your ELF's value is significantly depreciated and is good for parts valued under $1,000. or so. It would be deceptive to not tell a prospective buyer about this problem; then if they want to purchase it, it's their problem.

Check to make sure your battery charges via wall socket. To do so, plug your battery into the ELF in the wall first and then the battery into the charger at which point you should hear a whirling noise and see a green (full) or red (depleted) light. If not, either your battery won’t charge OR your charger may be bad. Sometimes the charger ‘s fuse can be bad and be replaced. A full charge on a 48V battery is ideally at 53-54V which indicates full. Anything less than 48 volts indicates wear and around 50V, you'll start to run into trouble and replacement will be need. When battery is low, often if you go up a steep hill, your ELF’s BMS system may shut off your ELF.
Checking the voltage:

By hand with a multimeter having DC voltage:

The most basic, cheap voltage meter can do this. Turn the meter on, and set the selector to VDC, 0-50V. (Note that some types of meters specify a voltage range and some do not). Then using your meter's + and - probes, touch the negative and positive leads to the negative and positive leads of the battery’s Anderson connector. The meter will display your voltage reading. Use caution to not short out the battery by touching the probes together while testing or it will arc and spark, potentially damaging the multimeter and the battery.:

OR by your Cycle Analyst on your ELF:

On the middle of your handlebars hangs your Cycle Analyst. When using this device, make sure you plug your charged battery into your ELF in the garage or in the shade; otherwise, you most likely will blow the solar system’s Genusel fuse or cause worse damage to the solar system. You can also plug in your battery and then move it into the sun to charge by solar. This method may take 2 or 3 hours.
Once your battery is in your ELF, turn on your ELF and scroll through to find the main screen which shows from top left to right (1) Battery Voltage; (2)Amp Hours (I think), (3)Watts from your solar panel and (4) Miles Driven.

3.Lights - front and back, directionals, brake lights and side mirror directionals (if equipped)

4. Horn

5. Ease of sliding seat. If sticky, clean rails with soap and water. Then you can use Lemon Pledge or Teflan lubricant wax to lubricate.

6. .Does the seat lever securely lock? (side locks if older unit)

7. Solar Panel: See Battery Voltage area for when equipped with Cycle Analyst. Otherwise ,you will need to use the Multimeter by plugging it the leads into the Solar Panel roof. See this video from links listed on my website in the Support Section. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hey1QZkYFSQ

8. Motor - operational?

9. Parking brake

10. Does ELF shift properly

11. Tires (any dry rot, wear, stay inflated?)

12. Body scratches/gouges or cracks

13. Do brakes function well without screeching? Have pads been replaced?

14. Have you been in any accidents?

15.. Are your chains rusted?

16. Condition of windows (cracks, scuffs) See ‘Owners Manual’ window maintenance for rejuvenation. Manual found on my website. https://www.elfebikeconnection.com/shipping-supportinfo

Take any many photos as you want; people love photos?

Congratulations on accomplishing your Inspection.

Now you can determine a reasonable price by looking at the past sales on my 'Inventory' page and any other helpful resources. Since the closing of this business, a decent 2 seater typically sold for between mid $4K's to low $5K's. A 1 seater sold for between $3K's - high $4K's.

MARKETING

From my years of marketing, it's always important to follow up. You may get confused as to who is who and from what resource, and so do the Buyers. Try to stay organized. Make your ads interesting enough to read but not so long that one's eyes gloss over. Now here are my suggested resources: FACEBOOK* Marketplace; Facebook groups: ORGANIC TRANSIT SUPPORT ELF REPAIR GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/OTELFSupportGroup;

The Adventures of Organic Transit ELF https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAdventuresofOrganicTransitELFGroup; Organic Transit ELF Repair; Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ot.elf.owners (oldest groups with most archived, searchable data.

Any other FB groups that apply to your area or to bikes would be other resources. Of course, CRAIGSLIST* and local bike shops are included.

Cash is best. Other good payment sources: Bank Check without release of ELF until cleared; Venmo, Zelle, Paypal (fee gets charged), bank check, wire transfers, ACH payments, and of course, good old cash. If you collect a deposit, it should be in excess of $500. depending on the purchase price.

For information regarding shipping an ELF, see my website: https://www.elfebikeconnection.com/shipping-supportinfo

* If a prospective buyer says any of the following: 'will be out of town for a month, so I won't be available and I'll pay you now; or 'there are alot of scammers so please accept this code I send to you to verify'. Blah, Blah. If you ask for their phone number, you may not ever hear from them again. I got so adept as sniffing them down that I'd tell them not to scam me. After awhile they left me alone. HA!