How to buy used bicycle in Germany — useful recommendations

So, you arrived in Germany recently or you already live there and suddenly you had the idea to buy a used bicycle by hand I will tell you right away that this solution will be the best, because you can save a lot and get a good two-wheeler for quite a bit of money.

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Why does Germany need a bicycle?

To begin with, let’s figure out why you need a bike in Germany and whether it is worth buying it at all. I live in Berlin and here, as you know, there is a very good transport interchange: trams, buses, metro, trains, electric trains. Why a bike then? And the answer is simple!

I leave the parking lot, which is located next to my entrance, and get to work faster than the U-bahn. Until you get to the station, until you wait for the metro, then change, wait again, then walk from the final station to your destination. At this time, you just sat on the bike and drove one and a half times faster, again, I repeat, in the case of short distances. I convinced you to buy a bike, let’s move on)

Where to buy used bicycle in hand — overview of sites

To carry out this venture, you need to know where used bicycles are still sold in Germany. There are quite a few such places, but I will list the main ones:

• bike shops

Bicycle shops are a great option for those people who do not want to bother with searching for a bike on the Internet, they understand almost nothing about it, they want to feel and choose the right horse for themselves from dozens presented in the window. When buying a used bike from a shop window, you can be sure that it is not stolen, all documents are in place, and the technical condition has been brought to the proper level. Everything is simple here: come to the store, choose a bike, ride it, feel it and you can pick it up. You will definitely be given all the necessary documents, lubricate all the nodes, pump up the wheels, adjust the steering wheel, seat and you can go. There are only 2 drawbacks here — this is the price and poor selection. You can buy exactly the same bike cheaper at other sites and choose for yourself not from 20, but from hundreds of offers.

• Bicycle fairs

Bicycle fairs are regularly held in Berlin, which present a huge platform with hundreds of offers. Here they sell not only used, but also new bicycles, and you will definitely choose the right option for yourself there. Of the advantages, one can single out a huge selection and prices, less than in bicycle leftists. You can search for venues on Facebook by events. Well, from the shortcomings, we highlight the fact that a conscientious seller and a non-stolen bicycle can not always be caught. Many thieves sell their booty here on the sly and profit from naive buyers. To avoid this, always ask for the paperwork for the bike and check it against the frame number, and also make a Kauffertrag. How to make it I will tell below.

• Flea markets and flomarkts

Buying a bike at a flea market, with a probability of 80 percent, you will receive a stolen copy or a bike without documents and a sales contract. But you will pay much less than at an official fair or in a store. Even if you are offered documents, it is not a fact that they are normal. Yes, you can buy a good bike at a flea market for 80 euros, ride it, and no one will ever stop you, you might think. This is partially true, I rode for 2 years and no one ever asked me about anything, but one day I crossed a pedestrian crossing and right there 2 policemen came.
They stopped me and began to scold me, saying that it is forbidden to cross a pedestrian crossing on a bicycle in Germany and you will be fined for doing so. Promising that it wouldn’t happen again, I moved on. But it happens that a fine is still issued, and here the documents for the bike will come in handy.

• Groups in social networks and Facebook Marketplace;

This option is suitable for those who are looking for both simple options and more sophisticated ones. But the price there will also be corresponding. That is, usually, how much a bicycle costs, so much for it on Facebook they will ask. There are no profitable offers, and if there are, it is very rare. But do not dismiss the purchase option here, but rather use it in conjunction with the one that I will discuss in the next paragraph.

• Ebay Kleinanzeigen;

This site is interesting because here people put up their personal belongings for sale, and the price for them can be completely different. Now I will explain. A bicycle can cost 100 euros from one seller, and 50 from another, and these will be exactly the same models. For some rusty bike from the GDR era, they can ask for 300 euros here, and for a more modern one, 100. No logic, but that’s what I like. I am a buyer who is interested in low to mid price bikes and for my purposes this site is great. Also on this site you can find free bikes that people just donate. Read more in the article «How to get a bike in Germany for free».

The bike I’m currently riding cost me 60 euros, and the second photo shows my first bike, which cost the same.

What to consider when buying b. y. bike on german ebay

Before you agree to view the bike, you need to ask the seller if he has documents for transport or otherwise, if he is ready to draw up and sign a contract of sale. As a rule, at this point, all scammers will refuse you or simply stop responding. When consent is received, you can go to watch the bike. You arrived, looked, everything suits you — it’s time to draw up a contract.

I am attaching a sample, you can save and print it, fill in the required fields yourself. But if you don’t have a printer, don’t worry. The handwritten version is also quite satisfactory, but here again there are a number of inconveniences. There are clearly marked fields in the printed contract, such as:

• bike price;
• name, surname of the seller;
• Place of residence;
• Passport number (card id)
• Bike frame number.
• Contract form in PDF.

All this must also be indicated in the handwritten contract, but the Germans are distrustful people and if you ask them to provide personal data, there may be indignation and refusals. In the case of a printout, you provide, so to speak, a form of the established form and not filling out some of its fields will correspond to a deviation from the law.
As for the frame number, you can find it out by reading the bottom of the frame. To do this, you will, of course, have to turn the bike over.

If you have any questions on the topic, I will answer them with pleasure in the comments.