You’ve found a potential buyer for your motorcycle. Now comes the tricky part, getting paid. Traditional methods of payment are risky, slow, expensive, inconvenient, or all of the above. Fortunately, there’s a new way to get paid that beats them all.
Let’s cut through the confusion and find the best way to get paid when selling your motorcycle, securely and quickly.
Physical cash gets you paid on the spot—no transaction limits, no fees, no waiting for funds to clear. But for high-dollar motorcycle sales, cash creates unnecessary risks and awkwardness:
If you’re selling an old dirt bike for a couple of thousand dollars, cash is fine. But for a $15,000 Indian Chief, you want something as immediate as cash, minus the risk and hassle.
Cashier’s checks are a fairly secure method of payment for motorcycle transactions. While they’re not foolproof (skilled forgers create convincing fakes) they’re safe if the buyer’s bank confirms authenticity. To verify a cashier’s check, meet the buyer at their bank and get confirmation.
If you’d rather skip the inconvenience and limited bank hours, keep reading.
Peer-to-peer payment apps are great for splitting bills, and they’ll work if you’re selling a basic electric bike or entry-level dirt bike. But for most motorcycle transactions, they fall short.
If the buyer has a verified PayPal account, they can send up to $60,000 in a single transaction. That’s enough for most motorcycles—if you don’t mind the fees.
PayPal charges 2.9% + $0.30 for goods and services. For a $20,000 sport bike, that’s $580. Someone’s going to eat that cost, and most buyers won’t take the hit if you insist on using PayPal.
With a verified personal Venmo account, buyers can send up to $4,999.99 per transaction. Fine for a starter bike, but inadequate for many motorcycle sales.
Like Venmo, Cash App doesn’t have high enough transaction limits for many motorcycle sales. It caps out at $7,500.
Zelle doesn’t allow high enough fund transfers to be viable for many motorcycles. Its limits vary by bank but usually hover around $2,000 to $5,000 per day.
You probably don’t have a card reader to directly accept credit card payments. Even if you have a card reader for your business, mixing personal vehicle sales with company finances is a bad idea.
You could use an intermediary payment processor (Stripe is the most common) to receive credit card payments. Let’s crunch the numbers on a Ducati Panigale V4:
Don’t want to kiss seven hundred dollars goodbye? We don’t blame you. Plus, credit card companies may try to claw back the buyer’s funds if they claim fraud. You don’t want that headache in your life. Avoid accepting credit cards, and read on to learn about another way to get paid that is as convenient as swiping a card.
Wire transfers give you excellent security and finality. When you receive a wire transfer, the money is yours—no chargebacks, no disputes. This peace of mind makes wire transfers popular for motorcycle sales and other high-value transactions, but they do come with some downsides:
The best way to receive payment via wire transfer is to confirm the buyer’s identity and meet them at their bank early in the day. If you don’t like prolonged inconvenience and sharing sensitive banking info—but you do like the finality and certainty of a bank wire—then DealNow will be your best friend.
DealNow combines bank-level security with the immediacy and convenience of a peer-to-peer mobile app. No more counting bills, waiting for payment confirmation, or trading sensitive info—just quick, secure transactions from your mobile device.
Here’s why DealNow is the best way to get paid when selling your motorcycle:
DealNow is more than a payment app—it’s a complete solution for private motorcycle sales. We keep you and the buyer safe with a step-by-step dealflow:
It’s that easy. After you’ve used DealNow, you’ll never want to sell a motorcycle any other way.
Most private motorcycle sellers aren’t equipped to accept credit card payments. Unless they run a business, they won’t have the necessary hardware. Even if they do, they’ll likely prefer to keep their personal and business transactions separate.
To use a credit card, you need to use a third-party payment processor. Stripe is a popular choice, but it comes with a price. Let’s say you’re buying a Harley-Davidson for $15,000. If you pay via Stripe, here’s what you’re looking at:
If you insist on using a credit card, don’t be surprised if the seller asks you to cover these fees. The cashback rewards will usually not exceed the fees, and credit cards are a terrible form of motorcycle financing. DealNow is as intuitive as swiping a credit card, without percentage-based fees.
Spring and early summer are the best times to sell a motorcycle. As the weather warms up, more prospective buyers enter the market, potentially driving up prices. Winter can be slower, but you might find motivated buyers looking for deals.
A motorcycle title (pink slip) is your proof of ownership and is typically required for a legal sale. While some states allow alternative documentation for vintage bikes (usually 25+ years old), selling without a title is risky and often illegal.
If you’ve lost your title:
Get your paperwork in order first, then use DealNow’s secure platform to complete the transaction properly.
A well-maintained motorcycle priced fairly for its market usually sells quickly. There are certain factors can affect your sale:
Focus on presenting your bike well, pricing it competitively, and using DealNow to handle the transaction. From ID verification to instant, high-dollar payments, we’ve streamlined the selling process to get you paid quickly and safely.
Meet potential buyers in a safe, public location during daylight hours. Verify the buyer’s identity and ability to pay before the meeting. Keep communication records and never share personal financial information. When it’s time to close the deal, use DealNow’s secure platform to handle the transaction.
DealNow verifies buyer identity, confirms funds, and provides a digital bill of sale—all from your phone. You’ll get paid instantly without worrying about counterfeit cash, bounced checks, or payment app limits.
You can list your bike for sale, but you’ll need to coordinate with your lender to handle the payoff and title transfer. Most lenders require the loan to be paid off before releasing the title. The simplest approach is to receive payment from the buyer first, pay off your loan, and then transfer the title once it’s free and clear.
DealNow Is the fastest way to safely get paid—funds transfer instantly to your FDIC-insured account, so you can pay off your loan immediately and finish the deal.
Popular places to list a motorcycle for sale include Cycle Trader, Facebook Marketplace, and local motorcycle forums. Cycle Trader reaches serious buyers, Facebook Marketplace offers wide exposure, and forums connect you with enthusiasts.
Once you’ve found a buyer, move the transaction to DealNow to handle the payment and paperwork. No matter where you list, bring the buyer to DealNow to enjoy the secure transaction infrastructure that listing sites lack.
You can avoid most scammers by requiring ID and funds verification for prospective buyers. Then, meet in public to assess the buyer’s character. Stick to secure methods of payment and use a bill of sale to memorialize the sale. Afterward, sign a release of liability form to avoid legal entanglements with the new buyer.
DealNow weeds out scammers by requiring ID and funds verification during account creation. Both parties sign a state-specific digital bill of sale and you get paid securely and instantly, all within our app.
DealNow is the easiest way to close your own vehicle deal, anytime. It’s the safe and simple way to avoid fraud, sign documents, and instantly transact, all in one app.
