What is Cyclesite and how does it work?

Cyclesite is a UK marketplace for buying and selling used bikes. Sellers photograph the bike's serial number when listing, and we check it against stolen bike databases before it goes live. Buyers browse for free, message sellers, and pay through Stripe with escrow protection. Listing fees start from £10.99.

Is it safe to buy a second-hand bike on Cyclesite?

Yes. The serial number photo that sellers provide when listing does two things: it proves the seller physically has the bike, and it lets us check the serial against stolen bike databases. If the bike comes back as reported stolen, the listing is blocked. Payments go through Stripe with escrow, so your money is held until you confirm you're happy. If something goes wrong, our dispute team can step in. You can also check any bike yourself for free at cyclesite.co.uk/stolen-bikes.

How much does it cost to sell a bike?

Listing fees start from £10.99 for a standard listing. Auction listings may include additional fees. There are no hidden charges, and you can see the full pricing breakdown on our pricing page before you list.

What bikes can I find on Cyclesite?

Everything from road bikes and mountain bikes to electric bikes, gravel bikes, hybrids, kids' bikes, and folding bikes. You'll find popular brands like Specialized, Trek, Giant, Canyon, Cannondale, and Brompton, plus smaller and boutique brands. Listings cover the whole of the UK, with bikes available in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, and hundreds of other towns and cities.

How are payments handled?

Secure payments are available through Stripe. When you choose to pay through the platform, your money can be held in escrow until you've confirmed the bike matches the listing. Buyers and sellers can also arrange payment directly if they prefer.

How Much Does It Cost to List a Bike?

Cyclesite uses transparent listing packages with a one-off fee. No surprises, no percentage of your sale on private classified listings. See the full breakdown on our pricing page.

Last updated 22 April 2026

Listing fees start from £10.99, tiered by the asking price. The exact fee is shown before you publish.

How Listing Works on Cyclesite

Cyclesite uses a transparent listing fee, a one-off price paid when you publish, tied to the package you pick. Every package price is on our [pricing page](/pricing) and shown again in the listing flow before you pay. No fees are added later.

What the Fee Covers

Every package includes:

Stolen-bike verification. Every frame number is checked against UK stolen-bike databases before the listing goes live.
Manual listing review. A human checks each listing within 24 hours to correct misleading ratings, poor photos or missing details.
Live search visibility. Your listing appears in standard search results for the full duration of the package.
Free direct messaging. Buyers message you on-platform with no extra charge.
Order handling. Stripe payments, escrow, dispute resolution and payout, all included in the transaction fee for Buyer Protection sales, with nothing extra to set up.

Higher packages add longer listing duration, more photos, priority placement in search, featured positioning on the homepage, and social-promotion channels. The full feature list per package is on [our pricing page](/pricing).

The Two Ways to Sell

Private classified, collection in person. You advertise with the listing fee and the buyer collects. Cyclesite takes no percentage of the sale. You pay only the one-off listing fee and keep the rest.

Buyer Protection, secure delivery. Optional. Cyclesite holds the payment in escrow, the courier ships the bike, and funds release after the 48-hour inspection window. A small platform transaction fee applies, shown on the order summary at checkout and on your payout breakdown.

Sellers can offer both options on the same listing, the buyer picks at checkout.

Boosts and Promotions

Mid-listing, you can add optional boosts, homepage featured placement, urgent-sale badge, social promotion, search spotlight. Each is priced and explained on the upgrade screen. Skip them all and your listing still runs at full search visibility for its package duration.

If a Listing Expires Unsold

Your listing runs for the full package duration regardless of views or messages. When it expires, you can relist the same bike at a reduced rate, the system remembers your photos and details, so it takes seconds. If a bike has not sold after a full cycle, the most common causes are price (check [sold prices](/sold-bike-prices) for real comparisons) and photo quality (see [photo tips](/help/selling/photo-tips)).

Refunds on Listing Fees

Listing fees are non-refundable once the listing publishes. They are refundable if a technical fault prevents the listing going live, or if you remove the listing before it publishes within a short cooling-off period. See [refund policy](/help/selling/refund-policy) for the full terms.

Business Sellers

Bike shops and trade sellers run on subscription plans rather than per-listing fees. See [business and trade pricing](/help/bike-shops/business-pricing).

Frequently asked questions

Does Cyclesite take commission when my bike sells?

Not on private classified sales where the buyer collects in person, you keep the full sale price minus your listing fee. Where the buyer opts into Buyer Protection with secure delivery and escrow, a small platform transaction fee covers payment processing, the inspection window and dispute resolution, shown up front on the order summary at checkout.

What if my bike does not sell?

Your listing runs for its full package duration. You can edit the price, photos or description at any time, and we publish tools to help you spot where you are drifting against comparable recent sales. No sale does not mean extra fees. When the listing expires you can relist at a reduced rate.

Are there any hidden fees?

No. The listing fee is shown before you pay, the Buyer Protection fee (if the buyer chooses it) is shown on the order summary at checkout, and the platform transaction fee is shown on your payout breakdown. Everything is visible before anyone commits.

Can I upgrade my listing partway through?

Yes. Move from a shorter package to a longer one and you pay the difference. You can also add optional boosts (homepage feature, urgent badge, social promotion) during the listing, each priced and explained on the upgrade screen.

Where do I see the current prices?

Our [pricing page](/pricing) lists every package, every optional boost and every business plan with live rates. The same numbers appear in the listing flow before you pay.