Used Trainer Derangement Syndrome

Supply without demand: there's never a shortage of indoor trainers on Facebook Marketplace.

As an enthusiastic proponent of free market capitalism, I am all for sellers getting the highest price that buyers are willing to pay. At the same time, I hate to see sellers failing to realize that their goods or services are ridiculously overpriced. This happens sometimes in retail markets and sellers eventually lower their prices until sales volume increases to levels that approach or even exceed original expectations. A lot of research goes into pricing before a product ever hits the shelves at a fine retailer near you. A high initial price may be designed to create an aura of exclusivity, setting the stage for a sale price that intersects with demand from bargain hunting consumers.

Then there’s Facebook Marketplace, an online “yard sale” used by millions of people to extract a tiny bit of residual value from secondhand items that probably never lived up to the promises of retail marketing. And there may be no greater example of this disappointment than indoor bicycle trainers. Thought you would use yours more, didn’t you? Didn’t really like it. Kind of boring. Or maybe you’re the exception: loved it, upgraded to a smart trainer, spend all your time riding through virtual worlds now, and don’t need the old magnetic or fluid trainer anymore.

Whatever the case, that used trainer is worth far less than its original retail price. On Facebook Marketplace, you’ll be lucky to find someone willing to take it off your hands for free. (I scored a free magnetic trainer placed at the end of a driveway in July 2020 and still have never used it! Last December, I snagged a free smart trainer listed on Facebook Marketplace, and it has become my go-to trainer.) Anyone thinking about getting an indoor trainer likely knows that smart trainers are superior, which more-or-less fully devalues magnetic and fluid trainers. But don’t take my word for it. Watch as prices fall on Facebook Marketplace. You can see a couple of local examples in the screenshot above. I don’t expect individual sellers to price their items with the same accuracy that is characteristic of most professional listings, but get real! Prospective buyers don’t care what you paid years ago. It’s easy enough to look at similar listings from other sellers, price your item competitively, and then hope for the best.