Bike marketplaces that don’t rip you off with fees? The alternative to Buycycle exists.
In recent years, the world of vertical marketplaces dedicated to bicycles has changed rapidly. New players, massive investments, aggressive business models, and a frantic race to acquire traffic and inventory. But is this really the only possible path? In this article, we share the vision of EurekaBike and its marketplace component AGORA: a different, sustainable approach, built around community, local value, and a lean but powerful technology infrastructure.
An open reflection on what it means today to create a digital ecosystem without excessive fees or invasive intermediation – and why we at EurekaBike chose to take a different route, based on tangible sustainability and local proximity, not hyper-financed, centralized models.
High fees? Worse experience, unacceptable costs
The rules of the digital bike market are shifting. Since 2021, we've seen the rise of numerous vertical marketplaces for second-hand bikes. Some, like BuyCycle, The Pro’s Closet, or Bikeflip, have raised millions of euros from institutional and private investors and built complex, expensive structures. To sustain them, they now apply increasingly high transaction fees — often exceeding 10–12% in total when both buyer and seller are considered.
A €2,000 bike can easily generate up to €400 in commissions. Why? To fund teams of 100 people, multinational offices, and ad campaigns costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros every month? The only real winners are the big tech companies like Alphabet and Meta, who collect that advertising spend.
Our response is clear: no, this is not the right model. Digital tools should enable connections, not introduce costs far higher than the opportunities that already exist at a local level.
Acquisitions and the race for dominance: a fragile model
A clear sign of this structural fragility came in March 2025, when Buycycle acquired Biked, one of the top second-hand bike marketplaces in France. The goal? Expand in France and quickly grow the user base to keep the machine running. The press release spoke of “optimizing the user experience” and “international integration,” but the underlying message is clear: these players must grow at all costs to survive, absorbing smaller platforms and reshaping their user experience — without any guarantee that users will accept the change.
This is a race to scale and volume that leaves little room for real sustainability. In such a model, every lead, every bike sold, every user must be monetized to the max just to justify the overhead. And when users aren’t enough, you buy the competition.
The EurekaBike model: sustainable, concrete, community-focused
We chose a different path. We create real value for people, bike shops, professionals, and enthusiasts. With a lean but advanced tech stack, a small, agile team, and a focus on data infrastructure — not advertising burn.
What does this mean in practice?
Our B2B marketplace launched with a symbolic flat fee of €250/year for shops.
The P2P marketplace (for individuals) will launch completely free in 2025.
In the future? A possible micro-fee of 1–5%, enough to sustain the platform without burdening users.
We want to enable connection, not force intermediation
Our goal is not to block direct dialogue between buyers and sellers. On the contrary: we believe in transparency, trust, open reviews, and data quality. The real value of digital platforms is to create fertile ground — not to control the conversation like a gatekeeper. That’s why on EurekaBike you’ll find:
Simplified publishing for bikes, accessories, and services
Full control of your listings and direct contact with leads
Professional tools available — but never mandatory
All managed through a super-simple system with just one user profile to access all features. Want to sell a bike as a shop? You can list it from your business account. Want to sell your old helmet as a private user? Just list it from your personal profile. Everything with maximum simplicity and a single login!
Explore the full EurekaBike ecosystem
AGORA is the marketplace component of the EurekaBike ecosystem — but it's only one part of a much larger project. The entire EurekaBike platform is designed as a modular SaaS ecosystem, where all components can be used standalone or natively integrated. At its core is EIDOS, the first vertical PIM/DAM built specifically for the bike industry.
Also part of the suite: KYKLOS (a stock and inventory manager for retailers), LOGOS (a CMS for static websites targeting SMEs), and EMPORION (a scalable e-commerce solution for B2B and B2C). AGORA brings all of these together into a fluid, transparent experience that supports a more efficient, interconnected supply chain.
Digitally empowering local markets
Most large marketplaces aim to sell bikes across countries or continents. That’s useful, of course. But we believe the true power of digital tools is not to drive distance — it’s to bring people closer.
EurekaBike also exists to promote local proximity markets, where trust, expertise, and assistance matter most. If I can find the bike I want in my neighborhood — from a local shop or a passionate cyclist nearby — I’m creating value for my community.