bikemig 

So I'm thinking of buying a bike in a town that is too far away drive to that I found on craigslist. One immediate issue is that the price jumps considerably once you have a bike shop pack and ship it (I'm estimating $150-$200). Another is inspection but a facilitator can help and I have a good vibe from the seller.

I'm curious whether others here have done this and if they would not mind sharing their experiences, good or bad. I'll likely use paypal to pay the seller; a credit card to pay the bike shop that is doing the boxing and shipping.

sloar 

Where is it located? Ive had a couple BF members facilitate for me with excellent experiences. I find a lot of nice deals on my "local" craigslist, but once I figure in $20 for gas and another $10 for lunch sometimes it ends up not being such a great deal. Ya really got to want it.

deephate

What are you thinking of buying**********

Edit: I quite often see ones I really want but the shipping stops me. I appreciate you bringing that one to our Des Moines store for me! That saved me a bunch!

rccardr 

Have done this several times, all have worked out very well. Pay the seller with PayPal, pay the packing shop with credit card ($50 usually), then use BikeFlights to ship, send the BF lBel to the packing shop and pay for pickup. Using my own BF account saves some on shipping.

3alarmer 

.
....I have facilitated a couple of CL purchases of "special" bikes off the local CL here for people on the forum.

Personally, with all the strange experiences I've had with CL, I wouldn't buy off it without either a personal inspection or someone knowledgeable doing it for me. It will probably go OK, but if it does not, your recourse is pretty much zero.

wrk101

Needs to be something special to make it worthwhile. While some areas you can have a LBS pack for $50, other areas it could be $150. I've typically tied it to a later road trip and picked it up then. I palpal'd a down payment on one this trip and picked it up no problem.

Being able to pick up the bike changes the economics dramatically!

Although you as a buyer take all the risk, in the end, most sellers are honest. But like gambling, don't risk money you can't afford to lose.

merziac

The one I did went ok, but the guy has a big ebay presense so that was good to go on.

tyler_fred

I’ve bought two bikes this way. I had the seller deliver the goods to the LBS. They inspected and packaged. I paid the shop for the packing, BF shipping, and the cost of the bike. They in turn paid the seller. My last purchase cost me an additional $110 for packaging and BF shipping.

Bikerider007

I have picked one up like that. The girl took it to a UPS store or somewhere. They charged $30 for the box and packed for free. They took some instruction and did a nice job but then filled the box entirely with peanuts that are a pain when opening. I paid for bike flights and they picked up from UPS store. Total was like $110 or so packed and shipped. She just dropped off for me and I emailed the bike flights tag to store.

CliffordK

The biggest issue is to get sellers to actually talk to you.

I've had some sellers that never respond if I say that I'm 100 miles away, or ask about shipping.

There is some trust in the transactions. For example, PayPal "Friends and Family" is free, but has no "disputes". On the other hand, you get some insurance using a normal commercial PayPal transaction, I believe even for transactions done via e-mail, but someone has to pay the extra fees.

I've done a few long distance transactions that turned out fine.

old's'cool

I had a friend facilitate a CL purchase on the far coast. The seller was cool, no issues.
I packed and shipped the bike to myself, months later, the next time I visited my friend.

speedevil 

I bought a Lemond from the UP of Michigan. The seller took it to a bike shop in town and I contacted them, paid for packing, and sent them a bikeflights label. Worked out just fine. I also bought an older cannondale in Kansas City through ebay, and had a BF member facilitate the purchase on his end. he chose the bike shop, knowing the shops far better than i could. I contacted them, paid them for packing, and sent them a bikeflights label. Worked out great.

I was fortunate that the bikes were as described and photographed, and neither had any shipping damage to contend with. I'm certain that not every transaction goes smoothly, but a little due diligence will help, along with a bit of good luck.

Given similar circumstances I would not hesitate to buy this way again.

Barrettscv 

I've purchased most of my bikes from sellers more than a 500 miles away. Remote Craigslist sales are a gamble if you are depending on the seller to drop off the bike at a local bike shop. Fortunately, I've never had a loss or disappointment. However, buyer-beware applies.

I'd do it again, but only for a grail bike at a phenomenal price. I'd not spend more than $600 without a local facilitator.

CV-6 

I bought my tandem off eBay. It was in Fresno, CA. Local facilitator picked up for me, pronounced it in great shape and shipped it. Only thing was he did not wait for me to provide a shipping label and I paid probably twice as much for shipping.

aeshultz

This;

I've done this several times - the biggest hurdle is sometimes convincing the seller that you are serious. PayPal to seller, drops bike at pre-arraigned local shop (helps if it's someone they have worked with), shop is paid for packing & shipping with a CC. Works well, especially when the purchase price is low enough to make up the differnce of pack & ship.

mstateglfr 

I bought an MB-0 for a member last spring on the local CL.
He paypal'd me $, i bought and shipped, and everyone was happy.

The seller was shocmed it was all legit as the actual buyer was up in Canada. The seller figured it was a scam.


Itd be tough to trust the cosmetic condition from afar. Not much different than ebay though.

Mig- post pics once you get the bike!