seansean

I'm going to post it on craigslist but first I would like to talk about the value first. It is super light I can pick it up with my pinky easy. its a bianchi Columbus. It's also in good shape, rides really nice. I'll try to get pictures on here. I'm not real computer savy.

seansean

seansean

seansean

sorry for double post on pics but come some of you experts give me a fair market value on this bike in good condition. My neighbor doesn't have a computer so he wants me to sell it for him he said it's worth like 2500 so I'm here to find out. anyone who can help that would be aweome thanks,

Juha

Cheers and welcome to Bike Forums.

I'm moving this to Classic & Vintage Appraisals (from Classic & Vintage) as you mention you're interested in value.

--Juha, a Forum Mod

cb400bill

seansean, your pics aren't big enough to give you an thorough appraisal.

oddjob2

Take photos outdoors in daylight, including a few details od the components, any decals, etc. Then upload to a hosting site and paste the links here. Uploading here is no good becuase the cutoff size makes the pics too small.

Probably worth about 10% of $2500.

FastJake

Super light means NOTHING. Seems like every bike I've ever seen for sale is "super light." Put it on a scale and weigh it. Sorry, pet peeve.

Anyway, your pictures are way too small to give a value. But I'm pretty sure it's not going to be worth anywhere near $2500.

zukahn1 

I would say what the bike is actually worth likely in the $300 range and what your neigbor thinks it's worth are just to far apart for selling to for them to make sense. Hard to tell much from the pics but it looks to be a pretty typical mid level Bianchi from the 80's fairly common and nothing special there are a lot of these listed on CL in the $500 price range and not selling.

mstateglfr 

There is 0 chance its worth anything close to what your neighbor claims, unless it is some 1 time special production bike hand made using gold plated and diamond encrusted components.

Based on current pictures and info, its worth probably $200. Meaning you could post it for that around where I live and get enough interest based on the Celeste color and Bianchi name to get people to come see it and then buy. You could probably get more interest and a higher price(if its worth that) with better pictures and better information. The bike isn't a Bianchi Columbus- the Columbus is the brand of steel used to make the frame. Details and good pictures of the bikes components and paint condition will sell the bike.

3alarmer 

...I do not foresee a happy outcome. Perceptions of value this far off reality seldom result in happy transactions.

seansean

Well I had no idea he said he would split it with me ill tell him its only 150-200 and when i sell it ill splt what i get for it. he was just blowing smoke that it was worth that much he was drirnking beers and talking ****.
and about the lite comment it really is very lite. the only emblems on it are bianchi and Columbus

OldsCOOL

Right.
Actually, it has to be a garage sale C. Itoh to be worth that much. Sheesh. No wonder the general public doesnt have a clue. Stop watching American Pickers!

seansean

A man drove from texas really fast same day offered 200 now he said he was driving from texas for it and willing to pay 200 so i told him 325 and you got it. he drove from dallas to oklahoma city and paid me 325 for it. I'm very happy with it because i noticed it a neighbors garage and he was saying its worth so much i knew he was full of it but i thought maybe it is it is super light and i know there are expensive bianchi's so i said let me take it home and put it on craigslist and sell it for you because he was crying about not having rent money. so when the guy from texas called and we worked out 325 for it i called my neighbor and told him i was offered 165 and he said do it i need that money hell yeah thank you sean your the man. So i made 160 and he made 165 and hes very happy with the outcome and so am I But listen he drove from dallas texas to south okc just for a bike and paid asking price 325 no negotiations... I'm afraid it was a higher end one and worth much more... because he loved it. I'm going to figure out how to blow up the pictures and post them on here again so you guys can tell me if I sold a very expensive bike for only 325 or if I did good.

jyl

Does your neighbor know you pocketed $160 from the sale of his bike? Did he agree to that?

exxongraftek

As most everyone else has stated, it is hard to give a good appraisal without good pictures.

However, I can see a riser stem, a worn seat, and some sort of blotches on the top tube.

Even if this were a more expensive Bianchi, top prices are only paid if they are in pristine condition.

I don't think this one was. Your buyer may be also watching too much "American Pickers"...just saying...

exxongraftek

Translating the run-on sentences into a readable format, it appears he did - but it took multiple parsings to determine that.

SJX426 

If I had a bike for sale, I would love to find a buyer that had been watching too much of AP! I sold an engine stand this week. I purchased it from HF for around $60, and told the guy I wanted $40, he gave me $50 and was so happy!

mstateglfr 

Save the time and mental frustration- the pictures you took wont be any better when blown up as they are too far away from the components.

RoadGuy

I hope it wasn't stolen.

Both the Previous Owner, and the Buyer both know where you live.

$165 would not be enough for me to stick myself/get caught in the middle of this/that sort of Incident.

JamesRL

As others have said, no way to know from those pics. That color was used on many Bianchis, from mid level bikes to much more expensive ones. There are some with that color and Columbus tubing that are worth $1000 or so if they have all original parts with no scratches to paint or parts. Subtract at least $200 if it needs an overhaul.

A quick eBay search shows one listed for $265 Cdn, another for $2600 CDN. The expensive one shows one picture, and I'm pretty sure now one will go for it.

If it was close to me, I'd definitely take a look, as that is a bike I'm interested in, but without more info, I wouldn't drive a great distance.

lostarchitect 

I'm kind of tired of seeing people make comments like this. There is nothing to indicate this bike was stolen. It's offensive to OP and his neighbor.

RoadGuy

OP changed his story mid-stream. The title of this thread is: "Hi I have a question about the bike I aquired". This would seem to say that the OP has taken ownership of a bike. Later on in the initial post he states that his intention is to post it for sale on Craigslist.

In Post #4 the OP says that he is looking for a valuation because the neighbor want the OP to help sell the bike, and that the neighbor says it's worth $2500.

In Post #14 the OP states that someone from Texas offered $200, and the OP counteroffered $325, then told the Owner that the Buyer offered $165.

When people omit major facts/details from the story, and the story changes over time, it brings the honesty of the story teller into question. If the Owner knew that the bike was really worth $2500, why would he sell for $160. If the OP told the Owner the truth (that the Buyer paid $325 without a complaint), would he have been so happy to get $165? And why did the OP tell the Owner that the offer from the Buyer was only $165?

By becoming the Middleman, and willingly taking half of the money paid, the OP puts himself squarely into legal trouble if the bike was stolen, since he made the deal, took, the money and kept half of it.

Which is why I wrote that I hope the bike was not stolen (for the OP's sake).

lostarchitect 

OP is not a good communicator. But that's all I takeaway from the stuff you wrote above.

PS, OP states before the $165 comment that the neighbor said they could split the sale. Then they split the sale. He's just not good at writing clearly.

oddjob2

Apparently, @RoadGuy is unfamiliar with living in the part of OKC where people rent homes, but have crust covered Italian road bikes potentially worth thousands.