audiomagnate

But how much time does it take to read a few lines of BS and hit delete? About half a second for me. Life is too short to get upset about Craigslist bottom feeders. Most of them probably don't have what they're offering anyway.

shoota 

You guys can try to make me out to be the bad guy all you want but it won't change the fact the it's pretty well documented the current generation interacts very differently than previous generations. We are all a product of our environments and the kids these days have never known life without the internet, phones, and computers. I actually have quite a few friends in this category and I've spoken to them about this very topic. So I'm not just being some "get off my lawn" guy, I actually interact with them and work with them, and ride bikes with them, and I like them a lot. I'm speaking from experience and real life conversation. And, no, I'm not saying everyone is this way, it's called a generalization. Anyhoo, carry on.

ridelikeaturtle

Oh, it's a lot more than "reading a few lines of BS". Arrange to meet, very interested in the bike, load up the bike, meet the guy, chat about bikes, he takes it for a quick spin around the forecourt (I always meet people in a petrol station, there are CCTV cameras everywhere just in case they try to do a runner), he's super-happy with it and thinks it's fantastic...

... but then he asks if I think this bike might attract a lot of attention if he locks it up to a signpost outside his office in the city... (duh, yes, it would, and "unwanted" attention at that!), and then offers me roughly half the asking price (must've been watching too many Gas Monkey Garage TV shows) ... seriously, there's two hours of my time wasted.

miamijim

In Tampa the vintage resale market died a quick death 4-5 years ago. It’s more dead than the Night King & White Walkers.

gomango

Same in STP. IMHO

glad I cleared out most of the bikes......

eom 

https://www.bikeforums.net/13666780-post6.html

1. We don't link to Ebay Auctions, although if you have a Craig's List Ad that meets our terms of clear price, etc, that is fine.

I am confused? Respectfully please educate me.

Kobe 

You must state a price when you list a bike in the classifieds. With an eBay auction there is no price stated. It may be an outdated rule because it's rare to see an eBay listing that does not at least start with a Buy it Now.

Definitely a buyers market around here. No need to rush like 5 years ago to scoop up a great deal. Though I have still not bought a thrift store bike in at least 5 years. Sellers have gotten a lot more savvy with social media.

eom 

Restating my request.
Is this correct? Also, we don't allow external links in the for sale forum either.
Is this correct? https://www.bikeforums.net/13666780-post6.html
although if you have a Craig's List Ad that meets our terms of clear price, etc, that is fine.

Phil_gretz

^ I'm the same. I rarely come down from the posted price, but I list at the fair market value at the time in my area. Listing prices have come down ~30% from three years ago.

Bandera

Overinvesting in a hobby will inevitably result in a combination of buyers remorse and a stack of stuff that was once interesting and is now not so much.
Divesting the "collection" at anything resembling recovering the cost of acquiring it in a fad/fashion that has waned in niche/age-cadre interest is remotely possible, quickly far less so.

-Bandera

Fahrenheit531 

Yep. Wisdom.

jahue

We have the opposite problem here (southern us), we have a lot of demand but very few quality bicycles. That is unless you order from eBay or the likes.

jamesdak 

Does anyone really expect to recover costs on these? I buy them to try and to enjoy and then if they don't strike that special chord in my heart I move them on to someone else. I see the "money lost" as the price for the fun so that's never an issue.

But rudeness, yeah that's an issue, LOL!

turtledove

That's a great mentality to have! We all love our bikes too much and kind of blindsides ourselves to what a potential buyer would think, and get offended when they don't see it as the best thing ever.

jamesdak 

LOL, I probably lose on each one I do sell. But I see the experience as a real value also. That and I try not to consider what I really put in them.

Prime example is one I've got listed at $350. I've got $395 in parts alone not considering tax or shipping costs. On top of that is a Tange Prestige Frame original bike with Dura Ace 7400 parts. I also paid the LBS to do a full teardown and rebuild of it when I got it. So, financially I'm throwing money away but the pleasure of owning, riding, and working on it are tangible factors to me so I don't care.

Helps being single with good income too, LOL!

Hence why I do get annoyed when someone two hours away asks for $150 off and oh can you drive two hours to deliver it to me. Really!!

jamesdak 

I'll also say I really enjoy finding some nasty grubby crap of a bike and then as you clean and service finding the gem inside. Especially later when you move it on and you see the light in the buyer's eyes and know you've done something good.

Some good examples were the Club and Team Fuji's and the Trek 560 Pro. All surprisingly bought by younger people who instantly loved the bikes.

I bought the twin of this bike from this seller last summer. Mine looked just as bad as the one in the picture with components frozen up. At least the remaining one pictured here components actually shifted. This one just had a 1 inch scratch in the top tube I didn't want to deal with.

Otherwise mine looked just as bad as this, missing front wheel and all.



Got it home, cleaned it up, serviced the components. Bought a new chain, added a spare saddle, new bar tape, and some nice used wheels and I now have one of the fastest bikes in my stable that's also quite the looker. Pure joy!

This one falls into the "I will never sell" category.




I keep considering "rescuing" the other one from her and fixing it up to sell. Such a sweet bike should not lanquish in a storage unit.

Bandera

Not trying to be rude at all, just saying that's how it actually works when any hobby gets over-invested by an individual with slow/no "return" in a declining market.

-Bandera

jamesdak 

Oh, no, no ... That was not directed at you. It was directed at the people that inspired me to make this post. Sorry, sometimes I don't express my thoughts well in these posts.

I freely admit I'm a "collector" of cool bikes and Kaleidoscopes. But I never have any regrets about this so would never been offended by true comments like what you said. Heck I get half these bikes from people that "collected' them versus riding them. My favorite kind of people, LOL!

Cyclist0108

jamesdak 

I've never used craigslist

wrk101

Where in the southern US? I have found deals in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. The market in these areas is soft.

wrk101

Very well put!

Yep, best to get the value out by enjoying the item. Cost recovery later? Less certain. Fads come and go. I do see people that are so attached to what they paid for the item, rather than what it is worth now.

mhespenheide 

If he's in Utah, there's a 90+% chance he's selling through the KSL classifieds. CL is basically dead in Utah. KSL is the local (SLC) news and has a basic monopoly on classified ads in the state.

robertorolfo

I'm starting to think that you and I must be long lost brothers. I'm in regular "contact" with a variety of younger millennials, and what you say is indeed largely true, and quite worrying. I generally ignore it, but when someone staring at their phone doesn't hold a door, or doesn't even acknowledge the person holding it for them, I usually say something.


Getting back on topic, I've purchased most of my bikes and quite a few parts through Craigslist, and I go out of my way to be as pleasant a buyer as possible, since I'm normally looking at what I consider to be reasonably priced stuff and assuming there is a lot of competition in a market like mine. There are all sorts of sellers out there, and I actually find it sort of fun and interesting to meet them. I generally try to negotiate, but a good bit of background on a bike will make me more likely to pay the full price, which is always in my wallet if I really want something.

treebound 

I’ve never heard of KSL before, I’ll have to look it up.

One problem with localized sales sites is that it limits getting to people who use search engines for when they are going to be driving through an area or are willing to travel. When looking for something not so common I have used “site:craigslist.org (whatever I’m looking for entered here)” .