I usually try to direct people to email photographs if they are able.
Anything by Pacific Cycles or Dynacraft (Schwinn, Mongoose, Next, Road Master, etc...) or anything with neglected or dubious suspension quality, I'll usually decline.
An unfortunate truth is: Rim braked road bikes just don't sell. Even less so if they are vintage or have down tube shifters. It is difficult to even get customers to look at them. Unless a bike has some compelling merits, I'll usually decline. I have a beautiful Giordana, & an Olmo, that have been in the shop for at least a year. A Jeunet that we finally donated to Ukrainian & Afghanistan refugees after 3 years, a Bianchi Campione that likewise sat for about 3 years...Sold it for $100 just to get the floor space. Road bike people have to have the newest, latest & greatest high tech. No matter how good a bike is, vintage is neither.
When on the telephone, I use terms like "exceedingly rusty," "weathered," or sometimes "suitable for a second life" to ward off galvanized spokes, stuck nipples, dry rotted tires, flaking paint, swole up galvanized cables & otherwise low end components. People who leave their bikes outside generally don't have worthy bikes to begin with. (Phrased differently: Worthy bikes don't generally get left outside.)
If they show up in person, I evaluate the bike itself. Sometime exceptions are made one way or the other, but I'll generally lean towards acceptance because the customer made an effort & that is important in a Customer/Public Relations context.
A few bike brands are almost guaranteed acceptance: Trek, Special Ed, Giant, Bianchi, Klein, Cannondale, Novara, Fuji, Norco, Sekai, Raleigh, Centurion, anything Campy or any bike equipped with an IGH...You know, bikes that were/are reputable & would/could be reconditioned/repaired at "not a loss" with volunteer labor.
It is remarkably easy to dump $100 in parts into a bike just to make something safe & functional. Then another $100 in paid labor time to fix/repair/rework a volunteers efforts. Still, at a $250 average price tag about 30% of customers remain unimpressed.
Last edited by base2; 07-08-22 at 09:16 AM.