Hello,
This thread is related to the Appraisals forum but it seems appropriate to post it here since this is where most of the posters hang out. I don't meant to bash anyone, but I think as a community we are letting some folks down with a general disregard for the changing C&V bicyle market. I just want to ask members here to
please at least do a little bit of research or back up claims of valuations for C&V bicycles from direct experience for the sake of the often uninitiated who are asking for our expert advice. I just had to step into a thread where a new member was asking about a Raleigh Portage that is clearly in excellent condition, and multiple members gave figures no higher than $400.
Valuation Request Raleigh Portage Tour 1986? - Bike Forums
All it takes is one quick eBay search to see that a bicycle that looks almost exactly the same as this JUST SOLD for $1,825 + shipping! And anyone who follows Raleigh Portage sales on the internet knows that is not atypical.
I've seen so many other examples such as this in the appraisal forum. We are doing a disservice to those asking for our collective wisdom on such matters by (mostly) lowballing estimates in an economy with rapid inflation and high demand for many classic bicycles. Some of these folks may be relying on our help to sell things and make ends meet or for other immediate needs and letting them think their bicycles are worth less than they are on the current market just because that's what "you would pay" is not a respectful thing to do. If you don't watch the market for a certain type (or in some cases exact model) of bicycle and don't have experience buying or selling them then you probably shouldn't provide your opinion...
Obviously, a lot of old bicycles are junk and not worth the price of putting tires and cables on them. If that's the case then it should still go without saying that a reasonable explanation of why that's so should be given to the asker based on the responder's experience with comparable bicycles.
-Gregory