bamboobike4

And the differences challenge my powers of rationalization.
But I get 'er done.

bamboobike4

Maybe we need a Safe Space Valuation Inquiry thread.

Steel Charlie

Local valuations vary considerably. I've watched ebay priced bike on CL sit for weeks and then purchased them for real world prices - a fraction of ebay. Not to mention all the fees that come down on an ebay sale.

IMO take the appraisal here as a start point, add 10-15% and negotiate from there.

or not

zandoval 

Wow... Is that a StumpJumper?

Piff 

How is this even a debate? Of course the appraisal forum often lowballs to the price they (the appraiser) would hope to pay rather than what the bike could bring in a given market. And of course that's a disservice. There are few places on the net that have as much CV bike knowledge. On the flip side we have zero responsibility to give advice to thankless new posters other than a personal desire to help someone out.

So, if you don't feel like truly helping someone get their top dollar...don't post. Pretty simple.

SoccerBallXan

Free appraisals are free. Lock it mods!

merziac

Free advice, freely given, or not, expectations are entirely up to you and not my concern.

We may be de facto experts of some sort but we all have a different lens we view through that skews and shapes our process.

jdawginsc 

Which is why every time I have posted a response I have said “I am not an expert and smarter people than me will likely chime in...”

This should probably be moved to the appraisal forum, but my opinion has been appraised at zero.

rjhammett

If you feel that the valuations provided on the forum are low then try selling it for what you think it is worth. If you claim to have no idea what the item is worth and you think the provided valuations are low then you do have an idea of it's value. People are just giving their best guess what they think it is worth. I doubt anyone is providing a low value with the intent of trying to buy it from you for a reduced amount. Take all advice with a grain of salt.

Kilroy1988 

That's pretty much my take on this matter and why I posted in the first place. Without knowing the specific situation from which the request for appraisal is being made, such as whether a bicycle needs to sell quickly or not, whether they are attempting to sell it locally or on eBay, are willing to package and ship, etc... I think it is a disservice to simply offer up low numbers based on local market prices.

I'm a busy person and have a lot of things to do and make a decent living, but if I have something that I can spend a few hours cleaning up, advertising and putting in a box in order to possibly make several hundred more dollars than I would otherwise, then I'm sure as heck going to do just that! Maybe it's strange for me to expect similar behavior from most people but in my experience knowing I could make enough money for a month or two of car payments or grocery runs simply by taking some time to sell something on the open market is a no brainer.

-Gregory

Gary12000 

I like this post although i have to confess i couldn't read all the drivel errr i mean opinions lol

what a requester for "what its worth" are getting is actually many appraisals based on someones experience in their sphere be it local ebay and or brand of bike.
I would say often i see the opinions on pricing as a bit low, then if i try to sell there are no buyers, this forum are usually pretty well informed, we have bought used bikes and know that we always spend more
on them than we initially think, you have to realize that this will affect the pricing given by most here.

merziac

And for what its worth being free, I have likely overpaid for many of my bikes, especially the ones I really wanted and was glad to do so.

noobinsf 

If it's not fun to give advice, why would the knowledgeable folks who dispense it for free continue to do so? Folks here self-police frivolous information pretty well, in my experience. The original poster seeking the valuation was grateful and walked away with good general information, and then you provided a more informed perspective for that specific bike. Why not leave it there? The social altruism angle you have here is tiresome and bizarre.

I think it's just your suggestion that the posters somehow wronged the requestor by giving their honest assessments really rubs me the wrong way.

SwimmerMike 

Since Vintage bikes are not traded commodities on an exchange (such as stock, Precious Metals, Pork Bellies) it is down to supply and demand through how you choose to buy/sell. As we all know the markets are highly variable both week-to-week and region-to-region. In general, I will pay too much for something I want since I want it. I will also sell for less than I think something is worth if I think it is going to a good home. So I know my opinions are biased since I will overpay, under price, and I live in an expensive market. Because of that I have only commented on one appraisal item, some tubular wheels. For some reason, I buy a lot of tubular wheels. I gave my opinion, my market, and my reason.

randyjawa 

That is exactly what I do, however; I also comment that location impacts value also.

RustyJames 

I have found the words of Mark Twain quite valuable

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

…not that I always follow that advice but it’s good advice nonetheless.

Kilroy1988 

Really that's precisely what I'm suggesting. If someone walked up to me on the street and said "do you know which way to XYZ" and I really didn't know for sure but thought I had an idea which I decided to formulate as a half-boiled set of directions that could easily lead that person astray, if in fact they did end up going the wrong direction based on that information... Well, guess what? They'd have been wronged!

I could have just as easily said "You now what, I'm not entirely sure. You should probably ask someone else."

In this case the uninformed or localized/biased opinions aren't even being solicited from any one person in particular. Apparently plenty of other members here (based on the responses given above) also refrain from posting an appraisal without actually having direct experience or knowledge of the market for the bicycle in question or ones of the same nature. That anyone would argue that's not a reasonable way to go about offering advice/appraisals mystifies me.

-Gregory

iab

Well, according to over half the posts here, if it is free or on the internet, you deserve it.

Kilroy1988 

Yup! Again, c'est la vie... Doesn't make me feel bad knowing anyone's on my side or not, I said my piece and have tried to address folks who addressed me directly. My initial post and every one since has only been an opinion as well, but certainly one I'm willing to stick by.

-Gregory

SoccerBallXan

And I'm willing to stick by whoever spent $1800 on a Portage had 3 too many brews on a Saturday.

Kilroy1988 

Precisely the kind of person I hope sees my ads.

RustyJames 

Me too!!

SoccerBallXan

So then, we an all agree $1800 for a Portage is hogwash and the only person who would spend that is a drunk.

Again, can we close this thread already?

Kilroy1988 

Like I said, I've seen multiple Portages sell for more than $1,000. One member already stated above that they sold their own for $1,000. So no, I don't exactly agree with that statement.

I also don't know why a thread where people are debating something with different points of view constitutes it being necessary to close it. Does it hurt some kind of feeling of yours to think adults can argue civilly? If it bothers you you're welcome not to read or participate.

-Gregory

3alarmer 

.
...I wish there was a free medical advice forum on Biekforums. The co-pays are killing me at the doctor's office.