H1449-6
05-27-2009, 07:44 AM
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/oma/1102524589.html
I've bitten my tongue for months but I can't take it anymore! Everyone has the right to sell their bikes for whatever they want but there needs be a sanity check on those who don't know what they're talking about. I know the economy is bad and you might have found a "jewel" in the rough but for crying out loud - do some research.
The following is a guide for those of you who are absolutely clueless about your garage sale or thrift store finds.
1) Just because your bike was made in Europe doesn't mean you've got a winner. They made alot of junk, too.
2) A low end bike that was $97.00 in 1976 is not magically worth $400.00 now.
3) Adult bikes don't have goosenecks.
4) If we can see that the chain is rusty in the picture, automatically grade the bike as "crappy".
5) If you get asked how many speeds it has and don't know, immediately pull your ad.
6) Telling us that you found it in a barn is not a rationale for you overpricing it.
7) Take the $10 price tag from when it didn't sell at the garage sale off the seat before you take your CL pic and ask $250 for it.
8) "Light and FAST!" . . . o.k., if you say so.
9) Not everything with those cooky, curvy handlebars is a race bike.
10) Don't be offended if someone offers you an insulting amount less than you want for your bike - they're just smarter than you.
11) Tires are tires and wheels are wheels. These terms are not interchangable.
12) Breaks should be referred to as "brakes", petles or petals as "pedals".
13) Your bike was not made by Shimano. I know you saw that name somehwere on it but trust me on this one.
14) Vintage implies it was worth something when it was new, otherwise it's just old.
15) High tensile steel - yeah, they put a sticker on the bike that says it but I wouldn't be bragging about it.
16) And finally - go ahead and repost that 10 speed Huffy every week - no one will tire of its charm. If you're willing to endure the humiliation, we'll be there for you until you reach your target market.
I hope this has cleared up some things for the cycling-challenged sellers.
I've bitten my tongue for months but I can't take it anymore! Everyone has the right to sell their bikes for whatever they want but there needs be a sanity check on those who don't know what they're talking about. I know the economy is bad and you might have found a "jewel" in the rough but for crying out loud - do some research.
The following is a guide for those of you who are absolutely clueless about your garage sale or thrift store finds.
1) Just because your bike was made in Europe doesn't mean you've got a winner. They made alot of junk, too.
2) A low end bike that was $97.00 in 1976 is not magically worth $400.00 now.
3) Adult bikes don't have goosenecks.
4) If we can see that the chain is rusty in the picture, automatically grade the bike as "crappy".
5) If you get asked how many speeds it has and don't know, immediately pull your ad.
6) Telling us that you found it in a barn is not a rationale for you overpricing it.
7) Take the $10 price tag from when it didn't sell at the garage sale off the seat before you take your CL pic and ask $250 for it.
8) "Light and FAST!" . . . o.k., if you say so.
9) Not everything with those cooky, curvy handlebars is a race bike.
10) Don't be offended if someone offers you an insulting amount less than you want for your bike - they're just smarter than you.
11) Tires are tires and wheels are wheels. These terms are not interchangable.
12) Breaks should be referred to as "brakes", petles or petals as "pedals".
13) Your bike was not made by Shimano. I know you saw that name somehwere on it but trust me on this one.
14) Vintage implies it was worth something when it was new, otherwise it's just old.
15) High tensile steel - yeah, they put a sticker on the bike that says it but I wouldn't be bragging about it.
16) And finally - go ahead and repost that 10 speed Huffy every week - no one will tire of its charm. If you're willing to endure the humiliation, we'll be there for you until you reach your target market.
I hope this has cleared up some things for the cycling-challenged sellers.