Why I hate the Classified's here...

[jtbadge]

I know I'm guilty of not responding to PMs about WTBs, sorry if that is offensive behavior to some. It also seems that no matter how specific the post is about price or requirements, there are as many or more offers outside of those parameters that it's almost not worth posting. I agree with some above comments that the most productive thing to do for the seller and any potential buyers in these situations would be to reply to the thread and/or create your own FS ad to increase visibility.

My peeve lately has been seeing PSAs for MX Leaders over and over again for much more money than the one I have had listed here for months, that are also in worse condition than mine.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

If one of those was me, I apologize. I think there were a few folks who offered me older Campy silver stuff and I had so many PMs come in I got lost. Still, I should have done a better job of managing my inbox.

Given the list of stuff bought and sold lately you probably get a pass on that one.

[joosttx]

There are a lot of bottom feeders, cheap-skates, look-ee-loos and can-we-be-best-bros in the classifieds in my experience. I have had several very good experiences and plenty more annoying ones. I have goofed up plenty of times as a seller which every time the buyer has been first class. I appreciate this greatly.

How I handle the annoyance is I try to price things low. To prevent to low balling and to discourage special requests. It works to a degree. I don’t make my bread and butter selling my bike parts so it’s not a big deal if I take a lost and I really don’t care if the buyer flips it. I keep the relationship transactional and polite. But it’s a pain in the butt to sell stuff here.

[William]

I do have to say that feedback doesn't amount to much on this website. Am I going to read 920 pages of feedback posts? And it really only addresses closed transactions, which by and large seem to go pretty well. It's the frustration from the people we don't cinch a deal with that we seem to be talking about mostly. There may be no way to address that.

no, but if you're considering selling your $3k bike to someone, it would be prudent to hit he "search this thread" button and type their user name and see what pops up.

here you go, i did it for you. there are 14 posts that mention your user name. it took me under a minute to read them all and decide if i want to do business with you based on them.

And there's even a tutorial thread with pictures and everything at the top of the classifieds section that tells you how to do that...easy peasy:

How to search The Classifieds Feedback thread for Buyers and Sellers


I can only speak for myself but since 2004 everyone I've dealt with on the PL classifieds has been top notch.





William

[jimcav]

but that other 5% has been really, really frustrating, and I would agree it is a more recent thing. I haven't ridden a road bike since November 2016, and several times in the last year I have contemplated listing all my stuff. However, the the last time I posted stuff I dealt with some odd low ball offers and too much back and forth with irrelevant info on why the stuff was overpriced relative to completely different brand options. If I'm selling brand X, I don't want to discuss brand Y. Go buy Y if that is what you want. I have however certainly offered 3 installments as an option for higher-end stuff, something Jack Brunk did for me; and if he hadn't, I'd have never had the opportunity to ride some things (much easier if it is someone who has been here a while).
Still, when I get motivated to list stuff, I'd rather think of someone here with my old stuff than a random CL or ebayer, who likely as not will flip it

[MerckxMad]

I have to agree with the OP. Let me say that the my sales and purchases, when completed on this forum, have been great. I've dealt with terrific people and, I think, made some internet friends along the way. That said, I'm going straight to Ebay now. The tire-kickers are killing this forum. The commentators who hijack a sales thread are disheartening. It's just not worth the aggravation. My last attempt ended in a challenge that I was incorrectly measuring a bike that I own based on its appearance in the photo! Ugh. It's too bad, 'cause I'd much rather sell my bikes to people who I know will enjoy them as much as I did.

[fiamme red]

I've had positive experiences with everyone on the Classifieds, except the millennials.

Just kidding.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

I've had positive experiences with everyone on the Classifieds, except the millennials.

Just kidding.

What, you won't take bitcoin?

[pdonk]

I have done some recent buying and selling here and on other forums as a way to clean up my basement and to acquire a few parts for an upcoming build.

I have found this place is better than pinkbike in terms of offers and retrobike in terms of tire kickers.

I apologize to anyone I may have tire kicked (i know I did it on a set of wheels last year), sometime things change, especially once you figure in shipping to Canada.

[gdw]

I've had really good luck selling components here over the years but frames and complete bikes seem to bring out the flakes. Too many requests for additional pictures, measurements, etc and ridiculously low offers. It's much easier to sell locally on Craigslist or Ebay for more than I offered the items to our members.

[OtayBW]

Maybe this is simplistic, but I think the answer is just don't enable bad behavior.

Originally Posted by MattTuck

I have some used rapha bibs. Chamois is still pretty good. $165 OBO.

BTW - are you firm on that?

[camelopardalis]

I can't sell here yet because I don't have enough posts. But it's gotta be better here than Craigslist which is populated by scammers and flakes.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Thanks - my memory isn't the best..

On the flip side, if I saw you post a WTB for a Campy 11 group, I'd probably be willing to let one go to you at a bit below market-price -- but I have no interest in posting that group because I don't need to sell it right now and may use it myself in the not-too-distant future.

thanks but the "WTB 11sp" was theoretical not actual...no new bike day for me, sadly

[pdmtong]

Post count means nothing. Everyone was new once.

What matters is how everyone behaves towards one another.

Maybe eight or nine years ago on this forum I made the largest non-face to face bike purchase of my life-to-date. Some guy across the country 3000 miles away without much of a post count or sell history.

I spoke to the seller on the phone. I didn't have a PayPal account at the time so sent a check. Then, I waited.

As promised, the box arrived and it was packed better than anything I had ever seen. Thirty minutes to cut the packing away.

The seller?

Some guy named Ryun.

[Big Dan]

No problems for me.
If I post a wtb I usually want to wait for a couple of different offers to come in.