Condition of bikes-Grading description

[LouDeeter]

I am posting this after reading much of the thread on the Richard Sachs frame that is described as good condition. I put this in my Used Bike Buyers Guide that I used to sell.

condition grading. Jim Cunningham, Cyclart, contributed the following.
Grade:
NIP: New in original packaging.
NOS: New, unused, old stock.
NEW: New, unused, recent production.
EX: Excellent, virtually unused or unblemished.
VG: Very Good, minor wear or blemishes.
G: Good, moderate wear or blemishes.
F: Fair, significant wear or blemishes.
P: Poor, incomplete, non-functional or very blemished. REB: Rebuilt/

[AngryScientist]

That can be helpful; but leaves a lot to interpretation. The best is numerous; good detailed photos to describe condition.

[edgerat]

agree with Angry. My .02 is that anything with "moderate wear" should not be listed as "good". Anything with moderate wear may not even be considered fair, ATMO. I baby my bikes though, others use them as tools, and then there are some that are in between I imagine.

[tbike4]

Some people just don't know how to sell stuff and cannot rate the condition of something that is right in front of them. You ask questions or for more pictures to show xyz. They can't do it properly. They aren't wired for it.

I get it that they have a bike in the garage and want it gone, maybe it did not belong to them or they just aren't "bike people". They may not ride at all. Most likely they can't rate the condition of something they ARE familiar with. Perhaps a smart phone. I leave them alone and they sell to someone else who just cares if it works & the price is right.

Rant over but thanks to the OP for posting.

[Hilltopperny]

I recently took a bike trade toward one of my nicer framesets. The seller said it had some scuffs from storage on the fork and told me the purple tape he applied in spots was for aesthetics. When the bike arrived it had clearly been laid down on the drive side. Every piece of tape I removed revealed significant paint damage and there appeared to be cracking on the drive side stay. Luckily UPS totaled the frame and I was sent the rest of the funds via buyer.

The components were functionally perfect and in good shape aside from the hoods being shot. The headset bearing was rusted and also needed replacing. The bike was expensive 10 years ago when it was produced, but the condition given by the other party was way off! If the frame hadn't been totaled I would not have been very happy with the transaction. Of course this was a Facebook marketplace interaction and a reminder of why I prefer this place to move my stuff!

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[Flinch]

Grade (if sellers were honest):
NIP: New in original packaging, I stuffed it back because it fell apart when opened.

NOS: New, unused, old stock. Won't fit, can't return it, so it sat on the shelf hoping for the next sucker.

NEW: New, unused, recent production. Oh crap, this one is a fake, gotta shill it off on some rube.

EX: Excellent, virtually unused or unblemished. Dang! Where did that crack come from. Quick, sell the darn thing!

VG: Very Good, minor wear or blemishes. Frame straightened right out, except for the top tube dents, and the epoxied headtube, oh, and the stripped bottom bracket threads, and...

G: Good, moderate wear or blemishes. Heck, that there rust sure covers up the cracked frame, don't it? And hey, those dropouts gotta be hereabouts somewhere.

F: Fair, significant wear or blemishes. Well it worked twenty years ago! Don't need new tires, those can be taped back together. What? Hell, that's my missing hamster, just ignore that stink!

P: Poor, incomplete, non-functional or very blemished. REB: Rebuilt/ The guy said he didn't think it was stolen. Those marks? Might be from when my ol' pickup backed over it, or could be from the pipe-wrench.

[Bikeydany]

Originally Posted by Flinch

Grade (if sellers were honest):
NIP: New in original packaging, I stuffed it back because it fell apart when opened.

NOS: New, unused, old stock. Won't fit, can't return it, so it sat on the shelf hoping for the next sucker.

NEW: New, unused, recent production. Oh crap, this one is a fake, gotta shill it off on some rube.

EX: Excellent, virtually unused or unblemished. Dang! Where did that crack come from. Quick, sell the darn thing!

VG: Very Good, minor wear or blemishes. Frame straightened right out, except for the top tube dents, and the epoxied headtube, oh, and the stripped bottom bracket threads, and...

G: Good, moderate wear or blemishes. Heck, that there rust sure covers up the cracked frame, don't it? And hey, those dropouts gotta be hereabouts somewhere.

F: Fair, significant wear or blemishes. Well it worked twenty years ago! Don't need new tires, those can be taped back together. What? Hell, that's my missing hamster, just ignore that stink!

P: Poor, incomplete, non-functional or very blemished. REB: Rebuilt/ The guy said he didn't think it was stolen. Those marks? Might be from when my ol' pickup backed over it, or could be from the pipe-wrench.

Hilarious! This is exactly why a clear and honest grading system is important.

[jamesdak]

This is a big reason why I only sell locally and face to face. My adds have plenty of detailed pictures to attaact attention. But I want the buyer to see and judge for themselves. I'd rather take more time and make less money selling one than to sell online and have someone come back with complaints.

Everyone sees things differently, so I let them make the condition decision themselves.