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Main
Date: 20 Jul 2007 23:26:52
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Need Online Used Bike Store
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What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used adult
bike?
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Date: 25 Jul 2007 17:12:10
From: Camilo
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Jul 24, 11:14 am, John Schutkeker
<jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam > wrote:
> What is the "ultegra level"? I find that there are only two different
> kinds of bikes on ebay, overpriced ones that don't sell at all, and
> underpriced ones that have already sold. Either way, no bike for me.
I was using "ultegra level" as short hand for "pretty good, not quite
top of the line". In my case I was looking for a good frame with
components on the level of Shimano 105 or above (or comparable Campy,
etc.). These upper end used road bikes just aren't seen in my town.
You could stumble on a very nice used bike of 15+ year old vintage
(you know - someone bought a really nice bike, never used it and
finally gets around to selling it), but I was looking for something
pretty modern, say, year 2000 and newer, with modern shifters, drive
train, etc.
I agree with you on ebay, except I'd add another category - the fair
or slightly high "buy it now pricing" where you can accept a slightly
high price for the efficiency of just getting the transaction over
with. as you know from your comic searches, you can spend a LOT of
time finding bargains on ebay, not always worth the time.
Which gets us back to what ebay is good for - finding stuff you can't
get locally. In my case a used bike, and I'd guess that you find
comics on ebay that you can't find locally at any price.
I was happy to settle for a reasonably fairly priced bike just to get
it done since there was no way to find one locally and I didn't want
to spend all spring trying to hunt the big bargain. What it amounted
to was I found a lightly used, bike for about 40% of what a new one of
the same caliber would have cost locally. I would have considered 30%
a better price, but I guess the "market" holds true in pricing - I
paid a price I am happy with although others say I paid too much
(still haven't seen a better deal though!)
> With ebay, of course, shipping is also an issue, and an excuse for the
> unreaslistic seller to tack another $50 or $70 onto the asking price.
> The same is true for comic buying, where I spend most of my spare time -
> one has to be a professional shopper, just to get a deal.
Shipping is of course an issue, and the price charged for my shipping
was less than what I was quoted on an on-line shipping calculator.
Where I live, we're used to paying shipping, it just has to be done,
and most retail prices reflect it also.
> In comics, I know how to do that, but in bikes, not so much.
It takes a lot of knowledge, common sense and discipline to get good
prices on ebay. I'm afraid that a large portion of ebay shoppers
don't have it. Like you, I only dabble in the few areas I feel I have
expertise in value.
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Date: 25 Jul 2007 03:05:42
From: Luigi de Guzman
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:14:32 +0000, John Schutkeker wrote:
> Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:1185152112.690233.94390@i13g2000prf.googlegroups.com:
>
>> On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> This week, I came very close to getting a lightly used Trek, whose
>>> retail price is $450, for $90. That is what I consider impressive
>>> enough to buy immediately, although I'm really looking for a lightly
>>> used $200 (retail) machine for proportionately less, or a Huffy or
>>> Sears bike for $35.
>>
>> What do you mean by "very close"? I'm just curious if this was an
>> auction, or was someone selling the bike for 90?
>
> The latter.
>
>> My experience with ebay is that prices are generally "fair". Steals
>> are rare, and it takes a LOT of time to work ebay to find one. At
>> some point, time is money and sometimes a busy person just has to make
>> the rational decision to pay a certain price and be done with it. To
>> me, saving the last $100 just isn't worth trolling ebay for another
>> week or two after I find a 'buy it now' for a reasonable-slightly high
>> price.
>>
>> Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
>> sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
>> idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
>
> Do bike shops sell used cycles out the back door of their repair shops,
> the same way used lawnmowers and snow blowers are sold out the back door
> of those retail shops?
Depends on the shop.
Here in Northern Virginia, for instance, there are a few bike shops that
deal in used bikes. My own LBS, Oasis Bicycle Works, seems to do most of
its business in rebuilt used bikes, but offers some really nice new bikes
for sale. Oasis is mostly a service shop, though.
Down the road in Falls Church, Bike Club Bicycles is a totally different
story. Talk about shop-- there's so much inventory there that the
proprietor works outside on a workstand under an awning. He's got
everything in there--high-end road bikes, mountain bikes, BMXes,
fixies--and an enormous pile of used bikes of to fit almost any price and
purpose. Bike Club also does trade-in deals.
Digression: in shops, I have noticed two types. One type of proprietor
likes cycling as _sport_, and sells bikes and accessories and services to
support that. The other type of proprietor--my favored type-- likes
*bicycles,* and sells things that support people who use bicycles for any
purpose (including sport). It's the latter type of proprietor that tends
to look more kindly on secondhand or plain old equipment.
--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com
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Date: 22 Jul 2007 17:55:12
From: Camilo
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam >
wrote:
>
> This week, I came very close to getting a lightly used Trek, whose
> retail price is $450, for $90. That is what I consider impressive
> enough to buy immediately, although I'm really looking for a lightly
> used $200 (retail) machine for proportionately less, or a Huffy or Sears
> bike for $35.
What do you mean by "very close"? I'm just curious if this was an
auction, or was someone selling the bike for 90?
My experience with ebay is that prices are generally "fair". Steals
are rare, and it takes a LOT of time to work ebay to find one. At
some point, time is money and sometimes a busy person just has to make
the rational decision to pay a certain price and be done with it. To
me, saving the last $100 just isn't worth trolling ebay for another
week or two after I find a 'buy it now' for a reasonable-slightly high
price.
Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
Ebay is excellent if you're willing to pay a fair price for something
you normally can't find locally. In my case, I found a good quality
used bike for what I consider a little more than what I probably
should have paid, but I was happy because there are absolutely no
"ultegra" level used bikes for sale in my town, even more rare to find
in my size. Haven't seen one in the past couple of years. Same with
some other stuff I've bought used on ebay - fair price for stuff that
can't be found locally.
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Date: 24 Jul 2007 19:14:32
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com > wrote in
news:1185152112.690233.94390@i13g2000prf.googlegroups.com:
> On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam>
> wrote:
>
>> This week, I came very close to getting a lightly used Trek, whose
>> retail price is $450, for $90. That is what I consider impressive
>> enough to buy immediately, although I'm really looking for a lightly
>> used $200 (retail) machine for proportionately less, or a Huffy or
>> Sears bike for $35.
>
> What do you mean by "very close"? I'm just curious if this was an
> auction, or was someone selling the bike for 90?
The latter.
> My experience with ebay is that prices are generally "fair". Steals
> are rare, and it takes a LOT of time to work ebay to find one. At
> some point, time is money and sometimes a busy person just has to make
> the rational decision to pay a certain price and be done with it. To
> me, saving the last $100 just isn't worth trolling ebay for another
> week or two after I find a 'buy it now' for a reasonable-slightly high
> price.
>
> Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
> sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
> idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
Do bike shops sell used cycles out the back door of their repair shops,
the same way used lawnmowers and snow blowers are sold out the back door
of those retail shops?
> Ebay is excellent if you're willing to pay a fair price for something
> you normally can't find locally. In my case, I found a good quality
> used bike for what I consider a little more than what I probably
> should have paid, but I was happy because there are absolutely no
> "ultegra" level used bikes for sale in my town, even more rare to find
> in my size. Haven't seen one in the past couple of years. Same with
> some other stuff I've bought used on ebay - fair price for stuff that
> can't be found locally.
What is the "ultegra level"? I find that there are only two different
kinds of bikes on ebay, overpriced ones that don't sell at all, and
underpriced ones that have already sold. Either way, no bike for me.
With ebay, of course, shipping is also an issue, and an excuse for the
unreaslistic seller to tack another $50 or $70 onto the asking price.
The same is true for comic buying, where I spend most of my spare time -
one has to be a professional shopper, just to get a deal.
In comics, I know how to do that, but in bikes, not so much.
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Date: 24 Jul 2007 15:36:59
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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John Schutkeker <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam > wrote:
> Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com> wrote in
>> On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
>> sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
>> idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
>
> Do bike shops sell used cycles out the back door of their repair shops,
> the same way used lawnmowers and snow blowers are sold out the back door
> of those retail shops?
Some do. Some bike shops don't want to bother with selling used bikes.
My favorite bike shops in Seattle sell exclusively used, or a mix of
used and new.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
"I only touch base with reality on an as-needed basis!"
-- Royal Floyd Mengot (Klaus)
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Date: 25 Jul 2007 00:51:03
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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Dane Buson <dane@unseen.edu > wrote in
news:bhbin4-thg.ln1@curare.zuvembi.homelinux.org:
> John Schutkeker <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote:
>> Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com> wrote in
>>> On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker
>>> <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote:
>>>
>>> Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
>>> sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
>>> idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
>>
>> Do bike shops sell used cycles out the back door of their repair
>> shops, the same way used lawnmowers and snow blowers are sold out the
>> back door of those retail shops?
>
> Some do. Some bike shops don't want to bother with selling used
> bikes. My favorite bike shops in Seattle sell exclusively used, or a
> mix of used and new.
And if I enter through the front door, would they deny that such
activities take place, even though they do?
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Date: 25 Jul 2007 09:05:28
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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John Schutkeker <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam > wrote:
> Dane Buson <dane@unseen.edu> wrote in
>> John Schutkeker <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote:
>>> Camilo <campascual@yahoo.com> wrote in
>>>> On Jul 22, 5:05 am, John Schutkeker
>>>> <jschutke...@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Craiglist, and local used bike private sellers (including garage
>>>> sales) are where the bargains are found, because the owner has not
>>>> idea what the bike is worth and just wants to get rid of it.
>>>
>>> Do bike shops sell used cycles out the back door of their repair
>>> shops, the same way used lawnmowers and snow blowers are sold out the
>>> back door of those retail shops?
>>
>> Some do. Some bike shops don't want to bother with selling used
>> bikes. My favorite bike shops in Seattle sell exclusively used, or a
>> mix of used and new.
>
> And if I enter through the front door, would they deny that such
> activities take place, even though they do?
Nah, it's all above board generally. I guess I'm not familiar with the
behaviour you're talking about in lawnmower/snow blower shops.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
Running Windows on a Pentium is like having a brand new Porsche but only
be able to drive backwards with the handbrake on.
(Unknown source)
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Date: 21 Jul 2007 19:07:53
From: Luigi de Guzman
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:23:03 +0000, John Schutkeker wrote:
> Luigi de Guzman <luigi12081@cox.net> wrote in
> news:ZVcoi.70064$wG2.28475@newsfe17.lga:
>
>> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:06:51 +0000, Jim Flom wrote:
>>
>>> "John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote in message
>>> news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>>>>
>>>> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used
>>>> adult bike?
>>>
>>> Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
>>
>> craigslist.
>
> They don't impress me.
what would you consider impressive? CL is probably your best bet, short
of lurking around a bike shop.
--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com
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Date: 22 Jul 2007 13:05:03
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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Luigi de Guzman <luigi12081@cox.net > wrote in
news:dQsoi.48$5y.8@newsfe18.lga:
> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:23:03 +0000, John Schutkeker wrote:
>
>> Luigi de Guzman <luigi12081@cox.net> wrote in
>> news:ZVcoi.70064$wG2.28475@newsfe17.lga:
>>
>>> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:06:51 +0000, Jim Flom wrote:
>>>
>>>> "John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote in
>>>> message news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>>>>>
>>>>> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a
>>>>> used adult bike?
>>>>
>>>> Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
>>>
>>> craigslist.
>>
>> They don't impress me.
>
> what would you consider impressive? CL is probably your best bet,
> short of lurking around a bike shop.
This week, I came very close to getting a lightly used Trek, whose
retail price is $450, for $90. That is what I consider impressive
enough to buy immediately, although I'm really looking for a lightly
used $200 (retail) machine for proportionately less, or a Huffy or Sears
bike for $35.
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Date: 20 Jul 2007 20:00:34
From: Brian Huntley
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Jul 20, 8:03 pm, "Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman"
<sunsetss0...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> John Schutkeker wrote:
> > What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used adult
> > bike?
>
> The best used bikes are those that come to you when you are not looking
> for them.
Om brake pad me hummmmmmm.
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Date: 20 Jul 2007 20:03:16
From: Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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John Schutkeker wrote:
> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used adult
> bike?
The best used bikes are those that come to you when you are not looking
for them.
--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 21 Jul 2007 01:01:45
From: Luigi de Guzman
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:06:51 +0000, Jim Flom wrote:
> "John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote in message
> news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>>
>> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used adult
>> bike?
>
> Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
craigslist.
--
Luigi de Guzman
http://ouij.livejournal.com
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Date: 21 Jul 2007 18:23:03
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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Luigi de Guzman <luigi12081@cox.net > wrote in
news:ZVcoi.70064$wG2.28475@newsfe17.lga:
> On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:06:51 +0000, Jim Flom wrote:
>
>> "John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote in message
>> news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>>>
>>> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used
>>> adult bike?
>>
>> Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
>
> craigslist.
They don't impress me.
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Date: 21 Jul 2007 00:06:51
From: Jim Flom
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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"John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam > wrote in message
news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>
> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used adult
> bike?
Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
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Date: 21 Jul 2007 18:22:43
From: John Schutkeker
Subject: Re: Need Online Used Bike Store
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"Jim Flom" <jim.flom@telus.net.uk.edu > wrote in
news:v6coi.133439$1i1.112864@pd7urf3no:
> "John Schutkeker" <jschutkeker@sbcglobal.net.nospam> wrote in message
> news:Xns9973C5DB3771Clkajehoriuasldfjknak@207.115.17.102...
>>
>> What's the best online superstore to get reasonable price on a used
>> adult bike?
>
> Used? rec.bicycles.marketplace, eBay...
I'm not impressed by either.
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