Testing The Waters For A Possible Sale

[wheelhorseman]

About a week ago i posted about a brand new never ridden 1981 model Murray beach cruiser a friend of mine has that i was thinking about buying to possibly resell. I can get it for no more than 60.00.

Since i can go get the bike and have it at the house within an hour i decided to run an ad on CL to see if it even would draw any interest before i made the plunge to buy. Well the ad has ran for 24 hrs. and has had no interest whatsoever. My selling price was 100 firm and to me thats a deal. If the wife will let me i think i will go get the bike and keep it if it still shows no interest.

 

[LarzBahrs]

You ran an ad on a bicycle you havent even bought? Im sorry but thats not right. Your putting bait out there. Thats like stealing someones pictures on clist and putting them in an ad on their bike to call you before you even buy it to see if you could one up them.

 

[Rat Rod]

The bike is no collectors item.

Whether it's been ridden or not, it just an old 80s Murray cruiser...not in big demand.

Now if it were a Schwinn 80s cruiser that had never been ridden I'd say you found a heck of a deal at $60.

But I agree though....running an ad for a bike you don't even have yet is sort of goofy.

 

[wheelhorseman]

My intention is to resell the bike and i am not gonna buy something i cant sell and be in a hole. I have dealt with the public enought to tell who is serious and who isnt. My methods may be odd but they work. Its not deceptive bucause the bike exists and can be shown but i wont waste my time on duds. Since i havent had any interest that kinda tells me it aint such a hot deal as far as resell goes. If i get a serious intere from someone i will go get the bike and have it here r

 

[Green P1]

If I'm your "friend" who's selling you this bike and I see this thread or your craigslist add... We're not "friends" anymore.

 

[wheelhorseman]

why???? he doest care what i do with it. He knows i want to try and sell it.

 

[Rat Rod]

Typically people educate themselves on a market by watching other ads or seeing what similar items have sold for on Ebay or other online outlets.

If you feel that spending $60 on a bike to resell it is a big risk then it's probably not worth the time, effort or money.

Not sure what you're wanting from the group here in regards to the situation, but I can tell ya, your approach isn't going to get a whole lot of positive feedback.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I don't see anything wrong with this, as long as the bike actually is for sale and your friend is okay with you listing it.

Matter of fact I have done worse, When I used to fix and flip mopeds I'd post adds that said I was GIVING AWAY a moped. Some of the time I actually was other times I wasn't. Everyone knows it'd be gone FAST. I'd e-mail back with "Sorry but it is gone, I do have a few more that are for sale that are in better condition though." I'm not proud of it but it got RESULTS and put money in my pocket, so if you can hate me for trying to make a living OH WELL. Also it would cause people with mopeds and scooter projects sitting around to post them making it easy for me to find the next project.

 

[wheelhorseman]

I don't see anything wrong with this, as long as the bike actually is for sale and your friend is okay with you listing it.

THANK YOU I know this will have mixed opinions but as a member here i am not "expecting" anything here i am simply posting as to what i am currently trying to do. Like i said my methods work for me and makes selling much easier. At one point i sold over 60 riding mowers in the summer of 2010 using my unique methods. Some were sold to repeat buyers for resale. NEVER had any problems with anyone.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Same here, I probably had a different moped every day or every other day for 3 years! Even through the winter. Only had ONE call back due to a scooter that was stolen and I refunded the guy out of my own pocket. If it WORKS for you then your method is fine. Who does it hurt?

I also used to run adds that really made competing scooter / moped fixers mad. I said I could fix ANY scooter or moped and offered a "FIX IT OR FREE GUARANTEE" Had one of the competing scooter shops drop off a Yamaha Chappy that he pulled out of a creek. Case was filled with swamp water, Motor locked up solid, 6 hours later I was riding it around the block. Then just to rub it in I put before, during, and after pictures on Craigslist and said I can fix ANYTHING! :mrgreen:

 

[Rat Rod]

Here's your answer...don't buy the bike. :lol:

 

[BlackJack]

It's sort of like a guy a I knew in the Army who would make deals with soldiers who wanted to sell things. He would find out what the person wanted for the item then ask EVERYONE if they were interested in buying the item and tell them a higher price. He got anything over what the seller originally wanted for the item. The difference is he would direct people to the seller who would make the sale and get his commission. When buyers found out that they could have gotten it cheaper it wasn't good for him. The only person I could see getting burned in your situation is you. Craigslist responders are the most low-ball offering people I've seen so If you buy it for $60.00 get calls at $100.00 and buy the bike then people show up and take a look at it and offer $50.00-$60.00 for it, then you lost the game. Then winter comes and the $30.00 offers... But if it works for you then go for it. I don't see anything illegal as long as the original seller doesn't care. If the seller changes his mind he could at least flag the ad or at most have you investigated for fraud.

 

[aka_locojoe]

I don't know... just doesn't seem right selling something you don't have ownership of.
Why even bother to go get it. If it sells on CL, tell the buyer to paypal you and pick it up at your friends house. Save you gas.
Sorry I know the ethicalness (I don't know what the proper word would be) of this wasn't what your question was.

If the bike is not worth $60 to you then don't mess with it. There are probably better ways to turn your $60 in to a profit.
This is coming from the perspective of someone who buys bikes because I like and want them. I've never bought a bike to flip.

 

[wheelhorseman]

Got a call after lunch from someone wanting to view the bike. They explained that if the bike was truly in the condition as described they would buy it . While they were in route i went and got the bike.

To make a long story short the bike sold for my 100.00 asking price and my friend has his 60.00 and everyones happy. Like i said my methods may seem odd but they work.

 

[Rat Rod]

The method may work, but it's still goofy. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Green P1]

I'm glad it worked out for you. I guess I just don't get the thought process making a quick buck off someone you consider a friend? Flipping bikes off of strangers is one thing but with a friend I'd probably just pass the extra $40 along to my buddy?

 

[ozzmonaut]

I don't care either way as it doesn't affect me. But I can say this: If I intend to get into flipping specific groups of items, i.e. mowers, bikes, whatever, I would probably go about differently. I would first do some homework and spend some time familiarizing myself with whatever it is. If I know nothing about cars I don't want to open a garage. Then I can make educated decisions regarding deals I see in the public, and have a pretty good idea what I can or cannot sell, so that I can make the buys when I see them, and then advertise what I have purchased. But that's just me. I rarely sell anything until the space runs out.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I'm glad it worked out for you. I guess I just don't get the thought process making a quick buck off someone you consider a friend? Flipping bikes off of strangers is one thing but with a friend I'd probably just pass the extra $40 along to my buddy?

Good point. I'd probably just give the interested party my friends number and tell him I'd accept a $10 finders feeif he sells it.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Way to go! If it works it works. If you think that is strange here is a true story for you.

One year about a week before Halloween I figured I'd play a joke on everybody and post something so ridiculous everyone would have to laugh. I searched my yard for anything I could post and when scooping my dog's poop as I did every day and putting it in a 5 gallon bucket it came to me. Long story short I posted an add for a 5 gallon bucket of dog poo on Craigslist. Great for pranks, fertilizer, fetish, or just as a conversation piece. I had so many funny "hate mail" e-mails it wasn't even funny and one that offered $20 and they would come get it the same day. Sure enough some college kids drove all the way from Bloomington to Kokomo and gave me $20 for a bucket of dog poop, then I laughed my butt off at them arguing who was sitting next to it on the way back.

Proving once again as long as you market it correctly you can sell ANYTHING.

 

[jerrykr]

Well, I can't see that you are being unfair to anyone involved, so I guess all's well that ends well.

If you did not have possession of the bike, how did you produce pictures of it and a good description for your CL ad?

One thing I learned right here on RRBs about CL selling is that Great Pictures, a Lot of Them, and a Good Honest Description makes a sale every time.
I have flipped a bunch of bikes on CL using this ad model, and I have never once been stuck with a bike I could not sell.

The only slightly odd thing I occasionally do is list them "Today Only", and if it does not sell by the end of the day, I take the ad down.
Sometimes I just know that I don't want to deal with calls during the week.

I guess I have to agree with RR, "goofy".