wrk101

+1 To poor listings on ebay. I picked up my Schwinn Prologue on ebay at a good price. The seller had mis-spelled Prologue, even though it is clearly spelled out on the top tube. Fortunately, I have saved a couple of searches with just a fragment of the model name (I was looking for a Prologue for a couple of years). Oh yeah, and seller had the size wrong. I have bought a couple other bikes on ebay that were listed as "transportation collectables" instead of under bicycles. One was a Trek 620. The model number (620) is clearly labeled on the chain stay, you could even see it on the pictures. But the seller didn't even bother listing the model number. The other was a Paramount.

permy7

after talking with him face to face, it turned out he was just super busy. and he didn't have a phone number listed so email was my only choice.

i think you guys are right though, most sellers just want someone to stop by and take it from them.

that being said... i would think it much easier to take a single minute to respond to emails. and i even take texts all time, rather than having to schedule a meeting, wait around, and be there for the person.. all for a deal that may not even go through. who wants to do that when you're busy? but, it is what it is and that's the price of the deal.

Amesja

The better the listing describes the item and the more accessible the seller is to asking questions the more likely there will be more people interested in the bike -especially if it has any value. This will ONLY tend to drive prices up as demand outstrips supply. Sure, the seller may not take "bids" per se, and the price might not go up but if there are more people asking about it he might decide NOT to come down on a price and hold firm on his asking price.

Either that or someone else will beat you to the punch. The more people interested in an item the greater chance is that one of them will be an earlier bird than you.

Nope, pooly-listed and ignorant sellers makes for a buyer's market when that buyer is you and you know how to read between the lines or have the patience to fish through many face-to-face meetings to find the treasure buried in the trash.