cs1

No, I'm not refering to the people who post the add. I'm talking about the ones who feel it's their civic duty to criticsize every add they feel isn't to their liking. Hey, if someone wants to ask too much for a POS so what. Don't buy it. This guy is a regular on Clev CL https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/1271549225.html
He feels that bad mouthing every overpriced bike somehow makes him feel special.

I'm done with my rant.

sunburst

There have been people I've wanted to criticize! But I restrain myself. I occasionally email someone to ask them what the hell they're thinking - in a polite way of course.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

By the same token if someone wants to call people out for asking too much for a POS...so what? Don't read it.


to be honest I think the biggest jerks are the people who keep listing the same "Schwinn Ladies Bike" for 200 bux and its a girls 18 speed Xmart POS.



Internets...serious business!

wrk101

Craigs List is just another wide open, free system. As such, it is prone to abuse, from people sellilng stolen items, to critics, to people posting misleading ads with sky high prices (I have seen countless ads for a "Schwinn Free Spirit"), or a rare Schwinn Varsity, etc...

Ex Pres 

Just looks like a worthwhile PSA to me.

Find us a better one to rant about

mackerel

but you are doing the same, are you not?

Little Darwin

Flag them as prohibited... I do.

cycleheimer

Some folks post bikes for sale, others post warnings about folks who posted bikes for sale.

RE: Titus Fireline single speed mountain bike titainium - $840 (***SCAM***)
https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/bik/1271419033.html
Reply to: see below
Date: 2009-07-15, 1:53PM EDT


STOP TRYING TO SCAM PEOPLE OF THEIR HARD-EARNED MONEY.

The culprit: https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/bik/1268419538.html

EddyR

I see a lot of that and I just look at it and think that is great because it makes my prices look like a bargin. We have the CL police here also. What a waste of time.
Ed

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

its really no different than someone posting a comment to a news article, or a youtube video.

...or a web forum

QuickDraw

I recently sold my 1967 beetle on CL i had it listed for an extremely fair price, if not a huge bargain, it was pristine. I had a jerk send me some criticism saying it was listed way too high and he could buy them like that all day long for half my asking price. It pissed me off that someone would be that big of a jerk about it. I sent him an email asking what his problem was, he didn't have the guts to answer me back. the first person that came to look at the car bought it for my asking price and was extremely happy with his purchase.

i think it boils down to there's a lot of dickweeds out there.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

anonymous is a real a-hole.

bykemike 

I'm with the OP on this one. The value of any item for sale in a market economy is based on what someone will pay for it. Like in the case of the Volkswagon Beetle that Quickdraw was selling who knows what it is worth to someone...one mans trash..etc.
I sell weird boat items on eBay, usually stuff found in the trash at the marinas near me and what people will pay for these items (by definition, what they are worth) surprises me both in how much or how little value is placed on the items. I'm in the business and I can never tell what something will bring. I wouldn't dare comment on anyones asking price on an item.

Mike

roccobike

In the good old days there was always some charachter who was referred to as the "Village Idiot". That's what I call our local CL police. However, a couple months ago there were some really outrageous attempts to sell Wally World bikes as LBS bikes and at high prices. I left the Village Idiot's posts alone because, ironically, he/she was correct.
IMHO, if your Village Idiot is critiqueng ads of bikes that are true rip-offs they're doing you a favor. If CL gets a bad rep for bikes sold there being rip-offs it hurts all of us who want to use it for legit sales of good bikes at fair prices. If they're just a moron who likes to use their imaginary knowledge of bikes, then they deserve all the crap that's thrown at them.

One Village Idiot went a little too far and publically suggested that a local flipper was stealing bikes becasue he had so many nice old bikes. There was some sort of "you'll hear from my lawyer" post and the idiot disappeared for a long time.

Fast Cloud

Funny you should start this thread when I've just had my very first bad cl experience. I guess I've been lucky up until now. This guy posted a Trek 370 race series for 75 bucks. I called him and asked when I could see it. He said after 6pm would be fine. (this was 2 days ago) At around 4:30 I emailed him to touch base and asked where he was located. Nothing...6pm...nothing...7pm...nothing...I emailed him again to see if they were still for sale...nothing...I guess since I jumped right on the add within an hour of him putting it up, he figured he was letting it go too cheap, so he'd just ignore me. I'll bet he re-post it in a few weeks at 150...asshat.

KonaBuyer

I like the police postings. While the market will set the price, I get annoyed with the floods of over priced crapola on CL. If you are going to get outed, then you might think twice before posting. This just happened on the Toronto CL to a guy asking $1,000 for a 1973 PX10 with Shimano parts. The ad was pulled, I was glad to see. It is a free market, both for goods and ideas.

sailorbenjamin

The RE: guys are jerks. If I knew more about computers I'd email them a virus or fill their inbox or something.

beech333

I've never been one to post an ad about people asking too much. However, when I see someone giving false information, then I will go ahead and create a post calling them out on that. For example, a guy has been posting a Fuji S12-S in the Chicago area saying that the bike originally sold for $900 and that is why he is selling it for $250. I couldn't care less that he thinks he could get $250 for it, but I can't stand to see him flat out lie about the original price. I did the same when I saw someone post about adding "top of the line Suntour Spirt" to a bike made in the '80's. I know that most people here would recognize when sellers are full of crap, but I know that in general, people are gullible and he will eventually find someone to rip off.

So far, I have only done this twice, but the $900 bike is back again, so I might be making post #3 tonight.

I know that this may not be the most popular thing to post here, but I feel uncomfortable with the idea of some uneducated person being ripped off. I'll continue to do this.

unterhausen

I had a guy tell me that my starting price was too high on one of my ebay auctions and gave me a lowball offer. Too bad for him someone had paid my "buy it now" price the day before, which was $200 over my starting price.

Also had a guy totally spike one of my ebay listings with a post on an email list. Pretty sure I was horning in on his territory and he was just posting misinformation. Still have that stuff, gonna throw it out I guess.

Blue Order

This thread reminds me.. time to go flag all the ads again from one of the jerks who sells on CL.

cs1

My feelings exactly.

sonatageek

I wish CL had a way to flag repeat posters (the ones that keep re-listing the same 10 bikes every week or couple of days) that would suspend postings from their email accounts for say 15-30 days. I know they could just open up a new email account, but it would be some push back (beyond normal flagging) that might get them to ease off a bit.

This year there are 3-4 flippers who have been doing that, so something like 30-50% of the ads at any one time are their re-listed crap. It feels like wading through a cesspool looking for a silver dollar. There are just too many of them to flag -- and all that does it get them to re-list sooner and have them up top again.

cs1

Just in off of Clev Craigslist https://cleveland.craigslist.org/bik/1272599312.html
Looks like he's getting on everyone's nerves.

RapidRobert

Craigslist is the lowest class POS there is on the internet. Craigslist is the gutter, the city dump. Yes, you'll find good deals posted there, but you'll have to deal with the least intelligent, stupidly malicious and childish behaviour that dwells in the grabage dump. Craigslist IS garbage.

KonaBuyer

You get what you pay for, I suppose. Try ebay if CL offends so.