big chainring 

When I first started flipping bikes I wrote too much info in my CL ads and probably confused the average joe. So I went the opposite approach and just gave basic info without any technical stuff. Either way i still get asked stupid qustions.

I have a vintage Varsity and Continental on CL now. I assumed everyone knows those bikes so I went with very limited info. Still getting dumb questions.

Whats your approach to writing CL ads? What works the best for you? Do you still get asked dumb questions?

cudak888 

Phone number (posted as an image), no email address given.

-Kurt

KonAaron Snake 

My approach depends on the bke...if it's something higher end, I give a lot of detail because someone likely to buy it knows his stuff. If it's medium-lower end, I keep it simple. In every case I describe what makes that bike special and who it would be good for. I'll explain why it's a good commuter, or a good campus bike. I'll give a rough estimate as to the right height of a person it would be good for. Essentially I try and sell it to the right person. I've had very good luck with that approach thus far. I do a lot better with CL than I do with Ebay.

I always take a lot of photos.

wrk101

Fewer words, more pictures. Always use full size pictures via Flickr.

I don't bother saying 7 speed bike either (or whatever the number of rear cogs), that really confuses most people. Instead I do the multiplication and list total number of speeds (21 in this case).


Always list height of person bike should fit, as a range: ex: "should fit a rider from 5-6 to 5-10".

Four or five sentences max.

I need to convert to listing phone number instead of email, as 50% of the emails I get are crap.


Kurt, I would like to see your phone number image.

Here's a typical thrifty bill ad:

https://greenville.craigslist.org/bik/1774260347.html

blaise_f

Allow text messages (this is huge, imo). Large, high quality pictures (640x480 or larger, no larger than 1024x768). Break down components (if it's worthwhile).

JunkYardBike

I'll be sure next time I post one of your ads up on the 'Finds' thread that I download your image file and embed it in the post.

that_guy_zach

Frame Size, Standover, New parts and phone number.

I prefer to use outside photo hosting.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Post images to Picasa or Photobucket and link them into your Ad. you can post higher quality and larger images that way.

I list the standover height rather than the frame size because if its a 24" frame people can get confused and think you mean a 24" wheel.

I always make a point to say that the bike is Ready to Ride and will mention anything that it might need to make it through the summer. Generally though I'm simply able to say that it's ready to ride all summer with nothing needed.

Chris_in_Miami

I use a similar format, with a .jpg image of my phone number, that works great for me. I ran a few lengthy ads when I started, but I think it detracts from the item and can confuse buyers who don't have good comprehension skills.

As an interesting aside, the people who call are serious buyers and the ones who email me are usually low-balling and don't have the guts to do it by phone call. Maybe it's just the nature of the medium of texting or a regional thing, but the ones who text me usually come across as low-ballers, only far flakier than the ones who email. I respond and am patient with them, but I've yet to have one of them show up.

Chris_in_Miami

I think that makes a huge difference. There are many regular flippers here, but not many of them make their bikes rideable and I see the rusty chains in their ads.

liquefied

Big pictures and lots of them. Also, take pictures outside in good light (light shade is best to avoid harsh reflections and shadows) and without a bunch of distracting crap in the background. Use a garage door for instance. Learn how to use correct white balance on your camera so the color of the bike comes out correct. Make it so any question they might have can easily be answered by the photos.

There's a reason advertising photography is a lucrative profession. Good photos sell products.

soonerbills

+1 on big pics and keep it short and sweet... I only state the rider height sizes the bike fits as standover and frame size only seems to confuse most. And it makes a big difference when you mention any new items you replaced and any repairs you made to make the bike roadworthy. I always show a close up pic of a immaculate BB, kinda lets the buyer know they are getting a clean and well taken care of bike

retrofit

+1

khatfull

Although I've sold only three so far I asked each of the three buyers why they answered my ad (I just cam e out and asked and said I wanted to know what I did right...or wrong). Each buyer has mentioned that:

1) My photography was exceptional (biggest factor).
2) My descriptions were detailed and accurate (new parts, work done, description of components).
3) Bike was ready to ride away from the sale.

Personally I think short and sweet would keep you on the phone longer with questions. I think a more detailed ad is probably going to encourage a different class of buyer, which is what I'm looking for anyway. Each of my buyers thus far had bike experience and could speak reasonably about bike issues.

I'll have to try the phone number as image thing...that sounds like a good idea.

RobbieTunes

Make
Model
Size
Frame material
?x? speeds
Component names
Upgrades and condition
Price
Best photos possible
Scam warning

khatfull

I wanted to add too...someone mentioned color correcting images. Ah, it was liquified. The best way to do that is:

1) Go to your local photo shop and get a Kodak gray card (you won't find them at BestBuy...you need a REAL photo store).
2) Set your camera to the closest white balance setting to the prevailing conditions (daylight, flash, cloudy, fluorescent, tungsten, etc.) DO NOT use automatic white balance...AWB is a post-processing nightmare.
3) Shoot an image with the gray card in it in the light you intend to shoot the bike in.
4) Learn how to color correct in your software and use the gray card as your balance target.

Perfect white balance all the time. It doesn't matter that the gray card isn't white...only that it is perfectly neutral gray without it's own color cast. This kind of process is hard for indoor shots a lot of times because we now have so many mixed light sources....combinations of CFL and tungsten bulbs, some halogen thrown in maybe...it's possible to have two different white balances on either side of your subject depending on what light source is illuminating it from what side!

You can't affect the color balance of a user's display device (which can thwart all your best efforts here) but you can get them the closest image possible.

cb400bill

I haven't tried selling higher end stuff. So far, I've stayed in the under $150 range.

brand and model
rider height.
big pics hosted off site - use photobucket and utilize their picture adjust capability
ready to ride.
list of replacements
if you see this bike it is still available
cash only
phone number

I also like to give a general idea of the area that I am at.

eg: "near the intersection of XXX and YYY".

cudak888 

It's little more then black text on a white background, turned into an image, like so:



It prevents the spammers from using their robots to catalog the number and subsequently phone-spam the number.

It's not easy to jerk me around. I'll dump the image off my server and use an alternate method.

-Kurt

Chris_in_Miami

+1

Almost every call starts with "do you still have the bike for sale?" unless I do this. Let's get down to business!

illwafer

know your market for your particular bike. provide details for those who would care about them. if its low end, call the bike fun and good for commuting, ready to ride, etc.

big pics. i always post my phone number. nothing bad has ever happened.

talk positively about the bike, but don't over do it.

basically what aaron and bill said.

liquefied

You can do all this but really the easiest way to get proper white balance is to take the pictures outside between the hours of 9am and 5pm and if your bike is in the sun use the daylight white balance (usually looks like a sun icon). If your bike is in the shade use the shade white balance (usually looks like a house with diagonal lines to the side signifying shadow). This will get you within a couple hundred kelvin of proper white balance.

sciencemonster

Big pics, and ready to ride. I always stress this isn't barn fresh, that I have pulled the bike apart and regreased everything. You can sell a bike that needs something, but it makes the selling a lot harder. Even if the parts are wrong, it's better to have the bike running and say so.

I stripped down a Raleigh 20 and rebuilt it from scratch. Last moment, I realized the tires on it, although new, were BMX and rubbed the fender sometimes. At that point, I just wanted to dump the bike and get it out of my way...so I could work on it's brother, and sold it cheap. Sometimes it's not worth the bother/expense to make it roadworthy, but I do it when I can.

Frequently the bikes I sell are bikes I built for my kids that either they don't want, or don't know about (...whoops!) so they are road worthy and ready to take a bath on.

gems

I say in my ads that the ad will deleted when the bike is sold. People still email me asking if it is available.

On most bikes I also say first come first served.

bikemore 

For the life of me I can't figure out how people figure out the prices of these bikes.
Big pictures - check. Phone Number - check. Ready to ride - looks like it.
What the hell is the price???

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/1774299882.html

Judging from the snow in some of the ads I would say this isn't working for the seller.

EjustE

I actually overdo it somewhat, but it has been effective:

- at least 6-10 big pictures (800-900 pixels the larger side) that show the bike drive side, non-drive side, crank and FD, RD and freewheel, headbadge. Additionally, I take pictures of the things that are what I feel the selling points of the bike, and this depends on the bike (quick releases, saddle, cockpit, lugs etc). Biggest ad had 22 pictures. Always served on flickr.

- the size of the bike: (ST, TT and wheelbase C-C in cm and inches), the step over height (inches) and the wheel size (so there is no confusion about what size the bike is) and a guestimate of the size of the rider, allowing a generous range

- all work done on the bike and the state of the consumables (like tires and tubes, bar wrap etc)

- potential uses of the bike (commuter, city bike, campus bike, trail bike etc), and whether it will take fenders and racks

- a list of the components with brand and model name (e.g. Shimano RX100 front derailleur) as well as a the frame material (brand, steel quality, name of frame material if there is)

- Make and model and date of manufacturing as well as country of origin and place of manufacturing (if they are different, like Giant Taiwan-built Nishikis). If I feel that it is a selling point (like when I sell Ross bikes around here), I do give a line or two about the history of the company or the history of the particular model of this bike.

Other selling points: I do not list a phone number and have people contact me via email (through the CL link). Always make appointments to meet in a park close to me with a nice half a mile long asphalt loop an another half mile long packed dirt loop. This serves 2 purposes: a. Perspective buyers can ride the bikes to their hearts' content and b. they do not know where I live. I do give my cell number when I set up the meeting and take theirs, just in case there are delays/changes in the meeting time.

Overkill, I know, but it works for me. Two of my last 3 sales were to people who drove more than one hour each way...