wrk101

OK, I really got a dumb one this time.

Here's the text of my email:

Is your bike still for sale?

Do you have some pictures, or maybe we can set up a time and I will just come look at it?

I can be reached at xxx-xxx-xxxx


Thanks!


bill

And the reply:

"Yes."

No phone number, no pics, no nothing.


Note, I usually don't ask that first question, but ad has been up about a week, with zero details, so it did not look like an experienced C/L seller.

JunkYardBike

At least the answer wasn't no!

wrk101

Well, you've got me there. And the reply was relatively prompt (a couple of hours).... Will post if I end up with something. Like I need another bike right now....

thenomad

Even better: "Maybe"

ScottRyder 

The minimalist approach on the Boston CL awhile back:

bike .... (Craig's List header)

bike for sale (copy in ad)

call (name) (no number)

I emailed him, asked him about color, size, brand, etc.

He wrote back:

"it's a bike come see it if you want to know more"


Scott

juls

From an ad w/o a pic: "What size is your bike?" The reply: "Man size."

surreal

that's hott. I'm done with all this 57cm, 22.5", 19", etc. from now on, all my bikes are "man size".

-rob

ventnoit

C-list ad I read stated "Brooks saddle" that had only a pic, a bad pic. I asked "How much" and "Is the color brown or honey since the pic is small it's hard to tell". His reply was "yes it is thanks for looking"

TugaDude

As you probably know, you have to be careful with Craigslist. I often get replies to my ads that indicate they are just fishing for my email. Sometimes they send a message asking what color the bike is when it is clearly described in the ad, including close-up photos. I don't even respond to those.

Once I replied to a stupid question and received an email response asking if I'd send it through the mail to Houston and accept a wire transfer as payment, etc. Bogus!

Another time the email was worded strangely with misspellings, etc. and I could just tell it was some automated response, again fishing for my email address.

Beware!

Chris_in_Miami

Brilliant, I love it!

big chainring 

I thought all speed bikes were 27".

afilado

In local CL an ad has been running/updated for several weeks which reads, "Peugeot bike, what more needs to be said." Not even a question mark is included. A flat declarative. He may as be well be saying "Stay away from my Peugeot." Probably scratching his head as to why it doesn't sell. LOL!

J

Capecodder

You gotta love you when you ask what size the bike is, and they give you the tire size..... I see a lot of 27" bikes for sale.

twobadfish

I think the majority of CL sellers are mildly ********.

twobadfish

intellectually impaired

Bianchigirll 

that is just like some customers at the bike shop.

customer "I need a spoke" me "what size?" customer "27 inch" me " you need a spoke 27" long" customer "yes it is for a 27" wheel"

wrk101

I saw that ad. I thought about putting a response ad up, with about one hundred additional things a buyer would like to know....

Man size. I've got to remember that one....


FWIW: C/L seller has never responded to my followup email.

vintagebicycle

I got a reply the other day from a CL ad I had responded to almost three months ago, it took me a while to figure out what it was, the guy just emailed me back with a single reply, " on brooklawn" I had no idea what the email was at first but scrolled down and realized there was a link to a CL ad at the very bottom of the email, which had already expired. For what ever reason I went searching past emails and finally matched up the CL number to an email I sent out back in October about a tractor, I had asked the guy if it ran and where in his town was he located. He had listed his ZIP as his location. The ad was dead, I had only an email which I sent myself when I first spotted the ad, which had very little info but a good pic and decent price. After 10 emails I finally got a phone number, which I finally asked for once I gave up trying to get any info out him online. He was even worse on the phone which led to me asking if the pic was current and if it was ready to use. His answer was that he had no idea. I asked if the pic was of the exact machine he had for sale and finally figured out he had swiped the pic elsewhere online since he couldn't be bothered to take one himself.
I called a buddy that lived closer to go check the thing out, and snap a few pics not wanting to drive 100 miles and find out it was junk. I'm glad I did, the thing wasn't even the same model or year he posted, it didn't run and most likely had been parked in disrepair years before. It was also missing a rear wheel.
You would think that any sensible, normal person would have mentioned a missing wheel?
Did he really think that after I drove 100 miles to see what I was expecting to be a complete running tractor, would buy it anyhow? It was listed at a 'fair' price for a nice machine, but it wasn't nice, it wasn't even complete, so at best it was a pile of parts. Worst of all, it wasn't even four wheel drive as advertised.

If I had driven that distance and found out for myself it was junk, I'd suppose I'd have been borderline violent.

Chris_in_Miami

To add to this, I wonder how often people browsing the listings see titles like "COOL SCHWINN FIXED GEAR" and make a mental note to check a bike's gears because they apparently get fixed frequently...

Amesja

I hate it when people who can't spell turn BROKEN into BROOKS...

Chris_in_Miami

I had nearly the exact same cryptic response months after emailing about an ad, but it took a few days for it to register with me that it was in response to a message I sent because he didn't copy the original message and stripped out the subject for some reason that only a pure idiot understands.

In your case, he probably just got out of the hospital after being beaten by the last person whose time he wasted. That would explain the 3 month delay.

4Rings6Stars

Go to Target or Wal-Mart and look at the bikes. They are often advertised with big signs saying: 700C, 26", 20"...etc. I'm guessing that is where people get it

stien

Basically craigslist makes me hate everyone. So few knowledgeable sellers, but I guess that's where I got my cervelo for $500.

realestvin7

People never cease to amaze me with their ads/responses.

kaliayev

I am not into mountain biking, but I saw a Trek 950 that looked from the poor quality of the pic to be an older lugged steel model for $50.00. So I sent an email asking for the size and if the frame was lugged steel and if there was a sticker describing the frame material. Got an email back from the seller saying that he had sold a number of bikes and that my questions were stupid and that I was an idiot.