gregf83 

That price is not a warning sign. A warning sign is a one yr old $5000 bike being sold for $1000. Around here most bikes are stolen by drug addicts and it's usually not too difficult to spot them when you make the transaction in person.

Maelochs

Seems to me the thread you Should have started was "How do I keep my bike from getting stolen?"

Until you get that squared away, I 'd recommend shopping at Wal-Mart.

Ty0604

+1- Same here. I never sell anything on CL because I want/need the money. I sell stuff to get rid of stuff. The fastest way to do so is sell cheap.

veganbikes

Easiest thing to do is go into a proper bike shop and buy a new bike, that way it isn't stolen and you don't have to worry. Plus if there is an issue with the bike a lot of shops will have a maintenance plan of some sort and they will be there to help answer questions or let you know if there is a recall or something of that nature as well as help guide you to the right bike, how to keep it locked up properly so there is less chance of theft and maintenance tips!

Dave Cutter

Let's agree to disagree! Prostitute's and drug dealers meet in public.... I have no need for either.

I understand your concern... and I have no idea where you live or what the conditions are there. But selling household items from the home whether listed in the newspaper or via yard sales.... has been going on for generations.

They shouldn't be! They should be relatives, neighbors, friends, fellow church members, co-workers.... people just like me.... and just like YOU. I believe the proper term is the "general public". If the general public is considered dangerous where you live..... you should think about relocating.

Yep. I'd suggested the police station myself. If you aren't comfortable with people... police stations are a safe area.

TenSpeedV2

The place I live is called the real life, and unfortunately not everyone is an honest and trusting person. I am not sure where you live, but not everyone on Craigslist is your family or coworkers or fellow church members. Craigslist is full of scammers, scum and general pieces of garbage. Not everyone, but there are a lot of them. I wouldn't invite a total stranger off the street into my house, why would I invite someone in who is buying a bicycle tire? I meet in public, always, no way around it. Sure, drug dealers and prostitutes meet in public, but then again, so do many business owners over big deals at lunch.

Maelochs

Some prostitutes work in brothels, and serious drug deals are done in private places. And thieves and muggers are also members of the general public. And even if you live in the world's friendliest neighborhood ... CraigsList is not limited to your neighborhood.

I could get released on bail in the morning after my hearing on my fifth robbery charge, go the library in the afternoon and use the free internet, find your ad ... I might even tell you to meet me at the police station, watch from the distance, follow you home, call up and say I got delayed, wait until you leave again, rob your home, then wait until you come home and steal the bike from you at knifepoint ... bu that's okay, because the "general public" where you live are still all great people.

Then I'd go back to jail for my fifth robbery conviction ... not for robbing you, though ... and when I got out I'd sell your bike on CraigsList to get start-up money. Good thing you don't live in my neighborhood ... where all the people like me live.

Grillparzer

I've found wearing heavy rubber work boots on a bike with clipless peddles to be a significant indicator.

Dave Cutter

Sounds like we might actually be neighbors!

Scum and general pieces of garbage? Then you DO know some of my family, friends, and co-workers.... I am now even more convinced we're neighbors.

Sorry buddy. I know the general public... may not ever attain your high moral standards and hence always live as scum (YOUR word, not mine). But I just can't relate to your standards for the treatment of others.

Dave Cutter

Very impressive! What a wonderfully full, and vivid imagination! You must lay awake all night every night in total fear of intruders, *******, and sociopath's. And ZOMBIES! For gods sake... don't forget to fear the walking dead. You have both my envy... and my sympathy.

TenSpeedV2

Dave Cutter - are you drunk right now?

Maelochs

No ... he was killed by some random guy he invited into his home, who is now posting with his account

CliffordK

Say I was a seller, and had a couple people interested in my bike.

• One buyer chose to treat me like a bike thief, and one treated me like a regular person... who do you think I'd choose to sell to?
• One buyer insisted he wouldn't meet me unless I go 20 miles out of my way, and one says he'll come to my house, or the corner store, who do yo think I'd choose to sell to?
• One buyer refuses to give me simple information like a name or a phone number, and one does... who do you think I'd choose to sell to?

Perhaps the buyer has seen me and decided that I don't wear the right jersey or jammies on the bike.

You demand to go to a police station, and I have no idea if you have some sinister ulterior motive. I'll check stolen registries for serial numbers and bike descriptions before restoring a frame, and might double check them before selling something so there would be no reason to expect it to be hot. But, wouldn't want to have to prove ownership of every component on a built from scratch bike in the middle of a police parking lot.

Keep in mind that the best Craigslist deals don't last. And "first contact" is often made in the first HOUR. You start yanking the sellers chain, and the bike will go elsewhere.

TenSpeedV2

I play no games. Everything is up front right in the listing if I am selling something. My time is important and I don't have time for bs and scammers. I choose to meet in public and so far, it has gone well. I am looking out for my best interest in here and my safety. I am not concerned about the bike being stolen. I just don't want you at my place checking out my stuff. That isn't what the deal is about. It is about a bike.

Apparently I am not the only one here. https://www.craigslist.org/about/safety

jefnvk

Is is unreasonable to ask for a bill of sale with the buyers name and address from drivers license in such transactions? I've bought a few motor vehicles over CL, and the title it is generally accompanied by a BOS which both parties get as a cover-your-ass move.

I don't see meeting in public as any warning sign. If anything, it means one or both of the parties are worried about their safety using the service. As a buyer, I prefer it, as a seller, I won't demand it, but generally appreciate the buyer asking or allowing it.

blue192

If you are in Canada and have homeowner's or tenant's insurance you are required to register bicycles at a local police station (well anything worth over 300$). And you bike's serial number and description goes into a national database that you can look up. Also you are given a sticker to place on downtube of bike so can look for glue residue if sticker is removed. Cyclists will often sell stuff below market value to get some quick cash for their other bikes, but either way always insist checking out serial number and check yourself at a police station. Honest sellers don't mind this at all and even the police encourage potential buyers to check first.

CliffordK

I often buy components.. Or there are sellers with several bikes for sale. So, it is not uncommon for a seller to want to show a potential buyer their entire inventory.

Perhaps you carry it all in the back of your van....

Oh, wait, my last Craigslist deal was out of the back of a seller's van. I asked about one frame, so he threw a second frame and a set of wheels in that he thought I'd be interested in. I ended up buying both frames and the set of wheels.

It was just more convenient for us to meet on the road than meeting at his house or my house.

OldsCOOL

Dude it's not a Colnago, just buy it.

VegasTriker

Don't buy it. The owner is either a liar or a very bad consumer because he claims a price way over the actual MSRP for the bike. Here is the listing on Bikepedia, the industry source for information. 2003 Montague Paratrooper - BikePedia

$450 for a 13 year old bike with an actual MSRP of $600 (with no warranty) is a very bad deal.

goraman

The best way to do craigs list is to meet in the very cameraed lobby of your local police station and ask to see a valid drivers licence before making any deals.
It separates the scum from meld .
In Roseville this is very common.
The police in encourage it.

Flip Flop Rider

people chase you when you ride it

mani123lol

Different bike than the one I mentioned. I bought a Giordano Libero 1.6 instead off of CL. Thanks guys, the seller actually gave me everything that came with the bike and even extra tools which he did not specify. The seller did also show me the bike near his apartment (I went with a friend) so if need be I could go back. I'm saying it's not stolen because he doesn't use it anymore after he got into an accident with his collar bone needing surgery (showed me the scar) , so he's moving back to France. Now I need to buy a new lock and some gear.

Dave Cutter

No. I don't drink, smoke, or back away from people who weld knifes (or at least... haven't yet). I like people! I find kind, honest, charitable, trustworthy, and giving humans almost everywhere. I've also lived a long and eventful life and seen plenty of the world... and some places when they weren't at their best. I know both the dark and the brighter sides of life and I chose not to cower in fear.... but to live and enjoy.

But what you do... is OK too.

Hoonigan

There is a database for stolen bikes and other serialized property that is nationwide. Take a photo of or write down the serial number. Also note the colors, how many speeds, and the make and model. Stop by your local police substation. They should be able to check the bike through APS.

Maelochs

Great. I assume you leave your windows down and the keys on the seat when you park your car, never lock your bike, and leave the doors and windows open when you leave your house?

Everyone takes what they feel to be appropriate safety measures. You do yourself ... and if yuo think about it, it is because you are preparing for and trying to avoid the worst possible scenario, whether you think of it or not.

When you lock your bike you are not thinking about bike thieves, because no one would steal your bike, right? But at some point you realized that some folks will, so you made the choice to take precautions ... so maybe you don't imagine bike thieves, but at one point you did.

When you go on vacation you lock up your house. You aren't spending any time imagining people robbing your home, but somewhere in your mind you are aware that you are a lot more likely to get robbed if unread newspapers pile up in the driveway, the mailbox is stuffed with mail, and the front door is wide open. You take precautions.

Some people realize that selling on Craigslist brings some risks, and because you seemed to be unaware of those risks, decided to deride all those people as scared and stupid. (Even the CL itself warns of those things .. I guess the folks who run CL are scared and stupid too?)

So as sort of a public service, some folks delineated exactly why you should take precautions when using CL ... just as CL recommends. If you are as nice as you imagine everyone else to be, you wouldn't crap on those people for offering those explanations.

I tend to think the best of people, despite having been robbed and burglarized and having had a car and two bikes stolen (and a third, which I recovered) and a bunch of other bad stuff. As a result I got burned a couple times by people doing work on my house. Now I won't let anyone do a bit of work without a signed and very detailed contract which describes precisely the work to be done, the time and manner in which it is to be done, the cost for each part of the job or the job as a whole, and every other particular I can think of.

This doesn't mean I expect to get cheated, or that I don't trust the people I plan to hire. If I get a bad vibe I will simply say "No" and not think twice. But even nice, smiling, friendly people can have differences of opinion, and when those differences of opinion involve serious sums of money and work on my home, where I need to live, I would rather have a contract and the ability to use the contract to solve any disagreements. And by so doing, I have found through real experience, that i can stay on a smiling, friendly basis with people, because I can use the contract top resolve disagreements.

I don't live in fear; I stay as happy as I can all the time no matter what happens, because that's my life, and if I am not happy my life sucks.

I also find that I can learn from past errors, or the errors of others, and avoid some troubles. Nothing negative about that.

By the way ... I recently bought a bike off Craigslist, and the guy met me in the parking ot of a restaurant near his house. We both understood why, and neither of us felt as if the other was treating the other like a thief or a criminal. We did the deal, he got his cash and I got a really nice bike.

What exactly is the problem here?