Originally Posted by
Taxi Rob
Well you obviously haven't been on the San Diego craigslist in the last several years... another thing that bugs me is, where do some of these guys get their endless supply of bikes?
If you do this a while, and treat people well, you can build up an effective number of contacts. Then the bikes will often come to you.
There are a number of other methods, all of them time intensive. Searching yard sales, thrift stores, and auctions takes time and you are often competing with a number of other people looking for bikes. One thing I do is look for a few other things of interest as well when I go into a thrift or yard sale. Usually it's music or videos.
It also helps to communicate with people who flip other things. I've become friends with people who flip golf clubs and records, and look for those when I hunt for bikes. It profits both of us.
I'm not a serious flipper, very much a hobbyist, but I find some pretty good stuff. It allows me to build and ride some very fun bikes.
I always try to treat the seller honestly and well, I've found it helps. I've seen many CL flippers who treat sellers with suspiscon and are always looking for the "deal." Don't do this. You will on occasion meet people who are completely unrealistic about what they have, but you do not have to buy form them.