I flip therefor I am.

If I find a bike for the right price that I can fix/save and make some coin you bet I am going to do it to feed my bike addiction and line my pockets. When I sell them I am quite honest if asked if I bought it to make coin. I have no embarrassment about turning a profit in my hobby. I do pride myself on selling a bike in good usable condition that has no hidden defects and I have had buyers ask me to meet them at local bike shop to have a once over given by the mechanic before buying.

Now I will tell you this. On bikes I intend to flip I learned NOT to post about what I paid before it is sold. I had one guy find a post and used it to leverage me. We had a civil discussion of why I was asking what I was asking when he understood the service I gave it would have been $100+ at any bike store he came to terms with my price was fair and he was getting a bike in perfect working order that needed nothing but a rider. He wanted it, He knew what I paid for it, he had a choice of buy it for a fair asking price or walk. He was more then welcome to spend the time to find another bike of its quality at thrifts, yard sales, CL then do the work on it or pay somebody to do the work.

While as I said I have no embarrassment about flipping I do not want to get into another situation of somebody trying to leverage me like that knowing what I paid. The fact is I want to make about $100 for my time that I put into it to get it ready for sale. That is inline with what a shop charges. If I cant make close to that I often will pass on it as a flipper. Thats why I steer clear of most Mountain bikes if they need any sort of parts and are over $20. Just not enough money to justify the time.

There is plenty of other flippers on CL that have beat me to the catch on a fresh post and doing the same as I. I hope they service the bikes as I do but some I know are just giving it a wipe down and reposting it without ever taking a wrench to it. It is a buyer beware situation. I have helped buyers of my bikes with repairs that I had no obligation but just did it as a gesture of good faith and I have had some pay me to do work/upgrades. I have had repeat buyers that asked me to find bikes for them or friends or ask me advice on bikes they have found. I feel that shows I am reputable when I get repeats and as I said it gives me the coin for the ones I want to keep for me.