Originally Posted by
KonAaron Snake
How are you describing vastly overpriced?
We have a shop in Philly called Via and their prices for vintage bikes are somewhat higher than the typical prices on Craigslist. Some call them overpriced. I radically disagree...they have a bricks and mortar location. The owner actually pays people wages...and provides benefits. A customer purchasing there has a place to bring their bike back. There is a full 30 day warranty and a 30 day tune up. There are people with expertise to help chose and properly fit the bike. They are all overhauled prior to sale. All of those are things that add value, and I think it is worth a premium on CL
The shop I work at does all this and our bikes are priced between 1/2 and 2/3 of what Budget charges for similar bikes. IMO they are the 800-lb gorilla in the upper Midwest and it is my contention that they are artificially inflating prices. I certainly don't believe their work is any better than mine; a derailleur stop can only be adjusted to a given po^nt; and 1/4mm from true in a wheel is the same whether it's done in MPLS or Madison.
Some of their prices have made me wonder if they even see the same colors I do....