Originally Posted by
Savagewolf
When you find a bike that interests you on something like Craigslist, don't hesitate if the bike looks and is priced right. If you delay even 10 minutes in calling, often it will be gone. Just don't sound too eager....you still want to be able to haggle.
This is a very good summation of how we play the craigslist game.
There are plenty of people that will help you find nice vintage bikes on craigslist. They are called flippers and they make a nice profit by diligently snagging the good deals and then re-selling them at market prices.
If you want to find the good deals for yourself, you need to put in the time to learn how to identify a quality bike and then put in the effort to watch for good deals when they pop up and chase them down as soon as they're available. It can be a lot of work, and you can waste a lot of time on it and a fair amount of money, but for a lot of us the thrill of the hunt is part of the fun.