The best ads on C/L are almost ALWAYS the lousiest ads: least useful information, crappy or no pictures, no brand, no model, etc. One of the best deals I got was a four word ad: "Race Bike Bad Paint".

Another great find was one word ad: "Bycicle" That's right, seller even misspelled bicycle. Couldn't tell me the brand, size, model, anything else.

YOUR knowledge is key to making it work.

Yesterday's pick up was "Batavia Road Bike". No such brand, model, lousy picture, etc.

The ads with the best detailed information are either overpriced, or gone so fast you likely will never snag the deal.

If you can't determine whether a deal is good or not in about 15 seconds, you need to up your knowledge.

Picking deals, whether they are on bicycles, antiques, cars, boats, etc., is all about the picker's knowledge. Thats where the advantage comes from.