Often these guys are not mental giants - Trust me, the jails are full of them. (The smart ones are probably stealing millions and sipping Margaritas).

Well, Many a person had been known to leave to do things like go to war and leave his/her treasures with love ones that do not know anything about them.
In the late 70's My dad bought a close to mint 1955 MGA roadster from an old lady that had it stored under blankets in her garage for many years after her son, the owner left for Vietnam. Yes, he did not come back. She did not know how to price the classic car and simply asked my dad what he can offer her for it. My dad was able to buy the almost mint roadster from her for a very good but also very fair price. Anyone else selling such a thing might have been greedy and held off for much higher inlated prices. Who knows, a similar situation can certainly happen with bikes too.

Chombi

... Chombi - I have the feeling that the situation with this seller is not at all like that poor womans. -Granted, it may NOT be hot, but I really don't think he has any emotional attachment to it and either way, he probably did get it for nothing.

No, I'm not saying it's the same situation, just saying that "treasures" can be still be found in the least obvious places once in a while because of different situations we might not think of most of the time, so we should not dismiss accounts of things like this as probable hoaxes or stunts by people right away.....that's all...

Chombi

:thumb:

Well said.

Yes, it's allowed. I've seen it a few times in the Raleigh area. It works if you've got a couple of bidders willing to pay more than its worth, but backfires most of the time. One guy finally put a price on his bike and relisted when the "bids" didn't come close to what he wanted. It hurt his final price because some folks were fed up with his antics. People forget, this isn't ebay, you don't have an international audience of hundreds or thousands. There's maybe a dozen buyers. If they get PO'd, the lister lands up selling the item for less than what they should have gotten. I always list at a fair price and always sell any bike I list.

Actually, sellers on CL must post a price. It is in the TOS.

...craigslist is not an auction site. If you have something to offer, please post a set price. Please do not scalp or solicit bidding contests on craigslist, and do not link to offsite auctions on eBay or elsewhere.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/faq#prohibited

Hey, you never know, the landlord guy could have been out a few months rent with a damaged unit full of hazmat. These are tough times. CL is business, and that business means more than making a flip so you can get some cherished part that is 20+ years old to some people. My neighbor hasn't worked in over a year and is hocking bikes.
Riding is way more fun than flipping anyway. and flipping is fun!

CL is a hit or miss world. I've had really good luck (Raleigh DL-1 for $100) and less than good luck (ad for a $20 Peugeot UO-8 I responded to turned out to be a "misprint"-- $200 UO-8, and thus a no-go).