https://memphis.craigslist.org/bik/1866351009.html

Damn. With $50-100 in parts and some elbo grease a flipper could easily turn that into $1,000.

I called the guy about them and he said that someone had just bought them. He then asked if I thought he had them priced too cheap. I told him that judging from the pics; there were worth $100 each; as-is.

He was NOT pleased.

Hah. I don't really feel sorry for people like that. All it takes is 5 mins or so perusing the current listings and he'd have known he was practically giving them away.

I feel your pain. Be of good cheer - some deal you thought lost will suddenly revive or another find will magically appear.

I just picked up a Raleigh Technium for $20 - it made the 2 hour trip for another bike worthwhile. Around here they bring $150 - $225.
Another time I got a Technium in premium condition and a Dawes Super Galaxy plus a set of tires for $40. The seller wondered aloud why someone would want old bikes when you could get a new one for $60 at the big box store. I just smiled and kept wheeling the bikes towards my car.

I drove 2 1/4 hours each way Sunday (Boone, NC) to nab the three Nishiki Internationals and one Concord mixte I posted in catch of the day. I tend to go through some gas chasing the best deals. For some strange reason, they lasted about 1 1/2 days on the Boone C/L. Descriptions were really sketchy, no pictures, etc. Person I bought from had just picked them up at a church sale, so they did fine as well.

Smaller area C/L can occasionally yield some really good deals, and these deals can last around long enough to be nabbed.

I love running into these posts. It really only takes 10 minutes to google vintage bikes and learn the value of them. But of course there's the flipside, a genius entrepreneur goes online google old bikes find out some bike from the 80s is worth 800 dollars and tries to sell his old schwinn for the same price.

Like the saying goes "There's One born every minute" and if they wanna pay $800 for a schwinn varsity I just hope its MY schwinn varsity

Whenever I try to sell something that I don't care about how long it takes to sell I'll almost always start at a stupid high price just in case there is someone with a stupid amount of money they need to spend.

I feel your pain on missing out. I just missed an 86 Raleigh Capri being sold by the original owner in my size. And while it's not an International or anything, it was hardly ridden in beautiful shape and IN MY SIZE or that is a 68cm frame. Oh well, my Fuji Monterey seems to be very much a comparable bike, I just liked the paint on the Raleigh better. I guess I'll just have to buy some treats for the Fuji and enjoy my previous good fortune.

I love the way you write! My approach is the same, but I can't say it as funny as you do.

I no longer feel your pain, the exploratory trip to the thriftstore brought me a Nishiki Custom Sport today w/alloy wheels, beautiful burgundy paint, Tang Cro-Mo tubes, and in my size .

Sometimes when a door is closed the air conditioning gets turned on.

I haven't heard that one before; it's a good one.

I just made it up. It's how I feel today, lots of crap going on, but lots of good stuff too. My glass is 1/2 way there. I just made that up too, I'm just making it up as I go along. I did score a Fi'zick saddle yesterday, it was a tear-off. So to Thumpic, hang in there, there are deals all around just waiting to be noticed.