CEOs and anyone who owns stocks are making a lot more money doing a lot less work than the typical bike flipper.. seriously, there are much bigger injustices in the world than some guy making a living off reselling old used junk..

you guys need a support group or something. every week there's another thread crying about flippers or hipsters. it's getting really tired.

there will always be people asking unreasonable prices for old bikes.
there will always be people who buy low and sell high, without adding any value to the bike in the process.
there will always be people who over pay for bikes.
there will always be people who build up their bikes in ways you don't agree with.

Got off my interwebs hipster.

Instead of posting here to dis everyone who posted here thus far, start a new thread with your own fascinating topic.

Catnap, they are dealing with it--By discussing it in this thread. Deal with that.

No kidding.....

The "I can't get a nice bike for practically free because someone who knows the true value is harshing my buzz" whine is getting pretty worn out.

I think few if any here are whining about that. The "whining" is about huge unjustified markups targeted at uninformed buyers. And you don't have to read the thread or post in it. Easy cure for your annoyance.

I lol'd at that part... Spit coffee on my keyboard, actually.

i ignore these threads usually but they continue to show up with depressing regularity. you're just being precious about this thread because you started it. why didn't you just post in one of the other 100 threads on this subject?

But why don't you start your own fascinating thread?

when i have something to say or ask that's worthy of a new thread, i will. the solution to this situation isn't to create more threads about nothing.

Living so close to NYC, I see a lot of bikes on NJ craigslist one day, and NYC the next. But one could argue these flippers at least provide some service by transporting the bike into the city.

The guy in the OP added no value at all to the item. It even stayed in the same market area. Now I doubt he'll get the extra $200, but he might get half of that. People like him are what drives prices up for no reason. Not much you can do about it though. There will always be certain people who want to take the easy way out at the expense of others. Often I wish there was a facility on CL where a shopper could ask SMEs for advise on an item.

4 pages on, and I can't believe there are people in the USA who think making a legal profit is somehow immoral.

There is: The Forums.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/forums/?forumID=95

If you remove the sarcastic comments, the insults, and the off-topic posts, you could probably fit all of CL's forums on one page.

Well... That's CL for you. You get what you pay for, so to speak.

Well, there are legal profits that are honest, and legal profits that are not. Everyone has their own moral code, I suppose.

qft

Ahh..... but then I'd miss all this entertainment. There have been some pretty....well...... interesting things that have been said in this thread.

Bottom line - if a fellow buys a bike for $20, does nothing to it, and lists it for $200.... is that wrong or morally reprehensible? Maybe, maybe not - Barring lying, misrepresentation, or other unethical shenanigans on the sellers part I just don't see the issue. If it sells for that amount, he discovers it's true value. If it does not, he eats the bike or reduces the price till he finds the true value.

Just the act of buying low and selling high bothers a lot of people here. I don't understand why that is. Unless they are wishing for something that has more value than they are willing to pony up - then it's just sour grapes.

Yes, there have been a lot of interesting posts in this thread - and all sorts of opiions. Most echo the point you yourself made that it boils down to honesty, regardless of what business model is employed.

I believe the OP specifically noted that he doesn't have a major issue with someone who does that and it up front about it. The issue is people who do that and try to convince un-savvy buyers that the bikes are 100%--that's the "lying, misrepresentation, or other unethical shenanigans" you mention above. THAT's the issue, not "buy low and sell high" which pretty much everyone seems to agree is fine.

Legality does not imply that something is ethical.

Exactly. Nothing at all wrong with buying low and selling high or getting to the good deal first. I think we all try to do that.

Well, then..... I think it's time for a group hug. Either a man has character and integrity, or he doesn't.



I'm gonna go see if I can knock out 20 miles on a late lunch ride. You kids play nice - I'll be back later.

Can't argue with a man who likes Clint.