I just don't understand.
 

There is this small picture of a bike on Kijiji.
No info except the price. So I send the owner an email asking
the name,model and size of the bike. He sends me an email saying
the bike is in a warm garage. So I asked him again using different words.
He tells me the size of the bike is adult.

I need a drink.:)

Not everyone selling a bike knows anything about bikes. Generally people who do know something about bikes can get a pretty good idea about size and model from a picture, and if it suits their wallet will take the risk of going to check the bike out.

The best bargains are generally for sale by people who don't know what they are selling.

Good point.

LOL.
So you haven't stumbled across the ads with no picture that just say "bike"? I've sent emails for a few of those posts just out of curiosity and asked for more details. The seller has either ignored my email or sent back a litany of abuse.

:thumb: Truth!!




:)

Remember, not everyone is a native English speaker. The last CL bike I purchased from a foreign exchange student who was lacking in English skills. As Kontact mentioned, I just drove out and looked at it myself, and went home with it.

+1

Another valid point and telling as the person's name was Yan.
It is just that the average seller does understand english.
I do understand that some people don't speak bike which is a new language even for me.
The bikes are usually far away as well. E.G.they list the bike as being in Montreal when
it is actually in Rigaud a good hour away.

I have hopes that by Spring I will find a bike to ride this winter.😉

Welcome to the new America - where lack of communication, writing and reading skills is looked up to... and expected. I too have responded to such ads. One recently I asked the size of as it only said something like "good for average sized woman". I even informed him of how to measure it. Oh, he didn't seem to like that. Came back at me that he knew how to measure a bike. Well if so, then why hadn't he??? It's probably true that these empty of info ads are probably a good buy, but I've got better things to do with my time. And I absolutely don't waste my time if there's no pic. I'm not technologically advanced, but who in this day and age expects to sell something without a pic?!

On the other side of the coin, I've tried to sell a couple of bikes recently and in each ad, have included the dimensions of the frame and, for those less bike literate, saying it suits a six footer or whatever (different sized bikes)... and still had people asking 'how big is it?'. In fact, I've had a number of experiences where I've had questions that were answered in the ad - people just don't bother to read them, see the headline and send a message.

Remember VISP? Those elcheapo bikes from the Asian region that weigh a ton and make no pretence about weight (proof that aluminium can indeed be heavier than steel)? I was selling one of those and had one bloke asking what it weighed - if you're buying a VISP, you ain't fussed about weight. When I couldn't tell him because I didn't have any scales, he got very upset and then wanted to know if the bike weighed less than 10 kg. Maybe he just didn't know what he was looking at but there was no need for him to get upset with me because it wasn't a Colnago in drag.

Then there are the buyers who, sight unseen, make ridiculously low offers - you know they're just fishing for a bargain so they can sell it at a profit.

Mis-spelt ads are great, too. I bought my immaculate GT LTS-3 for £40 off ebay, because the old guy who'd had it since new just didn't know how to advertise it. It was listed as a GTi mountain bike, presumably an auto-correct typo with the GTi bit, as it's a popular car badge... i dunno, but the main photo only showed the crinkle-boot of the suspension fork (immaculate '90s Rock Shox) and Alivio cantilever brake so it looked like a £20 bike in the list. It deserved £150 really, and was perfect for me as i wanted a full bouncer that'd take full fenders.

I too had the nerve to ask a CL seller what frame size a bike was, as I couldn't tell by the angle in the one bad photo. I asked politely and even told the seller how to measure a frame in case they did not know. A simple request as I felt no need to drive 70 miles round trip in Friday rush hour traffic to find a bike that was too small. Seller comes back with a very snarky "You need a bike shop pal" followed by other rudeness. I don't know why I felt the need to explain why I asked that simple question, which again, I did politely. when I really wanted to tell them to go *^(& ......!!!
My satisfaction came in the fact this dirtbag still had the bike for sale a month later!
People ughhhhhh.....

There have also been times I ask questions only to get a reply with maybe only one of them being answered and sometimes just ignorance. I pass on those and do not look back....

Max Bryant

I suspect some of the minimalist “for sale” postings are by people selling bikes they’ve stolen. They neither know nor care about specifics and they’re apt to get surly if you ask them questions. I avoid those sellers.