A few years ago, when life was still relatively normal, I wanted to do a century ride to raise money for cystic fibrosis. It was going to take place at Lake Tahoe. I had wanted to buy a new bike anyway and this was a great opportunity to do just that.
Me & My Lovely Bike
Well, when you train for a century ride (100 miles), your training hours quickly turn to training days. I was enjoying the training but my work schedule, at the time, did not afford me whole days or even half days, on a regular basis, to train.
So before too long it became obvious that I would not be able to participant in that year’s event.
I’ve always been a bit of a gym rat, normally I try to be there two to four times a week. I like free weights, am very found of the Body Pump program, was once a fitness instructor and indoor cycling is my favorite cardio program.
Therefore, since the century ride, I’ve continued with my indoor cycling and every now and then I’ve been able to get out to a park or a trail for a real spin but not as often as I would have liked.
Fast forward to today – there’s no two ways to put it, things are very, very tough. So much so that I’ve had to sell things to eat. A big problem with that is, I no longer have access to most of my things and the truth is, anyway, I’ve never spent a lot of my money on great things.
I do try to buy nice things (on Sale) when I buy but I then keep them as long as possible. It has been a way to stretch funds. ~Buy the good stuff on Sale!~ Cheap stuff doesn’t keep, usually, and you wind up spending more money when all is said and done.
Inexpensive, I love, Cheap, not so much.
It was more important to make sure my son had, a proper education, a safe environment, was properly clothed and fed, participated in extracurricular activities, ect. I use to say, “I always know where I am year round on Saturday morning – I’m on a court or a field.” And at night, I was watching him play in the band, play in the orchestra, act in the play…
The point being, I always thought the new sofa, for example, could wait. People first, most especially children first. So I don’t have a lot of really great things to sell but I do have my bike and it’s nice and in practically new condition. So I put it up for sale recently.
First, I spoke with one of the local bike shops, the guy at the shop said that they did not buy used bikes and no shops here (locally) did AND no they don’t have a board where I could post the sale. Umm. I know there’s a board, I’ve seen it and they seem to be pretty standard in bike shops to share happenings and to connect the biking community. But… Okay. I leave.
While traveling recently (looking for a new home), another bike shop, out of the area, liked it and made me an offer but it was too low. I do understand that they need to make a profit on the re-sale but at this time I just can’t afford to give it away.
So, I do the obvious in order to get the best price, I list it online, but it is taking too long. So I continue looking for other avenues as well. I hear there is a swap meet (flea market) on the other side of town but I have no way to get myself there. The travel expense is prohibitive and the fee to set up a booth most likely is also.
I’ve gotten a few bytes from my ad, however, I’ve listed a few other things recently and I know now that, for whatever reason, these ads attract the strange ones who have no intent of buying anything. (bad emails – pigsty@somemail.com, bad phone numbers – does anyone actually issue (NNN) 666-NNNN, the string you along emails – just looking for a pen pal, maybe??)
However, my favorite one, so far this time, has been the first one I received demanding that I sell the bike for a stated bottom basement low price. If it wasn’t meant to be a demand, it sure read that way. ‘Sell it for $xxx.00.’ That was all.
So, while looking for online organizations within the biking community to list my bike, I run across another bike shop in my local area. Not only are they local but they are an authorized dealer for the bike I own. Cool!
Now before I tell you about that, I do want to say that another, a 3rd shop, in the local area let me post my sale on their board and have been very nice, helpful and always welcome me back. I was there just the other day flushing out an answer for a potential buyer. So, much thanks to them.
Now, the dealer. The shop is apparently privately owned and the owner has his contact information out on the website.
So I wrote at 2:55 PM
Hello,
Do you buy used bikes and if not what is your best suggestion for selling a barely used bike quickly for a fair price?
I have a XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXX Hybrid (purchased for a century ride, which I was unable to train for due to scheduling conflicts.) It has mostly been sitting / hanging up. I love the bike, intended to keep it a while longer then move to a road bike. However, personal matters dictate that I sell some assets now. I am also willing to sell the carry rack, either separately or packaged together.
It does not serve any current purpose to give it away or practically give it away, need a fair price.
Any suggestions / thoughts you have to offer will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
initials
HE wrote at 3:01 PM (from his iPad)
Are you the original owner, and do you have the bill of Sale?
I wrote at 4:15 PM
I am the original owner and I’m sure I could put my hands on the bill of sale, if really necessary. Why is that important?
HE wrote at 4:44 PM
It’s important to make sure it is not stolen.
I wrote at 5:14 PM
Okay. Well, definitely NOT STOLEN.
Your suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your help.
=========================================
Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely did not see that coming!
I don’t know what the shop owner had in mind, other than to offend me, certainly, he wasn’t grooming a potential customer and frankly, I felt offended.
Maybe he would need those documents for a purchase but he never communicated that. He led by implying I might be a thief!
I wonder just how many bicycle owners actually have their original documents. (yes I really did keep them.)
thanks for listening ~ xxxx
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