Lately, I have been shopping for a bike. I think that a bike would be a great thing to have for running errands when the weather warms up a little bit. Plus, a bike is just fun! I live in a pretty small town and I can see myself tooling around Main Street on my bike in the sunshine. It sounds lovely!
I've been doing some shopping and gotten several recommendations on what sort of bike I should get and what bikes brands are reputable. But daannnng, bikes are expensive these days! I remember when a pink Huffy made the grade. Well, things have certainly changed.
I started my search in local specialty bike shops and found that everything I was interested in was around $400 and up, and that is just a bit out of my price range. So where else to look? I want to spend my money on a quality product that I can use for quite a while, but didn't want to pay the retail price. This led to me the used bike realm, which has led me to Craigslist.
There are quite a few bikes for sale on Craigslist in all price-ranges and styles, so I may pursue this avenue.
But, I don't have a lot of experience with Craigslist. I bought a washer and dryer set when we moved into our current place from CL, and haven't been entirely pleased with the purchase. But oh well, I'm willing to try again. That's the nature of buying something used and sight unseen.
I've known people who have had awesome luck with their Craigslist purchases and have made some phenomenal deals.
Have you gotten a steal on Craigslist lately? Or even bought a bike from Craigslist or another classified ad service?
I've only heard good things about craigslist, but no personal experience.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note: You might want to keep an eye on Freecycle.com I know sometimes people use that route when they have something they just want to get rid of and dont want to mess with selling it. I have had several friends find (almost) new stuff on there and its literally FREE! There are new items everyday, You just have to be quick b/c they go fast!
Find a local bike shop and see if they have anything used in stock, or ask them to reccommend a reputable exchange program locally. They can most likely hook you up with someone who wants to get rid of their bike, but has taken pretty good care of it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, and happy pedaling!
Thanks for all the help and opinion on Craigslist. I understand your fear, Mr. Apron. I too am scared of Craigslist for many reasons. It's weirdly anonymous and knowing what we do about it (i.e. - airport hookups, murders, weird overshare posts) I typically shy away.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking into some routes that avoid CL at this point. It's just shady.
I LOVE CL! I haven't been on it lately, but there was a time that I was on it daily...buying, selling, trading...
ReplyDeleteThe best deal I ever got was for a grill. I purchased it for $40 used it for a year and then sold it for $50! (It was in good conscience, I cleaned it up reeeal good!) Another time, a girl was giving away like 100 great hangers! Like the wooden pant hangers and all matching white plastic ones. I went over there, no questions asked. And I still use them. 'Cause who wants to pay for hangers, ya know?
Anyhoo, sorry to make this about me. Good luck with your search and your purchase. I really hope you find a good deal!
Oh. i just read your last comment. Well, you should be careful...no matter what. I always went with a friend, preferably male. Still, good luck!
ReplyDeleteRoganista - thanks for the positivity! I know people have had great luck with CL and I'm excited to try again sometimes soon. Its seems like housewares, furniture, etc are the best buys from Craigslist.
ReplyDelete