"Yeah, but that seller is nuts!"

No new bike photos today - too much rain and cold right now. But I've put up a previous photo to go with a few observations.

A big part of this hobby is online trading: swapping, buying, and occasionally selling old bikes. The vast majority of people I have dealt with have been good people: honest, sociable, and interested in preserving old bikes. I've met some great people over the years.

But every so often you come across a seller who is just plain nuts. Sometimes the pricing is the insane part: a nice item but the price is five-times the real value. Sometimes the seller is the crazy part: nice item, but dealing with the person is a nightmare. If you've been in the hobby long enough, you've probably run across a few of these kinds of sellers...

The ones that hurt the most are when you see a nice bike at a reasonable price, but then you see who is selling it and you say to yourself, "Yeah, but that guy is nuts!", either through experience or having seen him operate before. 

[If I refer to a "he" or a "guy", it's only because that has been my experience - that most these crazy online sellers are men. I'm sure there are gals in this hobby who have behaved in a crazy manner, but mostly it seems to be some of the guys I come across...]

 And I preface again - the vast majority of people in the old bike hobby are nice people who are great to talk with. But every so often... you find a clunker. 

 

 "The Angry Seller with a Bike and a Beef"

I've seen people who turn ads into long diatribes about perceived low-ballers, scammers, "experts" (we'll get to that in a moment), tire-kickers, time-wasters, etc. It seems there's a gripe for every type, as the saying goes. When you see the ad turning into a diatribe, walk the other way. It's a sign of a very negative person who has too many problems going on. I've found that dealing with perpetually angry, negative sellers just isn't worth the trouble. It hurts to see a nice bike at a good price in the hands of a seller who is just angry all the time and has a beef with everyone else.

I understand no one likes low-ballers or scammers. I've had people try to pull a fast one on me in the past as well. But if anger and suspicion are all-consuming... it may be time to find another hobby. 

 

"The Omniscient Seller"

This is the seller who claims to be an expert in vintage bikes but who has very bad information. He'll tell you a certain bike or part was made or never made, when something was made, and that your information is wrong (even if your information is right). He'll fight you over serial number meanings. This seller is pretty arrogant... He knows his bike is 100% original, even if it has a 1970s saddle on a 1940s frame. He'll become combative if you try to challenge him. "Yeah, that's your opinion!" is usually a response he'll throw out when things break down. This seller and the "angry" seller are becoming more a problem as people start to rely on internet searches and AI bots for information. As with the "angry seller", sometimes the price is good and the bike is something you want. But you have to deal with the seller's ego trip first... Often not worth the aggravation. 

 

"The Gold Miner"

This seller is kind of a permutation of the omniscient seller. He knows he has an old bike and that old bikes are worth a lot of money. He knows his old department store junker is worth $1,500 at least. I don't even bother when I see insane prices, I just keep on moving...  He watched "American Pickers", so he must know, right? As I said, I just keep on moving when I see the insane prices...

 

"The Political Seller"

This is a permutation of the angry seller and omniscient seller. This seller brings politics or religion to the equation. You're trying to buy a bike but the guy segues into politics or religion during the transaction. I think this is mainly an American issue and a feature of our current, polarized environment. I don't object to people having opinions or even expressing them to some degree to me. It is good, on some level, to be engaged in the political realm. But when it turns into a long rant about national politics (whatever the political persuasion may be), it's probably better just to move on.  

  

"The Vanishing Seller"

Another kind of problem seller in the market is the one who simply disappears and re-appears at will. I dealt with a seller awhile back who at first was receptive to selling a nice bike, at a reasonable price. I asked about coming by to see the bike and he went silent for three weeks. He then started up communication again as if I'd never talked to him before. We got back to negotiating a time for me to come by and he vanished again for two more weeks. Eventually I just stopped messaging him because whenever it came time to firm up the sale, the seller would ghost me. 

 

"The No-Show"

The no-show is usually a buyer issue more than a seller, but sellers sometimes do it too. This is a ghosting of the next level. This is where you do firm up a time and place to meet, you go out there, and then the person never shows up. You may get a text saying "I can't make it", or "I changed my mind". Maybe you get nothing... This is frustrating. If you get ghosted in this way without a family emergency or a medical issue to back it up, block the person. Again, not worth your time. I've had it happen to me... several times.

 

"The Unbending Seller"

Then there are sellers who just don't want to change anything... at all. This is the seller who won't change  price, won't negotiate, won't ship, won't work with you on shipping, won't work with a local bike shop, and won't do anything at all to facilitate the transaction. He won't leave home and he won't meet at the time you want to meet. It's his time, his place, his price, his terms... and nothing else. Again... not worth the time or effort, in my book.

 

 

I'll close by again saying, most people I've met have been great people - knowledgeable, friendly, and enjoying old bikes. But "you can't win them all". It's frustrating when you see a seller has a good bike or several good bikes are reasonable prices, but you know just trying to contact him will start the cycle of trouble... whatever the person's issue might be.