A bit of fun: classified ad bugbears

[moonlite]

Hello everyone -- hope this hasn't already been done: I thought it may be fun to compare notes on some of the weirdness you come across when scanning eBay, Gumtree and other venues for bike bargains. After a few months of this, I've identified a few trends which make me want to either laugh or cry.

We could post examples too if that's within the rules -- I'd suggest not including advertisers' contact details or other identifying info if you're posting screenshots etc.

• :facepalm: First up for me is how infrequently there's any kind of sizing information included in an ad -- probably one of the key pieces of data you need if you want to make an inquiry!

• :x Then there's the mis-labelling of the brand. "Shimano mountain bike" is a fave.

• And let's not forget the meaningless gender-specificity: "Gents' Shimano mountain bike" is a good one

Let's see your examples!

 

[hamster]

Pushbike. That phrase bugs me out of all proportion.

Also why do ALL photos have to be taken from the left hand side?

 

[Stressed]

Re:

For me it's a lack of close-ups! :roll:

 

[adroitstif]

Or the many many times the seller chooses to blur the bicycle and focus sharply on a pot plant, mat or brick wall in the background. If only we were looking to buy bricks, mats and pot plants...

 

[d8mok]

Re:

These are all the terms that I have saved in searches to get a bargain

 

[moonlite]

Re: Re:

These are all the terms that I have saved in searches to get a bargain

Great way of turning others' mistakes to your advantage!

 

[rwm1962]

'No Time Wasters' winds me up. When it means questions that result in answers that put buyer off aren't welcome. Or spotting something serious the seller didn't mention.

Ads on Facebook group that start 'Admin delete if not allowed'. Shorthand for 'I can't be arsed to check the rules.'

 

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

For me it's a lack of close-ups! :roll:

Or lack of any photos at all...

"Photos to follow..." , "message me for pics...."

No thanks.

 

[d8mok]

Re: Re:

These are all the terms that I have saved in searches to get a bargain

Great way of turning others' mistakes to your advantage!

Lack of knowledge isn’t a mistake. Doing no research maybe could be. I’ve sold many items I’ve no clue about which turned out to be worth a small fortune. But before I did I used this wonderful thing called the internet to gauge its value/information to help me sell.

 

[oliverrr]

I've seen many ads that don't have a specified price. Instead they have something like "If you're really interested you will offer a worthy price for the bike".

That's slightly annoying from the perspective of a potential buyer but as said before, could lead to a bargain.