The Ethics of Craigslist: What's Your Integrity?

It's that time of year when many cyclists start thinning the proverbial herd in order to make room for new cattle for next season. If you want to avoid the shipping hassles associated with eBay and the low financial return involved in selling to friends and riding buddies, you might find yourself tapping that filthy conduit of raw sewage that is Craigslist. Of course, the business of selling a used bicycle often involves balancing honesty and self-interest--especially when the customer is clueless, as Craigslist buyers so often are. Following are some hypothetical questions for you to ponder. Some are based loosely on my own experiences, and some are completely fictional. There are no right or wrong answers here. This is simply an opportunity to peer into your own soul.

You are selling a cyclocross bike. The buyer arrives and informs you that he is looking for a bicycle to use for entry-level triathlons. He doesn't know what "cyclocross" is but is ready to buy the bike. What do you do?

--Explain to him that this is not what he's looking for
--Don't say anything and sell him the bike anyway
--Explain to him that this bicycle is not ideal for his use but sell it to him anyway

--Tell him you're sickened at the thought of your cyclocross bike being used for triathlons and throw him out of your house

You are selling a bike old enough to be considered "vintage." The buyer spends an absurd amount of time scrutinizing the bike and grilling you about the provenance of the components. You ask him if he'd like to take it for a spin and he refuses, explaining he's only a collector. You:

--Answer his questions and encourage him to buy the bike

--Refuse to sell him a bike that won't be ridden
--Ask him if he's got an XO-1 and if so would he like to trade
--Invite him in for a bike geek tea party with your life-sized cardboard cutouts of Grant Petersen, Tullio Campagnolo, and the kid from "Breaking Away"

You are selling a road bike. The size is 57cm and was clearly listed as such in your ad. The buyer turns out to be 5'4" and can barely straddle the top tube. You tell him it's too big for him but he takes it around the block and wants to buy it anyway. What do you do?

--Take his money
--Reiterate your concern and make suggestions for adjustments, but take the money anyway
--Refuse to sell him a bike that's too big for him
--Also talk him into a matching 130mm stem you've got lying around in a color that perfectly matches the frame

You are selling an old fixed-gear. You really have no use for it and figure you'll sell it for a fair and attractive price. You immediately get an email from a person ready to buy, you agree to sell, and you arrange a meeting for the next day. An hour later you check your email and you have 30 more replies--clearly you're sitting on a hotter commodity than you thought. What do you do?

--Reply "Sold" to all of them, delete the ad, and sell to the original person
--Go back to the original person and ask for more money
--Tell the original person you just found a crack in the frame and then re-list the bike on eBay

--Tell the original person to get lost, keep the old bike and watch the PistaDex closely

You're selling a bike and you also have lots of spare parts. Your potential buyer is on the fence but wants you to make some parts substitutions to close the deal. You don't mind getting rid of the parts, you're just not sure you want to do the labor. What do you do?

--Agree to make the swaps, take a deposit, and tell him to come back in two hours

--Say "Sorry, the bike's being sold as-is"

--Say you're happy to sell him the additional parts and that he can either install them himself or take them to a bike shop

--Throw in the extra crap for free

You're selling a mountain bike. You come to terms with the buyer and also agree to swap out some parts so the bike will fit him better. He leaves a deposit and says he'll be back in two hours to pick it up once you're done. It's clear from your interaction that he knows almost nothing about mountain bikes or bikes in general. What do you do?

--Swap out only the parts that you agreed
--Swap out the parts that you agreed as well as some other minor stuff that you'd like to keep which he'll never notice
--Swap out the parts you agreed, replace the relatively new cassette and chain with old worn out ones you've got lying around in the parts bin, and replace the relatively new tires with some older ones
--Swap out only the parts that you agreed...and at the last second, the wheelset

You're selling a track bike. It's a race bike, brakeless, with tubular tires, a 49x15 gear, and clipless pedals. The buyer is a newbie who has never ridden a fixed-gear bicycle before. After the transaction he insists he is going to ride it home eight miles to Bushwick in the dark in his sneakers. You:

--Suggest he take the subway instead
--Offer to install an old front caliper you've got lying around
--Take his money, tell him to be careful, and hope you don't read something in the Post tomorrow
--Challenge him to a race and tell him if he beats you to Bushwick you'll give him back $50

It's post-sale and pre-pickup. You're taking the old beauty for one last spin when you discover some defects you weren't aware of. Which warrant telling the buyer about?

Tiny cracks around the spoke eyelets

--Tell

--Don't tell

Bottom bracket shot

--Tell

--Don't tell

Chainring bolt missing

--Tell

--Don't tell

Headset pitted

--Tell

--Don't tell

Possible hairline crack in frame

--Tell

--Don't tell

Seatpost seized in frame

--Tell

--Don't tell

Quill stem seized in steer tube

--Tell

--Don't tell

What is the window of time after closing the deal and parting ways that you'll address any problems or defects the buyer finds with the bicycle?

--Twenty-four hours
--One week
--Thirty days
--Caveat emptor, sucka! Take it to a bike shop.