A quick guide to capitalize on online bike deals

Photo by Andrew Neel/Pexels

So, you’ve done your homework, followed the tips we shared, and now you’re ready to buy a bike. Hold your horses. Time is of the essence but these tips can help you make the most of the limited time you have.

Get the best bike deal

“Be the first.” This is the suggestion of Ariel Arias II and definitely the most sensible. Naturally, you can secure a good buy by beating everybody else to the punch. Except maybe for admins themselves who, as part of their reason for creating these bike pages, want to get first dibs on great deals.

However, not all of us have the luxury of time to stare at and constantly refresh our smartphone or computer. The second best tactic would be to check them during certain times of the day when postings are at their peak. These are usually after breakfast around 8 a.m., after dinner at 10 p.m., or after lunch at around 2 p.m.

If by the time you manage to check these pages and almost all of the best deals are gone, don’t fret. Sometimes, there are postings that stay unsold because of the sellers’ inflexibility to lower asking prices. Usually, they have good reasons for doing so, like the fact the item is still in pristine condition.

However, there is no harm in trying. Sometimes, perseverance pays. Add a dash of charm and persuasive powers to improve your chances even more. Explain that you are on a tight budget because of some reason. Use your connections. Maybe the right timing is all it takes for the seller to consider making some price adjustments.

Meetup is king

Now you are ready to buy the product you so painstakingly watched out, haggled, wasted time, and even fought tooth and nail for.  The safest mode of transaction would be exchanging goods and cash personally. Not only will you be able to check the items thoroughly for any dents, hidden defects, or malfunctions, but this also ensures everything else indicated in the post is true before finally handing off your money and closing the deal.

However, if a meetup is geographically impossible, Arias suggests the bank route in paying rather than wire transfers. “Never send money by wire transfer… It seems untraceable. At least through a bank account, you still have hope of knowing that you are dealing with a human (although I don’t know how this works with the bank secrecy law, but at least, I feel more secure with this)”

When I asked creators and admins about the benefits of maintaining Facebook group pages, I was surprised that, unanimously, they do it for the sheer love of biking and to have first dibs on the best deals in town.

Whatever they do not need is yours for the taking. After all, with posts coming in every minute, it’s virtually impossible to run out of options. You’ll most likely want to buy more than your budget will allow. So relax and see your dream bike slowly materializing. The next time you hit the spinner, go ahead and daydream about riding off into the sunset (or sunrise) on the bike of your dreams.