Round here there are a couple of charities that refurbish bikes - WATBike and Recyke y'Bike I've seen similar schemes in other parts of the country too.
I sometimes go to where the metals recyclers drop off their stuff, a big warehouse sort of exercise, where the fellows who run it know me and let me look through, as well as the occasional visit to the pawn shops, as well as Craigslist, and some mattress place that for some reason also sells used bicycles.
I don't do PayPal so eBay is usually out but I do browse there for Birdy (folder) bits and availability, as they're not particularly mainatream nor Gumtree fodder.
Skips. Local scrap man - ive purchased several bikes from him. Facebook. Ebay. Scumtree/similar local used item websites. A charity over in Cannock that supports special needs/people with learning disabilities and gets them cytech qualified. Word of mouth and i occasionally put a quick ad up in morrisons saying ill buy most used bikes, sometimes people just call up and say i can take the bikes out of their shed for free.
I don't buy whole bikes used, as they rarely have the spec I want. I'll buy a used frame and swap parts from the collection to build it up, often replacing bits on the donor bike with used bargains or swapping around as the whim takes me.
I look at eBay, Pinkbike, Singletrackworld and occasionally Gumtree, as all have plenty of scope for quality used bits.
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