Would you buy a £1500 bike off a zero feedback e-bayer??

dieselgeezer

Title just about sums it up. Bike seems accurately described. I've sent a PM regarding a few details & am awaiting a response. Is there anything I should ask as a "test"?

chiark

In direct answer to the question in the thread title: No.

Would I consider spending £1500 on a bike that might be stolen, damaged, dangerous or just an outright scam? No...

It could be a bargain, but it could be a whole heap of trouble. No matter how tempting, I'd walk away.

but that's just me

Buckled_Rims

Everyone starts from a zero feedback when selling or buying.

I think the main 2 things to to ask is:

1. Do they have a receipt or the bikes handbook as proof of ownership.

2. Why are they selling it.

The first is to cover your back as you're the one risking losing your money and bike if it is stolen. The second reason is a bit more vague. To be honest, and this is me personally, if the bike has a carbon frame, I probably wouldn't buy it. An ali or steel frame you can see if it's had a crash, but on a Carbon...well...not so sure as it doesn't dint like metal.

markos1963

Buckled_Rims wrote:

Everyone starts from a zero feedback when selling or buying.

I think the main 2 things to to ask is:

1. Do they have a receipt or the bikes handbook as proof of ownership.

2. Why are they selling it.

The first is to cover your back as you're the one risking losing your money and bike if it is stolen. The second reason is a bit more vague. To be honest, and this is me personally, if the bike has a carbon frame, I probably wouldn't buy it. An ali or steel frame you can see if it's had a crash, but on a Carbon...well...not so sure as it doesn't dint like metal.

Plenty of ali and steel frames out there with filler and paint covering a multitude of sins

nochekmate

Cash on collection only for me at that price on eBay - can then walk away if it does not look as described - proof of ownership would be useful but as previous poster said, everybody ahs to start at zero at some stage.

ShutUpLegs

Seems a fair price for a Cervelo S3

Bar Shaker

I wouldn't buy anything from eBay.

It's a market place for thieves and crooks.

You would be slightly safer buying a £1500 bike from a car boot sale.

MrChuck

No, but then I wouldn't buy anything from individuals on eBay for more than a few quid.

jam5ie76

No

Its worth pointing out that most people don't start at zero feedback. The majority of genuine users will buy a few things before they sell anything and thus gain a few positive feedbacks.

Ebay is a wretched hive of scum and villainy and only worth watching out for the rare bargin, I often cant believe the prices some junk goes for.

Ciclicasati

Hell no.
Does the post look like a first time seller or a seasoned ebayer?

Only thing to do would be offer cash on collection.

drkawaszelong

like many, no, unless cash on collection.

also, have they put an ad in the Sales of road bike and stuff section on here? i'd expect many selling such an expensive bike to put an ad on here?

Keith1983

DrKawaszelong wrote:

i'd expect many selling such an expensive bike to put an ad on here?

I'm not sure about that, you can be a cyclist and not even be aware of this website/forum.

If I were you I'd arrange to go and have a look and try and get someone who knows bikes inside out to come with me. Look for signs of damage and poor maintenance. Try and weigh the bloke up in person. Throw a few red herrings in there and see if he spots them. After all I'd expect someone selling a £1500 bike to know what he is talking about to some extent. Maybe ask him about other kit he uses, such as clothing or where his LBS is and what tyres he prefers. If it doesn't all add up you can walk away. If it does and you're happy with it then go for it.

bompington

I must have bought several hundred items on ebay over the years, out of those I have very, very rarely had to leave negative feedback for anyone, and have seen no evidence to suggest that anything I've bought is dodgy. Surely you just have to look at each item on its merits?

We kitted out the bathrooms in our new house (4 years ago) almost entirely from ebay: out of around £2k spend, only a couple of items have turned out to be a disappointment, and the £200 odd that cost us is, errr, slightly outweighed by the £3000 we saved on the prices being quoted by our builder's preferred supplier.

So yes, there are purveyors of dodgy and shoddy goods on ebay, and this particular case has to look suspicious, but to dismiss it entirely as "a market place for thieves and crooks" is a serious exaggeration of the problem.

Butterd2

Yes but insist on Cash on Collection.

I've bought everything from sheds, to cars, to bathroom suits, stone tiles, sofas and loads of bike stuff from eBay and apart from the odd fake T-Shirt they have all been good and I have had some serious bargains along the way.

I think some of the comments above are confusing eBay with Gumtree which is just a website for fences.

Ask for the frame number, they are likely to be reluctant to give that if it is dodgy then check it over thoroughly and be prepared to walk away if it is not as described.

Bobbinogs

I agree with the above and like the idea about asking for the frame number. Any genuiine seller would be more than happy to give that. Also, the earlier post asking about receipt or handbook is a good idea.

I sold a bike on ebay last year for my Mother in Law and raised £1k for her, I only had minimum f/b's but I was a genuine (proxy) seller, had a receipt and handbook and the deal was a good one for everyone.

It might be worth asking if you can visit and see it. I had a few prospective buyers around to look at the bike I was selling, I set them up on a turbo so they could check the fit, etc., so I don't think it is an unreasonable request (after all, if I was buying a new bike I would want to be sure about it, etc.). No way in a million years was I going to let someone do a test ride though

cougie

I'd not. Even if they have a receipt for it - that could have been stolen too. What would you have to trace the seller ? A defunct ebay account and a vague description of the bloke.

Nope.

allen.coulson

I don't have an eBay account. I have got a £1500 bike which I bought new.

If I wanted to sell it I would open an eBay account as one of my routes to market.

Evil Laugh

Bar Shaker wrote:

I wouldn't buy anything from eBay.

It's a market place for thieves and crooks.

You would be slightly safer buying a £1500 bike from a car boot sale.

I disagree entirely here. I've probably bought 150-200 items on eBay and have only had a couple of problems which were sorted by paypal.

If you can't spot the percentage that are dodgy crooks you're totally naive and that's your problem, they're obvious.

I'd say the majority of people selling on there are genuine and I get some insane bargains on new gear. Last example a pair of £200+ mavic shoes brand new delivered for £90.

I've had more trouble on this forum than eBay.

Evil Laugh

Bar Shaker wrote:

I wouldn't buy anything from eBay.

It's a market place for thieves and crooks.

You would be slightly safer buying a £1500 bike from a car boot sale.

I disagree entirely here. I've probably bought 150-200 items on eBay and have only had a couple of problems which were sorted by paypal.

If you can't spot the percentage that are dodgy crooks you're totally naive and that's your problem, they're obvious.

I'd say the majority of people selling on there are genuine and I get some insane bargains on new gear. Last example a pair of £200+ mavic shoes brand new delivered for £90.

I've had more trouble on this forum than eBay.

raymondo60

I would happily defend ebay. Have bought and sold thousands of quids worth of stuff - much of it bike and bike related - and have never, ever had any issues. Like any transaction; just be careful. If it sounds too good tto be true it usually is. Ebay is a great marketplace and I've found some great bargains, but I would ALWAYS view an item before buying (if significant value etc) and if I have ANY doubt whatsoever I walk away. Being honest with people helps too - you can't judge ebay by the people who abuse it, as the vast majority of traders there are genuine and helpful.

Evil Laugh

Saying that, the feedback section is there for a reason and is also very heavily weighted towards the buyer now.

I'd personally only take it cash on collection and if the answers to the above sort of questions seem genuine.

It's also worth trying to get a phone number for items of that value. You should be able to tell how genuine someone is fairly quickly. Do they appear an enthusiast? Have they got detailed knowledge of the item etc etc?

tim_wand

Everyone has to start somewhere. In cases like this I would only proceed if it was collection in person and payment on collection. (Take a big mate as well)

If its too far or the seller starts making excuses then Honestly No I would look elsewhere

Bozman

I use Ebay and i've never had a problem buying or selling but a word of warning about cash on collection -
I sold a Motorbike a while back and the bloke that bought it turned up with two big mates, he told me about a near miss when he went to pick up a motorbike he'd won on Ebay, he went to collect it(cash on collection) and he got confronted by a tooled up group of men, luckily he managed to get away in one piece with his cash.

It could be an urban myth but ..