Mountain Biking - Buying a bike from ebay

Would you do it? have you done it?

I personally have made not transactions, but I have 2 friends that between them have bought and sold a couple dozen items. I'm only aware of one of them with just a single bad experience, and he continues to buy and sell... (Just my 2¢).

Only if you know what you want, and have the experience to put it together once you get it.

I've bought numerous things off eBay. A couple of frames, some parts, but never a complete bike. I am currently buying a bike that I bid on, but didn't meet the reserve. The seller contacted me later and we came to an agreeable price for the bike. I know, I know, no eBay protection, but I'll take my chances.

I've sold a couple of bikes on eBay and have had good responses from the buyers. Everything was like I described and they were very happy with the transaction.

I refuse to buy anything that I doesn't have a picture of the "actual" product. I avoid, "I'm selling this for a friend" type auctions. I want to deal with the person who in fact owns the product. If I ask a question and don't get a response in 2 days, I forget about bidding. If they're not concerned enough to respond, they could be a problem once the auction closes. If there is any damage, I move on. There are too many other choices. Scratches, scrapes, cable rubbing, all that is normal and I can deal with it!

I do strongly suggest you check the sellers feedback rating. If they have a negative rating, don't take your chances, move on. No point in have a few bad apples....

To summarize, I've had nothing but good experience dealing with eBay, selling and buying. I prefer to sell my stuff through classified ads (there are many!) because I'd rather work a deal that both parties are willing to agree on, rather than take my chances on getting what I want/need.

I purchased a bike via ebay, and it should be here tomorrow. I agree with what's been said. You need to know the bike you are buying fits you and is what you want. And if it's shipped properly, you will need to know how to re-assemble when it arrives. It's minimal assembly but it's much cheaper to do it yourself that take to LBS. Of course, if you don't know a lot about bicycle mechanix you might want to have it checked out at the LBS for 50 bucks or so. Good luck.

I also have purchased several things on E-Bay, including a complete cyclocross bike. I've been very happy with everything. 2psykl is right on the money, research the seller, ask questions and inspect the pictures with care. PayPal or E-Bays payment system is also a wise option - added protection in case the item is defective.

I bought my Zaskar off of Ebay over a year ago along with numerous other items. I agree with what others have said, no response from an email, move on, bad feedback, move on, no pictures of the actual product, move on.

There are also escrow services online that you can use to give you more protection. The seller does not get the cash until the buyer says the product is what it is supposed to be. Costs money, but it is extra safety.

I'm an eBay fanatic. I don't buy anything without first searching eBay diligently.

I probably have 300 buys/sells over the last 5 years. My transacitons include high-end photography equipment, books, magazines, power tools and bikes and components.

I've purchased 2 frames and a complete bike in the last 18 mos. In May I purchased a road bike frame via eBay (Fuji Team). I knew what I wanted in fit, right down to the millimeter. I had predetermined standover height and top tube length. Had I not ridden my old road bike for several years, I could have only guessed on fit.

As for components, the comments from others are all right on. I never buy from sellers with zero (0) feedback. They don't know the eBay ethic and customs. I always check feedback and never buy from anyone with recent negative feedback - especially multiple negative feedbacks.

I recently sold my front susp. on eBay, and it went very well. I made sure to be VERY clear about the details of the bike, what you were getting, any problems, etc. I looked at it this way, I wouldn't want to buy a bike from someone who was vague about what model the bike is, how many miles are on it (approximately) any scratches, how it will be shipped, specs for that model year, etc. I found that my auction got more bids than similar bikes, most likely because of the details and multiple images I took and posted. If you're thinking about it, email the person hosting the auction and kinda feel him out. I think that's your best way to go about it. If you get a bad feeling for any reason, just bail. You can even retract bids.

I love Ebay....wish they did a credit card!!! :rolleyes:

I'd say 90% of my bike is from Ebay..and the Frameset I bought of MTBr.

Agreed that you should get as much info as possible before buying...I haven't had any bad experiences...but know others who have...

Good luck

Rich

I will add one thing regarding ebay. I had a fine experience, but apparently, ebay hasn't been too tough on fraud lately. This article was on MSNBC a few days ago

http://www.msnbc.com/news/809148.asp

I purchased an as new y2k Jamis Komodo frame, unfortunately the seller just put it in a box without any packing, so it rubbed a few paint places. All in all, the transaction went smooth and I will probably purchase more items from eBay.

I also think it is wise to price shop though. I have seen some items with the buy now logo offered, but have seen the items priced at the mail order houses for far less.

you know, i wouldnt have any trouble buying a road bike online, but a MTB is different. There are people who treat xc hardtails like they are FS downhill bikes, and take them off of drops and just treat them harshly. I'm not sure that I would want a used mtb that I couldn't closely look at the frame to make sure there is no damage.

Hmmm...I have thought this through aften. I don't think I would buy a dually used. Too much can be hidden and broken. HT...no prob...

I bought a bike this summer. The seller was very quick with responses and shipped the bike properly. I even had a seller return money that I overpayed (the actual cost was lower due to combined shipping of 2 items) which was VERY nice of him. There are alot of people on there that are excellent and I have yet to run into a bad apple. I have been wondering though, has anyone had any experience with buying an item that was several thousand $'s over ebay? I'm looking at some high-end bikes that are brand spankin new at serious discounts but I don't want someone screwing me over and keeping the money and not sending the bike. Any thoughts, experiences?

I purchased my road bike off ebay, a Klein Quantum Race, full dura ace, rolf vector pros, 500 miles on the bike. New, the bike would have cost $3800 at the local bike shop. I picked up the bike for $1018.00 shipped. No problems at all.

Ebay here I come!

Joe, do you have the name of the seller that you go the klein from?