Originally Posted by wrk101

+1 Volare was not from those years, are you thinking Avion/Ontare? It is super rare.

Buying bikes on eBay is a crap shoot. I always recommend if you do it, buy from someone with multiple positive feedbacks on actual sales and shipments of bikes. Otherwise, drive and pick it up. I have driven pretty far one way just to avoid the eBay shipping risk.

Of the bikes I have bought on eBay, HALF arrived with damage. The worst one, the seller put the bike, LOOSE, with NO packing whatsoever, in a bike box. It was shipped from Seattle to South Carolina. Needless to say, bike had a lot of damage by the time it arrived. The seller's response "I used a bike box". Classic....

Myself, I would get a complete refund.

As far as cutting down a bike box, most have to be cut down some. The last bike box I obtained was 135 inches overall, against a max limit of 132 inches. In that case, slight cut down was required for a complete bike shipment, massive cut down was required for a frame shipment (108 inches max).

Most disappointments on eBay are relatively predictable. Does the seller have a perfect feedback score, with lots of sales (feedback for purchases only will be spotless but meaningless). Has the seller shipped bikes in the past with positive feedback? Does the seller show pictures of past bike shipping? Is the shipping charge realistic but not super cheap? (Sellers who low ball shipping cost sometimes get sticker shock and as a result, do some creative packing to meet size requirements). How high is the feedback count on sales, and how much of it is recent? Is the seller "top rated plus"?

To meet all this criteria, expect to pay a higher price. In addition, you probably will not find many sellers that meet all the criteria. Just understand not having some of this criteria increases risk. None of this criteria = pick up in person.

The longer the seller's record, and the higher the number of feedbacks, the more confidence you should have. Realize to maintain 100% positive feedback over many years, with lots of sales = a seller that will bend over backwards to make you happy.

FWIW, the ones that have arrived with damage for me all failed the criteria I list above. So why did I buy? First, they were a mistake, I have learned a lot about buying on eBay since then. Secondly, one was a grail bike for me, one I had looked for over three years, so I knowingly rolled the dice on that one.