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Calling out ebay sellers

Old 10-06-19, 10:26 AM
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Calling out ebay sellers

Today I noticed two ebay listings that are factually incorrect...by a lot. Sometimes I feel like messaging the seller to educate them...but I rarely do. One listing was for a 93 Lemond GAN GLX replica team bike with the number tag. The seller claims it was one of the Lemond back up team bikes in the 90 Tour De France...WTF...where did they get that info. Starting bid $999. The other was a Masi 3V the seller claims is a former Masi Gran Criterium team bike...what?? all for $2,000. I know, I do see this all the time but it still drives me crazy. Hey ebay sellers, even if you dont know the difference between a stem and handlebar...dont make **** up. Just say you dont have a clue....or spend an hour doing a little research! Rant over
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Old 10-06-19, 10:29 AM
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I am more knowledgeable about guitars and music equipment and when I see stuff that is priced out of whack I always message them. Sometimes they are just ignorant or going on what someone else has told them.
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Old 10-06-19, 10:31 AM
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Old 10-06-19, 10:48 AM
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It depends. If there's something so totally off-base I'll point it out. Normally it's in cases where the seller either doesn't know what they have and thus it's priced even lower than damn-that's-a-steal level (yes, I'm that jerk!). Sometimes it's in cases where someone is making grossly false claims. Some cases that come to mind....

Had someone posting an OU8 for sale at $799/obo on eBay. Claimed in the body, "Possibly ridden by someone famous in the Tour de France". Shot them a message to let them know it was a basic OU8, attached a pic from the catalog showing the same bike, and explained "Gotta be careful, some buyers specifically look for auctions with misinformation to buy so they can file not-as-described claim after, then you're out shipping both ways and/or getting extorted out of the item". Their reply? "Are you making an offer on the bike? If not, I don't give a s***. Make an offer or move along, a**hole."

There was a person in California listing a PX10 frame/fork as something absurdly lesser model with a super-super low eBay price I actually posted about this in the eBay/CL "are you looking" thread here at BF a couple years back. Anyway, I reached out to let them know it was a PX10 and they should update the auction and starting price to reflect. They did and got much more than the original ask.

Just last month or month before, I saw someone on CL in Alabama (Birmingham area, IIRC) posting a couple of vintage Peugeots, claiming one was "nice, lightweight Reynolds tubed". In fact, there was a green/black tubing sticker on the frame by the downtube shifters, but I could tell from experience it was one of the Carbolite+ stickers I normally see on bikes out of the UK market. Emailed to say, "Can you doublecheck to see if that's a Reynolds sticker, or does it say Carbolite+, there's a pretty decent difference?" Sure enough, they messaged back a few minutes later to say thanks, and had updated the ad to reflect.

It's a mixed bag what you get. Seems to be very 50/50 on how people are going to react. The hostile replies I've gotten from people who know they're mis-advertising have been enough to make me not want to ever bother.
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Old 10-06-19, 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by gugie
+1 x 10 to the 7th.
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Old 10-06-19, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by francophile
It depends. If there's something so totally off-base I'll point it out. Normally it's in cases where the seller either doesn't know what they have and thus it's priced even lower than damn-that's-a-steal level (yes, I'm that jerk!). Sometimes it's in cases where someone is making grossly false claims. Some cases that come to mind....

Had someone posting an OU8 for sale at $799/obo on eBay. Claimed in the body, "Possibly ridden by someone famous in the Tour de France". Shot them a message to let them know it was a basic OU8, attached a pic from the catalog showing the same bike, and explained "Gotta be careful, some buyers specifically look for auctions with misinformation to buy so they can file not-as-described claim after, then you're out shipping both ways and/or getting extorted out of the item". Their reply? "Are you making an offer on the bike? If not, I don't give a s***. Make an offer or move along, a**hole."

There was a person in California listing a PX10 frame/fork as something absurdly lesser model with a super-super low eBay price I actually posted about this in the eBay/CL "are you looking" thread here at BF a couple years back. Anyway, I reached out to let them know it was a PX10 and they should update the auction and starting price to reflect. They did and got much more than the original ask.

Just last month or month before, I saw someone on CL in Alabama (Birmingham area, IIRC) posting a couple of vintage Peugeots, claiming one was "nice, lightweight Reynolds tubed". In fact, there was a green/black tubing sticker on the frame by the downtube shifters, but I could tell from experience it was one of the Carbolite+ stickers I normally see on bikes out of the UK market. Emailed to say, "Can you doublecheck to see if that's a Reynolds sticker, or does it say Carbolite+, there's a pretty decent difference?" Sure enough, they messaged back a few minutes later to say thanks, and had updated the ad to reflect.

It's a mixed bag what you get. Seems to be very 50/50 on how people are going to react. The hostile replies I've gotten from people who know they're mis-advertising have been enough to make me not want to ever bother.
in my experience, alot of people dont like when they are called out. Several fought back claiming they are right...so be it
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Old 10-06-19, 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by abellanti
in my experience, alot of people dont like when they are called out. Several fought back claiming they are right...so be it
I agree.

I think some of the more hostile replies come from people unusually sensitive to being challenged by strangers. Reality is, if someone nicely says something niche-market you published is invalid, they're usually not implying anything. I even tell people my intent, "not looking to buy, but you should be aware [this] is wrong and it may lead to [that] happening".

I don't even need or expect a thanks. No ego involved when I'm offering someone proof a correction may be warranted. Just trying to keep things factual.
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Old 10-06-19, 11:11 AM
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Truth is a scarce commodity today.

its a wild world out there.
the Black 55cm Masi Gran Criterium for $3,500 frame and fork with "patina" is amazing too.
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Old 10-06-19, 11:11 AM
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When you're done fixing Ebay, I hear Craigslist is ripe for the pickin'....
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Old 10-06-19, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by RobbieTunes
+1 x 10 to the 7th.
Uh, you do know that is still +1?

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Old 10-06-19, 12:30 PM
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I posted here once about a seller that had a mint Raleigh Professional except the steerer was obviously bent. Wrote the seller, his reply was "it is what it is."

At least everyone here had the warning.
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Old 10-06-19, 12:41 PM
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Those eBay sellers need to get off my lawn!
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Old 10-06-19, 12:51 PM
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There's currently a listing for a high end frameset (lucky me, its so bad I blanked it from my head), described as good condition BUT it HAS major top tube damage and crushed. Lol
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Old 10-06-19, 01:22 PM
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Saw one recently that said no dents, cracks, bends or rust. Then in three of the pictures he/she pointed out 3 dents with circles, which made me laugh.
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Old 10-06-19, 01:28 PM
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Originally Posted by wrk101
I just reported that expensive Bianchi where the seller used NOS in his title. We will see if eBay does anything....
And what was up with the photos? They're grainy, like they're actually scanned from a magazine or actual printed pictures.

Maybe to help hide the top tube ding halfway down the tube from the 3rd cable guide? Hmmm....
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Old 10-06-19, 01:48 PM
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They do it for other people's entertainment.
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Old 10-06-19, 02:01 PM
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I'll periodically message a seller if it is way off base. For example I saw a Plow Coulter Cutter being advertised as a bicycle wheel. And, the seller just didn't know.

Or if there is something that could lead to a misunderstanding with a buyer/seller. For example if I saw something like an 8 speed cassette listed as 9 speed, I'd probably drop a quick note.
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Old 10-06-19, 02:18 PM
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I listed a crank wrong on accident (wrong brand). I was grateful when someone pointed it out and I fixed it right away.
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Old 10-06-19, 02:45 PM
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I don't have time for fixing stupid or dishonest on Ebay or CL despite the fact that it's rampant. However, I belong to/visit this and one other cycling forum; the other one has a pretty active classifieds section. It takes like 30 days to even post or respond there so it seems like a pretty up and up operation. Back in the summer there was a guy selling an SLX Merckx Corsa Extra frame and fork in my size. The ad stated the frame was barely ridden and in great condition but for a nick or two in the paint. Something told me to pull up the seller's past threads and sure enough, he had a thread on how to tell the difference between a Merckx SLX fork and one made of SL.

According to the post he bought the frame and fork without a headset, found that a Campy headset stacked too tall and went on the hunt for a replacement fork as opposed to using a Shimano, King or some other lower stack model. He was trying to determine if what he had would have been indigenous to the frame or to the SL version Corsa. The sum total was no one could give him a concrete answer so the thread died. Fast forward to the ad copy that made no mention of the replacement fork or the possibility of it being SL vs SLX; on top of that he was asking above top of the mark money for the frame, fork and headset. He even had an ad on Ebay that also led one to believe that the frame and fork were both original.

Instead of being a d*ck and posting the question about the fork in the FS thread and linking the fork thread he posted, I PMed him. Sure enough, this was the fork in question and there was no mention of where the original fork was. (I should add, despite many FS postings, there was no ad for the original fork that was too short) After that, I thought he might update the ad to read the "frame" has very few miles and the "fork is a brand new replacement" or something but nope, the ad still might lead someone to believe that the frame and fork were a pair originally.

Maybe it's exactly what the guy says it is but dancing around with words on an important item like that in a forum full of people that would likely pay less because of it is (in my opinion) a lie by omission. Worse case scenario the bike was involved in a front impact and he replaced the fork (it had been built and ridden, he was only selling the frame and fork). I'm not saying that's the case but not being 100% upfront about something like a replacement fork in a community of enthusiasts tells me everything I need to know. I never called him on it publicly because I don't go there to create a dust ups; I just want to talk bikes, riding and maybe buy something now and again.

It's like my grandad used to say, "A thief will steal and a murderer will kill but you never know where you stand with a liar".

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Old 10-06-19, 03:22 PM
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It's like my grandad used to say, "A thief will steal and a murderer will kill but you never know where you stand with a liar".

Great Quote!
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Old 10-06-19, 03:57 PM
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There's a local bicycle coop run by a guy who does this kind of stuff. He has two different eBay accounts, one with the coop's name and one generic one that I think he uses to sell stuff he takes from the coop for personal profit. He generally sells beat up frames and parts and overprices them. Lots of frames with a lot of paint loss and rust listed as "good used condition".

A good example is a beat up early 80s Schwinn Sports Tourer he had up, one of the low end lugged red and black ones made by Giant in Taiwan. The title of the listing said "MADE IN CHICAGO" in all caps, which is clearly wrong, and it was priced around $400. I messaged him with no response. I tried to get eBay to take the listing down, but didn't get anywhere as the customer service rep couldn't really understand what I was saying.
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Old 10-06-19, 04:07 PM
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This is the exact reason why I submit my questions to this site when I am considering a purchase. Personally I don't have the knowledge so I consult the group. Cant always believe what people say.
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Old 10-06-19, 04:10 PM
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Originally Posted by TenGrainBread
There's a local bicycle coop run by a guy who does this kind of stuff. He has two different eBay accounts, one with the coop's name and one generic one that I think he uses to sell stuff he takes from the coop for personal profit. He generally sells beat up frames and parts and overprices them. Lots of frames with a lot of paint loss and rust listed as "good used condition".

A good example is a beat up early 80s Schwinn Sports Tourer he had up, one of the low end lugged red and black ones made by Giant in Taiwan. The title of the listing said "MADE IN CHICAGO" in all caps, which is clearly wrong, and it was priced around $400. I messaged him with no response. I tried to get eBay to take the listing down, but didn't get anywhere as the customer service rep couldn't really understand what I was saying.
Don't get me wrong as I believe in bike co ops but the one in Madison has a crazy number of high priced bikes with issues. I wrote to the seller once to point out some of the issues on one of the bikes and the reply was to offer me a small discount on the price.

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Old 10-06-19, 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by bikemig
Don't get me wrong as I believe in bike co ops but the one in Madison has a crazy number of high priced bikes with issues. I wrote to the seller once to point out some of the issues on one of the bikes and the reply was to offer me a small discount on the price.
I’ve never seen one that’s not like that...all of the ones I’ve seen are sitting on a literal landfill of bicycles and parts, and think that because they’re a co-op, they should get eBay pricing on stuff that looks awful. Then you have the cherry picking of free stuff that was donated...

I learned pretty quickly not to waste time dealing with them.
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Old 10-06-19, 04:33 PM
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Take ebay with a grain of this.
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