I'm currently building a new commuter bike and I mentioned to one of my friends, an avid cyclist, that I was looking for parts on eBay. He urged me not to buy any used parts, especially on eBay, because the parts are likely stolen. Is my friend right or just being paranoid? And what can I do to ensure the parts I buy are legit? Thanks.

I don't know. It often seems like on eBay used parts are going for prices higher than the MSRP for new ones. And then you gotta tack on the shipping charges.

I guess you could also say the same thing about some new parts too. I don't know if he's right, but I would say the same thing. I think it would be good tactics to get rid of the other PITA bidders who needlessly drive up my costs. Ask him if he's got any ideas to stop those last second snipers. That would be a nice thing to know.

a good point; never really thought of that angle before!
i guess looking at eBay feedback score, reputation, and contact with seller could be a passifier regarding this concept.
i really don't think there is that much money to be made selling used parts anyway. check out where your friend has gathered this "information".
good luck building your commuter!

Nothing.

How do you know that any used part hasn't been stolen, regardless of where you buy it. For that matter, how do you REALLY know that a new part sitting in a store wasn't stolen at some point?

I will not knowingly buy something that's been stolen, but I'm certainly not going to stop using ebay. Honestly, I spend enough effort trying to keep myself from getting ripped off (as a buyer and a seller) that I don't have time to worry about who else has gotten screwed.

I think your friend is full of bologna. Is it possible that there are stolen parts on Ebay? Yeah, I am sure there are a few, but probably a VERY small percentage. I certainly wouldn't avoid buying parts on ebay because of the possiblity they might be stolen.

You can usually save a little on parts on Ebay compared to LBS, depending on what you are buying. Typically the higher priced the item, the more you will save. But you often can find parts for just as cheap buy going to Performance Bike, Nashbar etc.

The thing with bikes as a whole on ebay is that it really is a seller's market. You can find decent deals, but steals are virtually non existant. There is simply too much traffic on ebay to find GREAT deals. If the deal is great, the odds are somebody else will either snatch it up if it is Buy it Now, or drive the price up if it is an auction.

Meh. A lot of stuff that gets stolen gets sold on eBay. But, that doesn't mean that a lot of stuff on eBay is stolen. You want a really good chance of buying hot goods? Check out a pawn shop.

In reality, it's someone else's problem.

You need to look very carefully at a seller's history, reviews, and who those reviews are from. Many times you can spot trends in shill bidding, and sellers who frequently change their names.

Be careful.

+1 The days of the steals (that is, amazing deals) on eBay is long since gone. It's insanity how people bid up prices early and what they'll ultimately pay for stuff, It's just mind boggling.

But there are still decent deals to be had. I've had a lot of luck finding cycling parts from shops all over that use ebay as a storefront to unload extra inventory and NOS stuff. My LBS usually don't have these parts, nor do the big catalogs. I got about half the parts for my commuter build up last year using these eBay shops and did great, the prices were really good. The parts were all new so I was less concerned with them being stolen goods.

eBay is still a useful tool in the quest for bike parts, but it's not like it was a few years ago. There is always risk in any transaction, buyer beware.

Are you looking for NOS parts or just clean used? NOS is likely to come with packaging from a dealer with a brick-and-mortar shop. You can always email if you need to know. Even from a private seller, the odds are low you will get stolen merchandise, especially if it comes with any kind of documentation.

I don't think there is any way to guarantee you won't buy a stolen article, but organizing an ebay auction seems a poor way to unload bits and pieces for a petty thief. It's time consuming. A street thief would need to be patient and disciplined for that.

I would guess that most sellers are parting out a bike and recouping some money for buying new gear. Some may be speculators that buy nice bikes whole in newspapers and through Craigslist and part them out for fun and maybe to make a little money. It would seem hardly worth the trouble, though.

There is a lot of shill bidding on ebay. It's far more prevalent than the selling of stolen goods or straight-up fraud. Its amusing to watch the same items pop up for another try after the shill fails. Ebay does next to nothing to prevent this.

You should be careful about buying used parts simply because sellers misrepresent their condition. Buying new at least eliminates this unknown factor.

I could rant for days about people who start bidding on items days before the end.

As a seller, I love it, but as a buyer it drives me insane.

You'll see something like a nice frame go up with a $10 starting bid (WITH NO RESERVE) and within the first day idiots have run it up to over $500. Some of this is due to shill bidding by sellers, but not the majority. Are there that many people out there who don't understand that the early bidder never wins?

My understanding is that most bike theft involves addicts trying to score $10 or so. Do their fences use Ebay? Not sure - probably some of them do.

To be honest - I am very wary of buying a used bike from someone who is not a friend or acquaintance of long standing.

I've had too many bikes stolen (at least three) to feel like supporting the stolen bike industry saves me any money in the long run.

I have not bought any used parts - and I wouldn't buy parts where the LBS didn't show me the original packaging. If those parts are stolen, there's not much I can do about it I guess, but at least they weren't ripped off some poor sod's primary transportation.

I have had the same positive experiences with ebay storefront sellers. My buddy and I both bought new bikes from one particular storefront seller. I paid $495 for a new bike with Tiagra shifters and 105 derailleur. I figure this is 1/2 what I would have paid in a shop, even if I got it on sale. The catch: had to assemble it myself. Not a problem for me though, as I do 99% of my own work anyway.

I too don't see how you're going to get a steal on used frames on eBay.

For my latest build, I've bought new things through eBay (Avid BB7 Disc brake, bulk cables and housing) and one old thing (pair of minimally used Nokians for about 75% of the usual advertised price). Unless it's going to be a big ticket item and there's a chance to be a lower price on an eBay store (like the Disc Brake) I just get stuff through Nashbar.

It's not like addicts looking for a quick fix are going to wait around for a 7 day auction to end. They want the money now, right? Therefore, all the stolen stuff is Buy Now with immediate Pay Pal payment required.

You can get great deals on eBay, but the trick is to watch everything, and only buy what's a bargain. If you go out to buy something specific, and you need it RIGHT NOW, chances are you'll pay well for it. I buy what's cheap, it goes in a box, and comes out when I need it.

Also, I sell vintage parts on eBay, and none of mine are stolen. I buy complete bikes when they're cheap, part them out, keep bits I need, sell the rest, and make a tidy profit.

+1 on the above. Ebay helps me to afford the bikes I have by buying bikes/parts localy and then being able to sell to a national audience of potential buyers. I recently sold a Schwinn Paramount frame that I got for $20 and while I will not disclose the final selling price, I had over 1400 people veiw it. That sort of activity is not possible selling to a local only audience. There is always the issue of honesty in any auction but so far, I have nothing but good experinces with ebay. I find it best to buy local and sell national. FWIW.

I don't get this ranting. When I am shopping ebay and I see an item I might want I put in a bid for the maximum amount I would pay for the item. If no one else is willing to pay more I win the item, if someone thinks it is worth more then they win it. Early bidders do often win and most of my best deals have been on items I bid 4-5 days before the end. I don't have the time or desire to try to get an item with a last second steal. If your last second bid won the item then you paid more than I was willing to.
As for a den of thieves I think you have to be careful about who you deal with but many of the sellers are either LBSs getting rid of old inventory or entrepreneurs retailing through Ebay.

Craig

About a year ago, here in Colorado Springs, an LBS was ripped off by
it's manager for $400K or $450K in the course of a year. He would
sell store stuff on e-bay and even use the store's Fedex account
to deliver and pocket the money himself. That was discussed on this
board with the newspaper reference. There were other references
provided. The only other one I recall was from Boulder and it involved
stealing hi-end bikes on the street and selling the parts on e-bay.
I don't recall if the magnitude of the thefts was discussed.

On the scale of e-bay is this a big deal?? I doubt it. Is it real??
I am convinced of it. Perhaps it is just Colorado!!!!

I respectfully disagree. Becuase of the randomness of Ebay (i.e. the same item ending in different acutions two hours apart and one getting bid above MSRP and the other ending wiyh 0 bids) I am the type of bidder you hate.

When I see an item (currently looking for sidesteps for my Jeep) I bid what I am willing to pay. If I win, I win, if not, it's on to the next auction. I am not looking to outbid someone else nor do I get caught up in that entire meotional trap. I set a price and if I win, great, if not , it sold for more than I was willing to pay.

+1. I wonder who these last-minute bidders think they're fooling..."Oh, maybe this current high bidder wasn't smart enough to figure out what the part was worth to them when they bid...if I sit by my computer all night, I can sneak in at the last minute and steal it before they bid again!"

-1

If you bid right away, it gives other bidders a chance to think about it for a while and talk themselves into paying more for the item. Waiting till the last second to bid as much as you are willing to pay will win you more auctions and save you money. It's a fact.

I use a sniping service for pretty much any Ebay buying I do. So, I decide what an item is worth to me, and enter that on the sniping service web page. Why should I tip off those crazy incremental early bidders with my intentions? The other benefit of the sniping service is that I can change my mind and cancel the bid whenever I want with no penalty. And the site I use is actually FREE if you don't use it that frequently and you're OK with getting your bid in at the last 20 seconds.

If we all used sniping services, it would be like a "sealed bid" auction. Which would be OK with me as a seller- take the last-minute competitive hysteria out of it.

Any place - including ebay - where people sell used goods is a possible place to sell stolen items. In my opinion, Ebay is less likely to be an outlet for stolen goods because it costs to list and sell there. payment for the goods is not in cash. And the seller can be located rather easily unless it's a bogus account in which case - no history-no feedback - so you can tell. While you can undoubtedly purchase stolen goods on Ebay, I doubt it's a haven for stolen bike parts. At least not stolen goods sold by the thief himself.

After a few newbie ebay experiences and learning about snipers and auction fever...my approach is a lot like CBBaron.

First I have to know what the price would be from peformance/nashbar etc.

Second I figure the max I am willing to pay. I check out shipping closely.

Third I bid, once with my max amount.

then I am patient I either win or I don't.

I have gotten some really good finds for a project I am working on and some good to very good deals.

Sellers have been good, one worked with me on a bidding error I made (I was going meet my commitment, even though the item was not going to work)

I have had only one negative issue and that was with a seller who didn't want to accept a bid when I had not rating (I have a whole 7 feedbacks now )

ymmv