Guy advertises a Paramount on E-bay the adds its nota Paramount its a Bob Jackson. Really small pictures and then when I ask him about it he says the bike is packed for shipping and he doesn't remember the answer a lot of the basic questions I asked


https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=001

Link:

https://cgi.ebay.com/1980-schwinn-par...QQcmdZViewItem

Finally got the link to work the second time I tried it. Thanks I need all the help I can get

hmmm, zero feedback seller and hazy description.

If I lived near Arock, OR and could actually see it first, otherwise buyer beware.

I saw that, and what attracted me was his assertion that it was a 1980 Paramount. Schwinn stopped building the Paramount in '79, and resumed in '81 after moving Paramount manufacturing from Chicago to Waterford, so there were no 1980 Paramounts. The photos are so tiny you can't see any details. I figured the seller was either very unknowlegeable or perhaps even dishonest. The zero feedback doesn't instill confidence.

The fact that he corrected the listing to say it's a Bob Jackson instead of a Paramount makes me think he's just unknowlegeable rather than dishonest, and the small photos just mean he doesn't have much eBay and/or computer experience.

Ask him to email you the full size photos via email. There's definitely a Bob Jackson decal on the downtube, that much is clear. That looks like a recent build, with Honjo hammered fenders and probably a Sugino XD crankset, and those look like $50 Nitto water bottle cages. Strange to have found it at an estate sale. Some unfortunate iBOB had an angry spouse or met and untimely end.

What kind of rims would be Schwinn Approved? They look modern. To give the seller the benefit of the doubt, maybe something on the bike is branded Paramount. I've known seller to name a bike after some miscellaneous part on the bike.

On the other hand, perhaps those photos were swiped from elsewhere on the internet, and this is a complete scam.

Nice bike, though!

He tells me the rims are steel suntour quick release and that its a 74 it supposedly has Shimano crankset and brakes and the headset is a fairly new Shimano. I don't know what to think about this one it could be a great bike or it might be a real stinker. Guess I'll keep an eye on it and see how high the bidding goes.

Nah. Some unfortunate iBob had an angry spouse AND met an untimely end...Having just had a very uncomfortable situation with a seller, I really don't have the energy right now to do further battle...it'll probably be the buy of the year for someone.

From an experienced ebayer. First the zero feedback. Second is the ebay ID of loop7531 and the contact of loop1357 at yahoo. I never respond to an email outside of ebay unless I have personally gotten to talk to the seller on the phone. Third, the town of arock Oregon. Mapquest Arock Oregon and find a town nearby then email him telling him you live in that town and you will pick it up the day after the auction and just give him the cash at pick up. If the seller is not familiar with a town only 20 miles away there usually a fraud and don't live in Arock. I also don't know anyone that won't accept cash right away unless they're a warehouse or company making a profit on excessive shipping charges, which I doubt this one is. My bet is it's a fraud.

Another fraud tipoff - why the tiny pictures? Because he made a mistake and saved the small ones from the auction he's ripping off. Ask him for larger photos - that should do him in.

-Kurt

I think the guy's just a dolt. I think he wrote the description for the other bike he's selling first, copied it, and only changed the things he remembered about the 2nd bike (wrong though he is about the size (the other bike looks like a 22"), and the make of the bike (which is quite a puzzler frankly).

Check out the email addresses he lists in both of his ads. Given the (ahem) "fancy" English in his (her, its, their) ad I'd have to regard the dual addresses with skepticism. Somehow the points don't seem to go together. My vote is for scam.

I do the same thing! Never fails to turn up a scam....

I haven't done it on this one, but I'm glad to see someone else knows these tricks

Scam...see this link:

https://cyclingwmd.blogspot.com/

For the record, Arock, OR is an unincorporated community in Malheur County. It's literally miles from nowhere, with Jordan Valley being the nearest incorporated town.

East Hill

Once again the BF investigators have uncoverd a scam. I love it thanks a bunch EH

If you have been through that are, not exactly a cycling mecca. Now if he was selling a saddle I might believe him.

I think it's a great place to ride (well, with sufficient water!), but I think you are right about a (horse) saddle being a more likely subject of an auction .

The amusing part is that I ran a Google search on his e-mail address, and came up with the link I posted. I was rolling with laughter reading the man's blog .

East Hill

Great detective work, Margaret! You 'da one!

Thank you...thank you verra much... .

East Hill

The photos were stolen, either from a set on Flickr, or more likely a blogsite...
The seller is a crook...
Everything he says about the bike is nonsense...
Auction is a total scam...

... But,the bike is beautiful.

Here is what the REAL owner says about it:

"Hi. I'm the owner of this ride. This bicycle was built by myself at the shop I wrench at, Stones Cyclery in Alameda CA (est. 1943 and run by Dennis Stone who inherited the business from his father). The bike was modeled after older French style touring bikes like Rene Herse's and Alex Singer's. The only dead giveaway that this isn't a true vintage ride from a distance are the brake levers with aero cable routing. Nearly everything on the bicycle is current and readily available. Hand built wheelset with Ultegra hubs laced to DT rims, Ultegra long cage rear der., 105 triple front der., Dura Ace shifters, Campy Chorus headset, Sugino triple crank and BB, Shimano long reach calipers, Tektro brake levers, Nitto touring bottle cages, Ultegra seat post, Brooks Pro saddle, Nitto Dynamic stem, Nitto 176 Dream bar, Fujitoshi leather bar tape, Honjo fenders, Velo Orange rack, Velo Orange bell, Velo Orange mudflap, Ruffy Tuffy tires, Ultegra pedals. The only vintage bits are the headlight and the TA handlebar bottle cage. If anyone is interested in a ride like this, give us a call. It's what we do. Cheers, Jason."

... Just call me Bike Detective Bob

Yep thats the bike in the auction for sure. Man that stinks I wanted to bid on it but something just didn't seem right. Wonder if e-bay is gonna yank the auction?

Already warned the one bidder on the auction. We'll see what happens.

-Kurt

I just wrote to the owner, care of Stones Cyclery, and told him what was going on so he can report it to eBay. Hope someone can track down the seller and prosecute the bum for fraud.

Unfortunately, this happens all the time. Another tip-off besides sketchy descriptions, is when a "real" seller named something like "handmade_doll_clothes" has had no eBay activity for years, and then suddenly decides to sell a rare Confente bike for $5,000, buy-it-now, cash or money order to PO box, no PayPal.

Unused, "dormant" eBay IDs get stolen quite a lot, so even a seller with a track record for having sold or bought previously is worth examining for recent activity... and also just check for any other bike related auctions which a seller may have recently offered. ~ Fortunately for us, the crooks are usually total morons who know nothing about what they claim to be selling and can't answer the most basic questions.

String 'em up!

I'm just freakin' amazed at all y'all's detective work.

Wow, that's a real beauty when you see it in proper size photos.

East Hill