scorpa3 Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 just how reliable is buying a bike off ebay? commiting to buy a bike you haven't seen. Buying off Ebay is no different to buying privately anywhere else. If you wouldn't buy a bike unseen out of TMX or MCN, don't buy it unseen off Ebay. It's not rocket science! I've used Ebay to buy and sell quite a few things including cars, a boat and a motorbike with no hassles. There are lots and lots of really good people buying and selling all sorts of stuff on Ebay. There are some crooks as well though so you do need to be sensible. Check sellers feedback. See if they have sold items as well as bought them. Have they done any substantial deals before, or is it all bits and pieces? How long have they been registered? For instance someone who has only been registered a few weeks, racked up 20 positives by buying biros and washers for a few pence each, and is now selling a bike would worry me. If you've got your wits about you you'll often be able to spot a scam, and if you don't feel comfortable about a particular auction for any reason then just don't bid. Contact the seller and see how they respond. Are they helpful or evasive? Ask for a phone number. If it's a long way away, try to get a local to give it the once over for you -- maybe someone here lives nearby for instance. Paying by Paypal can give some protection, but I wouldn't rely on it. If the seller has a verified address though at least you'll know where to send the County Court claim if it really goes horribly wrong! As you may have seen in anther thread I have just bought my Beta off Ebay, from someone 350 miles away without even contacting the seller. It was the bike that I was looking for, the price was good (but not too good to be true), and nothing set any alarm bells ringing, so I hit the "Buy it now" button and paid via Paypal straight away. I was taking a calculated risk, but I was pretty confident that it would be OK and it was. There are definitely good deals to be done by contacting sellers whose bikes haven't met the reserve. Use the advanced search on completed auctions and you'll often find plenty of possibles. Bear in mind though that if someone regularly completes their sales outside Ebay then they may be leaving a trial of unhappy customers without receining any negative feedback. "Buyer beware" definitely, but I certainly wouldn't write Ebay off. I agree, this advice is spot on. There are baragins to be had but make sure you are satisfied that the product is what you want. If you bid, then you are expected to buy, unless the item is significantly 'not as described'. So please DO go and have a look BEFORE bidding. I've had generally very good experiences of buying & selling high price vehicles including trials bikes on ebay. I always describe an item accurately.... there are some who don't! I would recommend you follow cg125's very good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 (edited) ive bought and sold cars and bikes for my personal use on ebay. its an excellent source of spare parts and frankly has added greatly to my all round trials experience, ive had guys drive from spain to buy bikes and have ridden to scotland to buy a bike, I bought a bike from a guy who lived less than a mile away and made a good friend i treat each transaction individually and look before i hand over my cash. i have never haggled over a price but have walked away when an item was not as descrbed ''starts easily and is a good runner'' described a bike with no carb.. as my old economics teacher used to say caveat emptor Edited February 1, 2007 by totalshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulthistle Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Ebay is a tool. If there is some wierd part you need, more than likely there are a few for sale on ebay. If you have something wierd to sell you couldn't get squat for it locally. But on Ebay it may be worth alot to someone who wants that exact thing. As an example I was cleaning out some old parts and found about 25 Yamaha JT1 lower throttle cables. Yea the short one. List price form yamaha for the unavailble piece was $4.99. I sold all and not the first one sold for under $19.00. They went all over the world. Junk to me, and no one local wanted them. But there are a lot of people who don't have any idea what "Showroom" condition means. A look at feedback and an email or two. Then a phone call if it is a big item, should give you an idea of what kind of seller they are. Buyer be Educated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpy Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I have just bought a KT 250 and a Suzuki Beamish from an Ebayer. The highest bidder had let him down so he emailed me to see if I was still interested. I had to ship my van to the UK and then pick up the bikes. Over a 1000 mile round trip. Well worth it as the bikes were as described and the seller was a great bloke. I spoke to the seller and his wife and knew that the deal would be OK. Buying from trials riders seems to be alright but you must use your own intuition to get the feel of the deal. Feedback very important, check what the seller has been buying and selling, but voice to voice contact should tell you to be careful or to go ahead. Never go ahead if you are not sure about the deal. I buy and sell cars, motorcycles and boats on ebay. There are some real scamsters out there. Buyer beware. My feedback is still 100% after 6 years of trading but honesty and good description of the goods goes a long way to help the buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasgasssser Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 My advice is dont do it unless you know what to look out for.I bought a 04 290 sherco about a year ago.It never run right since the day i bought it.I took it for a test ride,but i didnt notice much wrong with it.Soon as i got it home i realised something was wrong.It had a slight splutter on low revs when the throttle was opened,just like the carb was blocked or something. I bought it from a dealer,so i took it back and said its not running right,but i just got fobbed off.The guy said two guys who he knew took it for a spin and said it was fine.I got so p****d of i asked for my money back,he nearly caved in then said no.It turned out the stator was knackered and get this..piston in wrong way round!!!! (hence the splutter) I knew it wasnt running right.He must have been lying about his two mates or they didnt have a clue. So if you do buy off ebay be carefull,and if you dont like the look of it,dont buy it.Better to have negative feedback than buy a duff bike Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg125 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 So if you do buy off ebay be carefull,and if you dont like the look of it,dont buy it.Better to have negative feedback than buy a duff bike Or alternatively the moral of your tale is "You may as well buy off Ebay, as it's no better if you pay the extra money to buy from a dealer!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilco Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 So if you do buy off ebay be carefull,and if you dont like the look of it,dont buy it.Better to have negative feedback than buy a duff bike Or alternatively the moral of your tale is "You may as well buy off Ebay, as it's no better if you pay the extra money to buy from a dealer!" moral of the tale. Make sure the bike ain't knackered before you buy it,Allway's go and view the bike first,if you don't know much about bike's then try and take someone with you that does. cg125 Trust me you was very lucky you did'nt have a box of tear's delivered to your door step Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I bought it from a dealer,so i took it back and said its not running right,but i just got fobbed off.The guy said two guys who he knew took it for a spin and said it was fine.I got so p****d of i asked for my money back,he nearly caved in then said no.It turned out the stator was knackered and get this..piston in wrong way round!!!! (hence the splutter) I knew it wasnt running right.He must have been lying about his two mates or they didnt have a clue.So if you do buy off ebay be carefull,and if you dont like the look of it,dont buy it.Better to have negative feedback than buy a duff bike Steve This has nothing really to do with ebay....It was the dealer...and eBay was just the advert that brought you in. Best of balance. Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg125 Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Make sure the bike ain't knackered before you buy it,Allway's go and view the bike first,if you don't know much about bike's then try and take someone with you that does. Sound advice. Nothing to do with Ebay though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasgasssser Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 (edited) "This has nothing really to do with ebay....It was the dealer...and eBay was just the advert that brought you in" neo Its everything to do with ebay.I bought it off ebay,because it was advertised on ebay!!!.This guy could have been anybody.he just happened to be a (DODGY)dealer,that doesnt mean its nothing to do with ebay! Like somebody said earlier,ebay is a good way of getting shut of dodgy bikes,but if you know your stuff,you can get good quality bikes!! Just be carefull steve PS, couldnt do the quote thingy! Edited February 2, 2007 by gasgasssser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Its everything to do with ebay.I bought it off ebay,because it was advertised on ebay!!!.This guy could have been anybody.he just happened to be a (DODGY)dealer,that doesnt mean its nothing to do with ebay!Like somebody said earlier,ebay is a good way of getting shut of dodgy bikes,but if you know your stuff,you can get good quality bikes!! Just be carefull steve Could have been advertised anywhere and the result would have been the same (to somebody else maybe). Still not directly eBay's fault.....although eBay is guilty of many things. Best of balance. Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essex rider Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 Ebay must be good if people will even think of spending this much on a GASSER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis_gasgas Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 hmm wonder what they,ve bin smoking ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I got a good deal off of ebay and paid half of what the bike usually sells for. It was from a reputable street bike dealer who had no knowledge of trials bikes. It was described as forks not working but I bought it anyway. With a little work, I got the engine running fine and discovered that the reason for the locked up forks was a stripped bolt holding the axle which caused the forks to bind. A simple fix and now it's a sweet ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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