eBay

So I’ve bought and tons of items on eBay since 2000 when I joined up. Selling bikes is pretty easy. Just take great pix of the entire bike especially any damage. Include links to the manufacturer’s website and your particular year and model bike. Add $150-$200 for shipping. Yes, that’s how much it costs. Most bike shops charge $55-$100 to box a bike. Bikeflights charges $125-$150 to pick up a box at your bike shop and ship it in the continental US.

Buying bikes I’ve been burned twice.

The second time:

Warning signs.

Before the sale: The seller would not answer email about where he bought the bike. His answer about how he broke the rear triangle made no sense. He said he was just riding around and noticed the rear end was kind of loose. The amount of energy required to crack a rear triangle is immense. How could he not know how it happened?

The ebay ad description was very sparse. See below:

After the sale: He didn’t know basic things about his bike. For example, the water bottle cage and bolts had been ground down with a grinder making it very difficult to remove them. Why would anyone do that? Why doesn’t he know anything about it? Rear tire was flat. His response was just to pump it up. Of course I already did that and it went flat overnight. The fork stanchion was nicked so bad that it would slice the seal. His reply: I have no intention of paying for those repairs.

The top tube was badly scratched and dented. The bike shop said that this is not cosmetic but “quote” so this one issue that wasn’t disclosed in his ad makes the bike almost worthless.

The bike shop mechanic and I discussed how the two major areas of damage could have happened and agreed it didn’t happen when riding so the bike was stationary then. We guess that the bike was locked with U locks and a thief used a huge crowbar to defeat the locks. Not a professional since he damaged both the front and rear triangle so badly they have to be replaced rendering the bike almost worthless except for selling of the used parts.

Though initially defiant, he eventually agreed to a return and refund before eBay had to get involved. The bike hasn’t been shipped out yet so will update when the story is complete.

The first time the seller did not post enough pictures of his bike or any pix of undisclosed damage. The drivetrain and tires were much more worn than he stated and needed replacing. Though XTR components, they were at least 10 years old and had a really outdated shifting method where the brake lever is actually the shifter! Ah, what a joke.

Lesson learned: Don’t buy a bike older than 2014. Ask for more pictures. If you don’t get them, don’t bid. Ask more questions. If you don’t get answers, don’t bid.

I ended up returning the bike so the shipper is out the shipping to me and back to him, so about $300. Describe the bike accurately. Post pictures of the damage. Be honest. It will save the buyer and seller time, money, and frustration. Don’t trust the eBay feedback system on this. Even with over 80 positive feedbacks, this seller still tried to cheat me.

Recommendations if buying a bike on ebay

Find the manufacturers website for that particular model and year.

Check the bicycle bluebook.com value to make sure you’re paying market or below

Ask for proof that the fork and shock have been serviced recently. If not, subtract that from the price since you’ll most likely have to get that done

Look at the tires. Are they the OEM tires? how much wear?

Ask if the buyer is the original owner with the receipt from the bike shop

It’s a significant amount of work to unbox and assemble a bike and get rid of the box. If you have to return it, then you’ll have to drive the bike to a bike shop and pay $55-$100 for them to box up properly.

ebay is rife with stolen bicycles. If anything from the seller sounds fishy, then don’t bid on the bike.