No worries - I'd tread carefully if buying blind though; photos can hide many things..
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Kingfisher101
Veteran
With Ebay you can send it straight back and get your money back. That's why if I was selling I'd say cash on collection only.
Is that only in the case of it being not as described or are they trying to apply distance selling regs to used gear? Tbh I used to shift a lot of stuff through ebay and often found it rewarding and enjoyable. Now they've loaded absolutely everything against the seller and as a result I've not sold anything on there for years as it's such an unfair, laboured, hateful process.
Also, sod packing a bike up to post!
Kingfisher101
Veteran
You can and it looks in very good condition. There's no visible wear. There's loads about returns here on Ebay and there's a community on there as well that will help you OP.
eBay.co.uk – fulfilment on eBay
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Thank you
Brilliant thank you
alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Seems to be the way things are going. New model each year and the spec gets lowered whilst the price goes up.
I've had good experiences with two bikes from ebay this year, but I would never do anything other than cash on collection, which gives you a bailout if it's a dog.
The photos usually give you a pretty good idea if it's in good condition or not. If the photos don't show it's near mint condition, I'm not interested.
I expect within the next year or two we will see a bunch of bikes on ebay that people bought during lockdown 1 and didn't use much.
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Bit annoying that it's got a turbo skewer on the rear and the bar tape has a tear on the left side. Apart from that appears to be a bit of a bargain and neither of these slight irritations are hard or costly to remediate. GL with the purchase (assuming it's the right size for you)...
Kingfisher101
Veteran
Its got a quick release on the rear which the bike came with. It wont have a thru axel for £250. Most cheaper bikes have quick releases unless they are really old.
I could not even tell with the pic fully blown up and a magnifying glass on it. If the bike is as described then go for it, but if not, how much wear is acceptable before you go through the trouble of returning stuff? I don't know, it is up to the buyer. I brought a tool to measure chain wear, I did not realise I could tell from a photo.
Gillstay
Veteran
I got tricked and bought a stolen bike off e bay and they just said 'its your own fault as you saw it and then bought it'. Most annoying.
bonzobanana
Guru
Giant is an actual bike manufacturer rather than just a brand. These 6061 frames compare well to frames on much more expensive bikes with US and European brands. I think the 2018 entry level Giant Contend had a sub 10kg weight in the medium frame size without pedals although that might be with 700x25 tyres. If we hadn't had the pandemic I would have been looking at a sub £200 price but I think at £250 with light use its a very fair price and a great bike especially now that Claris bikes are now moving towards £1k especially those with disc brakes from the big brands.
You always got more for your money with regard quality and spec with Giant compared to most brands anyway. At the price most US and European brands are doing 6061 based frame road bikes with 105 you often get Giant's more advanced 6011 based frames which are super light and competitive in weight with carbon fibre. It's just a great brand for quality and value. Giant are seen as the best quality large scale manufacturer of aluminium and carbon fibre frames by the industry and many US and European brands use them to manufacture their very high end bike models even if they use cheaper lower quality factories for their entry level and mid level bikes. Also they have very high weight limits and long lifetime guarantees on their frames and forks although that warranty I'm sure isn't transferable.
You always got more for your money with regard quality and spec with Giant compared to most brands anyway. At the price most US and European brands are doing 6061 based frame road bikes with 105 you often get Giant's more advanced 6011 based frames which are super light and competitive in weight with carbon fibre. It's just a great brand for quality and value. Giant are seen as the best quality large scale manufacturer of aluminium and carbon fibre frames by the industry and many US and European brands use them to manufacture their very high end bike models even if they use cheaper lower quality factories for their entry level and mid level bikes. Also they have very high weight limits and long lifetime guarantees on their frames and forks although that warranty I'm sure isn't transferable.
The description is vague to say the least.That could mean it's stolen or it's just a seller that doesn't know much about bikes.The comment 'If you live far away I could meet you for a small fee' could be seen as a bit odd.
It's £250 so has to be worth a punt.
It's £250 so has to be worth a punt.
alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Not that unusual or unreasonable. Some people don't want to drive 200 miles to buy a bike. Meeting half-way is an option.
Although the wording is a bit crap, not everyone is a good written communicator.