Does anyone buy from Ebay?

[noadapter]

Hi guys

Does anyone buy there bike parts and components from Ebay? looking to buy a pair of 2nd hand wheels not sure if i buy from ebay what kind of condition a set wheels are good to be in.

So is it better to try before you buy and buy new or keep your fingers crossed and buy 2nd hand from looking at a picture you saw on ebay?.

 

[Mark_Robson]

I buy lots of gear from Ebay. Most sellers are honest people and I have made some great savings over the years. If the wheels that you are considering are local then ask the seller for a look before you bid. If he is genuine there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[edindave]

2nd hand on ebay is always a gamble so keep an open mind and common sense approach and you should fare ok.


- If it looks too good to be true it probably is.
- Look at sellers' feedback. Note comments on delivery/quality of packing.


- Local pickup gives you the chance to inspect before parting cash - if it's an option.
- Sellers might be upgrading brand new wheels from a new bike - ask questions. They might not say why they're selling in the ad.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Hi guys

Does anyone buy there bike parts and components from Ebay? looking to buy a pair of 2nd hand wheels not sure if i buy from ebay what kind of condition a set wheels are good to be in.

So is it better to try before you buy and buy new or keep your fingers crossed and buy 2nd hand from looking at a picture you saw on ebay?.

A lot of bike shops actually have their own ebay shops, for example, Rutland Cycles have an ebay shop and the prices are generally actually lower than their online store. Obviously not good for used parts but worth remembering I think.

Do your homework so you know exactly what it is you want, otherwise you could end up buying something less than ideal.

I've been buyng and selling on ebay for around 10 years. I've bought loads of bike stuff and, (touches wood), never had a problem. I got stung with a fake golf club once but that's another story. I would never entertain buying anything of significant value from overseas, especially the far east etc, as the risk of getting counterfeit parts is far greater, IMHO. You can actually filter your search to only return results from UK sellers in the left hand side of the screen. See here,

There are a lot of idiots still on ebay, but if you keep your wits about you and take some sensible precautions you should be fine.

You can also see what a user has been bidding on recently, have they only just bought the same item they are now selling? If so, why - it could be a legitimate reason, or they could have bought a piece of junk and they are now trying to get their money back. Or they may be a genuine bike fanatic who is always buying and selling, if so their feedback will reflect this, so check the sellers feedback, if it's bad walk away, there will always be more sellers selling the same item. If they have low feedback and insist on cash payment, walk away as you have no buyers protection in these instances, (it's actually against ebay rules to insisit on cash payment).

Also, if they have a lot of positive feedback but it's all for really low value items, like 99p for example, be cautious! Unscrupulous sellers may get their friends to bid and buy items so they can quickly ramp up their feedback to paint a good picture of themselves.

You can generally judge a decent seller, they will have a good clear advert with lots of information and good pictures, and they will give clear answers to any questions you ask, and they will be generally helpful, (usually!).

If the seller sounds sketchy in his replies, can't be sepcific about things you ask, or just seems to not really have a clue, leave well alone.

If you pay with paypal you usually have buyers protection, and paypal tend to favour buyers over sellers in my opinion, but always check the terms and conditions.

So in a nutshell, use your intuition, ask questions, and if it seems to good to be true, it probably is - there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Ride safe

 

[Alessandro Petacchi]

Not had any problems,some peoples idea of what is good condition compared to your's can be annoying.One of the shops i use is highonbikes they are fantastic with their service and prices.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Some peoples idea of what is good condition compared to your's can be annoying.One of the shops i use is highonbikes they are fantastic with their service and prices.

+1 for all the above

 

[biggs682]

i am also an e bayer buyer and seller and it can be a gamble on 2nd hand stuff , have always had good results from other buyers and sellers on cycle chat and retrobike fourms .

 

[cyberknight]

The power sellers with shops in general are very honest as it is a business for them and they do not want bad publicity .
If i am laying out a decent amount of cash for something second hand i would make sure i see it 1st , either by detailed pictures or a visit in person.Any decent seller will not mind this at all.

 

[gds58]

I've bought loads of stuff on ebay and not just for bikes but all manner of other things. I recently bought a very nice pair of wheels which were every bit as good as they appeared in the listing. I think if you are careful and ask relevant questions you can get a feel for how genuine the seller is and also go through their feedback as this is almost always a good indicator.

One little tip is don't sit bidding on an item whilst enjoying a bottle of wine!! It has a habit of encouraging you to get carried away with things. Trust me I've been there!!! No real harm done though, maybe just bought some things that perhaps I shouldn't have.

Graham

 

[gds58]

One more thing to add. I also recently bought some cycling clothing (bib shorts and shirt) from a seller in China. Their sizing charts were excellent and communication was very thorough. The items came within a week from China and were excellent value for the amount they cost. Don't necessarily be put off by sellers in China. Many of them are running huge businesses and their service is often first class.

Graham

 

[Benthedoon]

My wife & I buy quite a few bits and pieces from ebay, usually shops for bike stuff, Absolute Cycles- Rutland Cycles- Highonbikes and most recently Magpiebikes (ordered a cateye strada yesterday it arrived today and free postage) all gave good, fast service.
But as mentioned earlier in this thread just check feedback and score then make an informed decision, 2nd hand can be a gamble but you win some you lose some (we've only had 1 or 2 iffy purchases from several hundred).

 

[Hacienda71]

I have bought three bikes on eBay all have served me well and were excellent value. In two instances I think I got bargains because of the way the seller had listed the item and the time of year. People don't buy bikes in winter.

 

[KenG]

Ive used E-bay on a number of occasions and have yet to be ripped off, i know it happens but as long as you know what youre looking for and dont impulse buy you can make considerable savings.
I also spend a little time looking through the sellers feedback.

 

[Nebulous]

I bought my bike on eBay. 2010 allez elite. List price was £799, lbs was selling them off at £699 as it was end of season and I got it for £543. It was virtually unused - the plastic covering was still on the bartape and I'm very pleased with it. I went and picked it up to ensure it was as described and paid cash though.

We have also bought some much higher value items second-hand on EBay and have always done very well. Again we used personal collection and paid cash. I don't trust paypal. They are not registered in the UK which avoids having to comply with UK consumer protection regulations. The most of the time they work well but we had one bad experience where they were particularly unhelpful, which has put me off.

 

[zexel]

Wheels are definitley not something I'd buy 2nd hand without seeing them first.