Buying a bike off eBay

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Anyone here ever bought a bike off eBay without seeing it first?

I am intending on getting my first bike in the next couple of months . I live in Newcastle, but most of the auctions are down South so it will be hard enough getting the bike up here never mind viewing!

Any tips on what questions I should be asking the sellers, and what should I check if I go to pick it up?

Also, anyone ever used these companies that offer to pick up and deliver the bike to you? Do they check the V5 and engine number for you or are they just hired muscle?

Ta for any help!

[Kickstart]

Hi

The chances are that you will be fine, but there is still a large chance that you will either be completely done, or find extra things wrong.

I bought my FZR600 on Ebay without seeing it first. Few minor problems which I expected, but one major problem I didn't expect (had to get a new cylinder head). Still unsure if the seller knew anything about the problem. Doing the work myself didn't cost that much, but still made it no longer a cheap bike (just means I paid the normal going rate).

Basically if you can go and see the bike. If you can't then only buy it if it is dirt cheap.

All the best

Keith
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[Ste]

Bought my TL after seeing it on eBay, travelled up to Manchester to buy it without having seen it first.

Just ask the same questions you'd ask someone if you saw the bike in Bike Trader and check the same things when you go to view it and buy it.

I wouldn't actually pay for it without having at least seen it, but would expect to pay for it when collecting it as if it's not what they said it was then it's fair enough not paying.

Useful to ask them details of where they got it from, where has done any work on it etc so you can ring them up and ask them questions about it.

HPI check it as per normal, not worth doing until you've actually decided "if it's HPI clear I'm going to go see it and if it's what they've said then buy it" as no point at the time.

[mrchips]

I never fancied it myself, though I was going to buy a tatty local NS400 for 90 quid to give me something to do, but the tube never wrote back when I asked "are there any electrical or mechanical faults". That probably said it all.

[binge]

Yeh, I baught my Speedfight 100 from ebay. AND i had it courrier delivered so if it was bad, I was screwed. but i was actually over the moon with it. there wernt ONE single scracth on the paint work. all it needed was a new headlight bulb (which was stated in the description anyways)
I also baught my Speedfight 70cc from ebay unseen too. and that was also great!

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Cheers guys.

I am going to be buying a second hand CG or SR125 so I expect it to have a few scratches and dents.

Is there any legal comeback if you ask a seller specifically if there are any problems and when the bike turns up it is different than what he said? Or would it not be worth the bother of trying to get your money back?

[Jrod]

I bought my bike off ebay without seeing it, one good thing is that if they have described it with no damage and you can find one mark on it thats an excuse to say no to buying it as it was falsely advertised.

[yambabe]

This is one of the advantages of belonging to a forum like this. If you find something you really like that's miles away, put a messgae up in here. There's almost certain to be someone who will go and have a look for you and report back.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[izzi81]

I bought my zx6r on ebay without having seen it. Before bidding I asked the buyer specifically if it was in great condition. And obviously I didn't pay until I'd seen the bike! I had a friend with me who looked it over before I parted with my cash, and since buying it I haven't had any problems with it at all
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[Ste]

[DanceLikeAMon...]

As I mentioned before, this will be my first bike as I have always driven cars before, and I know absolutely nothing about mechanics (I am hoping to learn as I go ). So what questions should I be asking a seller?

[mattsmith95]

I buy and sell on Ebay, I wouldn't buy anything like a motorbike
unless it was local and good enough for spare parts.

NO WAY would I try and buy a decent runner, I'd stick to my
local bike shop.

I do however buy up spare parts, my latest was CB500 switch
gear which was in perfect working order and I got at a fair
price

[Grubby]

A few basic rules for buying a bike,
1: Never buy a bike you haven't test ridden. How do you know you'll like it, let alone if it rides true!
2: Never buy anything you can't take back easily, or be able to talk face to face with the person who sold it to you. If you buy from someone the other end of the country, how do you know that they live where they say they do, if you get a big problem you need some kind of comeback.
3: Never buy a bike with "sold as seen" on the receipt unless someone with good mechanical experience has checked it over first.
4: Never buy anything that you aren't 100% happy about. If you can't fix any problems with the bike you've just bought the repair bills from a shop can mean that that bargain you've just bought has just become a money pit.
If you follow these guides you should be ok.

[Ste]

[Villers]

I tried to sell my RS on ebay, its ridiculous. You can be as open and honest about the whole thing as you can but people will still have trouble believing you. Plus you get the idiots wasting your time, bidding £100 and then never coming back and stuff like that. Almost like they want it for free. I suppose if you are selling an absolute shed for spares etc it might be much easier but for trying to sell a bike in good condition it didn't work for me, twice! First time round highest bid on last day came to £1024 and second time round £1120. Seems like a steal for a 2000W RS125 in immaculate condition! Stick to bike trader and the local garages!

have fun

[Ste]

Well if the auction is started at below £100 then of course you're going to get bids of £100. Of course people are always slightly doubtful of what you say (unless you're telling them how bad it is) as why should they trust you?

Know lots of people who have sold and bought bikes on eBay easily, most are normally seen on eBay then bought off eBay.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Selling on Ebay can be fraught with problems.

We sold a car on there. Someone (we presume somebody trying to screw the auction up and get a cheap deal) sent the high bidders notes claiming they used to own the car and it had been involved in serious accident. This was totally false (we were the 2nd owner, the first owner had died of old age and we had bought it with 5000 miles on the clocks, just over a year old), and the registration plate (which was original, and had not been on another vehicle) was clearly on view in the adverts so there is no chance of them being confused.

The result was that we did not get as much as we had hoped for as at least one person who was seriously interested was conned out of the normal last minute bidding.

Basically another pitfall to watch out for.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Villers]

Nothing wrong with a £100 bid, but when its for an item worth far in excess of this and the bidder never returns to the bidding you wonder why.

[Kickstart]

Personally I often bid the minimun on things that I quite fancy, but which I am not desperate for.

If I get lucky I get them for a nominal amount. If I don't then it is not the end of the world.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Ste]

Well lots of people when they go onto eBay will do a search for whatever bike they have, it'll show them your auction in the results and they'll see the price at £100 and then see it has no reserve and stick a low bid on, just in the vague hope that they'll win it. They're not actually wanting to buy it for the value, just trying to get a bargin.

[hustler]

Bought my bike off ebay and its been a cracker, the guy had two other bikes and loads of photos of himself on my bike in the house. He had to move his Porsche 911 out of the way and he had a stunning wife ... hmm must be doing something wrong with my life. Plus the bike was won for less than equivalents in biketrader.

Did I mention his wife was stunning?
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As I said to that guy with the crutches and full camouflage gear, you can hide but you can't run.

[california_rookie]

My favorite experience was finding and winning an '03 GSX-R 1000 in 'mint' condition with a description stating the bike was located in Washington State (a few hundred miles North on the U.S. West coast) and then being told by the seller that it was actually in Greece and that I should send the money there right away to recieve free shipping. Needless to say I held on to my hard-earned dollars and thanked the fellow for writing such an accurate description.
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[DanceLikeAMon...]

[Ste]

Cheap bikes normally get put in www.adtrader.co.uk as it's free. Every bike secondhand privately is sold as seen it's not something unique to eBay.

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Yeah, I have looked at Adtrader. The only problem is that for some reason, there are few few bikes appearing anywhere near me. I could find one I like the sound of, travel 20 miles (by bus! ), only to find it looks and rides like a piece of shoite!

At least with ebay you can see pictures of what you are bidding on and using the rating system there is more chance of an honest answer to any questions I ask (hopefully!)

**snip: I have just had a look. I live in Newcastle (NE12), and searched for a SR125 or a CG125 and the nearest came back as 138 and 110 miles respectively!