Bidding for bikes on ebay

[guile]

When you bid on a bike and you win the auction, are you obliged to pay that price? It's not like buying a DVD - I would want to go and inspect it AFTER I have won the auction.

Basically, how can you bid serious money on something you never seen in the flesh? Can you get out of paying because when you saw it in person, it was not up to standard?

[Boxing]

You can walk away if the item isn't as described.

If I won a motorbike and they said it was in mint condition and I inspected it and it's all shagged out, I'd walk away.

[GSTEEL32]

I think that's the point of an auction.

The only recourse you have is if the item is not "as described" in the blurb.

Its sold as seen, unless stated otherwise.

[Ste]

You go and see it before bidding, or you ask lots and lots of questions so that you have a complete understanding of what you're bidding on.

Any inspection after the auction has ended is simply to inspect that it matches the description. You're bidding to buy, not to have first refusal.

[Spangled]

Paypal seems to protect it's buyers well, sellers not so much. If you buy it and it's not as described then arrange a dispute with paypal and they should resolve it. You could agree to buy it outside of ebay/paypal and reduce the cost by I think 15% however it's cash so you have little protection. In regards to the price, what you bid is what you pay.

[c_dug]

Only if it's very much not as described, as in described as showroom condition but has scratches and knocks all over.

Descriptions such as a couple of marks here and there can be very down to opinion, I'd be pretty pissed if you won my auction and then threw a hissy fit because you hadn't come to see it.

Best bet is to ask somebody nearby to check out a bike for you if you can't get there yourself. You have a whole forum at your disposal, you'd be surprised what people will do for a couple of beer tokens.
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[Ste]

[stuartt]

i'd want to go & hear the engine & even get a shot of it before bidding .

[shereen]

[BravoCharlie]

as others have said, it's bidding to buy, so i think you would have to honour the price, unless it doesnt match what they said.


as a side question, does anyone know if you were willing to buy blind and get it collected by a courier company, how it would work with signing a V5 etc?
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[Rogerborg]

[Bene]

You bid to buy, it is really that simple. You don't win the auction to then go and barter for the price, that's what the auction is for.

[ws4936]

I think I've bought all my bikes off eBay.you can have a right steal if no one else is bidding. A few years back, I bought the equivelant by todays standards of a 2003 GPZ500s with less than 4000 on the clock for £620 it was in mint showroom finish. It stunk of polish for weeks! The bike was spotless.

You do the homework BEFORE you buy. The latest bike didn't seem right when researching it, but a £10 check cleared any doubts, and is the best bike I've bought to date.

If its what you desire, you have to sometimes spend a little to confirm that the bike is what it is....but definitely kick tyres before auction, not after....and make calls to owner....and ask lots of Q's, and do your research.

TL;DR, If it's what you want, buy a check and/or inspect.
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If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.

[Polarbear]

[J.M.]

[flumpy7]

I've done a lot of buying and selling on ebay and I've had very few issues. Most of the time you get a good or bad feeling about the seller from the ad. Anything that sounds slightly odd (or chavtastic) and I'm out.

If you can handle the small level of risk then it's a decent way to buy and sell bikes. If you want to haggle, do it by private message BEFORE the end of the auction. Sellers are often quite happy to finish auctions early for a reduced price in order to make a quick sale and avoid fees. Whatever you do, don't win an auction and then try and haggle...that's just being a cock.
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2012 Sinnis apache

[ViniH]

If you are selling a bike on eBay (or anything else that you aren't posting) I strongly recommend you do not accept Paypal payment.

Paypal has 100% buyer protection and 0% seller protection.

If you do not have a tracking reference from a known courier service (e.g. Parcelforce, UPS, DPD, etc) they will always award in favour of the buyer - and will often award in favour of the buyer even if you supply on that shows delivery.

They will also always pass on any losses as a result of a charge back to the seller.

I used to run a distance selling business that started on eBay, and I've been using eBay personally since about 1998. I have a lot of experience with them, and with Paypal.

A good rule of thumb as a seller is to not trust Paypal at all - if you have money in from them don't count it as "cleared" until six months after it was paid - I've experienced charge backs several months down the line and ended up hundreds of pounds out of pocket (virtual items in that particular case).
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Currently Riding: MT-07 Previous: XJ 600 N

[stinkwheel]

Don't buy a bike unseen off ebay. Go and look at it before you decide to buy.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=250661
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[reed]

I won my bike on eBay, bid on it and won it without seeing it, went to pick it up 85 miles away, spent about 30 seconds looking at it, gave him the money, rode away, and now a year and a half has passed and it's still going fine, got a good deal too.
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Generic XOR 50, Gilera SMT 50, GSXR 400 GK73A, Ducati Monster 600, Honda Hornet 600.
Sold. Stolen. Written off. Sold. Current.

[Dave70]

[NooBish-AbbZ]

my bikes currently on ebay as an auction and if its gets bid on and won then I'd expect someone to pay that with no haggling. If however someone came to view it tonight for example, while the start price of the auction is £1500, and its advertised on MCN/biketrader for £1600, I'd be happy to haggle down to £1450, possible slightly lower and then be done with it.

so basically, pay the price they bid on the auction, or come and look before the auction finishes with cash
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SV650S - Feb '14-March '19
XJ6N- Apr '19 -Present

[1198]

If you bid without viewing it first and end as the highest bidder, you buy it subject to it being as described. Simple as that. If you want more information prior to bidding, go look before you hit the 'Bid now' button.
Why should the seller accept a lower amount than you've bid?

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

How would you feel if you sold a bike on eBay, then the buyer tried to haggle you down because they couldn't be arsed to view. You'd laugh at them.
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[rhys1005]

Won a ybr on ebay and knocked £200 off it because it was completely shagged and the guy was a lying wanker. Had continuous problems with it, guy used metal mesh as an air filter ffs!

If it's not as listed you can knock down the price or walk away. I would even ask for fuel money if you end up travelling far and the bike turns out to be a complete wreck.

Since 'winning' the auction for the ybr I haven't and will never again, bid on an bike on ebay. Classified ads or asking for the bike to be sold outside of ebay is best IMO.

Ebay has such a wide audience and reputation that getting a bargain through auction unless listed incorrectly is almost impossible anyway!

[lihp]