What to ask an eBay seller

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Hi everyone,

I have asked a similair question to this on the General thread, but feel that this thread may be a bit better for the answers I want.

Basically (as per an earlier thread) I want to buy either an SR125 or CG125 off eBay in the next couple of months for about £700.

Now I know absolutely nowt about bikes or mechanics (CBT was the first time I had ridden one ), so what questions should I be asking the eBay seller?

Cheers for any help.

[Ste]

Exactly the same as you ask a seller after seeing a bike in Bike Trader.

Have a look over these two thread.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=16507
https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=28776

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Ta very much. Never thought about using search to see if there was a FAQ

[Bagpuss]

I like the FAQ...when you ask the seller about the SR125 be sure to ask if its got a race can that'll make 'em laugh.

I have an SR125 saw a couple before I bought the one I did. Its probably likely to have had a few owners being a common learners bike, its also not likely to have seen much in the way of maintenance because of this. I saw one that was a rust bucket and wouldn't start, the tyre was bald etc I offered to take it off her hands for £200 which I thouht was being generous and she was insulted!

The SR is a very simple bike so little to go wrong, I think valve clearances are quite important engine wise and look out for tank dents which will probably be quite common from all the knees. Corrosion is a problem if its been kept outside, used in the rain or not cleaned much. The good thing is parts are cheap. Just give it a good check over, tyres, brakes and tot up the repair bill and knock it off the asking price.

Good luck in your hunt, £700 will get you a reasonable machine.

[DanceLikeAMon...]

[Frost]

If you know nothing about them, get a mechanically minded, or bike expirenced friend to have a look over bikes for you.

Things such as vavle clearances dont mean a damn thing when your dealing with the likes of a CG125.
Check its got oil, has been stored indoors, that the tires arnt bald. have them start it up and listen to see if it starts first time. the listen to the engine for any funny noises.

Buying off ebay is a gamble i know plenty of people who sell utter crap on there, so there is allways the change that your just buying a load of problems off someone.

People normally state and issues with a bike. keep in mind that "i dont know if it starts" or "it started last time i tried 6 months ago" normally mean it doesnt start at all.
Ask about any problems they state and look up about them or ask friends about them.
If they state a bike is in good working order then at least you have some comeback should it blow up shortly after buying it

Basically just ask friends for opinions etc and assume something not mentioned is something they are trying to cover up.



...but then what do i know, i bought a bike off m1ke

[Ste]

All the principles of what you should do when buying a bike on eBay are exactly the same as when buying a bike anywhere. Be very careful about buying a bike (on eBay, or anywhere) and paying for it before you have seen it, or better still just pay when collecting it.

There are people selling crap anywhere, Ad Trader being a free ads paper will also get people trying to flog crap, Bike Trader as well but it's just far more expensive crap. Whenever you buy anything there is always the chance that you're "just buying a load of problems".

You have no comeback with any bike bought on the private market if anything happens after you buy it. Bikes are sold as seen, that means exactly that. The only time you have any come back is if it is falsely described however you should spot something like that before giving them any money really. Them saying "good condition" and it breaking down soon after you buy it doesn't mean they've advertised it falsely as good condition is an opinion and open to interpretation.

There is no reason to say "I'm not interested in bikes which have been stored outdoors" as you're restricting the number of bikes in your budget which you'll be able to get. As long as it has been looked after then it should be okay, and any (minor) problems because of being stored outside like some rust will be reflected in the price. Try to check all the points in the links I put above, the fact the bike has oil in the engine, has thread on the tyres, starts first time (a good point in a bike, but bikes don't always start first time) and the bike running sounding okay is far from a complete checklist for buying a bike.

One other thing worth noting actually, if you go to look at a bike and they say "oh, I've warmed it up for you to test ride [or whatever] so you don't have to wait" is them saying "it has problems starting so I did all that before you came so it would appear like it's got no problems", explain that you want to try testing it from cold so either let it cool down or arrange to come back another day.

[DanceLikeAMon...]

Thanks peeps!

[Bagpuss]

Some good question would be

1) Are you the registered owner and keeper?
2) Is the bike kept at the address on the V5?
3) Do you have all relevant paperwork - V5, MOTs, Service History, old tax discs?
4) Are there any mechanical or electrical faults on the bike?
5) When was the bike last serviced and by whom?
6) Does the bike have a full service history?
7) What condition is the bike in? Any dents, corrosion, rust, scratches or scuffs at all?
8) Has the bike ever been dropped or crashed?
9) What condition are the tyres in - good tread and not perished?
10) Is it a UK bike i.e. not an import?
11) Is the bike standard - any after market parts e.g. race can, fly screen etc?
12) Would it pass an HPI check e.g. no oustanding finance, not stolen/never been stolen, never involved in an accident/not written off etc?
13) How many registered keepers?
14) Why are you selling the bike?

I'm sure there are a lot more things you could ask but that would seem a reasonable list. Be prepared for people to ignore the questions and not respond - this probably means they are trying to hide something either that or are lazy so forget about it. If the person fails to answer all the questions you can be sure that, there is a problem so pull the question out and ask them it again to check. It might not be major just dig down to get the answer to anything that sound dubious.

If you do bid and win then take their answers along and if you find any problems walk away or haggle the price down based on the the info they provided and always go with someone else so they can check the bike over while you talk to the guy. You'll probably find the person trying to talk to you the whole time when you should be looking at the bike in detail, and if there are two of them it makes it even worse!

If possible take a test ride. Not everyone will allow this and I can understand it myself. What happens if you crash the bike. Try to come to some agreement if possible.

I wouldn't have a problem buying off ebay myself but make sure you ask the right questions and get the answers before you bid and be prepared to walk away if they've supplied you with incorrect info. Even if you win, always go and see the bike because once you've handed your money over there is no turning back.

Good hunting
Bagpuss

[DanceLikeAMon...]

That's great Bagpuss . A list of questions that I can just cut and paste - I don't even need to bother typing!