How To Buy A Bike On eBay | Maintenance Monday
Buying a bike from eBay is very simple, but has some key things to look out for. Simon explains how to do it with minimum risk!
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There are plenty of bargains to be had when buying a bike online, but eBay is a mixture of hidden gems, and rotten tomato’s. Ex-Professional Cyclist Simon Richardson gives you some pointers in that right direction so you land a dream bike and avoid a nightmare.
Have you bought a bike from eBay? Did you have a fairytale ending? or a nightmare? let us know your experiences in the comments👇
Simon’s tips include:
– Look out for familiar brands
– Is the bike clean? A clean bike shows the owner has some respect for it
– Factor in the cost of replacement parts if needed to get the bike up and running.
– Ask the seller questions. But avoid asking anything that’s already clearly stated in the listing as this infuriates eBay sellers!
– Try and visit to take a look at it, or ask a friend if they live closer.
– Look for positive feedback from the seller.
– Fat Fingers. Watch the video to find out this excellent tip!
– Set yourself a maximum spend budget and don’t get drawn into a a bidding war.
Watch more on GCN…
How To Buy A Used Bike – What To Look For When Buying A Second Hand Road Bike 📹 http://gcn.eu/41
How To Refurbish A Rear Derailleur | Road Bike Maintenance 📹 http://gcn.eu/2i22O1a
Photos: © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/ & ©Tim De Waele / http://www.tdwsport.com
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Leave us a comment below!
why did you bait dogeygeezer69 like that
I found it very annoying to have to ask seller about the frame size. Such a basic information to leave out.
Bought many bikes without seeing them: 70s Bertin with full 1st gen dura ace, 61 Stratton, 2 Quintana Roo tri bikes, MB Dronfield 531c, 2 cross bikes, Argos TT bike, 3 fixies, 80s Claud butler, moser. Plus many wheelsets. All been great, with some great positive surprises, e.g. £70 bike that came with 2 as new mavic Paris Roubiax wheels with DA hubs.
Top tip – look for ‘pick up only’ within asy a 2 hour drive – many times they do not sell and can be picked up at min price
Im on a cheap budget , is the Teman Hybrid Bike ok ? or just garbage ? thanks.
Worth asking about original proof of purchase. You could be buying a stolen bike!
I missed one important point in your video: Learn something about geometrie befor buying. Cause not every middle size or 55 frame is equal and you can´t sit on the bike.
Thanks for the tips GCN. Always enjoy the videos !
Thanks GCN for supporting local bike shops….
Rather than buying a bike off ebay- I know a lot more people that are buying bikes and parts of facebook groups, of which there are loads and seem to be more local so can visit or see in person.
Sellers tend to be more dedicated cyclists, so you don’t have to hunt through all the ebay rubbish to find quality parts.
No, you should inform the seller of his/her spelling mistake instead of trying to rip them off…pfft
Have you bought a bike from eBay? Let us know about your experience 👇
I got a trek emonda for £240 because it was listed as "road racing style bicycle." The pics were quite blurred. Got it and it had loads of upgrades like s works seat and seat post and ultegra mechs. I only wanted the frame, I made more than I paid selling the bits off it. Free frame! Ebay is great.
I bought my 1987 Eddy Merckx off Ebay a few years ago. full Campagnolo with Delta calipers. rides like a dream
How about a video: how to prep your bike to get the best price when selling on eBay
0:39 , bad grammar?! The phrase ends with an incomplete preposition. Anywho. I love your videos.
Everything I find on eBay is usually more expensive than buying the same bike brand new from a shop and if it’s not it’s usually in horrible shape
Thanks guys, it helped a lot to buy a canyon ultimate slx from 2015! Keep it coming with these videos!
I bought a lynskey titanium frame from the company on Ebay. Feel free to feel jealous.
still needs pedalling
You revealed Fat Fingers!! NOOOO!! Pretty much all the eBay bike purchases I’ve made in the past few years have been Fat Fingers inspired discounts. Like the "Shamano" cassette and the "Ultega" power meter on my bike right now.
@0:49 There are a lot of fake products. Chinese wheels advertised as Zipp wheels… So a familiar brand is not necessary a safe buy.
This seems to miss the biggest single issue around eBay and cycling, it is used as a laundering mechanism for stolen bikes. Most cyclists have been affected by bike theft at some point. I would never buy a bike that I had any doubt may be stolen, and have strictly limited myself to bidding on bikes where the seller has proof of purchase. It is a shame that this video doesn’t touch on this issue.
Power meter in a cycling shoe
hey more subtitle at português please
I buy lot of bikes & parts on Ebay.Heres a few of my own advice,
Always stay away from these sellers who use these saying/words in their listing.
"I’m selling for a friend"
"I don’t know anything about bikes"meanwhile all he sells is bikes and parts
"It worked great the last time I used it"
" I think"
"Maybe" etc…All those indicisive words
When buying complete bikes,I always assume the chain,cassette and tires are no good,and if they arrive in good condition its like a bonus,it feels like Xmas all over again.
Cheers
Buyer: excuse me sir, why are you selling your bicycle? The good folks at GCN said that I should ask this question. Seller: How else would all the thousands of bikes that are stolen each year get launder into cash! The big question is whether so many bicycles would be stolen each year if they couldn’t so easily be laundered nationally or overseas ?
I sold my BMC on ebay..
As a seller, when I was asked a question I could tell you everything about that bike because it was my pride and joy at one point… which is my point, I’d be very wary of buying a nice bike from someone who knows nothing about it.
you single?
Dodgygeezer-69 sounds dodgy but I don’t know why
the fat fingers site seems like a great idea! I used to do that manually by searching for misspellings of brands. Picked up some old Enves for £350 because they were "carbom clinchers"
You may have mentioned the risk of getting fakes, which is often a topic in some online bike communities.
Shipping is a big pain. In the USA expect to pay $80-$100. If you are looking to get into cycling and don’t want to spend a lot of money 20-30% of your budget can be shipping
I wouldn’t buy a bike from someone who couldn’t post their ad without speelin musteaks
Thank you GCN for telling everyone about FatFingers, not much of a secret anymore is it. Now over 951,369 bike people know about it.
I bought my Specialized Tarmac Pro SL3 off Ebay 3+ years back. What I first did was go to a couple LBC’s, got measured and fitted and narrowed down my choices to a couple frames that I liked best. In my case it was the Tarmac and the Giant Defy Advanced. Then I proceeded to look on Craig’s List and Ebay for those bikes. I already had an Ultegra Groupset sitting in the corner of my garage, so I was mainly looking for frames I could build up. Having not been on Ebay for about 7-8 years, I did begin to notice how many bike shops and online resellers put their products on Ebay. What I also noticed as that a lot of race teams’ (smaller ones) mechanics would sell old bikes on Ebay after they were done with them. This is a risk, I know, as one has no idea how the bike’s been treated by looking at the standard photos available. Neverthess, I began following a few bike shops and team mechanics for a few months, thinking that I would probably focus a purchase in the early to late fall (after the season). I knew that my boss (my wife) allowed me a budget of $1500 for a frame and $2200 for a full bike, so I had my work cut out for me. As luck would have it, a certain team was changing bike sponsors from Specialized to another brand, and dumped about 4-6 bikes into the auction market. I bid on a couple, and the price soon ballooned up over $3000, so I lost those bids. However, one bike had a misspelled title line. I found and bid on that but the reserve was never hit in 2 rounds of the auction. I patiently awaited relisting, seeing if the spelling would be corrected (which it wasn’t), and looked to see if the reserve was lowered (it had been about $3500). This time, however, the seller forgot to put a reserve on the bike. Obviously, the other bidders shied away because nobody was willing to go over the previous reserve. I won with a $1600 bid, a 6 month old ‘spare’ Tarmac with about 600 miles on it. It had a Dura-Ace groupset (9000) on it, but since the guy knew he made a mistake on the listing, he tried to back off giving me those components with the bike. Taking a little pity on him, I let him change it out to a 7900 straight out of the box. So for $1600 + $75 freight, I got a model year Tarmac with Dura-Ace groupset for what I was willing to spend on just a frame.
#gcn talkback got a giant tcr 2014 comp 2 105 group set a bargain 450 pound can’t believe it
I’m currently in the process of bidding on a 2016 Giant Defy Advanced 1 and if people will stop bidding on it I’ll have my first road bike.
My experience might be a little different on eBay as the bike was new, but in December 2007 I won a bid on a LOOK 555 Ultegra for $1825 with shipping! That bike has just been outstanding, great seller feedback mostly cycling items and I have had nearly zero issues with it, just minor adjustments like all bikes need. Also picked up a nice set of Shimano RS80 carbon clincher wheels for $325 with shipping, new off another bike. And thousands and thousands of miles later it still is like practically new. I did a lot of research before deciding on three bike to look, no pun intended, for to purchase.
bought a bike on ebay year ago
never buy zipps on ebay, most faked bicycle parts online
what if you really did just buy a colango or gigante off ebay tho thinking it is the real deal?
I bought a Santa Cruz nomad on eBay ! ( used) I did drive 300 miles each way to pick it up 😉 good experience but I wish I would have watch your video first:-) good tips !
Bought a steel frame off e-bay a couple of years ago. The pictures looked great. He included pictures of the steerer tube, but not 360 degrees. Received the bike, all was good except for the ground flat threads in the photo blind spot.
GCN videos always have low volume, please increase the volume for your coming videos.
hello. my husband saw an ad on facebook and bought himself a bike,
it’s mesdey.com.
i just wanna ask if anyone here knows if it is a legit bike seller?
How to Buy A Bike On eBay – close the eBay page, turn off your computer and go to a bike shop and buy a bike. This way you won’t be supporting bike thieves.
screaming deal right here… http://www.ebay.com/itm/322429505276?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
I sold my soul to devil on ebay
#torqueback I have been informed that my seat height has to go up. I have a big race in 3 days. Should I put it up? I am 15
Is it safe to buy parts off Ebay?