[Steve030687]

How does everyone feel about buying a bike off eBay. There are some deals to be had on eBay; however, you don't get any sort of warranty on the frame. Do you guys think it is worth it to save some bucks and get something "gently used" off eBay?

 

[aspang]

I've gotten 2 bikes off eBay: a Fisher Sugar and Bianchi Giro road bike. I ended up getting my SC Blur from MTB review off a local guy. I have saved a ton of money doing so - half off the Giro that was literally ridden once. That being said, I do think it would be pretty cool to have a bike custom built to my specs from the start. Depends on budget constraints I guess. Bottom line is that I have had great luck with eBay for a few of my bikes.

 

[6thElement]

I bought my bike from eBay, it was the exact model I wanted and saved ~$600 from retail. The bike was like new and I always figured that if something does happen to the frame, the amount I saved would cover it. Fisher Paragon 29er.

 

[burtondogs]

..

I have had good luck. Make sure the seller is an actual MTBer. If not , may be a scammer.

If a warranty is your main concern, dont do it.
Bikes break.

later
Jim

 

[tscheezy]

I have bought a few frames and two complete bikes off eBay as well as stuff out of the classifieds here. Always a great experience and the savings were tremendous. Just know exactly what you want, and be patient. I am a little bummed that escrow services are basically non-existant anymore, but eBay's feedback system seems to work in most cases. Go for it.

 

[CharacterZero]

I too have had good luck - I bought a nearly new bike with tons of upgrades, rode it for 6 months and then sold it for 30% more than I paid! Buying in the dead of winter helps.

 

[jct]

i got my Surly cross check brand new in the box off ebay.

 

[kimguroo]

I got my 04 hardrock pro from local ebay. I paid $300. it was a like new bike. seller told me that they only used for 5min of test drive. I could not believe it first but when I saw it, I realized it was unused. only had some dust on the bike. seller wants to sell it for $400 but I offered him $300 cash and he accepted my offer.
If you are not in hurry, take time and search on local ebay.

 

[BigBull]

Winter time for Ebay

MTB items form eBay can make hugh price difference from winter time to summer. I alwayd feel it's better to buy from web retailers during summer, but hey, I got some of the amazing deals during the 'dead' winter season. Last one was a Commencal 5.2 from a Canadian eBay bike shop for $1100 (other places has them On Sale 1800 of the 3000 msrp). lots of accesary and component as well. I think ebay contributes a lot to our bicycle community and makes trading and swaping much more convenient.

Watch out for the Scam thought, ebay website has a few articles about the tricks scamer usually used, worth reading before you jump into it.

 

[kabayan]

I've had better luck with parts and frames. With complete bikes, not quite so lucky. I've bought two complete bikes and both arrived with some damage. The wheel hubs slammed against the frames in both of them during shipping. One was soo poorly packed, the derailleur hanger broke. I got some reimbursement from UPS but it was a hassle. The deals to be had are definitely tempting. But for complete bikes, I'll stick with Craigslist or the LBS sales for that extra peace of mind.

 

[Becane73]

I have bought 2 bikes off ebay. The first was a new Motobecane 600HT that came with a scratch. The seller offered to take it back and give me a refund but I had already ridden it and didn't want to go through the hassel so she refunded me the shipping fee. Great service. I parted and sold that bike for about $100 more than what I paid for it.
The second bike was built up using parts I bought off ebay and craigslist. I could sell my current bike for at least what I paid for it if not more.

 

[Steve030687]

Thanks guys. If anyone sees any deals on a Cannondale Prophet or rush, Trek Fuel EX series, or a Specialized XC FSR, let me know.

 

[02_NRS]

ebay'

ask lots of questions/if its LEGIT the seller will respond rather positivly.get a phone# if not sure & talk 1 to 1 before laying out big$$$.have you tried www.craigslist.org ? many deals in todays economy.......good luck. ps/most major manuf. frames have a lifetime warrenty-don't think buying from eBay nullifies it.

 

[switch55]

[QUOTE='02 NRS]ask lots of questions/if its LEGIT the seller will respond rather positivly.get a phone# if not sure & talk 1 to 1 before laying out big$$$.have you tried www.craigslist.org ? many deals in todays economy.......good luck. ps/most major manuf. frames have a lifetime warrenty-don't think buying from eBay nullifies it.[/QUOTE]

That is not always the case. I bought a Giant Warp DS1 from a guy and then I snapped the rear triangle. Then I took the bike to my LBS and they contacted Giant. I thought they would fix it because Giant has a lifetime warranty on that frame, but no. The warrranty only applies to the original owner. So now I have a broken frame just sitting in my garage.:sad:

 

[Naku]

I bought my giant NRS1 from ebay a cuple months ago and i couldn't be happier with the bike and the savings.

 

[Shuteye]

I have purchased a bike, a set of wheels and a frameset from private sellers. All good experiences. I did a lot of shopping and contacting sellers before making bids on any of these items. Regarding the bike, I offered to pay the extra to have a local bike shop pack it. It arrived safe and sound. As mentioned above, you don't want the wheels gouging the pain in shipping, so insist on a professional packing job.

I picked up a 2006 Ventana x5 with SRAM, dues and avid on it, too new to even have cable rub on the frame for $1800 (spec'd out on Competative Cyclist for 4600). Also purchased a 2006 Look 585 frameset, like new for 1400. Months of cruising ebay went into those two deals. I passed up some great deals that didn't feel right after contacting the seller.

 

[jddjirikian]

How does everyone feel about buying a bike off eBay. There are some deals to be had on eBay; however, you don't get any sort of warranty on the frame. Do you guys think it is worth it to save some bucks and get something "gently used" off eBay?

Obviously your experience is going to depend on many variables. One thing I would recommend you absolutely do is check the seller's feedback rating and quotes to determine whether you're dealing with someone who's legit.

I had a great experience buying my Rocky Mountain on eBay. Got lucky as hell as I ended up purchasing a new 2005 ETSX for $500 less than anywhere else I could've gotten it. Got progressively luckier when I realized that I was dealing with a LBS employee who was using eBay to get rid of older stock anonymously as Rocky frowns on that type of behavior. The guy was a pro, packaged professionally and shipped in a very timely manner. I have had no complaints whatsoever.

Just be careful of the scammers. I had previously bid on another bike and got e-mails saying that even though I lost the auction I was still the "winner" because the winning bidder couldn't meet his/her obligation. After much concern, I finally realized that this was a scam as my eBay account registered no messages. Long story short - only trust eBay e-mails/messages that are actually in your "my eBay" account message box.

Good luck.