Are there really any bargains on ebay?

[Easytigers]

About a year ago I sold my road bike (don't get too excited it only cost me £200 new and I sold it for £100 two years later) so that I could use the money to go for a decent hybrid for my commute to work. I've been really pleased with my new bike (Specialized Sirrus Elite) but it's still not quite the same joy that I used to get from the road bike. To that end I've been scouring ebay for 'the bargain'. I've seen so many stories of people getting a really decent bike for a steal but I've yet to find one....is it out there?

 

[cyberknight]

Yes if your lucky .
Got a rigid MTB last year for £40.
All the gears ,brakes etc still worked spot on , it had new tyres +brake pads .All i had to do was true the wheels a bit.

 

[Easytigers]

Thanks Cyberknight...Just a matter of keeping a look out?...Or was it that it finished at a very random time (my wife keeps going on at me that if we sell anything on ebay, it must be scheduled for 9pm!!!!!)?

 

[krisgoss]

I agree with you Russ, I can't find anything cheap on ebay, I have just given up now.
A lot of it is just sole traders operating on there - it seems to have lost it's roots. It used to be people just selling their stuff, but now its quite hard to find anything reasonably priced, let alone cheap.

Good luck finding a bike though! Good idea to check bike store's websites for last years model of bike, usually get quite a reduction on them!

 

[jim55]

iv found the same ,anything i might b interested i n always eventually shoots up i n price ,iv not had any bargains at all ,it tends to b if its half decent people will bid and push the price up ,im after a set of bullhorns right now and i was watching a set ,at the time they were like 2.50 or something (i fully expected them to go for a tenner or thereabouts ,in the end they sold for 19£!!! brand new are less

 

[Pennine-Paul]

I still get bargains now and again,got a brand new Salsa chainring for a fiver,
took me nearly a year to find a good 62cm frame mind,
there's people bidding on some reynolds tubing stickers at the mo
they're up to £8.00 ish,they're only £4 brand new from Lloyds decals

 

[HovR]

I got a 2 bolt Specialized micro adjust seatpost for a few quid a while back, and more recently a decent alu stem for £4. There are deals to be had, you've just got to look for them.

When looking for bargains I often set the filters to show only used items, near me, and only auctions. Seem to get some better deals that way.

 

[xpc316e]

I saw a very nice Specialized Roubaix that cost £2500 + when new go for £795 the other night, so someone got a bargain. Having said that I was bidding on some Ultegra brakes; they eventually went for £82 + £4 p+p. I turned around and bought new ones on eBay for £79.95 including p+p. Quite why some people are willing to pay more for used items than one can get new stuff for utterly defeats me.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Depends on your size IMO.

If your average height and maybe need a 54/56 or even a 58 then yes you can find a bargain. It may take a day, a week or a month but you will find one.

However, if you are tall then pickings are slim, so when bikes do crop up they tend to fetch good money.

 

[sidevalve]

Yes there are. However you need to put in a lot of "legwork" to find 'em. If you want a bike [for example] don't type in "hybrid" or "MTB" just type in bicycle, put in a price limit and then start wading through. Sadly the best time to search for bikes such as road bikes is when the winter comes and Johnny Richbiker decides this cycling lark aint for him [or her], but DON'T wait 'till near christmas. You CAN try just after christmas when "last years model" is now surplus to requirements.
Try looking at bikes that may look tatty but if the fundamentals are sound can be fine, ASK the seller, if he says the bearings, frame etc are sound then you have some comeback, if you don't it's down to you.After all chain,tyres,saddle,bar tape etc are really only wearables and if the price is right --!
Don't expect things for nothing, this isn't freecycle, just don't get carried away.
Finally TAKE YOUR TIME it will come but it may take a while

 

[derrick]

I don't think people check out the prices before they bid, there are so many people paying over the top, it's so easy to google, i am watching something at the moment, i know what it's worth but i am sure some idiot will push the price over the top.

 

[MarkF]

Bargains are always on Ebay, they just might not suit you, at the time, it's nice when it all comes together though.

In the last 3 years I have bought:-

An unused Dahon D7 for £200, buyer refused to post anywhere and after seeing several pleading messages on Ebay from London based buyers , I just got in my car and collected it.

A Dawes Horizon, mint, last steel framed model, I bought it for £99, no other bidders. I didn't get on with it and after fitting new tyres re-listed it. It sold for £365.00.

A Sirrus Sport, 2 months old. Buy it Now £200. People were asking the seller questions and making low ball offers, If a good deal is there, don't mess about! I bought it and collected it, it's just taken me across Spain, North to South.

A GT Outpost, no idea how old it is, for £50. Fitted a new chain, Bell (Asda) tyres for £20 and a £4 mudguard set and it's given me over 2 years of towpath fun and I seriously considered using that to cross Spain!.

 

[MrJamie]

As i posted elsewhere this week, I got a working kids 24" Giant GTX for £30, little bit of work and it runs brilliantly. Ive also bought a BT home hub (to use as a cheapy wifi access point) for £5, a few years old immaculate Sony hifi amplifier for £70 that was £500 originally. I found my parents a caravan awning worth £1200 new for about £200, only used once with a broken pole easily sourced online.

With bikes in particular im a bit paranoid of them being stolen, so check what else theyre selling etc.

I don't think people check out the prices before they bid, there are so many people paying over the top, it's so easy to google, i am watching something at the moment, i know what it's worth but i am sure some idiot will push the price over the top.

Its amazing how stupid people are with ebay. I was looking for a Carradice SQR Tour or similar, found one *third* hand for £20 with a couple of hours to go, eventually went for £55. I bought a new one 2 weeks later when wiggle got them back in stock for £50. Its funny when you see two near identical items, the one ending soonest has 2 or 3 people bidding high and pushes the price up, the next day the other sells for just a fraction of the price.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

If you spend an age doing your research you can find some bargains, here's my current favourite saved search (for potential fixie conversions).

bike -mountain -jump -dirt -ladies -girls -bmx -folding -touring -wooden -daisy -hybrid -boys -electric -kids -trials -childs -womens -mtb -childrens -shopper -ladys -batmans -trails -trail -trial -toy -girl -hardtail -suspension -puky -cruiser -T120 -comuter -lady's -commuter -kit -exercise -town


Even them it still shows up some kids' bikes!

 

[derrick]

One of the best bargains i have had from ebay was one of these,
http://marantz.co.uk/uk/Products/Pa...DCDPlayer&ProductId=DH9500&Status=Discontinue

The retail price at the time was £2000.00 i won it for £350.00, that was about 6 years ago. and i even registered it on the site, sounds as good today as it did 6 years ago, gets a lot of use, but there were a lot more bargains to have been had a few years ago.