EBAY bike buying 2nd hand market

[I am Spartacus]

Am I close to correct to limiting my max bid on any 2nd hand bike which is 1 - 3 years old to about 60% of its current list price new.
Any bids higher means that the seller is having very good fortune, and the buyer is a bit dippy for paying an overprice ??

I've seen one that just screams 'buy me' ' buy me' I'm gorgeous...... and I have the cash ONLY 'cos I've sold me car by the way.. so I aint flush

A 'Glasses' guide to second bike prices would be a really nice feature I sometimes think....

some do say ooh what bargains you can get on Ebay.. but I think they lie and are obviously in the pay of that damned sinister organization.

 

[gbb]

Ebays an odd one. I think you get the 'occasional' bargain, but in general, bikes fetch good prices.
I refer you to a post i replied to t'other week....
My 2008 C2C Via Nirone cost me £595 mid last year. Couple of weeks ago...the same bike, same age, went on ebay for £560 IIRC

Thing to remember is, i went into my LBS last week and asked how much my bike is now......a whopping £750

 

[nuovo_record]

my friedn picked up quite a decent peugeot racer, hardly used, no paintwork scratches. got it for £82 and i have to say it does look quite good - if you don't mind riding a bright pink bike!
has shimano 105 and stronglight cranks

 

[swee'pea99]

I think (as a longtime ebay fan) that it's now pretty much impossible to get a real bargain on anything with as much general appeal as a 1-3 year old bike is likely to have. Anything like that will attract many bidders, and will almost always end up at a pretty high price...sometimes 'good value', but seldom a real bargain.

For a bargain, you need something that's not going to attract bidders, for whatever reason. Crap listings help - bad descriptions, bad or no pictures and the like. But even more significantly, things that appeal to you that won't to other people. Someone hereabouts, eg, recently got just £30-odd for an old Mercian 531 frame. Lovely thing. Now that's a bargain, in my book. But only if you want something like that.

 

[Steve Austin]

Ebay is the worst place to look for a bargain. Expect to pay at 20% more than it is worth.

 

[SimonRoberts0204]

Any tips (that people are willing to divulge) one where TO look for a bargain?

 

[accountantpete]

I use a very rough pricing guide - Go to Ribble and price the same/similar product and assume that it will have a lifespan of 5 years so it will lose 1/5th of the value each year.

So if you see a wheel that is two years old and originally cost £300,I wouldn't pay more than £180.

 

[stoatsngroats]

I agree, I bought a 'Chinese' scooter, last year, and it WAS a bargain - £320 for a 6month old one! (....no-one wants them because they're supposedly 'cheap crap'..... for me tho')

I think you should watch ebay with a tight grip on your cash, and don't go over your limit - there'll be plenty in time which will become available, It's just up to you how long you're willing to wait....

Good luck tho'

 

[Davidc]

You can find ebay bargains, but you really need patience, luck, and a cast iron will not to pay more than your budget.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Gumtree can have some ok priced bikes

for eg: http://glasgow.gumtree.com/glasgow/09/40756009.html
and this, £20 I mean it's got to do a newbie http://glasgow.gumtree.com/glasgow/61/40676461.html

 

[gbb]

Any tips (that people are willing to divulge) one where TO look for a bargain?

You'll usually find older bikes here, but try ...
http://www.friday-ad.co.uk/

You can refine your seach to local, surrounding or national. You get reasonably priced bikes there, with the occasional good quality bike

 

[Tynan]

the CTC forum seems to sell very good second hand bikes at genuine price