Ebay for cycling stuff - what's the point ?

[MarkF]

Four out of my last five bikes have been off eBay. Very happy with both the bikes and the prices I paid. It's fine as long as you're sensible, shop around, make sure that the price you're prepared to pay is a good deal...

Every week there are some cracking bike deals. Sometimes people just "want rid". The Sirrus was a great example, the owner didn't have room in his flat porch for the Sirrus and his new leccy commuter. I see these "deals"all the time but they are usually "collection only" 100's of miles away, still, people prevaricate and don't press the button, why? I've waited and waited since summer, something always comes up, it always does.......

 

[MickL]

I brought 9 figures few years back from Poundland, Hero Clix (war game geek thing) Sold them on ebay and made over £850 from them

 

[Banjo]

I've recently been getting some parts together to build a bike and I've noticed that a lot of the second hand stuff on Ebay doesn't appear to make much financial sense to me.

For example. Someone recently was selling some shimano 105 brake calipurs. Hardly used (so they said) and just slight cosmetic scratches.

They eventually went for £50. Add the £5 P&P which totals £55.

I simply googled 105 calipurs and picked up a brand new pair (choice of silver or black) for £54.95 inc postage.

The same with the shifters. Same seller as the calipurs, I think they went for about £160. I'm sure I've seen them brand new for not much more.

Either some people are getting carried away bidding or the seller is getting friends/family to ramp up the prices in the hope one or two people are that desperate to win the auction they will bid over the odds just for victory.

I've nearly got all the bits for the bike now from sale items at proper bike shops. All new, 12 month warranty, certain not to have been nicked, more choice re sizes and colours and free postage.

I think Ebay is a bit like paying Selfridges prices at an Oxfam shop.

People are obviously not doing there homework then making impulse bids .

I have got some good deals on tyres on ebay. A lot of people buy a new bike then almost immediately change to their favourite tyres. I have had two sets of virtually unused Bontrager Racelights on seperate occasions for half the new price including the p and p.

 

[bigjim]

Schill bidding illegal? Ever been to British Car Auctions? The Auctioneer bids the car up whilst pointing into the crowd There is nobody bidding.

 

[brokenflipflop]

Maybe I've got a low tolerance threshold or something. I'm sure there are bargains to be had if you're prepared to tolerate certain things e.g. spending days bidding/checking/re-bidding only for the item to either be removed all of a sudden (either they take it off because they expected more or they've had an "I'll buy it now" offer). I've then wasted loads of time for nothing.

I've worked out for myself that if I spend a couple of days doing overtime I can then get what I want new with all the perks of a receipt/warranty/customer service and avoid the mither of fannying around with ebay for days on end.

I suppose if I was an office worker or worked from home or was an i-phone whore then I could keep on top of any particular ebay auction.

I'm probably in the minority in this respect and not very on-the-ball which obviously accounts for my bad experience of ebay.

I've built my bike now and I reckon it would have cost me about £700 to buy off the shelf ready built.

I reckon it's cost me about £900 to build it myself....result !

Oh shoot

 

[MarkF]

Yikes, I nearly forgot! I wanted a folder but couldn't afford one, not a decent one anyway. I looked and looked and eventually up popped a Dahon D7 at £150 "Buy it Now", as new................and it was.

 

[400bhp]

Maybe I've got a low tolerance threshold or something. I'm sure there are bargains to be had if you're prepared to tolerate certain things e.g. spending days bidding/checking/re-bidding only for the item to either be removed all of a sudden (either they take it off because they expected more or they've had an "I'll buy it now" offer). I've then wasted loads of time for nothing.

See my earlier post.

Just don't feck about (drawn in) getting carried away with bidding.

Look for stuff-think about what the max you are prepared to pay, bid on something, setting a max price, then forget about it until you win/lose.

I have just bought a brand new Kryptonite New York lock off Fleabay. Cost me £45. Evans and Halfords sell them for £90. I spent, perhaps 1/2 browsing the internet, including Fleabay. Could have picked up one up for about £65 IIRC off Amazon. The seller of the lock seemed genuine (about 1000 history, 100% feedback). Bought and paid for on Sun night, arrived this morning.

 

[400bhp]

BTW

You could argue this was paid for by my Fleabay sales in the last month of i) a FIA approved race suit (had for over 2 years, bought for £300, sold for £200 so cost me £100 for 2 years use), and 2 items that my wife had almost forgotten about that had been stored in the garage, for an additional £250.

 

[MarkF]

People want a bargain............. with knobs on! The Dahon D7 really was up at £150 "But it Now", mint, used once (Or something, I can't remember) and the guy had loads of messages from Ebayers asking for delivery when the ad clearly said "Collection only".

A mint, as new, D7 at £150 is worth travelling many miles for,why bugger about asking questions? I saw the ad and pressed the button within a minute. Drove from Leeds to Stoke to collect it and felt very lucky indeed.

 

[biggs682]

like most things in life , its just about being carefull and senseable , and not get carried away

 

[brokenflipflop]

BTW

You could argue this was paid for by my Fleabay sales in the last month of i) a FIA approved race suit (had for over 2 years, bought for £300, sold for £200 so cost me £100 for 2 years use), and 2 items that my wife had almost forgotten about that had been stored in the garage, for an additional £250.

Admittedly I've never had a problem selling stuff on ebay but then I tend to want to please too much. When I say that I mean I sell stuff for less than it's worth and bend over backwards. Case in point I sold the wife's car. Had it since new, 3 years old and only 13k miles. The bloke who seemed keen to buy it was from Hull and he said his lift has let him down and he's getting a taxi to come and see it (to Manchester) at a cost of £120. In short, he seemed genuine so I drove the car to Hull (risky I know) and he knocked me down a bit even though I'd already saved him £120. (he drove me back home in it, too far to walk

.) He got a mint car (£9500k new) with about a years average mileage on it for £4000, new tyres all round, just serviced and about half tank petrol.

I recently sold 4 VW golf alloys with very good tyres. Two young lads who won the auction came around to pick them up. They were polite, liked the wheels and shook my hand so I said just give us £100 even though their winning bid was £140.

A few years ago I sold my 2 year old Skoda Fabia cheap. Just before the nice young lady drove off I said hang on - ran in the garage and got her the Skoda roof bars that I'd used once and cost me about £130 from the dealer.

On the other hand I'm the kind of chap who's unable to negotiate £50 off a £250k house !

I don't think I'm cut out for this wheeler dealer lark.......!! or maybe I'm just a helluva nice guy

 

[bigjim]

Drove from Leeds to Stoke to collect it and felt very lucky indeed

So £150 + what £50 in juice = £200. Is that still ok? I don't know the price of these things but you have to factor fuel and time into the final price. If you are selling you will always do better if you offer to post.

 

[MarkF]

So £150 + what £50 in juice = £200. Is that still ok? I don't know the price of these things but you have to factor fuel and time into these things. If you are selling you will always do better if you offer to post.

I can use it, sell it, recoup the purchase cost (inc fuel) and turn a profit so, yes, even at £200, an "as new" D7 is a bargain, find me another and I'll have that too. However it didn't cost £200, more like £175 as I went in a Suzuki Swift and it's all motorway driving......

Of course he would have got more if he'd offered postage, at least £100 more. But he didn't want the hassle, he's the seller and it is his perogative, just like it's the potential buyers perogative to ask stupid questions rather than snapping up a bargain.