Firstly do a search, adjust the search so you are not getting irrelevant items. Make sure you are looking in the right categories ie bicycles and not accessories. If you have a particular brand include that in the search but not the model as it may not be in the heading. Save the search and get an email from eBay when your criteria is met.
Make sure you start looking well before you need it to avoid buying at higher price than necessary. Buying out of season should be considered. I always assume mid winter is not the best time for selling although supply and demand analysis may suggest otherwise. It took me 18 months to get a pair of ice tyres but £30 is better than £100 for something you won't use a lot....hopefully!
Most important of all DO NOT BID ON THE BIKE! Use a bid snipper site to bid for you. Basically this is a site which will bid for you 6 or 10 seconds before the end. Go for 10 seconds as I find 6 seconds unreliable. The advantage of this is that you do not become involved in a bidding war. Trying to snipe yourself often fails. Bidnip charges $9.99 for 20 snipes you only use one if you win the auction. You can of course have more than 1 snipe running but keep an eye on them and have them at least 24 hours apart. IE you don't want to win 2 bikes!
Consider taking out a zero interest credit card to pay. I have a Tesco 16 month zero interest credit card. The money I spend goes into a savings account and I pay the credit card off at the end of the 16 months, keeping the interest for myself. In other words negative interest. The only requirement is financial discipline.... don't do it unless you have it. Got young (you define that) kids...iffy.
Make sure you start looking well before you need it to avoid buying at higher price than necessary. Buying out of season should be considered. I always assume mid winter is not the best time for selling although supply and demand analysis may suggest otherwise. It took me 18 months to get a pair of ice tyres but £30 is better than £100 for something you won't use a lot....hopefully!
Most important of all DO NOT BID ON THE BIKE! Use a bid snipper site to bid for you. Basically this is a site which will bid for you 6 or 10 seconds before the end. Go for 10 seconds as I find 6 seconds unreliable. The advantage of this is that you do not become involved in a bidding war. Trying to snipe yourself often fails. Bidnip charges $9.99 for 20 snipes you only use one if you win the auction. You can of course have more than 1 snipe running but keep an eye on them and have them at least 24 hours apart. IE you don't want to win 2 bikes!
Consider taking out a zero interest credit card to pay. I have a Tesco 16 month zero interest credit card. The money I spend goes into a savings account and I pay the credit card off at the end of the 16 months, keeping the interest for myself. In other words negative interest. The only requirement is financial discipline.... don't do it unless you have it. Got young (you define that) kids...iffy.