Tell us about your Ebay cycling gear

[tincaman]

Lets start a thread about the stuff you get from Ebay, clothing, parts, bike etc.

What to look out for, recommendation, pitfalls, tell it like it is.

There are plenty of shops trading there now, so you will still be supporting some of the more well known mail order companies.

Even LBS's are on there now.

Lets start you off:


I have bought some Raptor shorts from this seller: Ebay , they were my first padded shorts so I had nothing to compare against, but was very happy with them anyway. When some of the stitching started to fail he took them back and sorted an immediate replacement. Now having bought some bibshorts from Wiggle, I can say for sure that quality and comfort wise they are about 80% as good as the Wiggle own brand but significantly cheaper.

Bought Airzound from SJS Cycles on Ebay, came in 3 days

Bought 2 wheels bags from my local LBS trading on there: Ebay then went and picked them up.

Bought Crud Roadracers from Absolutecycles Ebay, cheapest around.

Got a lovely Airborne Blackbird Ebay

 

[Eddie]

That bike is an awesome deal @£290.

I know the ones you bought were new but I have to say, one thing that puzzles me is the idea of people buying used cycling shorts. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times but I just can't imagine doing it!

 

[Peter10]

I have so far bought from ebay (prices are approximations can't remember exact):

* Endura FS260 Aerogel Mitts - £15
* Madison Stellar waterproof jacket - £32
* Cycle waterproof trousers - £6
* x2 Cree 900 Luman lights/Torches - £14 each including bike mounts
* x2 rear LED lights (Very good quality too) £0.99 each (from Hong Kong)
* x5 Kenda 700x18/23/25c inner tubes - £1.25 each
* More Mile cycle tops - £9.99 each got a white SS, black SS and a black LS
* New track pump max 180psi - £15

All BRAND NEW no pre-owned stuff.

Best buy of the lot were the front & back lights along with the Madison jacket. I love eBay. One man's junk is another's treasure.Well, most of it was from eBay shops.

 

[Chrisz]

The last ebay bit I bought for my bike was a Campag SR11 cassette - advertised as Record as the seller was upgrading to SR. Almost brand new - no signs of wear/usage etc. Got it for £85 instead of £220

Ebay can be great if you (a) know what you're looking at and (b) know what to pay.

 

[pash]

Recently got a Ridley Cheetah TT bike from TriCentral on ebay, buy it now for £1000 brand new against RRP of £2200. They even upgraded the bars to USE Tula free. Awesome.
Got some TR50 tri shoes for £14 incl postage. they had been worn once

 

[ChrisKH]

That bike is an awesome deal @£290.

I know the ones you bought were new but I have to say, one thing that puzzles me is the idea of people buying used cycling shorts. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times but I just can't imagine doing it!

I would. For example, I've got some Mavic racing shorts which I've used a couple of times and are as good as new. The truth is they don't fit me that well, not having an athletic build (too much in front tbh) but would suit someone else.

I'm sure the new owner will wash them first. Why not?

 

[swee'pea99]

Second hand clothes, what's the problem? You have a washing machine don't you? 

I buy everything off ebay! Bargains are rarer than they were five years ago, but even now there are bargains to be had. My best finds over the years have been my bikes. 

Fantastic hand-built steel racer with full 105 groupset and nearly-new Mavic open pro CD4 rims - £32

Benotto modelo 800 - £33

Vitus 979 frame 'n forks in showroom condition - £70

Koga Miyata frame 'n forks - £69

Dawes 653 framed racer with full Shimano 600 groupset - £53

Mostly though it's more mundane stuff - tyres with 50 miles on the clock for half price, Aztec brake blocks for £3, brake/gear cables for £2.50 - enough to keep me going for four years and I still have three or four...And so on and so on.

Ebay's also good for stuff that's hard to find. I just bought a pair of classic '80s Modolo brakes to stick on that Benotto for £5.50 - £8 with delivery. But it's not just a bargain; it's that those brakes would be pretty much impossible to find anywhere else.

I love ebay!

 

[gbb]

Cant remember the exact details, but i was after a chainset, brand new being offered. Finish time was early afternoon, always a chance of a bargain then. Got overbid...did as i always did then, checked for shill bidding (its hard, if not impossible to now) and saw the guy had bid on all sorts of the sellers stuff and they were from the same town.

Lost the item...and it went cheap. Thought about reporting my concerns, but didnt. then a few days later, the same item came up, same seller.

I thought i'll have a play with this one...and contacted the seller. Told him in no uncertain terms what i'd seen and i'd report him if he didnt sell it to me for the failed previous bid, He was most apologetic, there'd been a mix upetc etc (yeah right). Took a gamble and paid him...goods promptly arrived two days later.

He closed his account shortly after (or maybe ebay were onto him anyway)...no loss there. Anyway, i got my chainset at a real bargain price.

Had plenty of other bargains, but not real real cheap, just ok purchaces.

On the downside, i took a punt on a Galaxy 853 bike, a bit of a state, poor condition, no wheels. Got it for £15, i thought if the Tiagra shifters were ok, i'd make my money back easily.
The frame was damaged, it was advertised as such, but a close look told me it wasnt worth doing anything with.
The Tiagra shifters were banjaxed, Montage ended up with the clamps.
Handlebars and stem went beautifully on my winter commuter.
The Oryx cantis and forks ive still got in my bits box, might ebay them one day.....the rest of the bike was scrap.
Win some, lose some....but then £15 well spent for my winter commuter handlebars.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

One word of caution - Knowledge

Being new to cycling and not really knowing good brands from bad ones i have had several items off ebay only to find they are poor quality and cheaply made and lasted no time at all

3 out of 4 items i bought i have had to replace with main chain shop items

If its new and cheap on ebay theres a reason - Its cheap rubbish so beware

If you know the brand and what you are doing there are some real bargains so the moral is you get what you pay for

I never go on the "buy now" and only use the auction with second hand items

 

[gbb]

One word of caution - Knowledge

Being new to cycling and not really knowing good brands from bad ones i have had several items off ebay only to find they are poor quality and cheaply made and lasted no time at all

3 out of 4 items i bought i have had to replace with main chain shop items

If its new and cheap on ebay theres a reason - Its cheap rubbish so beware

If you know the brand and what you are doing there are some real bargains so the moral is you get what you pay for

I never go on the "buy now" and only use the auction with second hand items

This is so true. Know what it is you're looking for, and perhaps more importantly, know how much its worth.
I got a quill to Ahead stem from my LBS for a project, cost me £7. I see them on ebay quite regularly for more than that..PLUS postage. Not much of a bargain eh ?

I also do my homework on stuff i buy...sometimes you see items on ebay where it'd be cheaper to go to the likes of Wiggle.

Ebays a bit of a lottery sometimes. Accept it as such and (personally) i dont get upset when it doesnt quite work in my favour. Cest la vie...
Its simple for new items...do your homework. Not so simple for second hand. Until you've got it in your hand, its difficult to know exactly what your getting.

What about selling items ? Thats gone wrong for me as well. I sold a Proofride kit, partly used and advertised it as such. The buyer wasnt happy when they got it, thought too much had been used..and they expected the larger tin of proofride.
I explained my description of the quantity was (IMO) fair...and the larger tins were not available in the kit, they are a seperate item. Small tins is what you get in the kit.
They threatened to neg me...i said i'll leave it to your concience. Their expectations were too high, and actually incorrect. They hadnt done their homework.
As a token of goodwill (even though i felt i was 100% right) i refunded the postage. Some things arent worth getting het up over. Its only ebay.

I never did get a neg.

Another selling story....(forgive me those of you that already know this)
I brought a Brooks B17 Narrow saddle from a carboot sale...£1 Well used but functional.
I sold it on ebay to a guy in Japan....£70

 

[StuartG]

[quote name='swee'pea99' timestamp='1283265221' post='1381037']
Ebay's also good for stuff that's hard to find. [/quote]
+1

I have an old Dawes. Trying to find the right diameter seatpost was impossible with all the LBS and even the online shops. Couple of brand new for less than half price on eBay. When a cycle shop closes its all this wonderful old stock that finds its way to new welcoming homes.

eBay is essential for keeping old technology on the road ...

 

[tincaman]

Chain checking tool, Ebay same price as mail order or other internet shops, but I like the convenience of paypal


Shimano SPD pedals including cleats Ebay £20 delivered

 

[RedBike]

Good find with the airbourne.

I've been trying to get a good bike off there at a reasonable price for weeks. It's not as easy as you'd think!

 

[guitarpete247]

Couple of spoke keys, Bike trailer, Flag for bike trailer, Suntour Vx derailleur, Suntour Power shifters, Brooks sadlle cover, 2xSchwalbe Land Cruiser tyres (£15 for 2), Shimano M520's, Childs wooden balance bike (granddaughter still not tall enough for it at her Birthday so will save it for Christmas). I've had no problems with any of my cycling purchases.

I bought a used laptop from a company in Ireland and the battery would not hold charge. He offered me another battery for about £40 but could not guantantee that either . Got one for about £10 and it's still working and holding charge 2 years on .

I don't like the fact that a lot of folk are keeping their identity secret. You used to be able to see if you were bidding against the same person again for the same product. And when looking at sellers feedback you cannot see what they have sold as it says "Private" .

I keep loooking for bargains and to see what prices stuff is going for. Looking for bike for GF's youngest. He wants a cheap bike as a commuter (about 15 miles) and to put child's seat on.

I was looking at this "Schwalbe bag" on Wiggle so thought I'd try ebay. £22.49 and free P&P on Wiggle. Charliethebikemonger has sold 4 already for £26.99 (£4.50 more) he even uses the same photo as Wiggle. I know it will be the pic from Schwalbe but £4.50. That's nearly 2 pints of Pedigree or a cheap bottle or wine.

As has already been said check around first and watch what stuff is selling at, put in final bid as late as you can and be prepared to lose this one.

 

[Davidc]

Too much to list, but everything from my Dawes Horizon bike to rechargeable batteries for my bike lights.

Some stuff from shops I also use direct - such as a B17 Brooks saddle from SJS, new but unboxed, cheap panniers for everyday use from SJS as well. Bike lights half price from bike shops clearing stock, and loads more.

There's a need to be patient and also careful, as people bid far too high and some sellers post items too high - it's often cheaper to buy elsewhere online or even locally. It took 4 months of waiting to get what I wanted when I was looking for a mid-range tourer, not just looking on ebay either.

I've also sold a fair bit of unwanted stuff as well. Some items that I've used a little but not been satisfied with havesold at a profit. I really can't understand anyone paying more secondhand on ebay than they could pay online for brand new at a shop, but they do. Madness. I just collect the money and send them the goods. Not in the same league as the boot sale saddle but I sold 2 unused Draper krypton bike front lights at £9 and £11 + p&p last winter. I'd bought them 2 years earlier for £0.75 the pair in a lbs stock clearance sale and never used them. The buyers could have got bright LED lights which were on ebay at the same time at a lower buy-now price. ???

The buyer protection worked as well. I bought and paid for via PayPal a Brooks B66S saddle for my wife, and it didn't turn up. I complained and followed the rules and got a full refund including postage within three weeks of the complaint.