just how reliable is buying a bike off ebay? commiting to buy a bike you haven't seen.

has anyone had any trouble?

Like a snake pit.

Allway's go and see it before even thinking of making a bid.

I agree, always go and have a look at it. Bikes tend to look a lot better in photos than in real life, especially when you take 20-30 photos and only have to pick the best few.

I think unless you know who you're buying it off, and you would normally buy it based on what they tell you over the phone, then it's not worth the hassle.

Ahhh - EBay. Don't use it myself and never would. Was actually on a car forum last night that bans links to EBay items for sale. Not a bad idea, IMO.

I kind of got the Beta off ebay. put my honda up for sale but said I'd be interested in a swap, 6 hrs later had a rely and an offer. met the guy at Scotch Corner, did the deal. Nothing confirmed before hand but as folk go, trials riders are a fairly trustworthy bunch.

trials riders are a fairly trustworthy bunch.

Yep trustworthy bunch us lot, can beleive anything we say

Now can you trust anyone who has anything to do with the WEATHER

ONLY BID VERY LOW IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE BIKE, SELLER MAY GET GET IN TOUCH AFTER AUCTION HAS ENDED{IF IT DID NOT SELL} TO SEE IF YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED .

EBAY CAN BE USED AS A CHEAP ADVERT, THEN YOU CAN TURN UP, LOOK AT IT THRASH OUT A DEAL AND YOU MAY GET A BARGIN, I DID. JUST DO THE USUAL CHECKS AS YOU WOULD NORMALLY.

Lots of unscrupulous people out there, lots of rubbish about and ebay is the easy option to sell. I bid on a Vito van and when I went to collect it I reckon the pic used was taken 2 yrs previous, and I ended up with neg feedback because I would not buy the van. I think its had its best days. Some things still do well on there. Look at Magical Micks old helmet and the Alta Suzuki, but these are rare things. Run of the mill stuff is starting to creep back on to free websites and papers and mags as they are cheaper to advertise in. Ebay are greedy and of course they own Paypal. Buyer beware

I've bought and sold a fair bit on ebay and agree with the above.

Its a good advert with pretty pics.

but you can get a lot out of the pictures.

How well presented the machine is.

If its actually clean!

Also spend time looking at feedback, its a resource Autotrader and tmx dont have!

My advice would be to ask pointed questions if the bike is not as described you are perfectly within your rights to walk away..

I bought my TLM off Ebay and im well chuffed.

Getting into trials so im gonna invest in something newer!

My 04 Beta came through ebay a mate email'd him and he phoned me back and i went and had a look "5 miles away" and did a deal!!!!!!

what a bargain,what a bike!!

Then again i bought a 94' honda civic with a bit of panel damage, the description said it was'nt too bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When i went to pick it up "150 miles away"..................... oh my god, it'd been rolled!!!!!

The pictures made it look ok!!!

Some people just can't desribe things accurately!!

BE CAREFUL!

Bought my 4RT after seeing it on Ebay

Never made the reserve after 2 listings.............so rung the guy up and did a deal off Ebay

He was looking at a car in Yorkshire and brought it up with him from Gloucester

Great bike and as described with all the original sale paperwork from BVM

You could tell the guy from the telephone conversations, knew what he was on about and was a trials enthusiast

No difference from a T&MX ad ...................as always Buyer beware

I got a good deal and i'm well chuffed

I've sold some bikes too on Ebay and i was 110% honest and the buyers were well happy

.....in good condition for the year= its bu/&ered

...usual trials knocks and scrapes= the frame has been welded

I usually put at least an complete A4 side of text in there if I`m selling and put the buy it now price in the wording only AND the Buy it now price is less than the start price for pick up only

i save the costs and the people come to look and buy without bidding. Quite fair I finK

Lee

in the world of twinshock trials bikes there seems to be a good group of people on ebay; I've bought, I've sold and I think I get the picture. Don't rule it out because of bad press; its a tool for a commercial transaction

ebay is its own special animal which needs to be dealt with accordingly. As other people have already said:

+ try to always speak to the seller on the phone before you buy; gives you a good feeling or a bad one

+ always be honest and accurate when selling

+ expect ebay to return a _fair_ market value; common stuff sells poorly,rarer, good quality sells well

+ experience is very useful...

just how reliable is buying a bike off ebay? commiting to buy a bike you haven't seen.

Buying off Ebay is no different to buying privately anywhere else. If you wouldn't buy a bike unseen out of TMX or MCN, don't buy it unseen off Ebay. It's not rocket science!

I've used Ebay to buy and sell quite a few things including cars, a boat and a motorbike with no hassles. There are lots and lots of really good people buying and selling all sorts of stuff on Ebay.

There are some crooks as well though so you do need to be sensible. Check sellers feedback. See if they have sold items as well as bought them. Have they done any substantial deals before, or is it all bits and pieces? How long have they been registered?

For instance someone who has only been registered a few weeks, racked up 20 positives by buying biros and washers for a few pence each, and is now selling a bike would worry me. If you've got your wits about you you'll often be able to spot a scam, and if you don't feel comfortable about a particular auction for any reason then just don't bid.

Contact the seller and see how they respond. Are they helpful or evasive? Ask for a phone number. If it's a long way away, try to get a local to give it the once over for you -- maybe someone here lives nearby for instance.

Paying by Paypal can give some protection, but I wouldn't rely on it. If the seller has a verified address though at least you'll know where to send the County Court claim if it really goes horribly wrong!

As you may have seen in anther thread I have just bought my Beta off Ebay, from someone 350 miles away without even contacting the seller. It was the bike that I was looking for, the price was good (but not too good to be true), and nothing set any alarm bells ringing, so I hit the "Buy it now" button and paid via Paypal straight away. I was taking a calculated risk, but I was pretty confident that it would be OK and it was.

There are definitely good deals to be done by contacting sellers whose bikes haven't met the reserve. Use the advanced search on completed auctions and you'll often find plenty of possibles. Bear in mind though that if someone regularly completes their sales outside Ebay then they may be leaving a trial of unhappy customers without receining any negative feedback.

"Buyer beware" definitely, but I certainly wouldn't write Ebay off.

When I first started in trials I bought my 03 gasser 125 off there! Never went to see it didn't even give the guy a call or email! which I know was very risky! I found it with about 10 minutes to go and studied the pictures and it looked clean! Was very happy when I went to pick it up! The guy even said to drop him an email in a few months time to tell him how I was getting on! I then sold it on there on christmas eve and I was completely truthful in the description!

I have bought countless trials odds and sods off there mainly from the sellers I use frequently so I know it will be a smooth transaction!

There are some decent people about but they are getting less common!