Your Worst eBay Bike Purchase?

[BikePimp]

Bought a Fat City Yo Eddy a while back....Seller had no feedback and did a horrible copy and paste description from someone else's auction. Apparently they bought the bike from a friend and only rode it 2x in 5 years.

Got what appeared to be a great deal. Before sending out payment, I got their phone number, called them to make sure it was a real person, not some hijacked account....and paid for a shop to box the thing up....

Frame was in good condition as was a set of 8sp XT Levers / Shifters...that was about it.

-Chris King headset was loose and worn out
-Rock Shox DH forks had Englund cartridges that were blown
-Wrong size seatpost, they used a smaller diameter one with electrical tape to fill in the gap
-Wheels were bent, particularly the back one
-CODA M900 Crank (which was half the reason I bought it) had a cross threaded pedal, still mad about this one

Called the seller when I discovered all this and chewed him out over the phone. Needless to say, he has not sold anything else on eBay.

Needless to say, I managed to make up most of my money by selling the frame and the Shifter / Levers, however I was really wanting to use the CODA / Magic cranks.

How about your worst purchase?

 

[terryhfs]

I bought a Dynatech road bike off eBay from a guy in Reading. The bike was smaller than advertised and too small for me so I sold it straight on (at a small loss) without even getting on it.

Cue an email two days later from the buyer complaining about the broken frame (the bonding had come undone). I refunded the buyer the full amount and contacted the original seller who then mysteriously disappeared from eBay. Ah well, poo happens

 

[syncrosfiend]

BikePimp, et al....i see this too often as i work in a shop.

if you buy anything from ebay. make sure you ask the right questions.

if you're not sure, ask an experienced mechanic....who ALSO has kept up with things, to check it out.

there are lots of mechanics who get buy on age and experience alone......BUT....a word of warning.....these mechanics are not keeping up and are typically getting left behind by technology.

a good example is our shop. myself and the ex-service manager....we both knew how to glue tubulars for those who still used them.

although he had twice the years of experience, he had no clue about disc brakes and suspension forks/shocks......

at any rate.....ask questions.....there is a lot of bike junk on eBay. a lot.

 

[thenorth]

bought an ellsworth sub22 from the states which was a bargain thanks to the conversion rate - unfortunately, only 1 of the 2 boxes it was packaged in turned up which left me without wheels, saddle and seatpost.

the frame, which had turned up, had an unmentioned tupenny-sized dent in the downtube.

had made a paypal payment, but by the time it was clear only half the consignment was coming it was too late to seek recompense through them, and i hadnt paid enough for a tracking service, which wasnt made clear at the time of sorting out the payment/postage details.

managed to sell off enough of the parts i didnt need for a filler job on the dent and a tasty respray through dave yates, who'd reassured me that the dent wouldnt be an issue and that the frame was generally structurally sound.

that's been as bad as it has got, however, on a more positive note - i once managed to get a hold of a pace rc200 frame for peanuts because the moby post had siezed inside and clamp/top of the post was chewed up from rescue efforts. the frame turned up with a carbon FSA chainset that the seller couldnt get off and he didnt want any extra for it! managed to get the post out [again, with help from sir david yates], sold the frame for about £250 and the chainset for £120.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

honestly, i had not a single bad deal on the bay ever. i had a whole bunch of superb deals e.g. a supercheap marin ift 1999 for 27 euros!!! (~70 including shipping), whole shimano M735 groupset for 45 euros (including shipping!!), deore dx wheels with NOS mavic X517 rims for ~40 euros including shipping.
lucky me :mrgreen:

 

[andrewl]

I can't say had many major problems. Most of my issues have been minor and I think I've gained more than lost overall.

When it comes to older stuff I also have lower expectations, and thus am not surprised by signs of use or the need to replace a rim or bottom bracket, post etc.

 

[jez-4-bikes-max]

Mine was a Bontrager bike I bought for about £350 quid.

Ive never had such a piece of sh*t delivered to me. The thing was absolutley awful and it was an embaressment to open. I cant believe the person wrapped it up to post. Everything was knackered.

Should have gone in a skip.

I left suitable scathing feedback.

 

[JeRkY]

Ive (touch wood) have never had a problem. The only supprises Ive had have all been good, like getting front mechs, headsets and seatposts thrown in free with a frame only purchase.

Oh except the 91 team marin frame i "bought now" then realised it was full of rust....but that was my fault for hitting ebay after a friday night at the local! The ad was well described, i just didnt/couldnt read it at the time

 

[billinjah]

cant say ive ever had a problem on the bay always buy em cheap!

 

[orange71]

only problem I had was buying what i thought was a Zaskar for it to turn out to be an Avalanche

No response from seller.

Managed to sell the frame on (as an Avalanche :roll: ) and break even...