Bikes on ebay - are they worth bidding for.



S

Steven

Guest
I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response I got,
it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.

In general, is ebay a good place to look for a bike. I've tried bike shops, but
they never seem to have what I'm looking for second hand.

There is a "SIRRUS SPECIALIZED! Advanced Hybrid", that is just over a year old,
and has been used daily (AFAICMO). It's currently going at £205, but I'd expect
the price to rise a bit before the auction ends.

The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.

I've been lurking here for some time, and I've noticed that when people ask
about buying a bike they've seen, the answer always seems to be that the price
is too high and they could do better, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to
find these 'better' bikes.

Even on ebay, you have to wait a while for something suitable to come up, and
then there's a good chance that it will be at the other end of the country and a
"collection only" item.

Plus, of course, you'll quite likely be outbid - I haven't actually tried
bidding yet, just watching how these things go.
 
Ebay is useful, but you *need* to be careful. My son's current time trial
bike was bought via ebay, and we got a very good deal. BUT, there are *lots*
of scams out there. My husband has notified ebay of several suspected scams
and a there's been a few listings removed of ones he's reported to ebay.
When buying a bike from ebay, if we bid successfully we *always* collect the
goods in person and pay cash. We never hand over cheque/banker's
draft/credit card information. Basically - if it seems too good to be true,
it probably is.

Cheers, helen s
 
in message <[email protected]>, Steven
('[email protected]') wrote:

> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the
> response I got, it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.

Many are. There are also many bargains - I got my Mantra on eBay for
£300. Or look at this:

<URL:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7158342744>

That's £1200 worth of bike for £362.

> In general, is ebay a good place to look for a bike. I've tried bike
> shops, but they never seem to have what I'm looking for second hand.

If you know what you're looking for.

> There is a "SIRRUS SPECIALIZED! Advanced Hybrid", that is just over a
> year old, and has been used daily (AFAICMO). It's currently going at
> £205, but I'd expect the price to rise a bit before the auction ends.

The Specialized Sirrus is quite a nice hybrid, but it comes in a wide
range of specs. The base model is £400 new. If it's a base model, £205
is quite a lot to spend on a well-used example. On the other hand, if
it's an Sirrus Elite, a Sirrus Comp or a Sirrus Pro it could be a
bargain.

If you're looking at that you should also be looking at this
<URL:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7160920998>
which would be good value at up to about £300, if it is mint (£575 new
in the shops); and this
<URL:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7160567928>
which would be good value at least up to about £250 (£430 new in the
shops). Obviously, only if they're the right size for you.

> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.

If you don't, then you probably shouldn't be looking at eBay.

> I've been lurking here for some time, and I've noticed that when
> people ask about buying a bike they've seen, the answer always seems
> to be that the price is too high and they could do better, but I'm at
> a bit of a loss as to where to find these 'better' bikes.

The real place for bargains is your local supermarket's 'customers' ads'
board, or the small ads in your local freesheet; or even a car boot
sale. That's where you'll find the bikes which have been sitting in the
back of someone's shed for ten years. Most of them are rubbish of
course, so you need to know what you're looking at. But some are real
gems.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Usenet: like distance learning without the learning.
 
Steven came up with the following;:
> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response I
> got, it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.

> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.

If I want almost anything really, second-hand, I check out what the
equivalent model is currently selling at retail, see if there are any 'last
years models' available at discount prices, and maybe draw up a short list
of similar models and compare them with each other. I can then decide based
upon the condition of the s/h item what I want to pay it.

I couldn't give a fig if people say "I got one the same for £20 cheaper",
'cos odds are they just might have, but if it's not what's offered at the
time of your purchase, then you can't get it at that price. ;)

The value of anything is possibly somewhere between what you want to buy it
at, or sell it.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!
http://dogpoopblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/
 
On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 10:42:53 +0100, "Paul - ***" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Steven came up with the following;:
>> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response I
>> got, it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.
>
>> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.
>
>If I want almost anything really, second-hand, I check out what the
>equivalent model is currently selling at retail, see if there are any 'last
>years models' available at discount prices, and maybe draw up a short list
>of similar models and compare them with each other. I can then decide based
>upon the condition of the s/h item what I want to pay it.

What I find difficult, as someone who knows very little about the bike market,
is working out just which models ARE similar to one another. If someone said
they'd got a Zepmargle 2000 with Okshot brakes, plutonium forks and Tizgal
gearing, I wouldn't really know if that was good or bad (although I doubt you'd
call the steering 'twitchy').

I've heard the suggestion about finding last years models before, but they don't
seem that easy to come by (unless this is the wrong time of year). I found one
place that was selling last years Ridgebacks, but they were charging exactly the
same price for them as this years! Yet people say you should be able to pick up
bargains.

BTW, I presume that there is something dodgy about all those "Buy it now" new
bikes with names I've never heard of that appear to be being sold by dealers?
Viking for example.
 
Steven came up with the following;:
> On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 10:42:53 +0100, "Paul - ***"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Steven came up with the following;:
>>> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response
>>> I got, it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.
>>
>>> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.
>>
>> If I want almost anything really, second-hand, I check out what the
>> equivalent model is currently selling at retail, see if there are any
>> 'last years models' available at discount prices, and maybe draw up a
>> short list of similar models and compare them with each other. I can
>> then decide based upon the condition of the s/h item what I want to pay
>> it.
>
> What I find difficult, as someone who knows very little about the bike
> market, is working out just which models ARE similar to one another. If
> someone said they'd got a Zepmargle 2000 with Okshot brakes, plutonium
> forks and Tizgal gearing, I wouldn't really know if that was good or bad
> (although I doubt you'd call the steering 'twitchy').

In which case, does it really matter that much if you get something that's
not 'the best', say? No-one else can hold your hand and say .. that bike is
'better' than that. They _can_ say, this has more expensive, which some see
as 'better', brakes, wheels etc, or this package rides single-track better
or this one is great on flat farm tracks, or this is a pure downhiller ...
so much depends what you want to do.

If you want to compare componentry, brakes gears etc, then look up the parts
prices and compare. In general most cycling components are 'better' the
more you pay, but there comes a point where extra expense only gets lower
weight, or parts longevity or a different finish etc

When you get to know about cycling and cycles you can make your own mind up
as to what's 'best' for you. If you're just starting cycling the 'best'
bike is one that actually fits you properly so that you're comfortable when
sat on it, riding it for 10 minutes or riding it for 2 hours. So much
depends on how, where and why you intend to ride.

> I've heard the suggestion about finding last years models before, but
> they don't seem that easy to come by (unless this is the wrong time of
> year). I found one place that was selling last years Ridgebacks, but they
> were charging exactly the same price for them as this years! Yet people
> say you should be able to pick up bargains.

Many of the on-line shops do 'last years models' at reduced prices, but
you'll need to search for them.

> BTW, I presume that there is something dodgy about all those "Buy it now"
> new bikes with names I've never heard of that appear to be being sold by
> dealers? Viking for example.

Yes, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

What's your budget limit ? And I mean just for the bike, remembering you
might have to buy extra 'stuff', like a tyre pump, spare tubes/tyres etc
etc.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!
http://dogpoopblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/
 
Steven wrote:
> In general, is ebay a good place to look for a bike. I've tried bike shops, but
> they never seem to have what I'm looking for second hand.

Have you tried looking in the small ads in the back of Cycling Weekly?
There often seem to be good bargains in there - high-end road bikes that
are being sold off cheaply simply because they are last year's model,
the seller being a racer who buys a new bike every year.

d.
 
in message <[email protected]>, Steven
('[email protected]') wrote:


> I've heard the suggestion about finding last years models before, but
> they don't seem that easy to come by (unless this is the wrong time of
> year).

It is. October and November for 'last year's model' bargains. The new
years models start coming out August-September time so the shops can be
well stocked up by Christmas. Any 'last year's models' which still
haven't sold by January aren't bargains.

> BTW, I presume that there is something dodgy about all those "Buy it
> now" new bikes with names I've never heard of that appear to be being
> sold by dealers? Viking for example.

Seriously **** bottom-of-the-market Chinese junk. They will probably
_work_ (for some value of 'work') but I would not want to ride one.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

See one nuclear war, you've seen them all.
 
Steven wrote:
> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response I got,
> it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.

> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is worth.

One method is to find a bike on ebay that you like the look of, then
Google for the precise model and year. This should give you some retail
prices (which will usually be in a pretty narrow range). From these you
can work out what is half the new price, which is the most you would
want to pay for any bike other than a genuine "as new" (which are rare).
Not exactly scientific, but a guide until you get the hang of the market.

--
Brian G
 
On Tue, 07 Jun 2005 13:56:10 +0100, Simon Brooke wrote:

>> BTW, I presume that there is something dodgy about all those "Buy it
>> now" new bikes with names I've never heard of that appear to be being
>> sold by dealers? Viking for example.
>
> Seriously **** bottom-of-the-market Chinese junk.

Viking? Oh woe, oh calamity! Viking of Wolverhampton used to made bikes
ranging from pretty OK to very good. As a teenager I even put my own very
hard earned cash into purchasing a Viking frame. Now they are cheap
Chinese junk??


Mike
 
Mike Causer wrote:

> Viking? Oh woe, oh calamity! Viking of Wolverhampton used to made bikes
> ranging from pretty OK to very good. As a teenager I even put my own very
> hard earned cash into purchasing a Viking frame. Now they are cheap
> Chinese junk??

The first bike I bought myself was a Viking "Ian Steele". Brilliant.
Took me to Scotland and back and the next year all round the Tour de
France route.
Sad to hear the brand is being used on cheapo ****.
All the Best
Dan Gregory
 
in message <[email protected]>, Brian G
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Steven wrote:
>> I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the
>> response I got, it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.
>
>> The trouble is, I've got no idea how to estimate what a bike is
>> worth.
>
> One method is to find a bike on ebay that you like the look of, then
> Google for the precise model and year. This should give you some
> retail
> prices (which will usually be in a pretty narrow range). From these
> you can work out what is half the new price, which is the most you
> would want to pay for any bike other than a genuine "as new" (which
> are rare).
> Not exactly scientific, but a guide until you get the hang of the
> market.

There is one risk of course. EBay is almost certainly being used to
fence stolen goods, although I suspect that this accounts more for the
large quantity of separated second hand components one sees than for
the complete bikes. Complete bikes are too recognisable, I should have
thought, for the thieves to want to post photos in a public place.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I'd rather live in sybar-space
 
"Steven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I asked a question about a bike I'd seen on ebay, and from the response I
>got,
> it seemed to me that it was considered overpriced.

WARNING: LONG reply. I think you'll find it useful though. ;)

The greater the degree of esotericism, the smaller the market, the fewer the
opportunities to acquire and the more money people may be willing to pay, in
many but not all cases.

Bikes have broad appeal. The above applies to them. I have a collection of
books on air-navigation. They do NOT have broad appeal. I got them for
basically the cost of shipping via eBay because I had no competition for
them.

If you're looking at something there are *thousands of* on eBay then you're
competing in a buyer's market. Many buyers will wait for the next auction to
mature instead of feeling pressured into bidding on any one item.

To be blunt, on mass-produced goods, "there is always a better deal
tomorrow" is something consumers should have burned into their retinas.

*** The best deals you make are the ones you're willing to walk away
from.***

Paul's advice to "compare with similar models still being built" is
*excellent* and will serve you well for modern goods. Remember: most of the
stuff you see is mass-produced. There's usually not much difference between
this year's widget and last year's. I'll let others get into bike specifics
here (groupo, shifters, bars, wheels, tires etc...) I'll speak in general
terms here.

You said this is a follow-up post:

"What I find difficult, as someone who knows very little about the bike
market, is working out just which models ARE similar to one another."

I can't say this enough: educate yourself. As a consumer, knowledge is your
shield from being plundered of cash. Read up - know everything there is to
know about what you're buying and exactly where it fits in the grand scheme
of things BEFORE bidding on anything.

A better deal will come along tomorrow. With research, you may find the one
you were hot on turned out to be not such a good deal after all.

I pester folks here with questions on what seems a daily basis (certainly
weekly ;). *Be mindful* and use Google for background research as well as
searching this and the "rec.bicycles.misc" group for past threads about the
topic you're interested in.

*********

Where it gets difficult is when you're dealing with antiques (pre-mass
production) or classics (post industrial-revolution but still rare). A
1950's Schwinn was mass-produced but it's still a classic - and likely a
collectors item. eBay may not be the best place to find "deals" on such
items.

A few years ago when eBay was new, I got some great deals on antiques and
"classics" (1918 GE brass electric fan... $20, perfect working order...
blowing cool air on me as I type this)

I knew what going rate was because I bought a pricing & classification guide
on classic electric fans. Many more such guides exist for bicycles, cars etc
because those others have broader appeal.

These days, people are more comfortable with eBay - and buying online in
general - many having too much money and not enough sense to walk away. They
get in bidding wars with each other for "must haves" and end up with a
ridiculously high selling price when the auction ends.

Side note: I delayed purchasing a folding bike until after I returned from a
trip. While on the trip, I made a few phone calls and found a folder (2003
model) that had sat on a store shelf for being "too high end." The shop
wanted it gone, it was unused and I got it for about 20% *less* than I would
have paid for the new-but-lower-end folder in my home area.

Those situations can be rare but are great for the buyer because "you" are
the ONLY market for the item in question (otherwise it would have sold) and
the seller is motivated to get rid of it.

If you've read this far, thanks for listening. I hope this was useful!

Chris
 
On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 13:33:14 -0400, "C.J.Patten" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>WARNING: LONG reply. I think you'll find it useful though. ;)

Yes, it was useful.

It seems that it may take me a considerable amount of time to find something,
though.

Thanks for taking the trouble to type all that in :)
 
in message <[email protected]>, C.J.Patten
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Where it gets difficult is when you're dealing with antiques (pre-mass
> production) or classics (post industrial-revolution but still rare). A
> 1950's Schwinn was mass-produced but it's still a classic

Errmmmm... no. It may be collectable, it may be in demand, but I think
the word 'classic' is quite singularly inappropriate. 'Classic' implies
timeless excellence in either design or execution. I think the word
which you are looking for may be 'kitsch'.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Copyright (c) Simon Brooke; All rights reserved. Permission is
granted to transfer this message via UUCP or NNTP and to store it
for the purpose of archiving or further transfer. Permission is
explicitly denied to use this message as part of a 'Web Forum', or
to transfer it by HTTP.
 
"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> in message <[email protected]>, C.J.Patten
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Where it gets difficult is when you're dealing with antiques (pre-mass
>> production) or classics (post industrial-revolution but still rare). A
>> 1950's Schwinn was mass-produced but it's still a classic
>
> Errmmmm... no. It may be collectable, it may be in demand, but I think
> the word 'classic' is quite singularly inappropriate. 'Classic' implies
> timeless excellence in either design or execution. I think the word
> which you are looking for may be 'kitsch'.

Fair enough Simon! ;)

"Vintage" would have been more appropriate than "classic" in this case.

:)
 
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