Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Provincetown, MA
Posts: 26
Bikes: Workcycles FR8, Cetma Cargo, Argo Cargo, Electra Loft 3i, Raleigh Sports, Detroit Bikes B-Type
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Great questions, since I do a lot of web surfing for bikes and bike parts...
Would you consider buying a bike, sight unseen (beyond pics and vids), online for a private seller?
Yes (I have in the past).
Would you consider selling a bike in an auction format like on eBay?
Yes.
What information do you wish private sellers would give in their listings on eBay or Craigslist?
Delivery cost. Serial number. Year of manufacture. Where it was purchased and/or last serviced. Photo of the bike's drive side and any identifying decals! Almost all of the eBay listings show "free shipping" when they are really "local pickup only". There's no way to filter out the "local pickup" ones, so it's a huge time waste.
Would you be more willing to buy on eBay if buyers and sellers were required to verify their identity?
No, it's not a big issue for me. Knowing their location would be much more helpful, since that's often hard to figure out. Craigslist seems to be where the identity would be more useful, since that's scam central. (Something like how Spinlister identifies users for bike rentals is nice - they verify folks via multiple social media accounts and phone numbers so it doesn't feel sketchy.)
What features would be "must-have" for you to feel comfortable either buying or selling a bike online?
Secure payment options. Reliable 3rd-party pickup and shipping. Shipping is always the thing that kills a sale or ruins a bike during delivery.