Fetterman

Will buying a bike from Ebay be a good idea or bad idea for a new rider. I have a road bike right now but its well over 10 years old, and looking for a new one but dont want to dish out the big bucks. So would buying a road bike off of ebay at around 300-500 dollars be a good deal, or should I wait and save my money for one from a shop?

DrPete 

Well, it COULD be a good idea.

First, make sure that the bike you're buying fits. I hate to say it, but try out some bikes at the LBS to see what works for you. DO NOT buy a bike without having some idea how it'll ride.

Second, BE CAREFUL. I would recommend avoiding any seller who hasn't sold a big-ticket item before or has any significant negative feedback. I would also recommend using PayPal as there's a $1000 buyer protection policy. Most reputable buyers will accept PayPal because they're protected too. Yes, there are fees involved, but they're mainly for the seller. I sold a tandem just a couple weeks ago, and it was a very smooth transaction.

Another option is craisgslist if it's available in your area. Less organized than ebay, but you can see what you're buying before you pay up.

DrPete

Fetterman

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/bik/176771445.html

Look at Craigslist and was wondering what would people say for a bike like this for a noobie, very well price for me and would love to get a bike like this if its good.

DrPete 

You get what you pay for, to be sure, but if it fits it sure looks like it'd be enough to get you into it... Just make sure it fits well.

And if you love the sport, you can quickly come back and shop for a fancier ride...

DrPete

Old School

I have purchased a used bike on Ebay and did fine. Make sure you know the current market price for the bike and don't forget the extra cost of packing/shipping. If the online photos are minimal or view poorly, ask the seller to email you some pics. Be sure to check the seller's feedback and remember the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Fetterman

Yea im going out there tomorrow, but he said the brakes cable and the shifter cables need adjusted. Is that a bad sign, or is that a routince maintence thing to do, like I said im a noob to riding.

SDRider

I purchased a frame on ebay. The condition was understated in the auction but I was planning on repainting it anyway so it worked out. I had an idea what I wanted in a frame though and I now have a sweet bike that I really enjoy riding. I rode the last 3 days straight and logged a little over 70 miles on that bike and other than a slight bit of tightness in my leg muscles (probably because I pushed so hard yesterday) I feel no ill effects otherwise.

sean565

I got my Giant OCR on eBay and had no issues whatsoever. Just like everyone has said: use common sense - check feedback for negatives - communicate with the seller before the end of the auction - ask for additional pictures if needed...

No matter what I would ride a similar bike at your LBS to get the fit you need to ensure sizing. There are no returns on bikes for sizing if you're buying from the average Joe.

Bob S.

I have purchased 4 bikes on Ebay. All were fine transactions. 3 were excellent. Exactly what I expected. The sellers were top notch. The 4th was a good transaction, the seller just missed the size a wee bit. But, it was still an excellent buy. Be careful with your sellers, know your product, and use every precaution you can when dealing on Ebay. Bob

Rex G

It helps to buy a bike from an eBay seller who is experienced, and has shipped larger items before. If the seller is an experienced cyclist, who has shipped bikes before, even better! I have been lucky with several eBay bike transactions; I think Fedex's conscientious handling of one bike was the only thing that saved the bike, because it was not padded or packed well. UPS seems to take less care. But my sample size is small, so this may not apply across the board. One quite common thread seems to be that the bike will almost never be in as good condition as the seller describes it. Most important, the buyer must be familiar with bikes and know what he wants. Remember that "Shimano components" does not constitute high-end stuff; Shimano makes low-end components, too, so the buyer should know the hierarchy of the groupsets. Any bike bought from afar, and shipped to the buyer, will probably need a tune-up. A local bike shop will generally assemble and tune its new bikes as part of the retail sale price, plus some shops provide follow-up tuning for free or reduced cost; an assembly and tune-up of a bike from elsewhere can be surprisingly high. Last, but quite important, is that lots of cyclists frequent eBay, so extremely good bargains usually do not exist, and some items, such as Bianchi Pistas, have a cult status and the bidding will sometimes surpass retail price for a new item.

Rex G

I should add that my previous post applies to buying used/pre-owned bikes. The "new" bikes offered on eBay are a whole different subject, with all kinds of other things to watch out for, but I have no experience there.

Phantoj

That Raleigh looks good if it fits.

mister

I recently bought a bike on eBay. It was a great experiance. The person I bought it from packaged it (or had it packaged) extremely well in high density styrofoam. The bike was in MUCH better condition than I thought it was going to be too. All in all I got not only the bike, but a Cateye wireless, Look Keo Carbon pedals (which I ended up giving to my dad), and a seatbag with some goodies all in just about new condition for an awesome price. To top it off, the seller paid shipping charges and actually called, not emailed, but called to see if everything arrived and make sure it was all okay. There are honest people on eBay, but be careful. Watch for discrepencies in the items location and the form of currency. I've seen things coming from Canada but the price is listed in British Pounds. Use common sense. It was said before, but I'll say it again; if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Ostuni

have not read the thread so excuse any redundant info...

if you know what bike you want and know the size is right and the seller is trustworthy and the product description is thorough with quality pics, etc. then by all means consider it....

oilman_15106

How do you have a 10 year old road bike & are a noobe? What do you have now and maybe it would be better to put a few bucks in the current bike, ride it a season and go shopping in the fall? I'm not sure what you think you will get from ebya for $300 but make sure that it is a never crashed, never raced, ridden by a little old 105 pound lady in sunny socal, NOS bike, low mileage, other meaningless description bike. Oh ya, shipping will be $150.

mrchristian

Shipping will be ~$40-50

blue_nose

+ 1 for Craiglist

I personally would never buy a bike without being able to try it out first, unless maybe if it was a beater bike. There are usually the same deals available and you can check out a bike in person before you spend any $$$’s on your new ride.

My two cents…

superdex

I've bought a frame and a complete bike from ebay; both were painless transactions; it helped that I knew what I was looking for, though.

+1 on that Raleigh above, if you have a chance to ride it first, check it out--

geraldatwork

If you can make Craigslist work than that is the best bet as you can see and test ride the bike. If you buy off ebay make sure you know what size you need. If your 10 year old bike fits measure the frame, stand over height,etc to try to find something close. that is what I did. I have a 20 year old bike that fits like a glove so I measured everything and found something on ebay from bikes direct (bikes direct also sells on ebay) that I got a good deal on new. I only had to get a slightly shorter stem for it to fit well.

spinerguy

That raleigh seems like a great deal, cranks appear to be tiagra & maybe the rest of components as well which is pretty good for the price & to be only ridden for 100 miles. I don't think you can find a better deal on ebay but again, it's trash if it doesn't fit.

boscatman

I have bought on ebay and craigslist. The bike above looks ok from the pic, but the seller didn't list the parts. Make sure the frame is the right size for you; have a LBS help you figure that out. Marginal parts can almost always be upgraded. I bought a nice frame on ebay and then picked up parts from Nashbar, Performance and some sweet wheels on craigslist. I then had a bike shop put it together for me. As far as Ebay goes, watch the freight. Some of the individuals as well as Ebay stores jack the freight up! I have seen the shipping costs on frames go from $50 average to over $100 within my same state.

roccobike

Excellent point. I like craigslist because it's a given that I get to see it and try it out before I buy. Prices are typically lower on Craigslist because the audience is so much smaller.

seaneee

Craigslist is def the way to go, especially if you live in a city where there isn't a huge demand for road bikes. You can see it in person (no ebay suprises). eBay can be good for a deal, especially here in the bay area where CL bike prices are waaaay higher than ebay. Just make sure you don't get ripped off for shipping and make sure the shipper has it packed and boxed correctly so it doesn't get damaged in transit and splurge on the insurance just to be safe.