Homebrew01

I bought a Chorus crankset on Ebay. There was only 1 picture with no closeups.

This was the title:
Beautiful CAMPAGNOLO crankset & bracket EXCELLENT!!

This was the main part of the text body (actual color & bold):

Here for your consideration is a beautiful CAMPAGNOLO crankset and matching bottom bracket.

The crankset is the Chorus model and it is marked: "10 Speed UD", 53/39, 172.5, Made in Italy". This crankset is very attractive, and appears virtually unused It may be new? The metal is clean, bright and shiny, and shows no scuffs. . Comes with the bolts as well.

My pics:





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So, I was a little disappointed when I opened it ...... Doesn't look "new" to me. My 9-year old boy could tell it was used. It was listed as used, but the description implies it would look new and unused. Thoughts ? I notified him I'm not satisfied and am waiting a reply.

dgalati

If the item is listed as used in the ebay description, then you're SOL.

But it does look relatively new to me.

Jynx

it is used and was listed as used but looks new. for a used product that is as new looking as you are going to get. i would be happy with that purchase. if you want you can clean it up even more to make it look newer but it is just going to get dirty anyway. if you wanted new you need to buy new.

X-LinkedRider

Looks like it came off of a new bike. Probably test ridden and then replaced.

Homebrew01

So the worn teeth, and grime still let him describe it as "virtually unused and may be new...shows no scuffs" ?

tagaproject6

"Virtually" is not a definite term. In this case, the word was used to get a buyer excited about purchasing good item for a virtually great deal.

Jynx

the teeth are not worn out, they just show some use. Like i said clean off the "grime" if it bothers you. it was probably used for like 200 miles or so. that is virtually new.

Homebrew01

I've sold a lot on Ebay, and I would have described it quite differently.
Holding it in my hand, it looks like it has a solid year of riding on it ..... oh well. Thanks for the feedback.

Cyclist0383

The weasel made his statement a question, ala Fox News, to absolve himself of actually lying.

Legal: Is the mayor eating children?

Illegal: The mayor is eating children!

The effect is the same.

milnerpt

The only trip up he made with his semantics was stating that there are "no scuffs". If there ARE scuffs, well then....

as for the rest of the description, it stank from the beginning of "hey, this isnt new but Im going to lt you think that maybe you are getting a great deal"

captnfantastic

if you got a good deal on it you shouldn't worry. give it a good de-greasing and scrubbing and it will look very nice. the teeth look fine to me. The only way I would be real upset is if i paid close to full price of a new crankset.

ocho

Next time ask for more pics before bidding. Most sellers won't have a problem unless they are trying to hide something. If they don't go for it, walk. There are always other "deals" on eBay.

Patriot

Cranksets are usually not a problem. Chainrings last for years of use. Unless it is damaged from curbing or crashing, it should be just fine. Stay away from older ISIS cranks though (like many years old). They tend to wear in the BB splines easier than others like Octi-link or square taper. Other than that, it shouldn't be a problem.

It's used cassettes and chains you really need to watch out for. Anything over 800mi (or about 6 months old) is most likely a bad omen.


Keep inmind, if you did buy a NEW one, it would be scuffed and dirty within a couple weeks of use.

Raiden

I'd be a little bummed too, but do you plan on riding the thing, or framing it?

Personally, I'd just leave something passive-aggressive in a positive feedback....

LoneCyclone

+1

a_phat_beat

I sold something like this on E-bay very recently. Personally, I think the description given was a little vague as to its' "newness" but then again it was listed as USED. Anytime you buy anything on ebay, especially used bike parts, you should take it with a grain of salt and expect the items ACTUAL condition to be slightly less accurate than its' description (as has been my experience). This especially coming from non-established sellers without the "top seller" rating. Not that they're any better. In any case... I hope you didn't pay TOO much for that crankset. Below is a link to the one I recently sold too.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=320436850005

I think the dude got a great price for the crankset. Of course I would have loved a bit more $$$ but it all went well.

Your crank looks in good enough condition to get MANY MANY miles out of it and with an allen key, some rags and a bit of elbow grease it could look good as new

Patriot

Douse it down with some cheap 3-in-1 silicon lube, and wipe her clean. Good as new.

Homebrew01

I didn't get a "deal", in fact I think it was overpriced now that I have it .... But I'll get over it.

NathanC

Give it a good clean and apart from ever so slight teeth wear, it will look new.

gkelley

yeah it looks like it may have been used for like 5 minutes. I just bought a Garmin 305 with cadence/hrm but the hrm strap doesn't work. At least your crank will function like it's new, but that what happens when you buy ebay, you'll eventually get shat on

Homebrew01

The teeth look a bit "hooked" at 9:00 and 3:00, and there's dirt in all the crevices. That's why I can't figure out his description. It's been ridden way more than a couple hundred miles ... couple hundred hours maybe. But I'll clean it up & ride it.

X-LinkedRider

Hooked? You mean the transfer teeth? They aren't all going to look the same. Otherwise, the chain can't switch gears.

idcruiserman

Nah, that's a MSNBC tactic.

Rippin

As most have posted, Ebay CAN be a hit or miss situation. But experienced buyers/sellers are usually very honest and upfront with product descriptions. Used items are used items, and can be expected to show wear. This crankset will have many, many more miles in it.
But I do have an issue with the seller's description.

"...appears virtually unused It may be new?"

Maybe my standards are higher than most, but virtually unused and possibly new means a few rides around the block for a test ride, or 1 decent ride by an owner. The amount of grime in those pictures and the light markings on the crank arms indicate way more than that....or it was ridden in the rain.

To me the description is inaccurate and embellished just to sell the product. The single picture in the listing was probably a good indication that the seller was stretching the truth.

Anyway, rack it up to experience, clean up the crank and ride it.

xg43x

depends on how much you paid...i paid 45 for brand new centaur cranks off ebay...