Buying Used Mountain Bike on eBay
You may have noticed that all my mountain bikes were purchased used or second hand, on eBay. I just can’t see myself buying a new mountain bike. And thank goodness, I don’t have the urge to ride a brand new mountain bike. One reason is that a decent new mountain bike is expensive; another reason is that I don’t think I would want to ride a new bike and risk putting a chip in the paint job or a nick to the frame or any part on a brand new bike.
Used 2001 Marin Palisades Trail purchased from eBay auction
Buying a used mountain bike on eBay makes sense for me. Not only can I save money buying a great bike that still has plenty of useful life left, but I can have fun doing it. If you are familiar with eBay auctions you know what I mean. I’ve purchased about eight whole bikes, 5 frames with a few components, and a whole bunch of components from eBay over the last few years. I have only been unhappy with two purchases – knock n wood. Keep in mind that buying used mountain bikes on eBay is risky. Think about it, basically, you are buying something used from someone you don’t know, based solely on that person’s word.
As I mentioned before, out of over couple of hundred transactions over the past several years, I’ve had two, four if you count non-mountain bike related items, disappointing purchases. I don’t blame the sellers for those disappointments. I don’t think they were out to cheap me or anyone else. I blame myself for not asking enough questions. I feel that I have been successful buying quality used mountain bikes on eBay.
I thought I’d share a few tips that I’ve picked up over the last few years buying on eBay that others may find helpful if they decide to buy a used mountain bike on eBay.
1. Check the seller’s feedback. Feedback is eBay’s way of “scoring” sellers. The system works. It allows buyers to rate their buying experience with sellers on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, 5 stars being the best. Try to limit your buying with only sellers with at least 40 feedbacks and at least 95 percent positive ratings. This will lower your change of getting bad service or out right being ripped off. Avoid doing business with a new seller putting up an expensive bike as a first listing or a seller selling an expensive bike for the first time after selling 10 or 20 low priced items. Make sure you read the explanations for any negative feedback.
2. Read the listing descriptions cautiously. Don’t do business with sellers that put up poorly written descriptions of their bikes such as spelling and grammatical errors. Poorly written descriptions could be an indication that the seller is not too concerned about details or the truth in the description of the mountain bike being offered for sale. Some sellers also get creative with their description as a way to describe some negatives of the bike in vague wordings. If you are unsure of a description, asked for clarification. Most avid bike riders and owners take pride in their bikes and like to show them off with pictures. Be on the alert if an auction has only one or no pictures. The more pictures the better. Don’t be afraid to ask for pictures. If a seller doesn’t respond within 48 hours to your questions or requests for additional information, move on to another seller.
3. Do some research before bidding. You don’t want to overpay for a used mountain bike. Get an idea of what the bike you are interested in is worth when new and what components came with the bike when it was first marketed. A good place to go for that information is BikePedia.com. Next, look back into past (ended) auctions to see some of the prices paid for similar bikes and follow some active auctions of similar bikes. It is best to watch a few auctions for the make and model of bikes that you are interested in getting to get a feel for the level of interest for those particular bikes and the price trend. You will get a better idea about what you can expect to pay for a particular bike that you are interested in. You may have to do this for a few weeks before the bikes you want come on the market. Be patient and don’t get anxious. Otherwise, you may end up paying too much for a used bike. You’ll usually pay above average price for well-maintained used bikes. But if you don’t mind a well used mountain bike or you can do some minor adjustments or repairs yourself, you may be able to pick up an otherwise nice bike for a lot less money.
In a future posts, I will go over some questions you should have answers to either in the auction description or from the seller about the bike you are thinking of bidding on.
Check out some of the mountain bikes purchased from eBay:
2001 Kona Fire Mountain Aluminum Frame MTB – I purchased the complete bike from an individual on eBay a few years ago. The bike was in very good used condition. Every component that came with the bike have now been swapped out. My wife rides this bike.
2000 Jamis Exile Steel Frame MTB – This have been my everyday mountain bike for the past year. I purchased the steel frame and some part from an individual on eBay. When I got it, I discovered that the seat post was jammed into the frame and the seat tube just below the front derailleur clip had rusted though.
2001 Marin Palisades Trail Aluminum Frame MTB – Got the incomplete bike on eBay and built it up with components that I have in the garage and new used parts from eBay.
2004(?) Fetish Cycles Discipline Aluminum Frame MTB – I got the frame on eBay and built up the bike with extra parts I had taken off from other bikes.
1999 Trek Single Track Steel Frame MTB – My older son’s mountain bike. Except for the swapping out the grip shifters for rapid shifters, brakes, and tires, the bike is still pretty much equipped the way I got it from eBay.
2003 Specialized Hotrock Aluminum Frame 24″ Wheel MTB – My youngest son’s mountain bike. It’s a small frame and with 24″ wheels, but the bike still seems too big for him.
