Ebay bike advice....please

There are good deals to be had on ebay.
First, know how much you are willing to spend and what you can get a
bike for at a shop. I have seen a lot of people pay more for a used
bike than they could get it for new at a shop due to previous model
year discounts.
Second, be adaptable. You might not find a deal on Bianchi's Trek's
or Cannondale's because they are very popular brands. Know what
features you want and look for more obscure brands.
Third, be patient. It may take a while for a bike you want to be
offered at a reasonable price. Even then, last minute bidding can
push it out of the reasonable price range.
Finally, you need to use bidding techniques that allow you to win.
Bidsnipping, despite all the people who revile it, is often the only
thing that works.

I got an Ironhorse Victory Reynolds 853 frame with full ultegra 9
speed for $550. If you are persistent enough you can get a good deal
too. Just be prepared to do a fair ammount to a lot of mechanical
work on any bike you buy and order additional parts to replace broken
ones or to adjust the fit. Good luck.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have seen a lot of people pay more for a used
bike than they could get it for new at a shop due to previous model
year discounts.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

I appreciate all your suggestions!

Thanks!

-Bob

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hell and High Water said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

You might try Craig's List instead. However, in general Ebay is
not a deal for used bikes unless you really know what you want
and get lucky. The more well known the brand the less
chance of a deal.

Patience is your primary Ebay asset. Set up a search and just
wait, pick what your price limit is and just stick with it. You
will lose quite a few auctions along the way, but you only need
to win once.

There are bargains on Ebay, but in general, like any other
auction, people end up paying at least the going rate and often
well above the going rate. Usually, the only time you get a
bargain is when you are the only bidder.

_ Booker C. Bense

Hell and High Water said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

Screw ebay. craigslist.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There are bargains on Ebay, but in general, like any other
auction, people end up paying at least the going rate and often
well above the going rate. Usually, the only time you get a
bargain is when you are the only bidder.

I'm looking for a large bike. I'm about 6' 5"

Several of the bike I see get few if any bids. My problem is simply, I
don't see any bikes on which to bid.

Not going to bid on the vintage bike that are similar to mine, and not
going to bid on the bikes that are set at high levels/out of my price
range....

-Bob

Road Dog said:

Hell and High Water said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

Quoted message said:

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

Screw ebay. craigslist.

I check out craigslist here in Chicago often. Very often what is see
is either worthless junk bikes (walmart/target) or older bikes for
huge prices. Someone has an old 7 speed with downtube shifters they
sell it as vintage and lists $400 as their asking price. The chances
of finding a bike that is;
A. What you are looking for in terms of quality and configuration.
B. The correct size for you
C. Being sold by someone who doesn't have his head up his rear end
and then beating the competition to said bike are rather slim.

sschoe2 said:

Road Dog said:

Hell and High Water said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

Quoted message said:

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

Screw ebay. craigslist.

I check out craigslist here in Chicago often. Very often what is see
is either worthless junk bikes (walmart/target) or older bikes for
huge prices. Someone has an old 7 speed with downtube shifters they
sell it as vintage and lists $400 as their asking price. The chances
of finding a bike that is;
A. What you are looking for in terms of quality and configuration.
B. The correct size for you
C. Being sold by someone who doesn't have his head up his rear end
and then beating the competition to said bike are rather slim.

Yes, it happens though.
I'm not really an expert at this, but I've bought 1 bike off Ebay and two
off Craig's list in Chicago.
In neither case was I looking for a bike to buy; that helps because at any
given time you are unlikely to find what you want (see evidence earlier in
the thread). As sschoe2 says above, many of the prices provide amusement.
Ebay has a lot of disadvantages relative to Craig's list:

1. Shipping cost
2. Waiting for the product to arrive (and reassembling it)
3. Inability to test ride the product
4. Time spent figuring out auction strategy, as opposed to just negotiating
a purchase in person.
5. Inability to judge flaws in person: will you need new tires right away?
Are the wheels true? Does it look like the bearings need an overhaul?

If anyone's curious as to what I bought:
Ebay: 1976 Schwinn Super LeTour in mint condition. Seller was a guy I
recognized off the Phred touring list, so I figured he was OK. As expected,
I spent more for shipping and to get the bike back in working condition than
I did on the bike itself. The bike's here, on my trip across Utah:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=QzzM&pic_id=68057&v=3Z&size=large

Craig's list #1: I saw a Raleigh Twenty up for sale. Sheldon Brown speaks so
highly of them that I got curious. I verified that this ancient lump of
metal was actually in ridable shape. Did 50 miles last Wednesday (that's a
LOT for a folder). Main problem: I need to find a case for it so I can take
it on public transportation -- until I do, it's mostly taking up space in
the basement.

Craig's list #2: Breezer folder, bought for my daughter. Prettty much new;
Northwestern prof had used it while on sabbatical at OSU so he wouldn't need
another car. I saved $; he got back some room in his condo storage area.
Buyer and seller both accomplished their aims.

"Hell and High Water" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

Bikes like this:

ebay item 150140979877

'Vintage' bike, which is hardly a step up from mine...

or...

Bike like this:

ebay item 250138735705

Which is TOTALLY out of my price range.

Seems like is either one or the other.

I'd love to find a two or three year old, lower to mid-level Bianchi
that was around a grand new, now selling for about $300-400.

Am I dreamin?

Did anyone buy lower to mid-level Bianchi bikes two or three years ago?

??

Help me out here. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

eBay is a crapshoot. There are good deals to be had---but if you're looking
for older steel frames which happen to have lugs or horizontal dropouts(or
both)---you're in for a bidding war. There is a lot of demand for steel
bikes. If you want a new bike and are handy with a wrench, you can look at
some of the sellers who are associated with Bikes Direct on eBay. Sprtymama
and Chicabike are their names----but if you search eBay for Motobecane or
Mercier you'll find them. The bikes don't always have the best components,
but they are bike shop quality bikes.

If $300-$400 is your budget you should be able to find SOMETHING on eBay,
but it may take a while. And remember, caveat emptor.

Hell and High Water said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There are bargains on Ebay, but in general, like any other
auction, people end up paying at least the going rate and often
well above the going rate. Usually, the only time you get a
bargain is when you are the only bidder.

I'm looking for a large bike. I'm about 6' 5"

Several of the bike I see get few if any bids. My problem is simply, I
don't see any bikes on which to bid.

Not going to bid on the vintage bike that are similar to mine, and not
going to bid on the bikes that are set at high levels/out of my price
range....

-Bob

Try a "Big Road Bike Wanted" Ad on Craigslist maybe?

Hell and High Water said:

I'm looking for a slight step up from my ~mid 80's steel Bianchi.

What I see on Ebay, at least, frustrates me.

If you know exactly what you want and are sufficiently patient you can
often get very good deals on eBay. But if you're not sure, it's always
best to be able see and ride the bike in person before shelling out the
money. Your LBS and/or local classifieds may be more appropriate then.

--

John ([email hidden])

Apostrophe usage is horriffic in this thread...

bryanska said:

Apostrophe usage is horriffic in this thread...

Illuminating!