I was watching an item – a Shimano 105 rear mech – descibed as like new – was £1 when I clicked “watch”.
It just sold for £27+£3 postage = £30. Wiggle currently sell it for £29.38 delivered – with warranty, returnable if you change your mind etc etc.

What’s going on there ?

It’s the adrenaline rush that gets people carried away and they lose all perspective.

ebay mentality can be daft at times. Crazy ones are when the same item is listed more than once and a bidding war goes on one and the other sells for peanuts.

And some people don’t look at sale prices. They may know what the retail price is and it being ebay and cheaper they think they’re getting a bargain, forgetting to look at other sites or not even knowing they exist. I know a few who seem unaware of the popular online sites but will pay crazy LBS prices or occasionally look for it cheaper on ebay.

Had the same last week with rotors and chain rings I was watching. By the time you added the postage 2 items were more than rrp and the 3rd was only a pound cheaper. Madness, absolute madness.

Everything on e-bay is bargain #FACT
Not everyone trawls online for part prices, if you rememebr paying 40 quid for a 105 mech then maybe 30 sounds good.

Competitive instinct and lack of research. It is heady cocktail.

I’ve always assumed that it’s because some people having watched said item for 7 days form some sort of attachment or somethang and lose some sense. The other thing I suppose is that occasionally some items won’t be available anymore in that specific colour or exact style or whatever, so they may have an added value to some people that you or I don’t appreciate. In general tho, yes, seen absolute madness on many occasions.

Crazy ones are when the same item is listed more than once and a bidding war goes on one and the other sells for peanuts.

I always assume it’s shill bidding

A lot of people don’t know how to use the internet outside of ebay, facebook and maybe amazon. Some of the prices things sell for on facebook are baffling to me

Wiggle currently sell it for £29.38 delivered

Rip off.

Ribble do it for £27

I’ve seen this before with people I know, they say they ‘won’ the auction and think it’s some sort of achievement, when really they’ve just payed more than anyone else was prepared to,
They seem so pleased with themselves it feels mean to point it out to them..

Rip off.

Ribble do it for £27

Dammit – that’s the short cage – I need the medium, which is £30.99 at Ribble.

People are idiots.

Surprised I have to explain this really.

Where are these idiots when I sell stuff!

My 105 rear mech (9spd) went for £11.50.

Where are these idiots when I sell stuff!

My 105 rear mech (9spd) went for £11.50.

You found one. What sane person would want a 9 speed mech? 🙂

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that some people can’t be arsed having multiple accounts with multiple sites, so paying a pound or two as opposed to registering etc might be viewed by some as convenient.

This along with some of the other factors mentioned above and the possibility that buyers might be bidding from somewhere where postage is much more expensive and you can start to see why it happens from time to time.

You found one. What sane person would want a 9 speed mech?

It’s vintage – it should have gone for 10x that!

😀

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that some people can’t be arsed having multiple accounts with multiple sites, so paying a pound or two as opposed to registering etc might be viewed by some as convenient.

This is true. I often buy low priced stuff on ebay because I can sort by price including postage and that’s the price I pay and its bought in a couple of clicks. Rather than: search google, find a reasonable price, navigate shonky website, fill out my name, address, mother’s maiden name only to find that the price was ex vat, postage is £57 and they have a minimum order quantity, then repeat. I’ve often spent hours browsing to save a fiver or less. How long would you be willing search for to save the 62p in the OP?

I often buy low priced stuff on ebay because I can sort by price including postage and that’s the price I pay and its bought in a couple of clicks

Except the OP is talking about an auction, you have to wait for the auction to end, so it’s certainly not quicker.

How long would you be willing search for to save the 62p in the OP?

The fact that someone is buying a good quality component would suggest they know something about cycling and the knowledge to fit themselves.

Personally I don’t know any regular cyclist who doesn’t know about Chain Reaction, Wiggle, Ribble and Merlin. It takes just a few seconds to check those sites and find that the 105 mech can be had new for <£30 delivered.

Chain Reaction, Wiggle, Ribble and Merlin. It takes just a few seconds to check those sites

I appreciate that is a turn of phrase but it really doesn’t take ‘a few seconds’. Even at a minute each plus a few minutes to create an account and put in CC details on the one you finally choose that’s 5-10 minutes and that’s assuming you know where to look. Honestly I could happily while away the time on any of those websites but I can see how someone time poor might prefer to go to a one stop shop where you generally pay the cheapest, or at least very close to, the cheapest price.

People are idiots.

Yep, which I why I sell all my stuff to them on eBay…

Different people have different shopping habits shocker. I usually check a few sites but not always, I find that for a lot of random household/DIY stuff amazon and ebay together usually get a reasonable and convenient deal. I do always check wiggle etc for cycling stuff but am not surprised that some people don’t. Only takes two of them for an auction to go high. Very happy with some cheap amazon wheels and ebay chainrings, nothing on wiggle was competitive.

amusingly, I was thinking of getting a garmin 235 recently. They were going for about 150 quid on ebay for nearly new, but they were about the same on amazon new. Then the amazon deal vanished and the ebay price has shot right up too…so some people certainly do check.

I appreciate that is a turn of phrase but it really doesn’t take ‘a few seconds’. Even at a minute each plus a few minutes to create an account and put in CC details that’s 5-10 minutes and that’s assuming you know where to look.

Exactly the same as Ebay then?

Once you have an account for a site then it’s done.

Besides you don’t need an account to browse.

I can see how someone time poor might prefer to go to a one stop shop where you generally pay the cheapest, or at least very close to, the cheapest price

How is ebay quicker? An auction is normally about a week.

Once you have an account for a site then it’s done.

Until you find it cheaper on anther site

people are idiots

This. And let’s be honest, it’s only fair that they get charged a premium for you having to have contact with them

Not every one is a penny pinching, miserly, round dodging, midgey raker! 😆

I sell a ton of stuff on ebay and I keep on part-refunding winning bidders when I think they’ve paid too much 😆

It indeed took me seconds to establish the new price – typing “105 5800 11 speed medium cage” into google shopping threw up the wiggle, CRC and a few other prices.

Once the ebay auction went beyond about GBP20 I thought it was pointless persuing – no warranty, no right of return etc etc.
Ebay certainly not quicker for an auction format, although granted yes for buy it now.

Google search – circa 10 seconds worth of typing and clicking

Summed up best with: