Spotted a high end frame on ebay, seller claims they bought it new for a lot less than list and on further questioning appear to have no knowledge of the bike’s true value.

Alarm bells ring and the first thing I think is ‘this is nicked’.

What does the collective think is the best way forward? Buy it? Investigate further? Inform ebay? Inform the fuzz?!?!

If it sounds too good to be true…

If you want it, by all means try to buy it, but stick to the eBay / Paypal rules, if it’s dodgy there will be a ‘story’ which means they’ll want cash, or involving an African prince or something.

Ask for the receipt. No receipt no buy.

Ask for the receipt. No receipt no buy.

Plenty of entirely legitimate sellers wouldn’t have a receipt. If he doesn’t know its worth then he probably bought it second hand, and thus almost certainly doesn’t have one.

Go with your gut instinct, sounds like you know what that’s saying!

seller claims they bought it new for a lot less than list

Plenty of entirely legitimate sellers wouldn’t have a receipt. If he doesn’t know its worth then he probably bought it second hand, and thus almost certainly doesn’t have one

only 3 posts to read

What would I do?

1) I wouldn’t use a grocer’s apostrophe.
2) I’d provide a link to the eBay auction

If you think it’s dodgy it usually is.
Move on.

Check feedback and ask a techie question that only a cyclist would know about the frame, if they could answer that then id be happy, ask if it takes An internal headset or the shell width or something like that

Depends how much you want it

IHN – Member

What would I do?

1) I wouldn’t use a grocer’s apostrophe.
2) I’d provide a link to the eBay auction

3) I’d buy it using paypal gift. 😀

only 3 posts to read

‘New for less than list’ could have meant off someone else unused, rather than from a shop. But I did write that post in two stages, and sort of forgot that bit in between!

only 3 posts to read

[grumpy]possible to read different ways…maybe dumb enough to be fed up with people not reading the OP but also dumb enough to read it wrong myself[/grumpy]

Send me a linky me pinky.

I would buy it and give it the build it deserves…

I know many might disagree but most recovered bikes end up at the scrap metal yard.

I worked at a few Police Stations and saw between 100 and 1000 bikes piled up with nothing but scrap value. There were some nice bits of kit in there but I wasn’t allowed to buy any or take one and make a donation to charity.

If it’ll help you sleep nights you could buy it and pop it up here to see if it belongs to anyone…

Just be a shame to see it go to waste.