Forum menu
WTF, the guy bid on a bike on ebay, nothing wrong with that.
...chances are if the seller is a legit biker they would have bought / sold other bike related stuff
I'm no longer legit 🙁
Do you have the address?? It says Dudley...I don't live far away!
WTF, the guy bid on a bike on ebay, nothing wrong with that.
nothing wrong with that if you've done all reasonable checks to make sure it is legit, i assume you think that bike thieves are scum, well its people who buy bike stuff without checking that are feeding them
Indeed if they could not sell stuff they would not steal it
In this case it looks more like fraud though
..chances are if the seller is a legit biker they would have bought / sold other bike related stuff
That's me out then, not sold bike stuff for ages. In fact my account would probably look hacked, as virtually all my eBay activity is for another hobby.
I never look at the duration of an auction, I wouldn't know the difference between something listed as a one day auction and a 10 day auction I stumbled upon on the last day.
he auction looked legit
No it didn't
. Seller had good feedback
No he didn't! He has sold only 7 things, these being women's jewellery and computer games!
. The only thing dodgy with hindsight was that it was a one day auction.
If you really think that then I suggest you stay away from eBay in future.
So....if the money has been refunded, does that mean no crime has been committed?
no, as fraud is an offence of intent it doesnt even have to be successful (there is no such thing as attempted fraud in the 2005 Act, an "attempt" is a full offence of fraud even if it fails).
The auction looked legit. Seller had good feedback
No, it didnt. You didn't look deeply enough to see whether it stunk or not-you didn't even know it was a one-day auction until someone here pointed it out. I assume your criteria for legit-looking is an accurate/in-depth description, reasonable grammar and no pitbulls in shot? Sorry to sound harsh but I'm with the critical brigade on here today, you didnt do any work researching it before paying for it. Plenty of "legit" looking ads are cut-and-paste from genuine ads (almost seems to be the majority on gumtree due to lack of policing, mostly used by nigerian pay-forward scammers).
I never look at the duration of an auction, I wouldn't know the difference between something listed as a one day auction and a 10 day auction I stumbled upon on the last day.
I would, because things like one day auctions, cash-on-collection-only or non-paypal payment-only all scream stolen bike to me. As a buyer I might be protected by paypal and ebay but personally I dont want to risk fuelling the trade in stolen goods.
OP report it to the police. Internet scams are a pain in the arse to investigate but they need to be policed, we had a guy in our force area start 'selling' low-value stuff, taking the payment and not shipping the goods (they usually didnt exist). He began out of financial dire straights but carried on out of incomprehension that he was getting away with it. When he was finally caught he admitted to [b]300[/b] offences, and went to prison.
I would, because things like one day auctions, cash-on-collection-only or non-paypal payment-only all scream stolen bike to me
Good for you! Perhaps I'd look into it more if I actually considered buying a bike on eBay, but I doubt many people actually do those things, most auctions are legit after all.
im guna Weigh in here...Why not...lol
im on kevin1911's side..
ive been stung on here (STW forum) and Ebay, and it really really sucks..
i think people have had their "[i]say[/i]" in the matter.
he has learned his lesson.
He doesnt need people saying "he should have done more research" Etc Etc.
its too late for that..
He's got his money back.
All is right with the world.
big Smiles 🙂
If Im selling a frame no ****ing way would I accept paypal. Cash on collection. If you collect, you see and I don't pay a fee then another to download my money.
It'll always be evilbay to me.
Last bike I sold on eBay went for £2500, via PayPal. Sent it to France, he wasn't gonna collect, I wasn't gonna deliver!
Must say eBay's over zealousness for siding with the buyer in a dispute puts me off using it now, that and the exorbitant fees they charge!
I am more sceptical because in my job I naturally suffer confirmation-bias; most auctions are legit but I see the ones (in my area) that aren't, all the stolen bikes that crop up on ebay and gumtree, all the people that pay for products and services that don't exist... The OP spent a good amount of cash very quickly, with not enough time to communicate with the seller. I've bought a £1500 bike from eBay and did loads of "due diligence", I've sold a couple of expensive frames and hope the buyer did the same for peace of mind.
Must say eBay's over zealousness for siding with the buyer in a dispute puts me off using it now, that and the exorbitant fees they charge!
agree on all points.
If Im selling a frame no **** way would I accept paypal
If? You mean when? 🙂 Pretty sure specifying No Paypal is a breach of ebay's terms. The last three high end frames we sold were actually sold cash-on-collection/delivery so no PP fees paid, but the buyer had the security of that option being offered. If you don't like the rules of engagement don't play- arent ebays brutal fees why STW classifieds is so popular?
he has learned his lesson.
Not sure he has seeing as he said this:
The auction looked legit. Seller had good feedback. People swap bikes all the time. Seller was paypal verified. The only thing dodgy with hindsight was that it was a one day auction.
It's amazing how easily people are parted with their money. I'm currently selling a Jaguar X-Type on eBay - it's got two days to run on a ten-day auction, it's been bid up past it's reserve and yet no-one has asked me any questions about it or asked if they can come and see it or test-drive it. That says to me I'm either an absolutely miraculous salesman, or people are happy to take the risk of throwing several thousand pounds at a complete stranger without doing any background checks first. I suspect the latter. As and when the car sells, if there is a problem with it after the buyer has paid and taken it away, no doubt it will be my fault.
I don't know if it's because I'm overly cautious, or because I'm part Yorkshire, but if I'm going to shell out on a bike, car or whatever, wherever it's from, I'm going to check it's history very carefully and I either want to see it first or I want to collect it in person from the buyer.
I too would advise the OP to seriously consider his approach to eBay if he doesn't want to get stung again - admittedly, he got his money back but I think in this case he's been extraordinarly lucky.
People are too lackadaisical and too trusting of strangers in their financial dealings, which is why we repeatedly see the same old sob stories on the likes of "Watchdog", when a few simple background checks would have saved a lot of heartache.
Looks like Kevin1911 is a noobie at buying bikes on ebay, but that's not a crime - he saw a bargain (that is what ebay is about) and went for it because the ad itself looked legit to him from the checks he did.
The trouble was he didn't go far enough, but again, that is not a crime, its just learning from experience - there is no "guide to spotting hacked accounts on ebay", actually there probably is somewhere on google, but its not taught in schools, its usually a lesson learned.
I've bought tons of stuff on ebay and I have learned that before bidding on a "bargain" you need to check through the sellers previous sales (although that in itself isn't proof if its the first time he's sold a big ticket item)and other sales.
Its not as straight forward to check if its a one day sale anymore, although you can find it eventually.
Lots of people getting on Kevin's back about supporting the stolen bike trade need to get off their high horse - this was about a niave bloke being taken for a ride - they were NOT trying to sell a stolen bike, they were trying to commit fraud.
In general, if its a short auction (three days or less) I pass as I can't be sure of the reason for the rush, if they are suddenly selling loads of high ticket items on short sales with no history of doing so before, I assume a hacked account and report them, although I have seen items finalise a day or two after being reported so not sure how much notice ebay takes of these reports.
Buying bikes off ebay is NOT supporting the trade in stolen bikes, it is a legitimate way of getting a bike at a decent price. Some may be stolen, but most stolen bikes are sold for cash as the thieves don't want the audit trail. But it is still best to ask lots of questions about the bike and ask if they have their original documents / receipts. If they don't answer the questions or are too vague, I walk away.
But this is just experience in life, don't confuse inexperience / naivety with a willingness to buy a stolen bike, it makes you sound like a right judgemental tosser.
johnellison - I suspect that whoever wins your auction will come down and want to see the car before he pays and he may still walk away without buying it, and under ebay rules there is nothing you can do about it, although I'm guessing you would prefer it that way?
As long as you use PayPal and raise a dispute if you are not happy then really you don't have much to worry about. That is what PayPal is there for. I have found even with genuine sellers that are just a bit crap or slow it is a good way to get them to sort any problems as PayPal lock their account.
I'm thinking of registering a new user on here to post in these kinds of topics - my login will be Captain Hindsight
A car is different - I sold mine on ebay, and the only questions I got before the auction finished were from people who wanted to finish the auction early (for less than it finished at). The chap who bought inspected and wanted a test drive before parting with cash. Exactly what did you do when buying a s/h car before the days of ebay which you don't get from bidding and then going to collect without any questions first (I'm assuming a comprehensive description as I gave)?
No, it didnt. You didn't look deeply enough to see whether it stunk or not-you didn't even know it was a one-day auction until someone here pointed it out. I assume your criteria for legit-looking is an accurate/in-depth description, reasonable grammar and no pitbulls in shot?
Er, to be honest - yes that pretty much covers it for me. 🙂
Looks like Kevin1911 is a noobie at buying bikes on ebay,
Oh I so wish that was true. My bank balance tells a different story though. 😳 I've bought (and sold) loads of bikes on ebay, and on the odd occasion I've had a problem , the sellers/buyers have been perfectly reasonable and we've sorted it out easily and amicably. I am a fairly trusting person though - and I'd rather stay like that than become a miserable paranoid scrooge that's convinced everyone is evil and out to con me. 750+ ebay transactions and this is the first con I've had. Think I'm ok with that ratio. I also have faith in the ebay buyer protection too, which helps me bid without too much fear, though I do agree with the posts above about them siding a bit TOO easily with the buyer in disputes.
Thanks for all the comments people, pretty much all constructive and helpful. Really appreciated. 😀
I'm thinking of registering a new user on here to post in these kinds of topics - my login will be Captain Hindsight
<wonders whether to wait for Captain Hindsight to register a new account before telling him it's against STW rules to have two user accounts>
I have sold stuff and asked for cash on collection .The last bike I sold was for 600 quid and I didnt fancy paypal having a large slice of the final value
Im standing up for Ebay!!! It gets slagged off something rotten on many hobby/sport forums. On balance i've probably bought most of my bike parts and frames etc off Ebay and I've sold a lot of stuff too. I've saved a fortune and made money out of things no longer needed and had the satisfaction that somebody else is getting pleasure out of them insetad of throwing them away. About 700 transactions over many years. I've had a fair few disputes that were resolved fairly. If you stay calm then no problem. It's safe and you can't really be "had", just inconvenienced. The thing that amazes me is that people get annoyed about paying for the service. Im happy to pay, it's a business providing a service that benefits me. Shouldn't we be supporting it? Sure it takes a bit from sales but helps us with our purchases and gives us an excellant safe platform to sell on.
A car is different - I sold mine on ebay, and the only questions I got before the auction finished were from people who wanted to finish the auction early (for less than it finished at). The chap who bought inspected and wanted a test drive before parting with cash. Exactly what did you do when buying a s/h car before the days of ebay which you don't get from bidding and then going to collect without any questions first (I'm assuming a comprehensive description as I gave)?
Try going to a "real world" car auction, winning the bidding on a car and then demanding a test drive before you part with the money...
People should understand what an auction means - the time to test drive, inspect etc. is before you bid, not after you've won the thing. I've bought and sold vehicles on eBay, when buying, I've only bid unseen once and I ended up regretting it - but I would never have dreamed of recourse to the seller, it was "sold as seen" by a private seller and it wasn't his fault I didn't go and look at it before I bid, it was mine.
Equally, I've sold a vehicle to a guy who hadn't been for a look, and he wasn't 100% happy with the vehicle but he honoured the contract he'd entered into on eBay and took the vehicle. This is how it should be.
Try going to a "real world" car auction, winning the bidding on a car and then demanding a test drive before you part with the money...
ebay isn't the same as a "real world car auction" (quoting changed deliberately). The point being that there is absolutely nothing to stop a winning bidder just walking away. You may not like it, but that's the way it is.