Ebay is the way forward.
No need to answer endless requests for pics, normally a better price for the seller, buyer is protected etc, you even get to see how others have felt about their dealings with the seller, win win all round 😉

win win all round

yeah, win for ebay and win for paypal

I’ve been selling a few things on here recently including frame and forks. Have always described things honestly and will always offer to refund if buyer feels they have been misled.

Where frame or forks are involved, I will always encourage potential buyers to have a good look at them before they commit, if that is at all possible.

I really couldn’t cope with the wrath of the STW Massiv – imagine being named and shamed on here. 😯

Speaking as someone who was ‘named and shamed’ last week, thankfully the mob took my side, however all is not rosy in STW Classifieds world, from a sellers perspective anyway.

Below is a C&P of a transcript towards a currently disgruntled buyer i’ve just left. Maybe a bit harsh on my part, but it has to be said, selling cheap odds & sods really does seem to attract a special kind of douchebag on here at the moment.

By his standards I should already have the post done & the pitchforks out for the pedals I bought off here that were posted a week ago & haven’t shown…

In our original email discussions, dated 9/11 you stated payment was made that day, via bank transfer

You then sent a follow up email on the early evening of the 13/11. A Saturday. Asking if the item had been posted, as you had not received anything at this point.

Admittedly, I didn’t respond to you until Monday (didn’t check my emails over the weekend as I was pretty unwell with man flu) but the response was to say the money had cleared into my account overnight of the 12-13/11, and that it being Monday, I would post the item on Tuesday. Hardly unreasonable given the timescales thus far really?

It is important to note at this stage, that I did in fact post the item on Tuesday, and I of course, have the relevant proof of postage.

So we fast forward to this afternoon & I recieve this email:

Still nothing in the post today.
I know of at least 2 other stw members who have had the same problem with waiting for items they have bought off you !
You seem to have plenty of time to advertise and respond to other adverts on stw., so any crap about being tied up with work etc. does’nt wash with me.
I hope I don’t have to go down the route of a rant on stw. The last one ended up pretty light hearted, the next one may not !

Firstly, I would love to know who the two other people are who have had the same problem, as they haven’t made themselves known to me, in any capacity?

Secondly, at no stage have I ever stated I have been ‘too busy/tied up with work etc’ to post an item.

And thirdly, if you want to name and shame, just go for it, because of the tone of your email, i’ll state the facts as I have above again, and you too can look like the last guy to went down the name & shame route.

So here we are, 3 days after the item was posted & threats of naming and shaming? Really?

You neglected to mention that in my response to your email, that I actually offered, despite sending said item to refund you regardless, because for the sake of £10, life is actually too short & I can’t be bothered to deal with people like you. Next time, i’ll just bin the bits, it will be less hassle.

So here we are, 3 days after the item was posted & threats of naming and shaming? Really?

that’s lame.
currently waiting on a tyre from a fellow member posted 1st class on the the 16th, if it’s not here next week i’ll let the seller know. no point getting eggy as it doesn’t really achieve anything.

i sold the demo7 i bought whilst looking for my stolen demo9 last year after only 2 rides on it as mint condition. they guy in ireland who bought it rang me to tell me he didnt expect it to actually be spotless and showroom new! 🙂

jedi, Lyons is a mate of yours isn’t he? Got any info to put OP at ease?

i have ridden with him 3 times 🙂
i recall someone had an issue a while back and i had his phone number. i dont anymore though or i would have contacted the op.

Oh dear, jedi

Luke 22:61-62

eh?

linkfound thislooks like a good idea for a classifieds!
reference threads and known scamers threads.

I agree about a known scammer thread but the reference one is just too busy. Simple thing is no paypal gifts buyer/seller decide who pays fee’s.

markyboy – basically it’s theft. Print off all correspondence and go and visit the police.

Unfortunatly the cops won’t be interested unless is been 28 days, nor the courts. So you might have to give it another week..

Two experienceswith STWers.
1st, I bought a Ti seat post a couple of years ago, or maybe more, the post went for a wee holiday on it’s way to me and the postal service returned it to the sender. If I remember correctly there were a few emails back and forth trying to locate it, but I never thought about naming and shaming. After a while the post arrived and everything was peachy.
2nd, I did a favour for an STWer which left me out of pocket, several weeks later I was pleasantly surprised to receive some beer tokens. Again I didn’t feel the need to name and shame.
It does appear to me that people are a little too quick to jump on the name and shame bandwagon, I think it is quite an ugly trend. There needs to be a bit of resposibility on the part of the buyer, IMO. I still see people losing money because they use Paypal gift in an attempt to save a couple of quid in charges, this leaves the door wide open to the scammers. These people are called confidence tricksters for a reason. You try something, you fail and then come bleating on here, MTFU!!

Not only are there good sellers out there and good people on STW, see above, but also bad sellers. Equally there are bad buyers.

I thought Lyons was a forum regular… He’s been around here for a couple of years hasn’t he? On that basis i would have quite happily bought say a <£300 frame or fork for him on gifty paypal. Fortunately I am both too happy with my current stuff and too skint to be spending that sort of money at the moment…

FWIW my least well described, longest arriving and least well packaged second hand bike bits have been through ebay with proper paypal rather than on here. Mind you they did all arrive.

There are very, very few people on here I would consider buying from using gift on Paypal, and even then I doubt I would. You’re all virtual people and as I’ve only met a couple of you, I would be very cautious, not that I think you’re all scammers, but because I don’t know you well enough.

A fool and his money are easily parted. 😉

Wow, all of sudden i feel a great urge to try an elaborate plan to con Don Simon out of something!!

I would simply use ebay! and pay via paypal. If the deal doesn’t look cosha or they don’t answer emails walk away.

First question: when buying a full sus frame, does the frame or rear shock have any damage or issues not mentioned in the listing?

Second question: Are the bushes and bearings tight but smooth?

Third question: when where the bearings last changed and the shock last serviced and what kind of useage has the frame had?

That said most people are lying scumbags and will bullsh1t you all the way, if the frame arrives and isn’t as described.

Contact them and politely tell them what’s wrong, if they give you any attitude or deny the damage, let them have it!

Don’t back off, or let them talk their way out of it and remember it’s always fun to outsmart a rip off merchant. Just like you they don’t want any hassle, emails dusputes even claims are all good ways of applying leverage.

Have fun!

It does appear to me that people are a little too quick to jump on the name and shame bandwagon, I think it is quite an ugly trend.

Indeed! The classifieds is not a mail order company!

Hassling people and threatening when goods take a while to turn up is a bit poor really, things can go walkabout in the post sometimes.

I sold a pair of tyres on here the other week that i posted on the 10th (the same day their paypal money came to me) 1st class registered. He didn’t actually get them until 16th. Bit poor for ‘1st class’ really?

If i hadn’t used the registered option it would have been far easier for him to think i was messing him around and it also gives me the ability to prove to the buyer that the item has been sent so that the annoyance is transferred to the post office rather than me. Problem is that for small items around a tenner it’s not worth paying for unless the buyer is prepared to cover the extra cost which they usually don’t.

At least it stops lying emails about ‘i posted it yesterday’ because if you give them the reference code you know exactly when it was posted.

Wow, all of sudden i feel a great urge to try an elaborate plan to con Don Simon out of something!!

😉

First question: when buying a full sus frame, does the frame or rear shock have any damage or issues not mentioned in the listing?

Second question: Are the bushes and bearings tight but smooth?

Third question: when where the bearings last changed and the shock last serviced and what kind of useage has the frame had?

For me, I’d want to know where I could have all this work done. I can’t for the life of me think of anyone who has the level of skill and knowledge to change the bearings for me. 😉

i dont think nearly four weeks is being to quick to name and shame.if you read my op it is not exactly a name and shame just hoping i could prompt a response from my unanswered emails!
coming on to the forum is the only option you have if the seller wont respond.personally if i sell i keep in touch all the way untill buyer recieves.and as such expect others to do the same with me,especially if it is an expensive purchase.

btw what is the point of the paypal gift thing!!you still have to pay a fee and have no protection.

Seller doesn’t have to pay any fees and neither does the buyer if the money is in a/c or direct from bank (IIRC).

i think the seller pays no / less fees.

the payer pays the fees.

…or if you (the buyer that is) already have the money in your paypal account or a direct debit from your bank account to paypal, no one pays any fees.

How about getting the phone number of the seller and giving them a call before you commit? – surely worth it for more expensive items. Doesn’t guarantee anything but the personal contact will certainly help build a bit of trust all round and you have another way to get hold of the seller if things go wrong…
.

Not sure how often it’s done but leaving a thanks or bit of decent feedback for good sellers on the post thread will help a lot as it will be listed under forum activity on their profile.
.

Anyone thought about tar and feathers for the transgressors!? 😈

Seen his name mentioned a year or so ago regarding a frame again I think. It was a different one to the other link though. I once sold some brakes to him and they were ok but I got a mail trying to chip the price down on them after he got them. Something about them being a bit spongy. Well They were ok and I used them. I would have maybe been a bit more willing to listen to the guy but I got an email from someone asking me if I had any contact info for him as they had paid for a frame and never got it. I think it was a few month and no show! Also I think he was looking at a refund for a shop to re bleed the brakes.

A Bit of daft thing seen as said brakes were Shimanos and the easiest brakes ever made to bleed if they actually needed it of course! Basically I told him to do one after the above. Never heard nowt back, so a chancer in my book.

don simon – Member

Wow, all of sudden i feel a great urge to try an elaborate plan to con Don Simon out of something!!

First question: when buying a full sus frame, does the frame or rear shock have any damage or issues not mentioned in the listing?

Second question: Are the bushes and bearings tight but smooth?

Third question: when where the bearings last changed and the shock last serviced and what kind of useage has the frame had?

For me, I’d want to know where I could have all this work done. I can’t for the life of me think of anyone who has the level of skill and knowledge to change the bearings for me.

Don simone you have insulted my honour and my family will now avenge me! your horses head is in the post please place it on your pillow when it arrives 8)

At the end of the day Lyons, for whatever reason, has taken this guy’s money and hasn’t:-

1) Sent him the item he paid for
2) Been in contact to explain himself.

I think 3 weeks+ is plenty long enough, esp when he’s been on the forum in the last 2 weeks or so.
I’d have unleashed the full power of the torch weilding mob by now too.

I can’t believe some people are defending Lyons!

100% in the wrong – no excuses.

I buy a lot of stuff on-line and I’m afraid to say I’d never buy anything off here.

Surf-mat I agree with the Lyons comments but I’ve never had an issue on here.

If you communicate with the buyer/seller exchange numbers details etc there is no reason not to buy and sell of here.

I’ve had many many more problems whilst buying off eBay.

However saying that if I was the op my blood would be boiling!

Ebay is the way forward.

But it’s so bloody expensive to sell stuff on there these days! I’ve sold somthing a bit over £300 worth in the last month and it’s cost me £40 in fees!. If I was selling a £350 bike, I’d rather sell it on here, fee free, for £300 to be honest. I’d rather pass the fee savings onto the buyer than to eBay/Paypal 🙂

—————————————–

This sort of thing does annoy me more and more though. I know a couple of people who do a LOT of trading on here (Andy) and go out of their way to make their customers happy.

I sold my Roadrat (Complete bike) for about £400 last year and I was very conscious the buyer didn’t know me and was taking a shot in the dark from their point of view. I sent him a shedload of quality pics and said that if he was unsure he should ask about me on the main forum.
The thing is, I CAN’T HIDE on here! Far too many STWers know me and know where I live. Not that it ever crosses my mind, but I’d get a swift knock on the door if I tried anything dodgy!
Matey was well pleased with the Roadrat, and I was very relieved about that: It’s really tricky describing a bike accurately via email, and I wanted him to feel like he’d paid a fair price for the good he recieved.

If I can’t post within 24hrs of selling, I just don’t advertise. If this bloke is still active on the forum after the sale there’s simply no excuse. None at all.

sometimes in life a big portion of fist pie is the only answer…………………. 😆

Mosey – my point is (more or less) that stories like this, and there are many, completely ruin it for legit sellers on here.

I may be wrong to avoid buying stuff from here but as a consumer that spends too much on-line (!) it’s how I feel and would assume others feel the same.

I’ve bought almost 100 items on ebay, all new though, and never had an issue.

I buy a lot of stuff on-line and I’m afraid to say I’d never buy anything off here.

Mate, that’s a sad thing to hear. The vast majority of STWers are sound as a pound, believe me. 🙂

no need for fist pie the bar ends arrived.
Your posting was far faster than my paying 😳

johnnie………faster than crc me mate 8)

I know this isn’t any help to the OP but if it’s over £100 I try to pay and pick up in person. I know i’d miss that amount of cash so to me it’s worth it.

Reading threads like this I’d be nervous about the Classifieds but on reflection, looking at the amount of traffic in there, i’d say the majority are using it as intended.