smashweights Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 If so, any advice on how to handle transaction, make sure title is transferred properly. Particularly if seller is too far to visit in person? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mello dude Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) I bought my VFR800 off ebay from a guy in Indianapolis. Guy said title was free and clear. Was ok, but I had to get a notory to sign off to allow me to get a Ohio title. The thing about the bike on ebay is you are taking the word of the seller that its ok. On my viffer, I didnt discover it till a month later that I had the bike in my posession, is that it is a California emissions spec bike. If I had known that up front, I may have passed on the deal. Over all I am happy with the bike, (stripped the CA junk) - but next go 'round - there will be no bikes bought unless I can directly inspect the bike and talk face to face to the owner. Edited November 3, 2012 by mello dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Wheeler Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I've bought and sold a couple of bikes on Ebay. Its not hard if you know what your looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I've looked on ebay but never bought one. The whole notion of buying something like a bike from out of town without being able to inspect it in person doesn't appeal to me. On the other hand, all of my bikes AND my truck were found on c-list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron505 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 Yes. Never had an issue, but I spoke directly with the owner before purchasing and let them know exactly what I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Copeland Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I bought my track bike on eBay with no issues.I called the seller,got a bank certified check,he sent a notarized title,got it delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMMW Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 We bought a 2012 HD Street Glide with 9000 miles on it on eBay. Found out it was a rental and HD indicates to rental dealers that they want them sold before they reach 10,000 miles.We paid via bank transfer. Mistake. Without going the PayPal route we had no buyers protection.Upon receiving the bike we found that it was well used. Sloppy trans linkage and worn internals had the bike shifting very badly. The FI system was sputtering and popping. The bike smoked also. The battery was bad and the alarm and radio werent functioning correctly.We called the HD dealership that serviced it. They indicated it was in for service multiple times.The discussion with the seller about our dis-satisfaction had them saying, "you bought it now you own it". It did have remaining warranty left, but that was of no consolation.We utilized eBay's resolution insurance division, and they were of no help.Were not going to ride it and now cant sell it because of fall/winter.Very disappointing and without PayPal leverage, we are just owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imaposer Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I've bought a couple. I won't do it anymore. I'll make contact with them and make a deal outside of Ebay, and go do a deal in person, but won't buy and pay sight unseen again. Last seller said tires had 50% tread left. What he failed to mention is that it was 95% on the sides, and 5% in the middle.I've sold even more, and ended up making my rule must pick up in person, and have opportunity to undo deal before leaving. I still ended up having a guy who had a friend come pick one up, then complain about it when he got it. No more Ebay for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictly Street Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I bid on one once, somebody else won the auction. Sigh, sadness, oh well move on. Couple of days later I got an email saying the winning bid couldn’t come up with the cash, did I want the bike? Sure! I said. Something just wasn’t right so I emailed the seller and he told me the bike was indeed sold. Ah scammers… He was convincing though, I could see how people would fall for it. Be careful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdubyah Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) That's were I found my bike. They didn't have it for auction though, it was a buy it now. Dealer was from Ohio, so I called and asked if I could come take a look at it. Had to put $100 on my visa to secure it wouldn't be sold. Other than they told me it was @ the Pennsylvania store all went well. I was a bit miffed I had to drive to PA, then back to OH.Ending up purchasing for the ebay price which was well under msrp, for a brand new bike.Wouldn't have purchased it without being able to look it over. Edited November 3, 2012 by Cdubyah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridein Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 Bought 2 off Ebay.......Will never do again.I will not buy a bike without being able to look at......The first one i bought after i received it i did a motorcycle vin check found out it was crashed........I suggest do a VIN check and pay with paypal so you have some type of protection..I only buy localy now:(Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imprez55 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) BMMW: There are still real lawsuits. I'm sure that if something was blatantly misrepresented (i.e. "bike is perfect, runs great") then you would have an option for legal recourse. I don't know for certain but I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to at least win a civil suit and make money to fix it to top notch condition. Also, how does a bike with only 9,000 miles have THAT many problems? I knew HD's were unreliable, but this seems like an over the top case!I have never done ebay before but almost every time that I have to drive far from my house to pick a bike up, some part of the deal falls through or has been misrepresented. Went to NC, guy said he had track plastics and streets but the track was at his buddies and he would ship them to me (sure) but it turns out the "buddy" sold them; went to NY, guy said he had title (it was for a track build) and gauge cluster, somehow they both went missing once I arrive; right now I am waiting on a title to be released by a bank and sent to me with keys, so we will see how that goes. My advice is to CYA and never be afraid to leave a bike behind. I have personally never had an issue with the quality of a bike being misrepresented, it has always been ancillary things that made transactions less than perfect so don't forget about the small details. FWIW I just bought a bike sight unseen and couldn't be happier about the quality of it. I always request lots of pictures from every angle and usually a video so I know what I am getting into. Edited November 3, 2012 by imprez55 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fat2fly Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 If so, any advice on how to handle transaction, make sure title is transferred properly. Particularly if seller is too far to visit in person? Verify the VIN tag on the frame matches the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I technically bought my VFR through eBay. Won the auction after being in contact with the owner he agreed that if I found anything terrible wrong with it he would relish it and I would pay for it. Thankfully the bike was mint and I rode off with it 2 days after the auction ended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmutt Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 Never bought anything bike/car related from ebay. Just too much risk imo, I'm the "see it to believe it" type of guy. Just beware of any fishyness and if its TOO good of a deal, it probably isn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolsdime92 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 I won't buy a bike I cant ride, unless its specifically for a project. I also will never buy a bike again, that I don't actually get up to highway speeds and such. When I got the fz1, I test rode it, but never took the RPMs over 3-4k and just puttered around. Let it be known once I was comfortable with the bike, second gear was on its way out, but only showed the said issues over 7k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashweights Posted November 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 So sounds like pretty mixed feelings here... thanks for the input folks. Just can't find many good listings around here. Truth be told I "bought" my bike on eBay last time, but it was a dealer here in Dayton and ended up buying it face to face from the dealer and not through eBay directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSB67 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 My first bike came from eBay, but I wouldn't buy a vehicle unless it's in person. I search eBay sorted by distance and stop when I get to further than I want to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMMW Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Also, how does a bike with only 9,000 miles have THAT many problems? I knew HD's were unreliable, but this seems like an over the top case!I'm assuming that because it was a Florida rental, every tom dick and harry rented it for bike week. Thus the thrashing commenced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Friend of mine purchased his bike on eBay and ended up being ripped off. Bike wouldn't start and had probably 20,000 more miles than what the odometer read. It had to have been tampered with, or the odometer cable was pulled. He ended up having to appeal through eBay and won. He lost some money when it was all said and done. The whole experience was shit.Take this for what it is worth I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashweights Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Yeah, I'm very skeptical if I don't get a good amount of time talking to the person beforehand. Any place to look for quality used Ducs within a reasonable distance of Dayton? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mello dude Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Yeah, I'm very skeptical if I don't get a good amount of time talking to the person beforehand. Any place to look for quality used Ducs within a reasonable distance of Dayton?For the most part I buy all my cars and bikes used from a private owner vs any kind of dealer. I want to get the whole story on the bike/car before I decide anything. Also I have wrenched on a lot of cars/bikes so I'm good at inspecting stuff for condition. That said, watch craigslist, cycle trader, even look in the DDN want adds. Patience is key.(Agree withe the consenses of ebay no way, unless local) Edited November 5, 2012 by mello dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashweights Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I remember cycletrader being LOADED with fraudulent ads and bikes the last time I was looking to buy. Lots of "i just moved to UK, my friend will handle it" shady as shit deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomike Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Ebay has changed tons since I first used them, but then or now I would never buy a vehicle of any kind without having first seen it firsthand, test drive it, go over it with a fine tooth comb so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron505 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I guess I should clarify, I spoke to the sellers each time, and one of them even ended the auction for me early. The other I hit the "Buy it now" after speaking several times to the owner, and he agreed to wait until I drove there and checked it out to get the cash. Each time I met with cash in hand, and test rode before exchanging the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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