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Anyone bought a bike on eBay before?


smashweights

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Bought and sold a number of bikes on Ebay. Never had a problem. Bought a couple from California and had shipped to me in Ohio. I have had several occaisons where I talked to the seller and didn't get a good feeling, so I passed. For me, I have learned to trust my gut feeling. I also like lots of pictures. The important thing about pictures, to me, is not the bike, but the surrounding area. What does the house look like? Where was it stored? Is the grass mowed? Is the garage neat and clean? Etc. To me, that speaks volumes...

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I also like lots of pictures. The important thing about pictures, to me, is not the bike, but the surrounding area. What does the house look like? Where was it stored? Is the grass mowed? Is the garage neat and clean? Etc. To me, that speaks volumes...

I agree 100%

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I bought mine off an ebay ad but did not buy it without seeing it first and then we decided (buyer and seller) to go outside ebay and settle the deal. He pulled the ad down and I bought it outside the ebay deal. We agreed on a price and it was done. Worked great for me since it was a local deal. I am skeptical of buying something like that without first seeing it or finding out a lot more about it from the seller.

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Bought and sold a number of bikes on Ebay. Never had a problem. Bought a couple from California and had shipped to me in Ohio. I have had several occaisons where I talked to the seller and didn't get a good feeling, so I passed. For me, I have learned to trust my gut feeling. I also like lots of pictures. The important thing about pictures, to me, is not the bike, but the surrounding area. What does the house look like? Where was it stored? Is the grass mowed? Is the garage neat and clean? Etc. To me, that speaks volumes...

This is kind of where I'm erring. I've been in contact with a seller on eBay from Kansas City who's Monser 1100 didn't sell. I asked him for a video walk around of the bike, which he obliged with the video including start up and odometer, and he had a table set up with all the manuals, clear title in his name, and the recent service record displayed. Ran the VIN he gave through insurance and it matches his description (Duc 1100) though he is advertising it as a 2011 (year he bought it) when the model year on the VIN is actually 2012, which is just fine by me. Haven't talked price, but his starting bid on eBay was below NADA value, though I don't know what the reserve price was, so I'm hoping for a solid deal.

My only minor skepticism is he listed his selling reason as he's going overseas for a few years for his job. This was a quick red flag as I've seen a lot of this rationale on CycleTrader with fake as hell listings. However, the man in video does have an obvious, light British accent and he has multiple vehicles up for sale, as well as a legit looking title in the video. Plan to pay via PayPal for protection IF I decide to go this route.

FWIW, his garage looked very clean. His eBay record shows he sold another older bike recently to a happy customer. 100% seller rating.

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As an added bonus: I googled his name and Kansas City and immediately got a Linked In profile showing someone with his name working as a head honcho at a KC office for a German-based company. Also a KC business journal detailing the new office opening and listing him as the big shot running the show. Name does not seem common, so his story seems plausible and certainly someone who could afford a Ducati (and hopefully part with one the cheap).

Also just google image searched his name plus suspected company he works for and found a picture of the same guy from the video. Seems overwhelmingly legit to me.

Edited by smashweights
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