Any One Ever Buy A Bike Off Ebay ? Beware of scam.

Started by TwoWheelRida, October 01, 2008, 11:02:56 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

TwoWheelRida

I'm currently very interested on a '06 GSX-R 600 for $3,000 on eBay.
Sounds too good to be true right?

Has anyone had positive or negative experience with getting a bike on eBay?
Current: '04 Suzuki GS500F Yellow/Black
Wish-list: '02 Suzuki GSX-R 750 Yellow/Black

The Buddha

Buying small ass sheite is bad enough ... you buy a bike I cannot freaking imagine what issues you would run into.
I buy small things, like calipers for the kat FE and some pecker head sells me one with a missing bleed bolt ... My first fear was that it was broken off ... but once it was missing and no other damage was there ... I just went ... thank you god ...
One more clown sold me a bent fork leg where he said the upper was bent but lower was good, and I bought 1 kat leg for $1 ... and it shows up ... upper is intact, so is the lower, the bottom bolt is missing and the top leg sits in the thing crooked cos its free to float ... not bolted in ... I been stiffed on brake rotors one time with a misleading ad where I thought I was buying 2 rotors but it was for 1 and he said so in some scrawled writing in the picture of the rotor not in the body of the ad, and after I left negative feedback for the guy, the other guy that bought the other rotor contacted me and sold me that rotor cheap ... I shudder to think I may have to buy crap from fleabay for doing more kat FE's ... Except minimal sheite I bought everythign else in person. Bikes - no way.
Cool.
Buddha.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I run a business based on other people's junk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

bucks1605

Is it for sale locally? Or are you planning on going to get it/ship it?
SV1000K3 Bought 03/17/09
1996 GS500E Sold 03/03/09

TwoWheelRida

#3
Look at this shaZam!, I think its a fake php page

The so called GSX-R for $3000:
http://ebay.motors-autos.com/W0QQitemZ2802163510QQihZ018QQcategoryZ50029QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVehiclesListingItemListingsID0385911/index.php#picc

A Real Item:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-GSX-R-gsxr-600-I-CAN-SHIP-1997-Suzuki-GSXR-600-nice-bike-I-CAN-SHIP-ANYWHERE_W0QQitemZ350103682186QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item350103682186&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Their not even on the same domain.  :flipoff:
Look at his feedback compared to the real item feedback, its all FAKE.

His so called user id:    ThomasHDN
On real eBay does not exist. Holy shaZam!

His Email: From:       Thomas Hudson <thomashdn@yahoo.com>

He likes to go on craigslist and post, then send you an FAKE eBay email message telling you to view bike.

Click on the link, it looks real !!!   
Current: '04 Suzuki GS500F Yellow/Black
Wish-list: '02 Suzuki GSX-R 750 Yellow/Black

mi_dude

I bought my GS off of ebay.  Smoothest transaction ever.  The bike was local, so I could go look at it.  After talking with the guy, I felt he was upfront with any issues (just minor dings from falling over), so I didn't even go look at it before I bought it.  He also was willing to let me out if I wasn't happy at the time I picked it up and dropped off the money. 

I would not buy a bike or car off of ebay unless I felt good about being able to get out of the transaction if it didn't pass my personal inspection.  Ebay is like anything else, many good people and some really bad ones. 
Go Blue!

TwoWheelRida

#5
WOW I almost gave this dude 3000, and the whole site is fake.  Who do I need to tell about this? Like Internet Police?  :2guns:
Current: '04 Suzuki GS500F Yellow/Black
Wish-list: '02 Suzuki GSX-R 750 Yellow/Black

The Buddha

There is several types of people on ebay ... most of them are not desirable ... the one or two kinds that are desirable IMHO is ... they have a store and in a small town where they can operate cheap, but unfortunately there is low foot traffic, so to keep the inventory moving at fair market rates they put things up on ebay. They price things low and let the bid process carry the price, then they realise that the things usually fetch this range of prices based on condition and price things on a fixed price basis so they can toss a lot of things on there and get it all moved out.
The other kind is the owner who's bike has been totalled or blown and they have moved on. This has to be parted out because it is now in the way.

The rest of the undesirables are ... they're in a hurry and have to get stuff out of there. You see this in poor descriptions and haphazard crap.

The greedy - They have to get so much or else ... You see stuff from 100's of sellers at 20-30 and there is one at $300+

The stupid - They check on all parts prices and realise cam shafts are 200 bucks a piece ... valves are 24 a piece, cam chain is 400 bucks and the whole freaking motor they simply take apart into every single component, nut and bolt ... that crap just rots on ebay ... no one has the time, $$ or patience to buy the crap KZ250 1 part at a time and put it together. These also are the non bikers usually ...

The liars - They take detailed pics covering up the defects and price it like it were a good part and have disclaimers to say that its to the best of their ability ... BS, sheite is broken, you took a pic with they busted sheite in the shadows and you're palming it off on fleabay.

The careless - Different category than the liars - they put things as defective when they may not be. Thinking and looking and researching is harder than disclaiming isn't it.

The clueless - Different from the stupid - these clowns try to get 40-50 bucks for a worthless product - like a used chain for example or a GS500 rear shock or so on.

The final idea is ... retail $ does not matter, you need to be in the top 10% of condition vs price for anythign to sell at any given time. The market will set the price. Like this - we are snapping up katana suspensions like there is no tommorow. Katana people are not buying kat suspensions. The kat suspensions that have been sitting there from last year are very much doomed cos they are sheite or over priced or both. And selling complete assemblies is in some cases good, and some cases bad. There is a 1000 katana linkages ... its the closest there is to an industrial waste product ... no one needs them ... kat owners rarely need it, GS owners cant even fit it ... no one else cares.

The good ones price stuff to the market, the stupid, lazy, greedy etc etc etc price it to fantasy and sit on it. Sorta like the financial system. Maybe there should be some bail out for them.

Cool.
Buddha.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I run a business based on other people's junk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

TwoWheelRida

Well I gave his site to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, so either they took it down, or the guy got scared.

The site no longer exist.

Moral of the story:
Don't look at any post on craigslist that is out of state with no phone number. Its a SCAM!
Current: '04 Suzuki GS500F Yellow/Black
Wish-list: '02 Suzuki GSX-R 750 Yellow/Black

surf.seppo

I worked at a brick-and-mortar eBay consignment shop for a good three years (second-best summer job ... ever). And, from my experience I want to let you know a bit. (As always, the buddha is genius, and has covered a bit of this  :bowdown:):

- If a user is on eBay moors, he is also on eBay. If you find a discrepancy, ditch it! Phishing and spoofing are hacking techniques where users try to get information and money from end users by pretending to be legit. eBay *can* and in fact, should, be trusted. They keep great records and user lists. So, if someone claims to have an eBay account that eBay doesn't recognize, they're lying.

- eBay is economic. There are a lot of users. After 3-10 days of auction, most items (including relatively standard bikes, like the GS) will go for exactly what the market is paying. Why? Because if an item is underpriced, whether by $20, $100, or $500, some other user will bid it up. Always assume that there is at least one other user as clever as you. If something is too good to be true ... yeah ... probably is.

- How to get stuff for cheap on eBay: It's possible. The answer is simple. Track a lot of auctions over the course of a week or two. There will be anomalies in selling prices. For automotive bits, the highest priced auctions end on Sunday. So, if you see an auction ending on Tuesday, watch it. Bid within the last 20 seconds of an auction (sync a watch to eBay).

But the really cheap stuff on eBay comes when you take a gamble. If someone has listed a set of GS carbs as "I dunno if they work, but they're off a '94 Suzuki GD ... here's a crummy pic." You may realize they meant "GS" and the carbs might actually look better than they do in the pic. Hey ... it's a gamble. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes you get ripped off. For a whole bike, definitely look at it before buying. At the very least, figure out if you can return the item, and go to pick it up.

Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for buyers. So, feel free to check out an item and return it. Good sellers should have no problem with this.

jrains89

Well I think this is applicable. I just put a down payment on a 2004 Suzuki GS500F. It has a salvage title because it was in a front end collision. Supposedly the only things wrong with the bike are the front forks are bent, a dent in the tank from the dude hitting it, and some scratched and cracked fairings. Here's the best part, the motor has 256 miles on it. So I will effectively be getting a brand new bike that needs a little tlc. He put it up on auction with a buy it now of 2200, and i stopped bidding at 1600, won the auction but the reserve was not met. Yesterday he contacted me and said i could have it for $1660 because that's what he paid the insurance company for it. So I am going to go check it out on sunday, if this works out I may have just stumbled on an amazing deal. I will keep you posted.
2004 GS500F

TwoWheelRida

Whats the link? I wanna make sure it's not a scam. I'm talking to another guy that wants to go ONLY through eBay Motors. Sounds like the same bullshit. :2guns:
Current: '04 Suzuki GS500F Yellow/Black
Wish-list: '02 Suzuki GSX-R 750 Yellow/Black

Pungui

I bought my GS on ebay this summer, it was listed as a good running bike with a little noice in the motor.  I bid the bike to $600 and was outbid.  About a week after the auction I recieved a second chance offer from the seller saying if i was still interested in the bike for 600 it was mine.  That made me a little leery about it all, but still somewhat interested.  I emailed the seller saying I wanted to speak with them on the phone before I made any decision.  I ended up buying the bike and taking the 4 hour ride to pick it up.  I was not dissappointed at all.  It did have a noise in the motor but only needed the valves shimmed.  I normally would not buy a vehicle from Ebay unless I could go see it first but I feel I lucked out this time.  I figured that if I got the bike and the motor noise was serious I could locate a new motor and still not be too far into the bike money wise. 

toms

I had a friend that bought a Ninja 500 off ebay and it turned out good, but i would take the chance.

jrains89

So I went to St. Louis to look at the bike and bought it. 2004 GS500F, with 256 miles. The kid that owned it first bought it, and crashed it into a suburban the third month he had it. Dent in the tank, bent forks, and everything else is great. All for $1,660.00  EBAY is where it's at!!!!!
2004 GS500F

bill14224

I'm a big fan of eBay, but I would NEVER, EVER buy a bike I couldn't ride on the road first, and yes, 3 grand for an '06 is too cheap, it's damaged.
V&H pipes, K&N drop-in, seat by KnoPlace.com, 17/39 sprockets, matching grips, fenderectomy, short signals, new mirrors - 10 scariest words: "I'm here from the government and I'm here to help!"

sblack

I bought my GS of ebay a couple of weeks ago and i've been extremely happy with it

pantablo

Quote from: TwoWheelRida on October 03, 2008, 08:07:36 AM


Moral of the story:
Don't look at any post on craigslist that is out of state with no phone number. Its a SCAM!


the real lesson here is that if a deal is too good to be true it probably is.
Pablo-
http://pantablo500.tripod.com/
www.pma-architect.com


Quote from: makenzie71 on August 21, 2006, 09:47:40 PM...not like normal sex, either...like sex with chicks.

yamahonkawazuki

Quote from: Pungui on October 09, 2008, 05:46:57 PM
I bought my GS on ebay this summer, it was listed as a good running bike with a little noice in the motor.  I bid the bike to $600 and was outbid.  About a week after the auction I recieved a second chance offer from the seller saying if i was still interested in the bike for 600 it was mine.  That made me a little leery about it all, but still somewhat interested.  I emailed the seller saying I wanted to speak with them on the phone before I made any decision.  I ended up buying the bike and taking the 4 hour ride to pick it up.  I was not dissappointed at all.  It did have a noise in the motor but only needed the valves shimmed.  I normally would not buy a vehicle from Ebay unless I could go see it first but I feel I lucked out this time.  I figured that if I got the bike and the motor noise was serious I could locate a new motor and still not be too far into the bike money wise. 
BUT theres always the option, err, theres always shill bidders out there, i bought some NICE rolex watch crystals, for a certain price, ( bid it up to) and was outbid, got hte second chance offer. i declined sayign im willing to pay what i had bid. ( i got em)
Jan 14 2010 0310 I miss you mom
Vielen dank Patrick. Vielen dank
".
A proud Mormon
"if you come in with the bottom of your cast black,
neither one of us will be happy"- Alan Silverman MD

DoD#i

Quote from: TwoWheelRida on October 03, 2008, 08:07:36 AM
Moral of the story:
Don't look at any post on craigslist that is out of state with no phone number. Its a SCAM!

Far more effective - don't look at any ad on craiglist that does not give a specific location that is within the area served by the list in question - they are all scams, or nearly so. Flag them as such and move on. Posts with no location listed or a location == the name of the list are almost always dirtbag scams. The good thing about craigslist is that it's local and face to face. You can't tell if it's local unless there's a specific location. QED.

THE MUCH BIGGER moral is to AVOID PHISHING ATTACKS by NEVER "clicking on a link in an email" to get to a site. If you had gone and typed in www.ebay.com yourself, and then gone from there to ebaymotors, and then looked for the guy's ad, you would have found out it was a scam right from the get go. All those emails that have a critical message from your bank (any bank, most of which won't be your bank, but at some point they will happen to pick a bank you use), your credit card company, your mortgage company, etc - are all just trying to get you, or someone stupider than you, to put in enough identifying information (to some fake scam site) that your money can be stolen or your identity can be stolen, or both.

If you don't know what phishing is, and you're on the internet, that's like not knowing what AIDS is and going to a whorehouse in Africa. Educate yourself, and any old folks you know that use computers and might be gullible.
1990 GS500EL - with moderately-ugly paintjob.
1982 XJ650LJ -  off the road for slow repairs
AGATT - All Gear All The Time
"Ride a motorcycle.  Save Gas, Oil, Rubber, Steel, Aluminum, Parking Spaces, The Environment, and Money.  Plus, you get to wear all the leather you want!"
(from DoD#296)

Xyloft

Quote from: The Buddha on October 02, 2008, 11:29:23 AM
The stupid - They check on all parts prices and realise cam shafts are 200 bucks a piece ... valves are 24 a piece, cam chain is 400 bucks and the whole freaking motor they simply take apart into every single component, nut and bolt ... that crap just rots on ebay ... no one has the time, $$ or patience to buy the crap KZ250 1 part at a time and put it together. These also are the non bikers usually ...


Cool.
Buddha.

I'd venture to say that this group is also the group that steals and parts out vehicles.   

i was burned on ebay in a turntable (DJ setup) deal.  any large purchase i make on there will be face to face.   small purchases i've done alright but most have been through sellers with 1,000's of feedbacks. 


SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk