The process of buying and building a high end bicycle through ebay can be simplified by understanding this guide. The text is somewhat choppy because of editing so keep an open mind to the content instead of the thought flow.

While this guide was written to help you get a deal on a great bicycle on ebay, take it with a grain of salt. I certainly am no expert. I am writing this guide for casual cyclists and people wanting to get back into the sport after some years off with some intent on novice racing or more productive club riding. Based on my experience in searching and learning about bicycles I believe this guide would have helped me in 1979 when I was an novice racer and especially now, since I've decided to get back into the sport.

Know your prey. Find out through a local bike shop exactly what size frame you need. Get the scoup on geometry. This is important. Get a professional bike fit. Know your own reach, seat height, and bar drop - to the millimeter. If your local bike shop cannot provide this service, try and find one that can, either in a neighboring city or while on vacation. Online tables are available for free (search "wrench science") but they won't catch something like a slight knee wobble while pedaling or an arm angle out of position.

Try and establish a good contact at the bike shop. I always thought that if I bring in a box of parts I bought off ebay to him to put together that it would be the same as bringing my own food to a restaurant and asking them to cook it. It turns out that the opposite is true. 

You may then search the internet for bicycle companies which show frame sizes and their respective geometries. Narrow your list of possiblities and write your dream frame on your "Dream Bike" list.

Look up the retail prices of the frame and components. Make a list of "My dream bike". List all of the parts, draw two vertical column lines. Label the top of each column as "Cost New" and "Ebay Cost".

FYI; online auctions offer "completes". Which are bikes built up, usually from the manufactuer, but some home assembly and parts exchange might have occured. Modular bikes are bikes built part of the way and you pick the remaining parts. 'Frame only' are the ones which you pick every part. Completes are the best deal if the componets jive with most of the parts on your list providing the milage on them is in accordance with the reserve.

If you really want to go ahead with building a custom bicycle from the frame up, (via buying used or new parts on ebay), which is what I did; I will list a few tips as I encounter them on this guide from time to time. Please check back for the updates at the bottom or end of the guide.

I usually find a few prospects and "watch" them. When the auction comes down to 2 days remaining, check the bids. Ask the seller a question that only a person in possesion of the bike would know (just to check if your about to be scammed). The fast response is what you want. Look at the auction again when the time says one day remaining. If the highest bid (reserve met) is somewhere close to your "ebay cost" column total, you might want to strongly consider a maximum bid for this item.

Proxy bidding does work when done right. Watch the auction closely in the last minutes. Keep hitting REFRESH THIS PAGE or the refresh key on your browser if you have not bid yet. Look for a bidding pattern. If multiple bids where entered by the same bidder, he might be trying to calculate the RESERVE or just raising his proxy maximum. From your homework you should know about how much the bike or part should sell for.

Use this info to your advantage. If you wait and start bidding in small increments your chances of winning are reduced. A person with a faster bandwidth connection and good clock will probably win the auction. If the maximum amount of money you want to spend on this, any, item is say $2000.01 and the auction price is at $1700.00, don't wait and bid $1750.00 in the last minute, bid your max. Watch several similar auctions and see how many bids are entered in the last minute then look at the winner's bid and the second place bid. Read up on proxy bidding.

Try and not establish a precedent of any sort in your bidding habits within the last day. You will become very visible to other bidders. Try and disappear, so to speak, in the last day of the auction. The page counter will only count your visits one time even if you repeatedly check the auction. (just use the same user ID) A popular item with a high number on the page counter means a lot of "watchers" and probably some last second bidding wars. The price will not go up if you continue to bid against yourself. It will go up if others bid inbetween your bids. Look for "SHILL" bidding.

Shill bids are bids by someone trying to raise the selling price of the item for the seller by bidding on it in small amounts inbetween the other bids. Shill bids can be detected by an experienced auction watcher and some user I.D. homework. They usually occur 4 or 5 days before the auction ends if you or someone else bids a maximum amount early in the auction. This is an illegal practice which does happen, but is very hard to prove and could hurt you by increasing the price you pay in the end.

 If you don't win the auction, from experience, I would stay away from second chance offers, especially ones where the bike or part is expensive, (more than paypal will insure), and the words "western union" are involved. Never buy an ebay item outside of ebay. Just kindly ask the seller to relist it.

I hope this guide will help you get envolved in the great sport of cycling and increase your chances of winning a bicycle auction. Good luck, maybe I'll see you on the road. 

UPDATE:  If you plan on buying your rear derailleur on ebay, remember they come in a few "cage" sizes. Typically the short cage will work best for cassettes 11-23. The medium cage will work 11-23 and 12-25. Long cages are available for larger sprockets, although I've noticed Campagnolo does not offer one in their 07' catalog. Don't take this as gospel. Ask everyone you know, especially the manufacturer.

UPDATE: Use caution when purchasing items with high road miles on them. Gears wear along with the chain. An old chain can "memorize" the cogs and chainrings to itself. The result could be reduced shift quality.

UPDATE: Campagnolo's new "QS", (quick shift for '07), shifters rely on a balance between the left lever and the front derailluer. If you want QS shifters, buy the QS front derailluer to match or your wasting your money. The rear derailluer doesn't factor into the QS scenerio as far as needing to be upgraded to keep the QS working.

UPDATE: If you happen across a bicycle with top quality parts and the seller has great feedback, chances are good that the auction is on the up and up. Ask a lot of questions and get to know the bike. Make your bid and in a few days you will be riding.