I am writing this guide to help with Buying and Selling Cervelo P3 Carbon's on eBay.
I have bought and sold these high end bikes and would like you to learn from my experiences and mistakes. This is a very popular time trial / triathlon bike and has great resale value.
http://www.cervelo.com

Buying
1. Know your size:  Get fitted and know exactly what size you require. Every bike is different. Don't assume your last bike size will be the same for the new one.
2. Know your seller:  Before you even go looking at the auction check the seller's rating and feedback.  If the seller has 0 feedback, or is new that should be a clear warning.
3. Know the Scams: Frequently you will see auctions for Cervelo's from users with great ratings, but something doesn't seem right. If they have anywhere on their auction directions to contact them via an external email address, it is a hijacked account.  Do not bid and report auction via Report This Item. near the top of the page.
4. Pictures: Make sure you see what you are getting before you bid.  If the pictures are misleading or inadequate, contact the user for more photos or more area specific photos. Don't bid on auctions with only one picture.  Make sure the user actually has the bike by taking multiple high quality pictures of the bike.
5. Components: There are very few stock Cervelo P3C's being sold on eBay.  Make sure you know exactly all of the components you are getting on your bike.  Check with seller to make sure that the seat post and fork is not cut.  This is a crucial sizing issue that is many times overlooked when buying a bike.
6. Use: How many miles does this bike have? Many Cervelo's online are lightly ridden, but some have seen tons of miles with rain and exhausting conditions. Check with your seller on apporx. miles.
7. Shipping: Shipping should run about $50- $100 including insurance.  Make sure you or the seller purchase insurance.  I don't care if it was professionally packaged by your local bike shop, a $3000 cracked frame is no longer a $3000+ bike...
8. Additional Adjustments: Don't expect to get the bike and be able to ride it out of the box. You are going to have to do some major adjustments to modify it to your liking.  If you do not know how to do basic/ moderate bike maintenance don't complain to the seller that the brakes and aerobars did not come correctly adjusted. Expect to have to make a trip or two to your bike store, especially if your new to bike assembly.
9. Communication: Know your Seller.  If you have no responses to emails and questions, its probably not a good sign.
Selling
1. Price: Know exactly what you want to get for the bike. Set a price and stick with it.  You probably won't sell your bike the first time. Stick with your price and try again.  There are a limited  number of people that are willing to drop $3000+ for a bike they have never ridden. Check past completed auctions for recent selling prices. Never sell with aero wheels (Zipps, discs) because now you are narrowing down your audience even further to individuals who want to drop big $ on the entire package.  If you are looking for a Cervelo, you likely already have a set of race wheels.
2. Pictures: High Quality pictures. I cannot stress this enough! Make sure your pictures have a neutral background that doesn't take away from the bike or distract the viewer. Good lighting; don't take pictures in the dark or with bad use of the flash.  Multiple angles of key parts of the bike ex: crank, rear derailer, aerobars, stem. Don't use stock images from Cervelo. Anyone can say they are selling a Cervelo by googling a few images.  Prove it with your pictures.  Bike still in box; prove it with picture of the box.
3. Description: Tell the buyer everything.  Every component, age, mileage, condition, crashes, nicks, dings.  You might think this will prevent you from getting a high price for your bike, but what it does is convey a sense of trust, commitment and openness to the buyer.  The buyer takes out all the guessing and is more likely to bid confidently (and higher) knowing everything about the bike.  This will also allow  for a completely positive transaction on both ends.
4. Shipping: Make sure it is packaged very securely.  You don't want any damages as a result on your part.  Make sure package is insured for full amount and trackable.  Only ship to registered Paypal addresses and  keep all receipts.  I would avoid international shipping due to customs weight, size, cost, and hassle issues.
5. Questions: Expect alot of questions from buyers. The faster and more accurate the responses of questions, the better.  Even if you have an elaborate auction description, people will still want to know more. Be patient.  Would you spend $3000+ on a bike without talking to someone about it first? Checking the auction multiple times a day will better meet the needs of individuals and buyers.
6. Issues: Be aware of users with little or no feedback bidding on your auction.  I will typically cancel any users with no feedback, or users who do not contact to discuss this issue.  Their are many individuals who are there just to cause problems and bid on high ticket items and don't pay.

Hope this helps!

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