How to buy a bicycle on eBay - Things to watch out for and to be aware of:

Let me begin by saying that traditional 'rules' of eBay buying apply, such as buying from reputable buyers with good feedback and a solid history of problem-free selling on eBay.   This guide is not designed to rehash the basics, but instead is to try and tell you some bike-specific type information that can help you know some of the pittfalls and things to look out for when selecting a bike (especially an expensive lightweight bicycle).  This is because older lightweight bicycles, especially older mountain bikes are prone to have cracks and internal rust, which not only greatly lower the value, but also make them very dangerous to ride.  I know because I bought one before and it came apart while riding and could have really caused me some serious bodily harm.  So after that time, I wised up learned a lot more about bike frames and how to test and inspect them first and what to avoid.

Here are some basic rules w/ explanations in parenthesis:

1.) Get closeup photos of problem areas. (Areas where cracks occur, such as behind the forks near the headset, and wherever rust is located.)  This means you must see closeup pics of any rust areas, especially where internal cable routing is, if applicable on your bike.

2.) Do research on bicycle recall items, related to your bicycle by checking manufacturer websites.  In many cases, items like stems, bars, seatr posts and other items have been recalled because they are frankly dangerous and may break becasue of manufacturing defects.  Sometimes the seller may be unaware of this, especially if they are simple ebay resellers who buy a lot of stuff and sell it without knowing all the history.

3.) Bicycles can have damage from wrecks and crashes in the past. Some damage can occur in the form of frame or fork cracks or your basic dents.  Even small dents on an expensive lightweight bike frame can significantly weaken the frame and be a place that it could collapse in a lesser impact. (Bicycles can also have repairs by unscrupulous sellers who try to mask defects by repainting and touch ups, or even bondo or filling in of dents)

4.)  Other problems can be defective parts that generally occur from someone who switched parts off a cheaper bike and placed them on a nice bike frame with a known name. If you just look up the name of the bike, like Raliegh "your model here", for example, you may not find a bike with all the original parts and is worth much less.

5.) Thus far, I have been talking about bike frames mostly, because that's generally the most costly part, but the most likely part to be damaged are the wheels, and this may not be visible in photos.   Sometimes a wheel may have been trashed in a wreck and pulled back straight with new spokes, but the wheel will be full of internal stresses and will not work well and will break spokes every time you ride it, if this is the case. The spokes need to be tightened evenly and you cannot verify this over email or with photos.  Good close up photos of the rims is helpful and may show something suspicious like a dent in the wrong place, because crashes often show signs somewhere.  Look for the tell-tale signs of a crash like scraps on protruding deraileurs and pedals, etc.  Another problem area is handlebars.  If the bike was in a wreck, the bars may have been bent and restraightened, thus weakening them, expecially if they are lightweight aluminum.  Carbon fibre items are even more likely to be damaged and can break under the stress of riding or racing. There is a reason that that no bicycle company in the world provides a guarantee of more than a year or so on any of its parts other than the frame.  And there are only a handful that offer frame warrantys for longer, and the ones that do charge thousands of dollars for just the frame, like Ventana Bicycles.

I hope that you found this helpful. If you like it, rate it well, and I will be adding more in future guides. It's impossible to state every possible situation to be aware of, but I have provided the basics here.  Also, get a guarantee from the seller, that he will refund your money if you find some serious problems that should have been noted in the original description.

If you do buy a bicycle, I would recommend taking it to your local bike repair professional for a checkout after receiving it. I'm sure that most of the bikes on eBay are good, but there are pittfalls to be aware of. Also, many people collect older mountain bikes and many of them broke and did not hold up well because the technology was not advanced at the time and those bikes took a lot of abuse on the trails.  So get to know more about the bike you are buying by reading reviews and talking to people who owned one, if possible, especially if its a sizeable investment for you or if its a lightweight bike that is prone to defects or breakage.   There are some really expensive bikes out there that have not been cared for well, and may be better suited for hanging on a wall than hard core racing, so just be careful and do your research.  I do not mean to scare anyone, but just provide a public service and increase awareness. Thanks for reading and good luck and happy cycling!