Bike payment and delivery etc

ArphaRima

I was wondering what you guys thought of this scenario.

I am bidding for a bike on www.ebay.co.uk. I will likely pay about 6k stg for it and its a great bike with low mileage, 6 months old, etc. The seller seems genuine and I've been in touch.
I live in the Uk and I will be on holiday when the bidding ends.

I was going to pay directly to the seller via a transfer (method not discussed yet) and have a courier company collect the bike. I dont have a full direct access licence yet so I cant collect it solo myself anyway. Test in around 2 weeks.

Is there any precautions I should take or am I just mad to think about doing this?
The bike is a stunner. It's EXACTLY the spec I want (priced correctly) and I am slow to let it go.

honeybadger

i think you cud be certifable mad if you were to pay 6 grand for someting you havnt seen or drove yet up front lol and also any adds i see on ebay thay that catch my intrest the sellers usualy ask for a deposit of a hundred paid thru paypal and the rest paid on collection as it saves them loads on paypal fees wich sounds a bit scammish aswell but id rather be caught for 100 than 6000 if you get me,,but if you decide to pay for the bike thru some kinda transfer,just do it thru paypal as that way they offer some kind of payment protection policy other wise the rest you do in good faith

Del2005

honeybadger wrote: »

i think you cud be certifable mad if you were to pay 6 grand for someting you havnt seen or drove yet up front lol and also any adds i see on ebay thay that catch my intrest the sellers usualy ask for a deposit of a hundred paid thru paypal and the rest paid on collection as it saves them loads on paypal fees wich sounds a bit scammish aswell but id rather be caught for 100 than 6000 if you get me,,but if you decide to pay for the bike thru some kinda transfer,just do it thru paypal as that way they offer some kind of payment protection policy other wise the rest you do in good faith

Paypal charge a fairly hefty premium for getting money sent to you. It's perfectly acceptable to only ask for 100 as deposit and the rest as cash or bank draft.

I know a few people who've bought bikes unseen off the web. You need to do as many checks as possible and make sure to talk to the seller a couple of times. Only use the Ebay contact the seller option. never use an e-mail in the add.

Henry Ford III

It's utter madness to pay STG36k for a bike you've never seen nor driven.

Never mind what others do. Murphy's law dictates that you'll buy the lemon.

Tree

The father used to buy the odd bike off ebay. He'd either go collect it himself (witht he trailer he bought off ebay) or get the ferry to a random uk port where the seller would have taken the bike, and drove it home from there. I think the main point is to be happy that you think the seller is legit, afterall the internet isnt only full of porn and scams, lots of genuine folk out there.

Armadillo

Let us know how you got on.
After I got my license I bought a bike off ebay in Berlin and paid €4k for it in cash. Although it was a small bike shop that was selling it, I didn't know it at the time. Flew over and drove it back to Dublin. Yes, we bikers are definitely certifiable at times.

ArphaRima

Let us know how you got on.

I will. The bidding ends in 19 hours.

I'll show the listing once the bidding has ended. I dont want anyone bidding against me! (edit: I give in)
I cant seem to get around the fact I will not get to see it before purchase. I am just going to have to trust him.

It will be something like a bank transfer then. With a motorbike delivery company collecting it.
I guess it is I that looks like the scammer to him. I am the one who cant show my face, not him. That's comforting in a really weird way.

I think the main point is to be happy that you think the seller is legit, afterall the internet isnt only full of porn and scams, lots of genuine folk out there.

Agreed. I dont want to give any money to Nigerian princes.
I have his phone number. But we have thus far only corresponded via ebay.

He is a 100% feedback user with only 11 sales but he's been registered since 2008 and only really bought things like leathers and helmet online. Seems realistic to me. His spelling and grammar is perfect too. I guess if he's a scammer he's a well educated one.

Nephew

Post a link to the ad. As Henry said you could end up buying a right lemon.

ArphaRima

250589357942 is the item number. Its a Street Triple R.

ArphaRima

Bank transfer completed and delivery company on its way to collect it.

The fellow was a bike enthusiast and the kind of person I am delighted to be buying from. He himself had the bike delivered new from the dealer to his home in case it rained! My kind of seller.

He's boxing up the paperwork and original parts that were removed when he specced upgrades with Triumph and sending those too.

I'll give a final summary when I get it but so far so good. Pure logisitics dictated that I had to have faith in fellow man in this case.

Henry Ford III

You could/should have paid someone a few quid to give it the once over.

Congrats on your purchase, but I think what you've done is mad.

p.s. Who did you use for delivery and what's the cost?

Interceptor

Congrats on your new bike - it looks like a smasher. If you spoke to the seller and he seemed genuine, you ran a HPI check via any of the reputable online providers and you got a warm fuzzy feeling then you will not be disappointed.

I bought a bike a few weeks ago from a guy in Wales - I paypal'ed a deposit, took the ferry to Fishguard with my helmet and met him at the port with a pocket full of cash.

If you know what to look for and you do a little homework then you minimise the risk of being scammed.

Shiny side up now!

*EDIT* Biketrans down in Cork collect bikes in the UK and do a HPI check before handing over your cash. They will also check a bike out for you for a small fee - I've used them and can recommend the service. See ads on Donedeal for details.

'cptr

ArphaRima

I passed my Direct Access course a week ago. I took both tests the same day after 2 days training. It's a tough but fair system. We need one like it.
CBT is excellent and the Theory Test/Hazard Perception test are beneficial.

The bike itself is a peach. I had it looked at and then collected by these guys: http://www.motorcycletransportservices.co.uk/ It's a brilliant way to get a bike. It cost me 140 GBP. 130 for the transport and another 10 for the London Congestion Charge. There were one or two slightly cheaper companies but these guys were the most flexible, and were based near the seller.
I've attached some pictures.

I have a deep respectful fear of this bike right now

Overall I did base the purchase on trust. But I'm glad that I did.

Dorsanty

OP is the Lotus yours as well?

Nice bike by the way.

The fear will go away soon enough, but don't let the respect go! I have to say the engine on the Street Triple is just amazing for smooth power delivery, 3 must be a magic number after all.

ArphaRima

The Lotus is my mates car. His Kawasaki ZZR1400 is just out of view.

I sold my Irish (well, german) car around 2 months ago and I'm hoping to replace it with another British marque. Not Lotus!

I'm loving the bike though. I can see by your sig you have one too. I need more time on it though. Major European road trip is planned!

Teddy Daniels

happy stories make me happy

galwaytt

Teddy Daniels wrote: »

happy stories make me happy

Indeed.

I bought two bikes unseen through eBay, had them collected and delivered here - work well for me. Depends on what you're buying, though.

I was buying a bike no-one would be much interested in, so less likely to be a scammer, but I'd have the heebies buying a GSX-R or something.......