Buying A Motorcycle On eBay

Buying A Motorcycle On eBay

Online auctions are hot, and eBay is the powerhouse of the online auction world. Every day thousands and thousands of bargain hunters and sellers come together to buy and sell everything from celebrity autographs and collectibles to automobiles and airplanes. Like the advertisements say, if you want it, you can find it on eBay.

Among the many items for sale online are a huge selection of motorcycles, everything from dirt bikes to huge road machines that will carry you in comfort as you eat up the miles between home and your destination. But isn’t buying a motorcycle online a dangerous proposition, fraught with the possibility of being cheated out of your hard earned bucks? Can you really get a good deal buying a motorcycle online, sight unseen?

Well, yes and no. eBay and other online auction sites have certainly not been without their share of scammers and rip off artists, but in their defense, eBay seems to be very diligent about eliminating dishonest sellers and protecting their shoppers. After all, it’s in their best interest that you have a successful bidding experience so you’ll come back again.

Buying a bike, or anything else online, requires a certain amount of common sense and caution. eBay has a Feedback feature, in which buyers and sellers can rate the other party after a transaction is finished, and these feedback comments are available for potential buyers to check. I would be wary of buying a large ticket item from a new seller, or one with only a small number of feedbacks. I would also check the transactions. It is not unheard of for someone to make many small purchases to drive up their feedback rating. This does not tell you anything about their honesty as a seller.

On the other hand, if a seller has a rating of 100 or more positive feedbacks, and many of them are fairly expensive items, you can be pretty safe in bidding with them. Most won’t fly the coop with your money after an auction ends. And don’t let one or two negative feedbacks dissuade you from bidding on an item if a seller has many positive comments. You really can’t please everybody.

I have sold everything on eBay from antiques to a classic 1969 Corvette, and have a high positive feedback rating. However, I also have two negative feedbacks. One was from a buyer who bought a vintage arcade machine. After it was shipped to his home, he e-mailed me to tell me how pleased he was with it. A week later he wrote back to say that one of his buddies had spilled a beer on the machine and short circuited it, and he expected me to refund his money. I refused and he left a negative feedback. My second negative was from a buyer who bid on an item, won the auction, and then expected me to ship it to her before she paid for it. When I declined she left me a negative. I feel eBay should have a way to remove such frivolous feedbacks, especially since they were posted several years go and neither buyer is still registered with eBay, but they don’t seem to care about that. The world is not always fair.

eBay also has resources to help protect both buyer and seller alike. Many transactions are handled through an escrow account to be sure everything goes smoothly.

Know what you are bidding on, and know its value. Is that Gold Wing really worth $12,000 just because the seller says it’s a screaming deal? How much could you purchase it for locally? And don’t forget to factor in shipping costs if the bike is out of state. That can really drive up your final cost!

Condition is important. One man’s junk truly is another man’s treasure. Read the item description carefully, and don’t be afraid to ask the seller any question you may have about the motorcycle before you bid. Does he offer a guarantee that the bike will be as described, and will he let you out of your commitment to purchase if it isn’t? If the bike is within a reasonable traveling distance, will the buyer allow you to come and inspect it before bidding? If so, definitely take the time so you won’t be disappointed later.

Ask the seller for the bike’s history, and ask why they are selling it. Catching the right seller at the right time, when he really needs the cash, can result in a good deal.

I purchased my current bike, a loaded, low mileage V-Star 1100 on eBay. The buyer was located only 15 miles away from me and was happy to allow me to come and inspect the bike. He answered all of my questions, and told me that it had been his wife’s bike, purchased new, but that demands placed upon their schedule by their growing children had cut into their riding time to the point where keeping two motorcycles was not practical.

I came away with an excellent purchase at a very good price, he made a smooth sale and did not have to worry about arranging shipping to an out of state buyer. We both won.