ebay experiences

Hi All,

I am currently looking for either a used VFR800 or an F4i (or maybe an RR). I've been looking around at various sites, and noticed ebay had a reasonable 2001 VFR800. I've never bought anything through ebay, and am a little nervous about bidding. This is a California bike, with 10,600 miles, and it's missing a bolt in the fairing and has some scratches. Current bid is at $3600, with 3 days left.

Has anyone bought their VFR through ebay?

And has anyone ridden both the VFR800 and the F4i? I'm 5'7", and sometimes I think the F4i or an RR would fit me better.

Thanks for the input,
David

 

Based on personal experience, buying or selling a vehicle on Ebay is a pain in the butt. Problem is, there really isn't any other place to get the kind of selection & exposure Ebay provides.

I sold my truck on Ebay & got burned by a dead beat. It ended up costing $180 for listing the vehicle and then when it sold again the new winning bid was $700 lower. In other words one dead beat idiot cost me $880.

On the flip side of the coin, I got a pristine 1989 Honda Hawk thru Ebay, kinda, sorta. I was outbid with 3 seconds to go & the winner was a dead beat. I was emailed a 2nd chance offer. I told the seller I would still pay up to my max bid only on the condition that I could now inspect & ride the bike. I got a great deal on a great bike & still have it.

For miscellaneous crap, I use Ebay all the time. I've purchased everything from motorcyle parts to jewelry and had only 1 instance out of 40 that didn't go so well. The seller & I worked everything out in the end, no one lost any money, it was just annoying.

If you're talking about this VFR:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001...ryZ50003QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'd be wary. The seller admits it has light damage but wont say where it came from. Judging by the pics I'd say a very low speed parking lot tip over. He also says it hasn't been serviced since May 2005. If you're close to this place, I would recommend inspecting the bike before bidding. It is a good price but if it was me, I would pass on it.

KC-10 FE out...

 

I sold a bike on eBay and I have bought a lot of stuff on eBay. Never any vehicles or bikes though. Personally I like to see the Bike or car I'm buying but if the deal was good enough and I had enough info I'd seriously think about it. After over 100 transactions buying/selling I only had one guy not pay. eBay is a reasonabily safe place to buy things. Just DO NOT take the transaction out of eBay. Those guys are scammers and WILL screw you.

 

I haven't had any problems on ebay. I've only bought dvds & cds though, no large money items.

 

I have had mixed results on ebay. Small items seem to go just fine. I sold a CBR900rr and ended up with a guy showing up and trying to 'chip' the price $700 just because he did show up. He left in a big hurry. If you have any way to go and see the bike before the end of the auction, do it! This would give you an exact idea of the condition and meet the seller to get a feel for what kind of person they are. Good luck

 

I used to work in a fraud division with a LE agency, so I'm definitely jaded but I wouldn't take part in any transaction over $50 bucks. I recently found my PCIII on there, but I looked into the business a little bit and called them rather than blindly trusting the online purchase.

 

VTR 250 on EbAY

I got a great deal on my VTR 250 on ebay. Make sure that your deal and expectations are agreed upon before you bid. It's pretty easy to get singed.

We were stuck in 3' of snow for 6 days over Christmas04, but it was quite an experience. (Pretty sobering for a Southerner)!

 

I have done a lot on EBay, including vehicles. Sold one car, sold 3 bikes, bought 2 bikes that way. The car I had a little problem with, high bidder was a hijacked account, but just went to #2. The bikes have all gone rather smoothly. But there is a lot of fraud. You can't gaurantee a good experience, but you can limit the chance of fraud by going with someone who has been a member for a while, not a week. Someone who has plenty of positive feedback, doesn't have to be 100% for me, but close. Do they include a lot of very clear, large pictures? That says to me that they have nothing to hide. Do they respond to any questions quickly and correctly? That shows to me they are serious. Does everything in the add make sense? Do they take the time to really talk about the bike? All things that influence my decision to bid and how much to bid.
Spike

 

Yes, it is that bike. Close is a relative term I guess. It's closer than any other bike to me (about 200 miles). I'm not sure if I'll bid on it yet, but will probably look more on ebay and elsewhere. There's also an f4i I found on the CBR site, but it's more like 700 miles away; it's a 2003 with some scratches on the fairing, but otherwise looks to be in good shape. I asked for more pictures of the scratches, and he's going to send.

I appreciate all the responses so far.

 

For me, I would avoid anything with damage of any sort, one person'a "slight" damage is different from another's. Plus you have to wonder about unseen damage. It sucks to have to worry about that, but I would. You can also try cycletrader.com although the prices tend to be higher.

 

I have over 250 positive buys and sells from E-Bay, but I'm not sure if I would buy a bike from E-bay, I live in the Seattle area and a did a fly and ride to S.F. and back on deal I found on Craigslist. S.F. craigslist always has great selection on VFR's. I looked for a 98-01 with low miles, and it had to be mint, found it a month and a half later for $4800.00