Buying bike parts on eBay. Good/Bad/Ugly?

mango

mango

Member
I'm new to the mountain bike world, and I've been buying some basic upgrade parts on eBay. I'm looking to buy full XTR drivetrain components and some other goodies on eBay and was wondering...are there any downsides to doing this?

It looks like you can save a significant amount of money by doing this instead of going through LBS's or more prominent online stores. Is there any chance I'm buying "knockoff" components?
 
Oh I don't care at all, people can be e-thugs on here and flame me all they want.

Fact is, money is money and I am asking a legitimate question. If some on here are not mature enough to handle that then too bad.
 
mango said:
Fact is, money is money and I am asking a legitimate question. If some on here are not mature enough to handle that then too bad.
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This coming from the guy who openly admits he rides parks when they're too muddy to ride?

Irony.
 
most likely your aren't buying knock-off components. You will see a lot of OEM stuff that was taking off of a new bike and the shop is selling it for a discount since it was installed but not used.

Yes you can get better deals but if you don't install it yourself, a LBS will probably charge you more to put it on than if you bought it from them. Support your LBS if you can or ask your LBS if that can compete with the prices you are seeing, dones't hurt to ask.
 
stb222 said:
most likely your aren't buying knock-off components. You will see a lot of OEM stuff that was taking off of a new bike and the shop is selling it for a discount since it was installed but not used.

Yes you can get better deals but if you don't install it yourself, a LBS will probably charge you more to put it on than if you bought it from them. Support your LBS if you can or ask your LBS if that can compete with the prices you are seeing, dones't hurt to ask.
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Thank you! See Norm, that wasn't so hard was it? 🙄🙄

I support my LBS as much as possible, believe me. I will have them install all the components, and in fact I have purchased my headset, wheelset/tires from them this past weekend.

I was simply trying to understand the drastic price differences I was seeing.
 
mango said:
Huh? . . . .
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http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9738

mango said:
I was simply trying to understand the drastic price differences I was seeing.
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Shops have much more overhead than the eBay guys. For a while I used nothing but online retailers. But these days I buy almost nothing bike related online. After a while it just becomes a push with price when you add in the various headaches associated with it. There are plenty of good deals to be had, but some headaches as well that get frustrating after a while.
 
mango said:
Oh I don't care at all, people can be e-thugs on here and flame me all they want.

Fact is, money is money and I am asking a legitimate question. If some on here are not mature enough to handle that then too bad.
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I said what I did because you post this on a board knowing full and well that many members of this board are die hard LBS supporters. Many being owners of these small businesses themselves. I would not call people who are passionate in their support of local small businesses e-thugs myself.

If you choose to use them go ahead, myself I'll spend the extra money to go to an LBS after meeting the guys at Halter's.
 
Well... I think it depends on how much time you have... Buying specific parts off Ebay can be a tedious and time consuming process... I have a friend who has basically turned it into her second hobby (after riding). The result is she has 8 top of the line bikes to show for it...

You simply have to be on the site every day... sometimes more.... know exactly what you need an how much it cost at MSRP and retail. It's easy to spend more for a used part than you can buy one new... especially after shipping gets factored in. And this is w/o even bringing up the fact that a few screwed up purchases can erase the potentional savings and make all of the work for naught.
 
I do a lot of buying from Ebay (and other websites) for parts. I have even sold parts. I have not had any problems and yes if you are looking you can find great deals. I just got Avid Juice 5 brakes 185mm front and back for $130. Yes they are new in the box. So if you have the money go to LBS but if you are tight like me Ebay is a friend and can save you from down time. Some of the sellers don't e-mail well but they get the parts to you in the time they say. Good luck.
 
Ian F said:
Well... I think it depends on how much time you have... Buying specific parts off Ebay can be a tedious and time consuming process... I have a friend who has basically turned it into her second hobby (after riding). The result is she has 8 top of the line bikes to show for it...

You simply have to be on the site every day... sometimes more.... know exactly what you need an how much it cost at MSRP and retail. It's easy to spend more for a used part than you can buy one new... especially after shipping gets factored in. And this is w/o even bringing up the fact that a few screwed up purchases can erase the potentional savings and make all of the work for naught.
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+1 .. For each hour I spend on eBay, I can probably make between $100-$300 doing freelance work. You can literally spend hours and hours trying to get the best deal on 1 part online (or at least I can). Also time spend researching exactly what you need, researching what alternative parts are out there, etc... If I go to an a trusty LBS, they can usually hook me up in 5-10 min + driving time to LBS. Time is money, more for some people than others. Having said that, I like to browse craigslist from time to time and if I see something good at a nice price, I might go for it.
 
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Be patient and decide what you want to buy. Then watch that item for a couple of weeks. Some of the items that I wanted to get for my new-old bike were not a good deal on E-Bay. On the other hand I got a new Fox F-80 fork for $280.00 and new Magura Louise brakes $80.00 front and rear. For the best deal look for a new item with BUY NOW on it. Look at 3:00 am that way everybody else is sleeping. Then go to Halters and bribe them with cookies, so they can install the parts for you.

 
well i do all my own work so getting a part cheaper is a no-brainer but going thru a local shop also means if there's a problem with the part/product they should fix you up! (honoring warranty or backing installation)

one thing is guaranteed... buying off ebay/online almost ensures any manuf. warranty will be tough to have honored anywhere!!

just my 2 cents..
 
I recently purchased a Fox F29 RLC fork from an Ebay retailer. What I noticed that was even better than the "Buy It Now" feature is something called "Make An Offer." The fork was already listed over $100 less than list and was new in the box (not an OEM resale). I made a lowball offer and it was accepted! It more than made up for the $25 installation fee at my LBS. However, to avoid the "you bought that elsewhere, but you want me to install it?" look, I suggest going to a shop where they know your face.
 
Really good deals in the marketplace on this board.

I have bought and sold some great deals here.

Fleabay takes time and discipline to stick to your price, in my case 50% of discounted lbs price or its not worth the risk.
 
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