[yonton228]

I have used the search button and did not find anything that fully answered my question. So here it is.
Im interested in buying a DH bike, long story short what is the SAFEST way to purchase a bike from a person from another state. I know Pay Pal is prolly the most secure way to pay for a bike, however are there any other ways to SAFELY complete the trasaction, ensuring that I get the bike and that the seller gets their money. Any other tips would be very much appreciated.

Thnx for the advice.


Anthony aka: Timmy

 

[lovebunny]

money orders work just fine, also i allways make sure they send it ups so i can have a tracking number and have them insure it. i do the same when i send things out as well

 

[ChrisRobin]

I've always liked Paypal...and I've always bought my stuff from people here on Ridemonkey. Don't go near Pinkbike. You'll pay wayyyy more money for something that's beat to **** but claimed to be 'mint condition'.

 

[kinghami3]

I prefer buying straight from ridemonkey, people here like to use paypal more. Pinkbike usually works our fine too. mtbr.com's classifieds are the cheapest, but no one there likes to use paypal; they always want you to mail checks to them which I generally get sick of doing.

 

[ncrider]

Do read the bad seller/scam forum

Do ask the buyer a lot of specific questions

Do make them send you more photos and with a newspaper in background to prove date

Do not buy from anyone in the UK (tons of scams)

Do not buy if the seller seems shady ie, to good to be true price, seller insist on a certain type of wire transfer and gives you this BS line about how safe it is, seller can't produce new photos or doesn't know any specifics about the bike.

Do try to use paypal.

Do not scimp on price. $500 more dollars in the world of used bikes is typically an enormous jump in quality, condition, and components.

Do be extremely cautious. Tons of people get scammed out of $$$$ everyday.

 

[AR_]

Do not buy from anyone in the UK (tons of scams)

There are? Tbh, i've seen no scams originating from the uk.. They all seem to come from some far off middle eastern country.

If you want to buy from someone in the Uk, make sure they're an established member at either www.southerndownhill.com or www.descent-world.co.uk. We're all decent chaps on there

Of course, if you've nearly been scammed by someone from the uk then im wrong, just never heard of any myself.

 

[descender]

COD works well. You don't pay till it shows up. Cashiers check or money order is all that is accepted.

That said I use paypal now. It works. I sold some skis on it and the seller issued a dispute which put my funds on hold. This dispute was eventually reviewed by Paypal and I was given the funds (he didn't read the ad correctly). So I can highly recoment paypal.

 

[ncrider]

Of course, if you've nearly been scammed by someone from the uk then im wrong, just never heard of any myself.

I'm in no way saying that ALL UK people are thiefs, but it is well known that buying from UK is risky. I myself have almost been scammed twice from the region and if you read though the bad seller forum you will see that I'm not the only one.

DO: try your best to use a company that acts as a third part (escroe) and holds your money until the product is received. Not Western Union. It's much safer for you.

 

[buildyourown]

I bought a used bike from a monkey in Maine. I was getting a little sketched cause he seemed flakey. I assumed he was just a teenager who didnt know how to close a deal. Anyways, I insisted on using escrow.com. You can't get ripped off. Its reasonably priced too. If the bike isnt what you expected, you send it back. I think the escrow fees on an $800 bike where $25.

 

[AR_]

I'm in no way saying that ALL UK people are thiefs, but it is well known that buying from UK is risky. I myself have almost been scammed twice from the region and if you read though the bad seller forum you will see that I'm not the only one.

DO: try your best to use a company that acts as a third part (escroe) and holds your money until the product is received. Not Western Union. It's much safer for you.

Fair enough. I stand corrected

Something like Escrow is definately a good way of closing a deal for long distance purchases. One disadvantage is the bike is only as good/bad as the seller says it is, but you don't 'alf get some bargains.

 

[yonton228]

thnx for all the info everyone

 

[conleycm1]

Good recomendations on buying a bike over the internet, but I just wanted to add a few thoughts. Make sure you know the exact model of bike you want. Like me, I LOVE yeti's, but I also know that a yeti DH9 has a long wheelbase. Should I get a DH9 for tight and twisty eastcoast riding? Probably not. Don't let your love for a brand or a style of bike lead you to get something that's over your head. I once had a Uzzi DH that was over my head (and overkill for any terrain around where I live). I dropped a ton of money into a bike that I really didn't get to fully appreciate. So my suggestion is simply know what kind of bike, know the geometry you must have, and know what kind of rider you are. That'll help you choose the right bike to buy. If this doesn't apply to you, sorry, no worries. Good luck