Buying a bike off of donedeal or adverts.ie

Outkast_IRE

Does anybody ask for the serial number of bike to check it before handing over the cash?? just in case its stolen or somethin like that ??
Or is it pointless ?

Gavin

There's nowhere really to check it against. Ask for a receipt if you are suspicious.

Outkast_IRE

Gavin wrote: »

There's nowhere really to check it against. Ask for a receipt if you are suspicious.

Would the gardai keep track ? i have a friend in the gardai who owes me a few favours?

mo_bhicycle

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Would the gardai keep track ? i have a friend in the gardai who owes me a few favours?

Must owe you quite a big favour if you want him to try and track the serial numbers of every stolen bike in the country.

Outkast_IRE

mo_bhicycle wrote: »

Must owe you quite a big favour if you want him to try and track the serial numbers of every stolen bike in the country.

I thought all that sort of stuff would be in a database at least ? sure im sure if i ask anyone for the serial number and they are dodgy they would run a mile

mo_bhicycle

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I thought all that sort of stuff would be in a database at least ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv2JDCKLi0k

paddymacsporran

Just meet the seller at his home address if you can.

Plenty of genuine buyers and sellers out there, but if you're suspicious just walk away. Serial numbers mean nothing on bikes to be honest, nobody in the trade even bothers with them

SurferDude41

Well I am selling a bike on here, I would have no problem with any potential buyer inspecting my Passport and drivers licence.
Obviously anybody with anything to hide, wouldn't let you have a gander at their identity documents.

Jawgap

Not much of a tip, but maybe when you ring up say "I'm ringing about the bike you have for sale....."

If they respond with "Which one?" or "Which bike?" - you should get your spider senses tingling!

Checking serial numbers is probably going to be a waste of time - I suspect (meaning I have zero evidence to back this up) a lot of people who report the theft of a bike don't know or provide the serial number. Saying that, the more expensive the potential bike the more likely, I reckon, someone would be willing and motiviated to provide the number to the Guards if the bike was originally stolen.

also, as daft as it may seem, generally if a deal seems too good to be true, then it's usually too good to be true......

btw - if it's a Bianchi, there's a few people here who'd be interested in hearing a description:)

Vélo

mo_bhicycle wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv2JDCKLi0k

The Castle - That was good craic. At least I think that's a clip from it.

thebouldwhacker

Class flick, saw it when it came out, one of a flurry of comedies from down under, Two Hands, Murials Wedding etc... funny stuff indeed, I can see that link being used again.....

About the bike, on Adverts you can look at the posters pervious ads and posts to see what they are like. If they dont have much of a history a few well placed questions will sort out the good from the bad and the ugly. I have used adverts and the for sale forum here a good bit and so far so good, but I am careful who I send money to so have pulled out of deals cos things weren't 'sitting' right.

jacob2

brother in law was selling his trek hybrid on donedeal last week a man came to view the bike at his home wen the man seen it he said thats my bike the brother in law pulled out all the documents for the bike the man said well its the same as mine that was stolen and walked out of the garden and down the road trek doe not only make one bike that u have they make thousands of bikes

fat bloke

The biggest problems you'll encounter in donedeal and adverts are with buyers, not sellers.

Or rather "buyers":rolleyes:


"wats ur last pryss" texts at 11pm. Fackin 'ell....

Hungrycol

fat bloke wrote: »

The biggest problems you'll encounter in donedeal and adverts are with buyers, not sellers.

Or rather "buyers":rolleyes:


"wats ur last pryss" texts at 11pm. Fackin 'ell....

Or agree a price online then haggle again with you in person. Drives me nuts.

daragh_

fat bloke wrote: »

The biggest problems you'll encounter in donedeal and adverts are with buyers, not sellers.

Or rather "buyers":rolleyes:


"wats ur last pryss" texts at 11pm. Fackin 'ell....

"Swap for my eagle-eyed action man?"

"Will you split? I'm only interested in the spokes..."

Chuchote

It's a good idea to ask if the person can produce the receipt. That sends dodgy characters running (or bristling) and you know to back off.

Wishbone Ash

A few technical questions over the phone can usually separate the wheat from the chaff. Sellers of high end stolen bikes rarely know any of the common lingo that we'd all use.

Chuchote

And in the case of Adverts.ie, people have feedback; someone with only three sales and no feedback from buyers… well, use your judgment.

Kaisr Sose

jacob2 wrote: »

brother in law was selling his trek hybrid on donedeal last week a man came to view the bike at his home wen the man seen it he said thats my bike the brother in law pulled out all the documents for the bike the man said well its the same as mine that was stolen and walked out of the garden and down the road trek doe not only make one bike that u have they make thousands of bikes

Very hard to read that....

Kaisr Sose

Hungrycol wrote: »

Or agree a price online then haggle again with you in person. Drives me nuts.

I would just walk away if that happens!

Chuchote

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

I would just walk away if that happens!

Very hard to do when someone jumps you with it. I brought a computer to Galway and the fellow who bought it asked for a tenner off or something… I just shrugged and said ok; didn't give him the luck-penny, though

Wishbone Ash

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

I would just walk away if that happens!

Kinda hard to walk away when they come to your house! Easier to walk away when you're the potential buyer.

lizzylad84

Having bought several bikes I ff online forums/sale pages I'd have no issue. But I'd also say if it's seems too good to be true take a good look at condition of frame of any bike. Normal wear and tear on tyres/pads etc can be replaced for a few quid.

Kaisr Sose

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Kinda hard to walk away when they come to your house! Easier to walk away when you're the potential buyer.

What I mean by walk away is say no deal. It's not a good idea for them to be coming to your house ...sometimes you just don't know who will be at the door!

Whyner

Hungrycol wrote: »

Or agree a price online then haggle again with you in person. Drives me nuts.

Ah get up the yard, it's the first time you've seen it......an ad + photos can't always do it justice

Chuchote

Whyner wrote: »

Ah get up the yard, it's the first time you've seen it......an ad + photos can't always do it justice

I don't think I'd ask for money off. I might say "sorry, not like it looked in the photo" and walk away; bargaining would require a neck of brass-coated titanium with a core of jockey's bollock.

run_Forrest_run

Gavin wrote: »

There's nowhere really to check it against. Ask for a receipt if you are suspicious.

http://www.bikeregister.ie/

Cee-Jay-Cee

I bought my F5 of Donedeal in 2013. It was a 2011 model and the seller was selling it for approx. €600 less than list price (there were still a few available on wiggle at that price at the time) Anyway, I was dubious about it as he was describing it as new with only 200 miles on it and the pictures reflected the condition. I decided to go and take a look at it anyway and the bike was brand new and probably less than 20 miles on it let alone 200, anyway, the seller gave me some excuse about getting married and needing to free up cash but was driving a brand new E220 AMG merc and so his story didn't really hold water plus he looked like the type that wouldn't know one end of the bike from another. Anyway I was worried the bike was stolen and wanted to get out of buying it (the bike was flawless and so I couldn't fault it) so I asked him if he had any receipt or proof of purchase and low and behold he produced an original invoice/receipt from wiggle, the original handbook including inspection card signed and stamped by a wiggle employee and original tags that were on the bike when new...that sealed the deal there and then.

jive

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I bought my F5 of Donedeal in 2013. It was a 2011 model and the seller was selling it for approx. €600 less than list price (there were still a few available on wiggle at that price at the time) Anyway, I was dubious about it as he was describing it as new with only 200 miles on it and the pictures reflected the condition. I decided to go and take a look at it anyway and the bike was brand new and probably less than 20 miles on it let alone 200, anyway, the seller gave me some excuse about getting married and needing to free up cash but was driving a brand new E220 AMG merc and so his story didn't really hold water plus he looked like the type that wouldn't know one end of the bike from another. Anyway I was worried the bike was stolen and wanted to get out of buying it (the bike was flawless and so I couldn't fault it) so I asked him if he had any receipt or proof of purchase and low and behold he produced an original invoice/receipt from wiggle, the original handbook including inspection card signed and stamped by a wiggle employee and original tags that were on the bike when new...that sealed the deal there and then.

To be fair a lot of people having never cycled before go in and drop €700-€1k on a belter of a bike only to cycle it twice and never get up on the thing again as they were incentivised by the bike to work scheme. I bought a 2011 model bike in 2013 for probably 40% of what the bike was sold for in the shop (entry level road bike). I'd say the short ride I did around the car park to see was it functioning correctly was the most action that bike saw since the day it rolled out of the shop!

Sometimes the 'too good to be true' deals are just dust collectors that people want to offload. Now the deal I got wasn't 'too good to be true' but there are certainly a lot of deals to be had in the 2nd hand market in Ireland because of B2W.