Ebay has become the site to search when looking to buy used motorcycles at great prices. Ebay has done an excellent job of weeding out bad sellers, as well as allowing buyers to give feedback on sellers that may not be so great, but did an ok job. Of course, if you are buying a bike from an Ebay top seller, you can be pretty certain you are buying from a legitimate private party or dealer. But, there are still some things to consider if you are planning on purchasing your motorcycle from Ebay.
In general there are three options you have when purchasing a motorcycle from Ebay. The first is the auction sale, you put in a bid, other people bid against you, and the highest bidder wins the bike. Sometimes you will see that a “reserve” needs to be met, this means that until the bids reach the reserve amount, even if you are the highest bidder, you may not win the auction. Keep in mind, that if the reserve is never met, and no one wins the bid, it won’t hurt to contact the seller to find out what his or her bottom line price is.
Top sellers often have the items up for auction, with a reserve, but also have a “But it Now” price listed – which means if you are willing to pay the “buy it now” price, then the auction will end and you will win the bid. Make sure you read all the fine print before you hit that “buy it now” button. Odds are will still have to pay taxes and titling fees in order to make your motorcycle legal and get plates. You may also have to pay shipping or find a way to get the motorcycle shipped to you. You should be sure you have the money to cover your “buy it now” purchase, or you will be the one getting a bad mark on your Ebay rating.
Finally, you may see a space where you, the buyer, can “make an offer”. These offers are sometimes immediately rejected; the seller may have put in a minimum amount so that they don’t need to respond to every ridiculous offer that comes in. Also, don’t think you can keep bidding until you hit their minimum, after three attempts, you are locked out of making an offer on an item. If you are really interested, send the seller an email, they may tell you what they will take for the motorcycle on the “make an offer” line.
Fortunately, Ebay has made it much easier for both buyers and sellers with their rating system. They have also made it easier to avoid being scammed, as most scammers have given up on Ebay and gone onto websites that are not monitored well. So, search with confidence on Ebay, but remember, you should still use due diligence (common sense and a little research), and you should have a good experience buying a motorcycle on Ebay.