The eBay Jungle

Bike parts can be expensive - particularly the high end stuff.   One way to upgrade your gear and give your wallet a break is to find some used parts.  Swap meets are great for this – you get to look things over before you pull the trigger - but in many areas there are only one or two per year.   Craig’s List and local classifieds are fine but in my experience you don’t find many high end bike parts.  More often than not you will see something like this:  “Trek bike frame.  Blue.  $100”.

I’m not going to get into a dialog on the pros and cons of buying and selling on eBay – opinions vary and there are good arguments on both sides.  But if eBay is good for one thing it is approximating the market value of the stuff you want to buy or stuff you are looking to sell.  With so many buyers and sellers matched up the fair market value surfaces more often than not.  So go on eBay and search for your upgrades, see what you find, and maybe it’ll be worth it to you.

Don't Get Burned

I’ve done a lot of buying (and a little selling) on eBay and have had mostly good experiences.  I think there are maybe three main keys to my success buying on eBay - which I learned by doing it the wrong way.  

Avoid Risk:   Don’t buy items that leave you with any doubts or questions.  When the pictures or descriptions don’t clearly show the condition, stay away.  Or request more pictures.  But don’t take risks unless you are comfortable with the worst possible outcome.  I’ve been there.  “Man, this is a great deal but the picture is a bit fuzzy.  I’m really not sure about the condition.  The auction is about to end and there’s no time to ask for more pictures…”   Trust me, just stay away. 

Be Patient:  You might think it’s the best deal going and talk yourself into bidding more than it’s really worth.  If you cannot be patient and wait a few weeks for other sellers to come along then eBay may not be for you. 

Do Your Homework:  eBay has a righteous tool for checking the recent value of items in their marketplace.   Make sure you know what an item is really worth before you bid!  When you are searching for an item, check the Completed Listings checkbox in the Show Only section.  This will show only auction items that have ended.  If the item did not sell the price will be in red.  If the item sold it will be green.  Scroll through and look at the green prices to get an idea what others have been willing to pay.  You can filter further to make your homework easier by checking boxes to show only Used or only New, etc.



Use the Completed Listings feature on eBay to find out what people are willing to pay.  Prices in Red were not sold.  Green items were sold and indicates market value.  Lists can be filtered further to include only new or used items.

 Buy it Whole or Build it Up? 

Selling a complete bike will net less money than tearing it down and selling it piece by piece.  This is mostly true of bikes with medium to high end components – the exception would be entry level bikes with entry level components which are probably best to be sold as a complete bike - nobody is really looking to upgrade a bike with entry level components, right?  So you have to think about this as a buyer looking for a complete bike.  If a seller gets a better price selling piece by piece…then a buyer would get better value buying a whole bike, right?  The problem is, riders that are building their bike up one piece at a time are doing it because they are looking to customize the build.  You just have to weigh your options here – this is where local classifieds and Craig’s list can really come into play.  Watch these for a few weeks and you might find a great deal on a complete bike then do a few more upgrades and have just what you want.  Or look for complete bikes on eBay that match most of your component specs.  You just have to do your homework and, most importantly, be patient.



This Niner One9 with high end components sold for $2,126.  The market
value of these components purchased seperately is around $3000.

Some bike shops end up with leftover models from the prior year that can’t be returned to the manufacturer - or won’t get them much of a credit - so they strip them down and sell off the parts.  These parts are called take-offs.  These are good parts to buy because they are essentially new but they are sold at a deep discount because they don’t have any packaging or instructions - and sometimes no warranty - so you have to think about that too and ask questions or call the manufacturer if it’s something that gives you angst.

Give your LBS a Chance

Your local bike shop has probably had a tough time over the past 10 years.  The internet has been rough on businesses like these.  As a result they have gotten a little more competitive but they can only go so low – they have bills to pay.  And there is a lot to be said for the local shop – particularly if you don’t have an arsenal of special tools in your garage or limited expertise.  Most bike shops will install your new parts for next to nothing or even free.  So before you brave the eBay jungle, stop by your LBS and see what they have to offer.  And have a gnarly ride…dude.