Buying bikes off eBay

To follow on from the post a short while ago about the bike bought on eBay which had a few issues -

I have bid on and won a bike on eBay. The ad didn't list very much at all about the bike, not even whether it was a good runner or had any damage etc, just the colour, mileage, year and that it had a V5 and a recent MOT. I asked the seller but got no reply. I banked on the fact that this would put off a lot of other buyers so I would get a decent price and I was right. My speculative bid ended up winning. I know I've taken a punt on this one and it's a massive risk. My question is this: If I go to collect the bike and it turns out to be a non-runner or a dog with serious issues, does anyone know if I can still back out of the transaction (before any money changes hands)? I have no idea how eBay looks at these things - do you reckon I could argue the item is not as described as information relating to damage or known issues was withheld from the ad?

Or am I destined to own this machine now whatever state it turns out to be in and it's my fault for taking a silly risk?

Thanks!

[L3nny]

You can, which is what I should have done, back out of the deal at any point.

If they haven't listed a fault then they haven't been honest with the listing.

Buyers can't get bad feedback. If you do it a lot Ebay may send you a warning but there isn't much else they can do.

I would have thought if it had an honest MOT recently it wouldn't be much of a dog!

Just go along & pay cash - if its not as described tell him that & leave it, all he can do is open a dispute in ebay but I doubt they'd bother if they know full well its not as described.

[Red Herring]

My personal view is that you should only back out of a deal if you had originally made it based on information that turned out not to be true. That isn't the case here yet. If the bike does have a recent MOT and it is clear from the condition that it's a dodgy one that should never have been issued then you could argue that point because by saying it has a recent MOT they are by implying that it's in MOT condition, but if for instance 4th gear is broken, it's covered in rust and the fairing is covered in scratches and cracks then you've got no reason for backing out of your contract.

You knowingly took a bit of a gamble and it may pay off, if it doesn't the only person you can blame is yourself. There are of course plenty of people out there who will advise you to forget your word and walk away because there is little the seller is likely to do about it, but I'm not one of them.

If the item is not as described or it is not as expected I think you are well within in your rights not to proceed with the purchase.
However if your willing to gamble and not view it before bidding then just make sure you can afford to swallow the loss if it goes t*ts up.

[7755matt]

I suspect that all the ideas of 'not as described' 'not as expected' may work if it was bought as a classified ad, or under a buy it now as, iirc, that changes the purchasers rights. Items bought as an auction are exactly that - you have the right to go and inspect it before hand, or ask questions about it, but it is ultimately caveat emptor.

[Bibio]

i think a lot of people forget that ebay is an online auction site and just like any other auction. you pays your money you takes your chance.

i personally got an absolute bargain when i bought my current bike off ebay.

[squirrel_hunter]

Well by your admission the bike was described as "colour, mileage, year and that it had a V5 and a recent MOT", providing its the same colour, mileage, year, with the V5, and a recent MOT I'd suggest the goods are as described. Congratulations on your new bike.

What have you bought?

A Triumph Trophy 900. Used to have one, big heavy bikes but my girlfriend will ride on it and there is somewhere to store all my stuff when I ride to the airport. Keeping my street triple for other times when a fast light narrow bike is best.

Thanks for the replies on this one, the way I'm thinking about it now is this - I fully intend to go ahead with the purchase, but there's no way my word should be any better than the sellers. If he has been honest and there's nothing major wrong to declare, I shall be honest and go through with the transaction. If he has been dishonest and knowingly withheld information which would seriously affect my decision to buy, I don't see any reason why I need to keep my end of the bargain. It's an old machine and I'm not looking for perfection, I just expect it to run and need no imminent repairs (as it was not listed as spares or repair).

Hopefully everything will work out and it'll be fine.