Firking E-bay

[brocklanders023]

Had not sold anything for ages but sold an item on ebay for £676 the other week. Just been told my listing fee is over £46. Add to that the £25+ Paypal charged me. I feel cheated and will defo think twice before selling on there again. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :cry:

 

[barry2017]

But we're all still going to use them, aren't we?
I hate Ebay. It's ruined our hobby, in a lot of ways. I don't mind paying for my nice bike things, but some of it is just completely beyond my reach now.

 

[mtbfix]

That is not eBay's fault, in all fairness. Some of our better customers around Reading are now getting into retro kit and these guys, on their six figure incomes, are pushing the prices up and up. Cycling can't stay 'cool' forever can it? When can I have my peaceful trails back?

 

[barry2017]

Ebay makes things available globally, so the six figure man is competing with the four figure one. Because of this and daytime TV shows, people are trawling car boots looking for stuff to sell at a profit.
It's fair enough; I do a bit of it myself if I get the chance. But I do think it's sad.

It's nice to see something being appreciated, but definitely I think it's a pity if a bike someone would have really enjoyed using is just gathering dust as part of a rich man's collection.

Yes, I'll admit it, some of the Reader's bikes make me feel rather sad.

 

[mtbfix]

My Dekerf on there makes me a bit sad. I got it built up in a good spec and now, as I have no wish to kill hard to find bits, I find the bike stashed in the loft but for the odd outing. Perhaps I should strip all the retro kit off and get it back to SS duties as my most ridden bike?

 

[barry2017]

My Dekerf on there makes me a bit sad. I got it built up in a good spec and now, as I have no wish to kill hard to find bits, I find the bike stashed in the loft but for the odd outing. Perhaps I should strip all the retro kit off and get it back to SS duties as my most ridden bike?

I certainly hope no-one thinks I'm passing judgement on what they do with their bikes. But yeah, if you enjoyed riding it as an SS and you're frightened to use it in the way it was meant to be used now you've spent money on its parts, personally I wouldn't think that's the way forward.

Of course, if you like looking at it, fair enough; it's important that a few original machines from such an exciting period of cycling history as the 1990s survive. I certainly won't throw stones at what anyone here does with their collection.

But personally, I think hoarding a machine after you've lost interest in it just because it's worth a lot of money is a shame.

 

[mtbfix]

It's a vexatious business, running older stuff. I think I might just haul it back to the SS spec so it can get some use. After all, a bike unridden is just a load of over priced metal pipe. Now I just have to find a solution to the fact that the fork that was in service on that frame has been pinched for a different project. Tinkering is endless...

Are you located around Reading, am I right in thinking?

 

[barry2017]

Yes. Are you?

 

[mtbfix]

Yes, Whitchurch. Will send PM as we are now a little off topic.

 

[awaycaboose]

Over the past two months I've sold over 400 quids worth of stuff that's been cluttering up my flat and my GF's folk's garage and in all honesty I'm not really bothered about the eBay or paypal fees. So much so that I'll happily list the other 400 or so quids worth of stuff that I still need rid of.

They're providing a service after all that makes it incredibly easy 9 times out of 10 to sell things which are no longer wanted or needed to a massive cross section of people, and as they're providing a service I think that in eBay's case anyway it's only natural for them to not only charge for the listing but to make something off of the actual sale. If you don't want to pay the fees then there's always local papers, the Ad Trader and supermarket advertising boards.

As to forcing paypal upon people who may not want to use it however, well that's altogether different and I would have thought that that would have been illegal here in the UK as well.

I don't work for the bay by the way