Heads up on deceptive eBay seller

Bikegeezer · Last edited by Bikegeezer on Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:56 am; edited 1 time in total

This guy is apparently a retired old bike dealer. Sold me a CB500 speedo he claimed was absolutely new - FACTORY NEW. No damage or scratches and never installed. I saw the small nicks on the bezel in his single photo, but bought it anyway. It polished up decent, but certainly not Factory New, and it shows signs of having been installed. I need it, so I kept it. Left him neutral feedback after talking to him proved pointless. He thinks "unused" = Factory New, regardless of condition. Admitted it had been on his shelves unpackaged for over 20 years!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130369604445&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT

MR.CHocko · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:46 am Post subject:

That is a little deceptive. I do admit that I have a speedo for a CB350 that has never been put on a bike, but it has scratches,etc. Because of that I have to sell it as used. Honestly I could have sold you one a used in the same condtion for the same amount of money and I would have told you it was used, because it had sun fade,etc.

Bikegeezer · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:07 am Post subject:

I hear ya, Chocko. I've bought a few clocks on eBay that were still in the OE packages, with lots of clear pictures, and they were indeed Factory New. I suspected issues with this guy, because the visible wear on the bezel in his photo didn't jive with his description. But the dial and needle are perfect. And after polishing and a bit of touch-up, it's still a lot better than the one I had. He just needs to be up-front with folks - like you are. Maybe spoiling his perfect feed back rating will cause him to describe things more accurately.

Stu

650hardtail · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:09 am Post subject:

no scratches or damage ????
maybe you should suggest some glasses for seller-
i can see some damage/scratches/

MR.CHocko · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:18 am Post subject:

Well I had someone do that to me recently as a seller on ebay. I even offered to refund his money, all he would have to do is send it back to me. I was even willing to make a exception to my return policy because I was out of state. He accused me of being deceptive, even after I listed the part as used and stated that it is being sold as is. Ebay is still the wild west in terms of buying. Just remeber the old rule "let the buyer beware" applies to ebay.

Bikegeezer · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:28 am Post subject:

This guy says he thinks the price was fair (no partial refund), and says no returns. The whole transaction, including shipping is covered by eBay. But I need the part, and it's the first one I've seen appear after months of looking. If these showed up occasionally, I'd have passed on this one. So I kept it and gave the guy neutral feedback and a description that I think he deserved. Actually, he deserved worse.

Stu

MR.CHocko · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:55 am Post subject:

I have about five or six of those speedos. I would have sold you one in that condition, that has two broken bolts for $50 plus shipping. It is just that I prefer not to put them on ebay. Although I will admit that ebay is a neccessary evil because a lot of people prefer to only buy on ebay. Because I have to make a living, I have to sell on ebay. But I will only sell on ebay the stuff that I want to get rid of, and hope it draws people to my shops website.

AnKhe105 · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 3:40 pm Post subject:

Deceptive ad at the very least. Thanks for exposing these guys Stu. Spread the word!

MR.CHocko · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:45 pm Post subject:

Sometimes you do have to expose these guys who will take your money and run. But it can get a little nasty sometimes. Just remeber to read the words used and selling as is. Stu I just put a used one for sale on ebay. Just a point to remeber a good working CB500K speedometer usually goes for $100-$150 and this is used. If it is NOS it will be twice that. These things are very rare, and they usually do not come up for sale very often. A good example is recently I had two neighborhood kids smash several of the bikes in my salvage yard. Two of the bikes that they trashed was a 1974 CL200, and a 1972 Yamaha TX750. OF course one of things that they destroyed was the speedometers, having smashed them with a golf club. As these bikes become more and more desireable the parts for them will become even more expensive. Do I have to remind anyone how much I paid for a Left hand Benly muffler?

Bikegeezer · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:11 pm Post subject:

The price had nothing to do with it. I know how rare these are. If he'd just been up front with the description, I'd have bought it anyway at that price and had no comment. What yanked my chain was the guy's deceptive wording of the ad. I didn't expect it to be perfect, but based on the description, the condition was ridiculous. And yes - I'm spreading the word. "Buyer beware" applies to this seller. I don't think he's a crook. He's just not very bright.

Stu