Shady sellers and time wasters | GTAMotorcycle.com

Shady sellers and time wasters

nfq

nfq

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
I know the latest posts on GTAM are about ridiculously priced motorcycles, lowballers and time wasters.

I'd like to flip it around a bit.

The past few weeks I've been helping a couple of my friends find bikes and go with them to check them out, make sure they're as advertised and everything's good to go. Needless to say, after several weeks of searching and visiting people, they picked up the bikes they wanted and everything is cool.

The problem I had with some of these sellers however, was just how blatantly dishonest they were about their bikes. I'm not talking about the delusional guy that's selling his 2001 SS for $10,000. At least he's upfront about how out to lunch he is. I'm talking about the guy that says "Never dropped, clean bike, low km's, great condition, come and check it out" but on closer inspection you see that the bike has had more riders than Asia Carrera, and that they probably went bungee jumping with it and then pieced it back together. One looked like it was thrown off a cliff and held together with zip-ties.

There's nothing wrong with saying the bikes been down, or tipped or damaged or even crashed/lowsided/whatever, but don't talk to me like I'm an idiot and can't see obvious damage to components on the bike when I'm pointing them out to you.

Seller: "Haven't started the bike in months"
Buyer: "then why's the engine warm?"
Seller: "oh...umm...well the garage is heated so that's why it's warm"

Buyer: "the one side fairing is missing half the bolts"
Seller: "yeah...with these bikes as you ride them, the vibration causes the bolts to come off...yeah"

Buyer: "how did these scratches happen?"
Seller: "oh..well it's never dropped. That's from...vandalism, yeah, someone was leaning on the bike."
Buyer: "someone leaning on the bike caused directional scratches that look exactly like it low sided? they lean on the grips, bar ends and levers too?"
Seller: "It's in mint condition man, yeah. "


Don't piss on me and tell me it's raining. These types of people are just as bad as those lowballing time wasters and tire kickers. If my friend went alone or another newb went, they'd have fallen for it and would have inherited a rats nest of problems with a 'mint' bike.

Due diligence folks.

/rant
 
I was looking for a couple of pieces that I wanted to replace on my GSX-R, headlight and front fender.
The headlight on mine has a very (tiny) minor scratch, barely noticeable but it's there and it bothers me.

The seller is a forum member for quite a while, he told me the two pieces he had were mint, nothing wrong with them.
I asked for pictures and he said "if I say they're mint, they're mint, trust me."
He offered to send pictures but it would take him some time, I said no worries, I'll take them off you if they're as mint as you say.

I drive from Ajax to Mississauga and I look at these parts and they're way worst condition than I thought and were far from mint.
The fender had tons of scratches and the headlight had a lot of scratches/dings.
The guy had the audacity to call me names for "wasting" his time because I didn't buy the parts.
I gave him 10$ for gas money just to shut him up.

Some people's children.
 
I'd agree, every single ad says never dropped, mint condition.

I couldn't care less if it fell, or even low sided at a slow speed as long as he's honest and everything was fixed.

I don't know many people (people i know actually ride their bikes) that have never dropped a bike. Sh** happens.

To me it's not worth any less just cause there's some scratches on a frame slider or a lever, foot peg or bar end has some touch up paint on it.

Even If there are scratches on a fairing say so in the ad. I'd still come and see it, text my paint guy with a picture and get a price on fixing it.

But don't say it mint when it clearly isn't.

As for time wasters... I have been one recently. I had a guy picking up my bike the next day so I started looking and sending emails out. Then the guy didn't show and never heard from him again. Now my bike is posted back up ready for a new onslaught of stupid questions and lowball offers. Yay.
Felt bad for all the emails I had sent out.
 
My favorite when purchasing a bike is to ask them not to start it before hand as I want to see it on a cold start, then when I arrive I ask them the last time it was started, they say a couple days, I say ok then grab the header, Out of about 7 bikes I mentioned that only one grabbed the header lol.
 
Mina said:
I was looking for a couple of pieces that I wanted to replace on my GSX-R, headlight and front fender.
The headlight on mine has a very (tiny) minor scratch, barely noticeable but it's there and it bothers me.

The seller is a forum member for quite a while, he told me the two pieces he had were mint, nothing wrong with them.
I asked for pictures and he said "if I say they're mint, they're mint, trust me."
He offered to send pictures but it would take him some time, I said no worries, I'll take them off you if they're as mint as you say.

I drive from Ajax to Mississauga and I look at these parts and they're way worst condition than I thought and were far from mint.
The fender had tons of scratches and the headlight had a lot of scratches/dings.
The guy had the audacity to call me names for "wasting" his time because I didn't buy the parts.
I gave him 10$ for gas money just to shut him up.

Some people's children.
Click to expand...
Why would you give him gas money if you were the one that drove?
 
I had the same problem when looking for my bike. Luckily I had a friend who came along to help. Otherwise I would of bought them not knowing any better. Eventually, I got tired of it all and just went and bought new.
 
I don't disagree with anything said above, but I am in the process of selling a bike and it has actually never been dropped or crashed so to be honest I put it in the ad. Mind you if there was any damage that I was aware of I would fully disclose it. I think that is the main focus of any issue when buying or selling a item, depending on what side your on you'll have a different view point. When I bought my 2nd bike I was far more critical over things and made sure I was compensated accordingly, I would expect the same from someone buying my bike if they noted damaged that I did not I would do the right thing and provide something in return and not simply make excuses or BS.
 
I went to see a "mint" ninja 2000 for my frist bike.

wanted $3000 for it.

Rashed up one side with a bent in lever on the same side
Handle bars would not turn properly
Didnt shift correctly.
exhaust was all ruster and falling of the bike.

I offered him $1000 none certifed and i would fix it.

Told me I was just one of the low ballers and not to bother. He called me back like a month after but i already bought a bike.
 
I went all the way to Ottawa to pick up a SMC in "good condition". It had 2X the advertised KM, did not run and looked like ****. Lots of money wasted on gas.
 
To be honest ... sometimes these sellers are opportunities. Catching someone in a bald-faced lie can be a negotiating tool. :p
 
TwistedKestrel said:
To be honest ... sometimes these sellers are opportunities. Catching someone in a bald-faced lie can be a negotiating tool. :p
Click to expand...

Not when they're living in their own world.

One guy in Durham region was trying to pass off his bike as great condition, but when I pointed out paint mismatch, fairing misalignment and damage I could see behind the fairings, he acted like I was the ******* for having the nerve to point out those things to him. Who zip ties rubber grips to their clipons? really???

Anyway, just be careful out there folks.
 
I'm trying to sell my old bike currently, had a promising buyer come by, they saw the damage around the engine case, so I told him to give it a ride because I know everything works perfectly guy does a test ride loves every part of it is ready to put a deposit down, his friend then says wait we want to talk alone for a bit I say ok sure they come back and say they don't want the bike because a couple of screws are missing but everything else was fine... I'm like really?
 
Mina said:
I was looking for a couple of pieces that I wanted to replace on my GSX-R, headlight and front fender.
The headlight on mine has a very (tiny) minor scratch, barely noticeable but it's there and it bothers me.

The seller is a forum member for quite a while, he told me the two pieces he had were mint, nothing wrong with them.
I asked for pictures and he said "if I say they're mint, they're mint, trust me."
He offered to send pictures but it would take him some time, I said no worries, I'll take them off you if they're as mint as you say.

I drive from Ajax to Mississauga and I look at these parts and they're way worst condition than I thought and were far from mint.
The fender had tons of scratches and the headlight had a lot of scratches/dings.
The guy had the audacity to call me names for "wasting" his time because I didn't buy the parts.
I gave him 10$ for gas money just to shut him up.

Some people's children.
Click to expand...

I never understand why people don't post the other persons name.
It will help someone else from dealing with them or show people that this person is not to be trusted.
Either way, it's a warning to fellow riders. If your story is accurate then what is the problem with naming them.
 
Dresden said:
fuuuuuuuuuuuu that.

I would have taken gas money from him!!
Click to expand...

I had to be in Mississauga anyways, so it wasn't a major inconvenience.
I'm not sure if he intentionally lied or his definition of mint is the complete opposite of mine.

BuckWild said:
It will help someone else from dealing with them or show people that this person is not to be trusted.
Click to expand...

The best advice I can give anyone is to ask for pictures.
I have no reason to lie or make things up because I'm not after anything.
I was simply contributing to the thread.
 
BuckWild said:
I never understand why people don't post the other persons name.
It will help someone else from dealing with them or show people that this person is not to be trusted.
Either way, it's a warning to fellow riders. If your story is accurate then what is the problem with naming them.
Click to expand...

Because it just starts another he(she) said / he(she) said thread.

Not worth it for $10.

Now ripping someone off a whole bike or major faux pas... Another story.
 
Pictures are key

Always inspect pictures carefully, if they are infact taken from the same day. I always put tons of pictures for my adds from tons of angles and zoomed in and out.

Sellers should really post a minimum of 3-4 pictures

And always ask if there are not enough, sellers ready to provide them got nothing to hide.
 
Mina said:
The best advice I can give anyone is to ask for pictures.
I have no reason to lie or make things up because I'm not after anything.
I was simply contributing to the thread.
Click to expand...

I'm almost at the point where I don't even trust the pictures. I'm gonna start asking them to take them while holding Today's newspaper and a clock.

SFer said:
Because it just starts another he(she) said / he(she) said thread.

Not worth it for $10.

Now ripping someone off a whole bike or major faux pas... Another story.
Click to expand...

+1 no need to call people out, just warn people to have their wits about them. It's a cycle and they come in waves, just like newbie's every season. Sometimes there's more, sometimes there less. It appears now there's more and more of them.

Mina's right about the definition of 'Mint'. When someone says something is Mint, I believe it to be in like new or gently used condition (within reason). Not "It's mint...except for these scratches and dents and holes and ...."
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom