Why should the buyer carry all the risk.

[trail - er - park]

Agree with Dale - mitigate risk by having a trusted party check the items out.

 

And only buy from Hubbers who have a decent track record / credibility in the community.... bit tougher on legit 1st timers and we all had to start somewhere.... but if this is your risk appetite then limit your shopping range.

 

My $0.02

[floatfox]

I both buy and sell so know both sides... If you have concerns about taking risk and buying used components... Then go buy new from your lbs and save the worry!

As others have said, you seem to want your cake and eat it... There are probably 100s of sales done weekly on the hub of which 99% are satisfactory!

You are wasting your time trying to negotiate your scenario. If you feel the deal is dodgy then walk away from it... Else as Dale said get a mate to look at the item if they are local and you are not. Alternatively ask if the item can be taken to an lbs and checked then phone the lbs to discuss the item.

I also buy and sell on the hub...the only difference is that I have a conscience..if I sell an item that has a problem I point it out and then drop the price accordingly!! Those will be my terms when I buy an item from now on. 50% deposit, balance when goods are received. Take it or leave it.

[V12man]

If it was a real problem, you'd have seen third party escrow outfits like paypal to fill the gap. I think 99% of sales go well so there's no demand for higher security beyond common sense

 

 

people really send to you with no cash being handed over?

yup - some do

[Heenan]

Wouldn't the risk of getting a negative rating out weigh the benefit of extra cash a seller would make by false advertising. Surely all future deals would be much harder with negative ratings?

[Evo R]

I Agree. A 50% mistake is always better than a 100% mistake!!

[Malpiet]

Been buying and selling on the hub since forever,

 

a lot depends on the communication between the buyer and seller and how swiftly your issues are communicated to the next party.The longer the delay the harder it will be to obtain a refund IMO

 

I've bought a few items off the hub that I was not happy with,all it takes is a courtesy call to voice my opinion maybe even negotiate a small refund or if iam really unhappy I'll cover the postage back to the seller and i apply the same principles to myself when I sell a item on to someone else,

 

To date I had no problems with getting a refund or refunding anyone.

[Joeboy69]

I trust people. Too easily. I have only bought one item on the hub. Paid the R25k without seeing the bike. Very happy with it :-) From the hub it seemed the seller was a good guy so I went with that ...

 

Leap of faith I suppose!

[Tumbleweed]

I've asked a 3rd party (HubSA dude that I had confidence in) to go check out the carbon goodies for me that I bought in Pretoria.

It worked out well.

I encourage others to do the same.

 

Agreed. I'm often asked about buying 2nd hand at the shop. I suggest that either the buyer or the seller should fork out for a minor service at a bike shop to have the bike assessed.

[Butterbean]

What stops a buyer from simply not paying the other 50%, and he's already got the goods??

 

What stops the buyer from pointing out negligible issues. Like a scratch, or a nick, and expecting you to drop your price by a few thousand bucks because it wasn't "as described"? Again, he's now got the goods, and also then has you by the balls.

 

Unfortunately, you assume the risks when buying. You're buying because it's a bargain. Sometimes you score, other times you were a bit hasty and got screwed.

 

I always prefer to see the goods, but have bought and sold via postage without a problem. But ask all the questions and get all the pics before you agree a price. If you need to rush for a bargain, rather let it go if you don't want to risk it.

[floatfox]

What stops a buyer from simply not paying the other 50%, and he's already got the goods??

What stops the buyer from pointing out negligible issues. Like a scratch, or a nick, and expecting you to drop your price by a few thousand bucks because it wasn't "as described"? Again, he's now got the goods, and also then has you by the balls.

Unfortunately, you assume the risks when buying. You're buying because it's a bargain. Sometimes you score, other times you were a bit hasty and got screwed.

I always prefer to see the goods, but have bought and sold via postage without a problem. But ask all the questions and get all the pics before you agree a price. If you need to rush for a bargain, rather let it go if you don't want to risk it.

I can completely understand what you are saying, but once I have paid over the money, the seller has me by the nuts..he now has my money. I just dont agree with accepting all the risk, as I am the one buying the sellers unwanted goods.

[shaper]

I can completely understand what you are saying, but once I have paid over the money, the seller has me by the nuts..he now has my money. I just dont agree with accepting all the risk, as I am the one buying the sellers unwanted goods.

Then buy local when you can see the item or buy new at lbs and leave risk taking to others as it seems it is not for you

 

Ultimately as a buyer it is something you want as part of a build and need it more than the seller who is getting ride of it..... Trying to dictate terms of the sale,you are more than likely to fail in the purchase.

 

Is all about doing your research, asking the right questions as part of mitigating your exposure to risk in buying something online unseen.

 

Each to their own I guess...

[Skubarra]

I can completely understand what you are saying, but once I have paid over the money, the seller has me by the nuts..he now has my money. I just dont agree with accepting all the risk, as I am the one buying the sellers unwanted goods.

The problem with your argument is that the seller can simply wait for a buyer willing to pay 100% upfront, no risk involved. Even if the buyer negotiates a better price the seller is still guaranteed say 90% or 80% with no risk.

 

No seller is going to go for your 50% upfront suggestion unless he is really hard-up to get rid of the thing.

[Brian Fantana]

When I buy something from a hubber, I always tell them that I will sort out the shipping myself and that he needs to supply a collection address with telephone number etc.

 

They will usually give a company name and address, which gives some form of security.

 

Never had any problems with quality of goods or time of delivery.

[RichieT]

This is a well worn topic .. without a single best solution, other than the rating system available on this site, and under utilised, I think, in combination with length of time on hub, number of posts, and a telephone chat with the seller before committing to the deal.. or only buy locally.

It's all a matter of common sense..

Or only buy long distance stuff up to a budget limit that you're happy to lose out on.

[RichieT]

When I buy something from a hubber, I always tell them that I will sort out the shipping myself and that he needs to supply a collection address with telephone number etc.

 

They will usually give a company name and address, which gives some form of security.

 

Never had any problems with quality of goods or time of delivery.

And I do this too

[Butterbean]

I can completely understand what you are saying, but once I have paid over the money, the seller has me by the nuts..he now has my money. I just dont agree with accepting all the risk, as I am the one buying the sellers unwanted goods.

To be honest, I think the only foolproof way is to get some bike shops on board and act as middlemen. You take your item to the bike shop, they send to their corresponding franchise in buyers town, and buyer only takes bike If he's happy. The seller gets money out at the other end. I'm surety could charge a small handling fee for this. It's the only way that makes sense in my mind.

 

However, I doubt any bike shop is about to agree to this on a regular basis. The second hand market kills theirs. So again, keep it local, keep it cash, and that's the only private way to keep it risk free. Ship, and assume the worst.

 

When I bought from China, I had actually considered losing it all. Cash and not getting a bike. But I was prepared to gamble that cash for the potential payoff. It's the same process you need to go through when buying on the Hub.