Bad traders

Just looking at his post history makes it very clear he is in the U.S. So I suspect it is indeed the Sinewave. He even references a beacon in one post. Very poor form.

Yeah, I used PayPal goods and services and have opened a case. Thanks for the advice

This story has a happy ending.

The poster in question has responded with a legitimate reason for being incommunicado. They have also been apologetic and contributed to the customs cost. I'm gonna delete their name form the above post as I don't want others to think they are a bad trader, just mitigating circumstance in this case (but I'm gonna keep the posts up so the replies make sense and as info for others).

This story has a happy ending.

Good stuff.

Name removed from my post too.

Sold a bike under a month ago, buyer test rode, we shook hands and paid there and then PayPal gift. Brakes were screaming which I put down to being new pads not being bedded in yet.
Buyer has just messaged me saying they’ve used the bike lots but brakes still screaming and fork now soft and both must be sorted at my expense. The buyer was original owner of the bike but was owned by another before me.

I’m always up for doing the right thing and will make good on this one way or the other but feels a bit of a stretch to me.
Buyer is a forumenger of good standing.

Ffs

They had a test ride, pads can be set toe in.

I really don’t think you have anything to answer to

Hydro brakes?

Yup

Hydro brakes? Well they bought as seen.

If they didn’t notice a fork issue until now, and they had owned the bike before it could be that they have damaged the fork since getting the bike back.

After a test ride, I'd say you're definitely buying as seen and squeaky brakes are an annoyance but not a problem.
Fork soft? Sus fork? Suspension needs servicing and maintenance. If you buy used suspension which hasn't recently been serviced, you should expect it to need doing very soon.

I also fixed 2 leaky nipples, got new pads(the squeaky ones) and bled the brakes as they were spongy when I bought the bike. I put that down to being a used bike and would expect to do odd jobs like that on anything I bought.

Rockshox air fork. I took it round Epping a handful of times and never even jumped it.

Ignore them on the forum, block their number and know you have done nothing wrong.

Unless there’s a leak or something stopping them from fixing the brakes easily then I’m inclined to think >>>>

No idea about the forks.

I’m always up for doing the right thing and will make good on this one way or the other but feels a bit of a stretch to me.

Did you tell them that it all worked properly? Or that you looked after it? If so then you should try and sort it.

If you told them something like “no idea if it all works, sold as seen” then yeah you can probably walk away.

Most people expect stuff to work and not be fucked - unless warned otherwise.

If this was eBay and the item wasn’t sold as spares or repair you’d probably have to accept a return.

I said yeah everything works and in the condition I bought it, well, better as I bled and fixed brake leak. I don’t feel any of that negates the fact we shook hands after a test ride.
I don’t know enough about air forks to know if they leaked or not in my stewardship but coming back to me after a month is enough time to trounce a pair of forks if they’re getting rad. If they’d bottomed out on the ride home I absolutely would have been happy to make good.

Buyer has just messaged me saying they’ve used the bike lots but...

Wear and tear or parts failing under new ownership is not the sellers responsibility in my opinion, as long as it worked as it should when it was sold which it sounds like it was.

Well, this is the problem with hydraulic and air sprung kit (and why buying it used is always a matter of trust) - the extent of some issues do not come to light or are apparent immediately. If the brakes were still borked after 10 hours and it was apparent that the fork was not working properly in that time scale or there abouts then the seller has questions to answer. 20 hours? Maybe....depends how the kit was sold “perfect” vs. “Used”. 50 hours? Not so much.

For contrast I sold an air sprung fork on eBay and the buyer messaged me and told me it was leaking air a couple of weeks after receiving it. I presume he was a bigger guy than me and had put it under more stress than I could do, but because I know how these things actually work I was perfectly happy to either give him the money to get it properly repaired, repair it myself, or a full refund. In the end he just went quiet. Weird.

I’ve bought and sold on the forum for years, I’ve always been on the assumption that all sales are final and it’s buyer beware, we all make mistakes and I’d certainly never knowingly mislead or sell dangerous kit. That’s certainly how I’ve undertaken all purchases on here and once or twice I’ve not made my best decisions but wouldn’t expect the seller to do anything as I’m buying used. I don’t feel I misrepresented the sale and I wonder if the buyer has rose-tinted view seeing as they owned the bike in the past.

Coming back to me a month after purchase expecting me to pay their servicing costs seems a bit much. I’m not a shop selling a new bike with a service plan.

I’m a little miffed this has popped up the day before I head off on a tour :(

I don't think you have any responsibility in this situation. Ultimately it is second hand kit sold unwarranted. The one month interlude between sale and complaint just compounds the unreasonableness of the buyer's expectations.

I once bought a bike off eBay which ended up being cracked at the head tube. As I’d gone to inspect it and didn’t spot it and basically I had no recourse as I’d accepted the condition of it and taken it away.

I’m not suggesting you’re selling a knackered bike, but basically if the buyer tests it and accepts it with squeaking brakes and all then it should not be up to you rectify any ensuing issues.

IIRC if you had paid with PayPal you're still protected by PayPal. Buyer's protection is absent however if it's collected in person and paid in cash.

I have told them my thoughts, blocked on phone and ignored on here. I’m already nervous as hell about touring alone this week and don’t need anyone twisting my arm for money I don’t owe them.

Perfectly reasonable attitude. Name and shame.