What do I do about this dodgy Ebay seller?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330288693674&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

Classic example of some know-nothing dickhead jumping on the fixed bandwagon and trying to rip people off with dangerous conversions...

A few months ago I bought this off the 'bay. It was cheap, it was 531, it had mudguards and a rack so I didn't have to put them on my pretty bike, so I didn't ask too many questions. When the bike arrived the chainline was a mile out but - worse - when converting it the guy had just taken the old freewheel off, screwed a fixed cog on, and not even bothered with a suicide lockring over the top - as I recall, there wasn't even space on the thread. It was lethal - it had come loose within ten yards of riding...

He eventually, reluctantly, agreed to take it back after I'd explained why it was so dangerous. I accepted that he was just a muppet and agreed not to leave negative feedback in return for him accepting that he'd made a mistake, refunding my money and undertaking not to offer it for sale in the same state.

Now I see he's waited until I can't leave any feedback, and put it back up for sale in exactly the same condition. Ignorance is no longer any excuse after a long and anoraky explanation from me on what he needed to do to make it safe, or even usable.

I know have much better things to worry about, but I'm outraged that this knob is trying to con someone else, or worse, leave them under a bus when the cog comes off in traffic. I notice that he no longer accepts returns, so someone is going to get shafted.

So what to do? I'm a bit of an Ebay novice. The 'report this item' function is no use. He's not going to take much notice of me emailing him. Anyone have any idea how to sabotage his listing? Bid it up to some stupid amount with a phoney/dormant account? Ideas please.

I've just read the listing of this and it all seems good to me.
The seller says that there is no lockring, there are two brakes fitted and it is (after all) listed as a 'tourer'
I can tell from the photos that the chainline is nowhere near good.
I can't see your problem.
How much did you pay for it?

Caveat emptor

Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback on a buyers account, every time he lists it, bid a grand and never pay if you feel that passionately about it. Otherwise what fruitbat says.

I quite like it, might get it for a cheap pub bike.

"Please note there is no lock ring on the fixed cog, however with two brakes this has never been a problem. If it is a problem for you don't bid."

Yeah.. he does point it out pretty clearly so it's not like he's misrepresenting it.

Damn you hippy, I was about to post that too. I can't see the problem to be honest.

Have another read of my post. I've ridden this bike, and it is unrideable! Just saying there's no lockring isn't enough - someone who doesn't know how important a lockring is will buy it, then be stuck with a bike they can't ride without shelling out another £60 or so to get a proper hub put in. Having two brakes makes zero difference - the cog will unscrew as soon as the speed of the wheel tries to exceed that of the crank. And calling it a 'tourer' hardly makes any difference!

I've ridden this bike, and it is unrideable!

?

How much did you pay?

How much did you pay?

About a ton, as I recall.

Not a bad deal at all then. Bid again, or get over it

Not a bad deal at all then. Bid again, or get over it

Bid again??? With respect, I don't think you've quite followed the story here...

I assume it is rideable apart from your concerns about the lockring, and there are ways of making a cog stay fixed without one - industrial Loctite or 'Rotafixing' will do it (google it if you're not sure). It has decent enough looking brakes, and you wouldn't want to be skid stopping on this anyway.

As above, just walk away - caveat emptor to whoever takes it on.

Bid again??? With respect, I don't think you've quite followed the story here...

You got a fairly good deal if it was under a hundred.
I've read your post, what's the 'story'?

The story is he accepted that it was fucked, took it back on that basis, said he wouldn't sell it again as it was, but is now attempting to palm it off on someone else who'll have to spend £60 at least to make it usable - with no returns.

@ d_c - I know about rotafixing (used to be a bike mechanic, a long time ago!) but didn't want to risk stripping the threads on a bike I was pretty sure I was going to have to send back. Chainwhipped it (though just forward pedalling probably exerts as much torque) but personally I'd never ride fixed without a lockring, or a shit-load of glue on an old hub!

'He eventually, reluctantly, agreed to take it back' (in your OP) doesn't quite fit with 'he accepted that it was fucked' in the post above.
As I said earlier, under a hundred is not a bad price for what he is selling, and the description and photos seem accurate.
Let it go, get over it

'He eventually, reluctantly, agreed to take it back' (in your OP) doesn't quite fit with 'he accepted that it was fucked' in the post above.

Thanks for the textual analysis - are you a literary critic? If so, you'll notice that the second version is slightly condensed...

Let it go, get over it

I am over it. I have my money back. Just don't want someone else to be in the same position. Thanks for your (slightly perplexing) level of interest!

My level of interest is to do with your description of this seller as "dodgy" and "dickhead" and "knob".
And, also asking " Anyone have any idea how to sabotage his listing?"
As far as I can see. his listing is accurate and honest.
Once again, get over it.

Common guys; if your girlfriend/loved one had bought the bike even if it was for a pack of fags or a dairy lea you'd be pretty pissed at the fact that this guy had potentially put him/her at fairly serious risk despite knowledge that the chain ring is likely to fall off ten meters from the point of sale. It's one thing to say there is no lock ring but unless you have geeky knowledge of bikes then you're at some potential risk. At the least glue the cunt down. If he'd sold it to my sister I wouldn't be laughing.

On ebay there is a bit where it says email the buyer...tick the bit where it says show question..then tell it as it is....Potential buyers will read it and then they can make up their own mind...but be careful not to say anything personal or seemingly malicious about the seller.

Its the seller that gets to choose the 'show question on listing' not the person asking the question.

I still think it is a good deal, around 100 for the complete bike, plus less than 60 to have the back wheel rebuilt with a proper hub.

caveat emptor - always, with everything. I think the bloke genuinely thinks its ok, or he would not have put the lack of lockring in the listing.

If you don't know what a lockring is, should you really be buying bikes off ebay?

His listing is accurate. Buyer beware.

look, if the bike is potentially dangerous, report the listing right away, and if you really want to stop someone else buying, it, Fatbloke, then BID YOURSELF AND WIN THE AUCTION.

this is what they were trying to tell you above. if you do this, then don't pay him, obviously, contact him and say that he shouldnt be selling the bike as it's dangerous. he can't leave negative feedback for you under the new eBay rules.

If you don't know what a lockring is, should you really be buying bikes off ebay?

His listing is accurate. Buyer beware.

are you serious? nobody will know what one is, unless they are into bikes. his listing is accurate, technically, but it does not explain that this is therefore dangerous to ride!
No one reading the auction will think that someone would have the gall to sell something they knew to be dangerous, and will assume the 'lockring' isn't a big deal, as he said.

Buyer beware my fucking arse.

It's not your problem anymore - walk away and let somebody else deal with it. As has been said many times - buyer beware - this is eBay after all.

For that price I'd be looking to strip it down and use my own components anyway, but in any case, it's not up to you to try and police this person's listings - they've listed in sufficient detail the problems with the bike, and only a muppet would ride a bike 'as is' after picking up.

and only a muppet would ride a bike 'as is' after picking up.

Yeah, right, of course. I keep forgetting that the whole world is a bike mechanic, and anyone buying a bike would never dream that it might be fit for fucking purpose, and would of course strip it down and rebuild it as a matter of formality.