to consider bidding for a bike on ebay where I have to arrange my own courier?

[gingerwig]

Have seen the perfect bike on ebay. Seller advertises as pick up only (many bikes are thus)
I emailed him to ask if he would deliver it (me paying delivery of course)
he said no but I am welcome to arrange my own courier.- from London to near Glasgow

WOuld that work?

I've done this before, not for a bike though, and it always worked out fine. I used a company called Interparcel as they seemed to be the cheapest.

Before you commit just check what would be involved in terms of him packing up the bike, being at home for collection etc and make sure that he's up for it. Presumably you've checked his feedback and it all looks good?

Yes, it works :) Just make sure you have several quotes for couriers to get the best deal.

I agree with Cleggy about doublechecking with him he is prepared to pack the bike, etc.. In other words, he understands what is involved in couriering the bike. Even if it is you who arranges for the courier, it is still him who has to package it up into a box, give you the weight and dimensions to arrange for the courier, and a time he is in for the courier to collect.

Personally, if I list something as large as a bike for self-collection, I won't agree to courier because I know it is near impossible to find proper packaging for the bike. If I was prepared to do so much work for a courier, I might as well have listed it with courier charges, to widen my market. Arranging the courier itself is nothing in terms of effort relatively speaking.

If he will box it well for you I would get a courier quote from interparcel.com
I send about 15 parcels a week through them. They basically offer all the major companies DHL, UPS etc, but they buy in large volumes so it's really cheap.

Good Luck!

Blueshoes I think you are right - I dont think he is prepared to pack it - but would a bike need to be packed? It's actually a folding bike

Gingerwig, if you're near Glasgow, have you checked out the bikes at Decathlon, near the Fort? Huge selection, and reasonable prices.

gingerwig, whether or not it needs to be packed depends on the courier. I have only used a courier once, Interparcel, and they need it to be packed. You enter the dimensions of the box on the website and the weight in order to get the quote.

If it is foldable, it will be easier to find a box for it. That's about it.

Why is this in AIBU?

Thanks All,
agent, where is the Fort?

Gingerwig, I'm just outside Glasgow and just about to Ebay a Raleigh bike, the same as the one on this page.

It's a hybrid road/off road bike, good for mountain biking/forest tracks and tarmac roads. If it's the type of thing you're after, let me know and you can come and see it.

It's a fantastic bike, and looks much better than the one in this picture (it doesn't have the parcel carrier bit).

It's been used about 10 times, is in as new condition and has just been serviced.

You can go to shiply.com and people bid to courier item for you. I use all the time in the situation you describe. HTH

yourcall, thanks for this - the one I am looking for is very specific and unusual.
Hob, thanks, had not heard of them before and have registered and await emails!

The fort is off the M8 at Easterhouse. I think there's a decathlon website too.

I got the bike!
Hobgoblin I reg'd with shiply , I hope I get some emails tomorrow!

Excellent! If you can afford to, wait a while as the best quotes come in a few days after posting rather than the next day. :)

fab, thanks very much for this. am so pleased about getting this bike. It's very rare.