How do I bid on this?

[KatyMac]

We have seen a tandem for DD & DH

It's a really good bike according to my brother - who is a bike engineer, but he is in Sweden so he hasn't seen it

So how do I bid?

It is apparently 'vintage' & could be worth a lot of money - with a fair bit of work

erm you type in what you are prepared to pay adn hope for the best

Oh Damn - I was hoping for a super secret way of winning

I need a tandem

what about that sniper thing?

OR contact them and see if they would do a buy it now instead..altho not many do

you need this bad boy

works (practically) every time

The BIN is £250 my brother says it's a bit steep as we haven't seen it

It is advertised from a local town but it's actually about 50 miles away

How does it work Frazzelrock?

You put the item number in, your maximum bid, the quantity and the lead time. It then bids for you in the last few seconds (your lead time) I usually give it 3 seconds.
You don't even have to be there so you don't have to rush to get on the internet to bid.
I love it and have won quite a few things this way
You get free snipes to start with and it doesn't cost much anyway. I can't remember how much though (few pence..?) definitely worth it.

Well I gave it a go

Fingers crossed

Does it matter that there is a reserve?

If your bid is too low, you won't win.
It's one of the risks you take. When does it end? I would keep an eye on it if you can. You can always change your maximum bid on auction sniper if you change your mind and think it won't meet the reserve.
Remember your maximum bid isn't necessarily what you will pay. Just as long as it's more than anyone else's maximum bid.

If you keep an eye on it in the last few minutes then you can see how people are bidding then increase your max bid if you need to

I know the reserve It's about £120-£130 (As I spoke to him & he said it was pretty much double the current bid of £62)

How long is the listing? Have there been many bids?

here 1 day 1hr & 8 bids

If someone on MN steals it I will cry

BTW, I wouldn't do BIN. You might get it much cheaper by bidding.
If they have a lot of feedback at 100% then they should be pretty trustworthy so you shouldn't have to go an see it. Will they deliver it? That's a long way to go to pick up...

I don't know anything about bikes but looks good. First listing though....

Could you send your brother a link?

Well it's just a photo - there is only so much you can tell from a photo

If you really want it, then be prepared to pay a good price to secure it.

I know

If he would bring it to Hoveton (where is it advertised from) I'd prob give him the BIN once my dad has seen it

But it's actually miles away

but there are a couple of close ups. He might see something that you might not?

He has there is some stuff he has asked the seller's dad (which is where it is)

& he is worried about the pedals but they are sortable (iyswim)

But without going through each piece & getting the model number & looking it up my brother is limited

Very true.

Remember you can always re sell it. It's had a fair amount of bidders so it's obviously sought after.

Listen to me...... (insert spooky voice here)

I bought a tandem on Ebay 5 years ago from a seller with less than 5 feedback (but it all went fine, he even delivered!).

These comments about Gitane tandems are not good.

Point about delivery is very good; our seller meant to send it Royal Mail but had to deliver it (luckily for him we only lived 60 miles away).

The one you're looking at is a bit ancient and more of a collector's item than a fun-machine.

27 x 1 1/4 inch tyres gives you limited selection; I don't expect them to stop being sold, just warning you (my tourer has 27" wheels).

What sort of riding do you do? I'd be concerned about a frame that age if it is at high risk of breaking (sorry, but it happens!).

Tandems are expensive, wherever you get them. Ours cost £420 on Ebay.

I honestly think you should skip this one on Ebay and instead do one or more of the following:

1. Join the tandem club; it's an investment in making a wise decision. You can describe your needs on the fora there and get enthusiastic advice in return; plus, they have for sale boards (bargains).

2. I believe that a guy working at the Aylsham bike shop is a tandem enthusiast and maybe still collects old heavy but last-forever steel quality tandems. I can phone Aylsham to confirm if you want, and get his details for you.

hth.

very good advise!

Wow thanks

Does it help if I say my brother is a proffessional bike mechanic & says "it's worth £180 unseen, it's probably worth the £250 - once I have spent a weekend on it - I can sell it for a lot more in UK but about quarter of what I could sell it for in Sweden as it is approaching a collectors bike" (tbh I think he wants it)

We have been warned off this sort

But he would be happy for me to buy a Pashley (one went on Sunday a bit far away for £206)

Plus I need a bike for DD asap - it's become a bit of a focus & until we get awarded DLA it will have to be cheap

As for what sort of cycling

Daughter & dad - 20 minutes in the evening or occasional weekends - just to 'get away' if that makes sense?

You now how you rush into things for your children regardless......