Dodgy Monster for sale on ebay

SunEye · 11-09-2015, 08:28 PM

Someone is selling a crash damaged Monster on ebay that used to belong to me.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUCATI-MON...item1a05cc7707

Be very wary of buying this bike. The description of the bike is very inaccurate and the photos carefully do not show the crash damage. My insurer classified the bike as a Cat B write off due to the fact that the frame has a crack at the headstock. This is the other damage the bike has:

Bent front axle
Broken front mudguard
Damaged ABS sensor and mounting
Scratched fork leg
Bent lower fork yoke
Bent front brake disc

In addition to that there are a few faults:

The engine leaks about 500ml of oil from around the oil filter when you start the bike.
The front brakes are very spongy, I suspect a faulty master cylinder.
The clutch needs bleeding every thousand miles or so, probably due to a faulty slave or master cylinder.
The fuel tank builds up pressure when the engine gets hot and there is less than half a tank of fuel. The pressure build up can result in a fuel fountain when you open the fuel cap.

And one last thing, the bike is a 2012 model not a 2013 as it says in the advert.

As far as I can ascertain the current owner bought the bike from Copart UK who are the salvage company that my insurance company sold the bike to. I doubt very much that the bike was stolen and quickly recovered, but not before the thieves had drilled off the frame number as is described in the advert. The frame number was removed by Copart because the bike is Cat B and the frame cannot be put back on the road.

I have asked ebay to get the seller to remove the advert and amend the description, but they have not done so because an inaccurate description does not breach ebay rules.

Albie · 11-09-2015, 09:04 PM

I sent him a message saying thanks for taking a photo of the bent frame he never thought we may not see and failed to mention and strangely lacking a picture of complete left side ie front mudguard and made him aware Ducatisti forums know the history and the truth. Still a bargain for money just the bullsh1te I hate.

Darren69 · 12-09-2015, 03:56 AM

Ebay rules clearly state the following is not allowed:-

Incorrect or incomplete information.

Misrepresenting the item for sale.

Look under Text and description on the policy page.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policie...ipulation.html

So are they unaware of their own rules?

SunEye · 12-09-2015, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darren69

Ebay rules clearly state the following is not allowed:-

Incorrect or incomplete information.

Misrepresenting the item for sale.

Look under Text and description on the policy page.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policie...ipulation.html

So are they unaware of their own rules?

I have spoken to ebay twice about the listing. The people I have spoken to have agreed that the listing is inaccurate and have said that they will pass on the information to the relevant department. However the listing is still there.

I did not report it through the ebay automatic system as that provides me with no way of detailing why I believe the listing is breaching ebay policies. As ebay have no way of checking the details of the listing they would be unable to uphold my complaint.

Unfortunately according to many ebay users ebay are rather inconsistent in their removal of listings. Sometimes it can takes minutes from it being reported other times the listing remains. The bottom line is always caveat emptor.

Darren69 · 12-09-2015, 07:09 AM

Exactly, you've done all you can really.

Albie · 12-09-2015, 08:01 AM

Put a 45.000 bid in to screw it up.

utopia · 12-09-2015, 08:37 AM

Its interesting/revealing that his response to a request for the reg number so that checks can be made is .... "What checks need to be made ?".
Hopefully such obvious evasiveness would raise a warning flag to most bidders (though there have been 19 bids so far).
Does anyone know if questions asked about the item are compulsorily displayed by ebay, or is there an option for the seller to hide them ?
Its tempting to ask "why are you lying about the history of this bike ?".

steeevvvooo · 12-09-2015, 08:48 AM

Questions are optionally added to listings I think.

Buyer beware... If you buy a bike without either knowing it/the seller well or being able to hpi it then you will get what you deserve eventually

smiffyraf1 · 12-09-2015, 09:05 AM

i did see this a few days before the post and did look at the options. it is scary to think so much is wrong with it. i dont know if i would do the same kind of checks to a cat b as i would to one i was going to ride away

Darren69 · 12-09-2015, 09:25 AM

I suppose it depends what the buyer intends to do with the bike. If they want to break it and sell or use the spare parts that's probably ok as they would see the frame is cracked. But if they want to use it as a track bike and just jump on it and thrash it around somewhere like Cadwell Park or anything like, it could end very badly for them (and maybe others too)

Sirc · 12-09-2015, 10:40 AM

Thanks for the tip-off Sun Eye

Dukedesmo · 12-09-2015, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeevvvooo

Questions are optionally added to listings I think.

Indeed, questions to the seller are as form of PM which the seller can respond to if they want and they can choose whether to post that response, together with the original question, to the public or just PM it to the asker.

So you normally only see the 'friendly' questions/answers.

Irrespective of the reason for buying I would think it is a given that the buyer would want the reg. no. for HPI check, if only to protect themselves against buying a stolen bike...

SunEye · 12-09-2015, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukedesmo

Irrespective of the reason for buying I would think it is a given that the buyer would want the reg. no. for HPI check, if only to protect themselves against buying a stolen bike...

Especially when the frame number has been removed ;-)

SunEye · 12-09-2015, 08:54 PM

I messaged the seller and asked if they were able to provide me with more information about the theft and recovery of the bike as it had used to be mine and I was interested to know when and where it was stolen. To my knowledge it was not stolen when at Pro Twins or at Copart. The seller's reply was "Why?".

I have replied pointing out that I might want to buy the bike [not true] (my insurer and Copart refused to sell me the bike) and the only bit of history of the bike that I don't know about is the theft. I suggested that providing me with a police crime number would be sufficient.

I also asked about the drilled off frame number because if the theives did that, which must be after it was sold by Copart, then that would mean that Copart sold it without rendering the frame unable to be put back on the road which is quite a serious offence which would require investigation by the authorities.

SunEye · 12-09-2015, 09:08 PM

According to Copart UK's website:

Buying Category B vehicles is just as easy as buying any other vehicle on our website. The only difference with buying Category B vehicles is that the buyer must have and send us the required licences so we can authorise and allow them to purchase vehicles of this category.

So they current owner of my bike is probably a scrap merchant.

11-09-2015, 08:28 PM	#1
SunEye Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bognor Regis Bike: Other Ducati Posts: 589	Dodgy Monster for sale on ebay Someone is selling a crash damaged Monster on ebay that used to belong to me. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUCATI-MON...item1a05cc7707 Be very wary of buying this bike. The description of the bike is very inaccurate and the photos carefully do not show the crash damage. My insurer classified the bike as a Cat B write off due to the fact that the frame has a crack at the headstock. This is the other damage the bike has: Bent front axle Broken front mudguard Damaged ABS sensor and mounting Scratched fork leg Bent lower fork yoke Bent front brake disc In addition to that there are a few faults: The engine leaks about 500ml of oil from around the oil filter when you start the bike. The front brakes are very spongy, I suspect a faulty master cylinder. The clutch needs bleeding every thousand miles or so, probably due to a faulty slave or master cylinder. The fuel tank builds up pressure when the engine gets hot and there is less than half a tank of fuel. The pressure build up can result in a fuel fountain when you open the fuel cap. And one last thing, the bike is a 2012 model not a 2013 as it says in the advert. As far as I can ascertain the current owner bought the bike from Copart UK who are the salvage company that my insurance company sold the bike to. I doubt very much that the bike was stolen and quickly recovered, but not before the thieves had drilled off the frame number as is described in the advert. The frame number was removed by Copart because the bike is Cat B and the frame cannot be put back on the road. I have asked ebay to get the seller to remove the advert and amend the description, but they have not done so because an inaccurate description does not breach ebay rules.

11-09-2015, 09:04 PM	#2
Albie Fanactical volunteer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent Bike: M900 Posts: 9,033	I sent him a message saying thanks for taking a photo of the bent frame he never thought we may not see and failed to mention and strangely lacking a picture of complete left side ie front mudguard and made him aware Ducatisti forums know the history and the truth. Still a bargain for money just the bullsh1te I hate. __________________ http://albies93m900.blogspot.co.uk/

12-09-2015, 03:56 AM	#3
Darren69 Transmaniacon MOC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sutton In Ashfield Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 6,029	Ebay rules clearly state the following is not allowed:- Incorrect or incomplete information. Misrepresenting the item for sale. Look under Text and description on the policy page. http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policie...ipulation.html So are they unaware of their own rules? __________________ Roast Beef Monster! Termignoni and Bucci - Italian for pipe and slippers! S4 Fogarty, S4R 07T, 748, Series 1 Mirage

12-09-2015, 07:09 AM	#5
Darren69 Transmaniacon MOC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sutton In Ashfield Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 6,029	Exactly, you've done all you can really. __________________ Roast Beef Monster! Termignoni and Bucci - Italian for pipe and slippers! S4 Fogarty, S4R 07T, 748, Series 1 Mirage

12-09-2015, 08:01 AM	#6
Albie Fanactical volunteer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kent Bike: M900 Posts: 9,033	Put a 45.000 bid in to screw it up. __________________ http://albies93m900.blogspot.co.uk/

12-09-2015, 08:37 AM	#7
utopia No turn left unstoned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: leicester Bike: M750 Posts: 4,546	Its interesting/revealing that his response to a request for the reg number so that checks can be made is .... "What checks need to be made ?". Hopefully such obvious evasiveness would raise a warning flag to most bidders (though there have been 19 bids so far). Does anyone know if questions asked about the item are compulsorily displayed by ebay, or is there an option for the seller to hide them ? Its tempting to ask "why are you lying about the history of this bike ?".

12-09-2015, 08:48 AM	#8
steeevvvooo Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bromley Bike: M1100evo Posts: 1,512	Questions are optionally added to listings I think. Buyer beware... If you buy a bike without either knowing it/the seller well or being able to hpi it then you will get what you deserve eventually

12-09-2015, 09:05 AM	#9
smiffyraf1 Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Lincoln Bike: M1000ie Posts: 594	i did see this a few days before the post and did look at the options. it is scary to think so much is wrong with it. i dont know if i would do the same kind of checks to a cat b as i would to one i was going to ride away

12-09-2015, 09:25 AM	#10
Darren69 Transmaniacon MOC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sutton In Ashfield Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 6,029	I suppose it depends what the buyer intends to do with the bike. If they want to break it and sell or use the spare parts that's probably ok as they would see the frame is cracked. But if they want to use it as a track bike and just jump on it and thrash it around somewhere like Cadwell Park or anything like, it could end very badly for them (and maybe others too) __________________ Roast Beef Monster! Termignoni and Bucci - Italian for pipe and slippers! S4 Fogarty, S4R 07T, 748, Series 1 Mirage

12-09-2015, 10:40 AM	#11
Sirc Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: guildford Bike: M1200R Posts: 370	Thanks for the tip-off Sun Eye __________________ giacca a vento massima

12-09-2015, 08:54 PM	#14
SunEye Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bognor Regis Bike: Other Ducati Posts: 589	I messaged the seller and asked if they were able to provide me with more information about the theft and recovery of the bike as it had used to be mine and I was interested to know when and where it was stolen. To my knowledge it was not stolen when at Pro Twins or at Copart. The seller's reply was "Why?". I have replied pointing out that I might want to buy the bike [not true] (my insurer and Copart refused to sell me the bike) and the only bit of history of the bike that I don't know about is the theft. I suggested that providing me with a police crime number would be sufficient. I also asked about the drilled off frame number because if the theives did that, which must be after it was sold by Copart, then that would mean that Copart sold it without rendering the frame unable to be put back on the road which is quite a serious offence which would require investigation by the authorities.

12-09-2015, 09:08 PM	#15
SunEye Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bognor Regis Bike: Other Ducati Posts: 589	According to Copart UK's website: Buying Category B vehicles is just as easy as buying any other vehicle on our website. The only difference with buying Category B vehicles is that the buyer must have and send us the required licences so we can authorise and allow them to purchase vehicles of this category. So they current owner of my bike is probably a scrap merchant.