Caveat Emptor!

Or in plain english - buyer beware! We have had two bikes this week bought on e-bay and another forum where the descriptions have 'implied' that the bike is ok and in working order. I hate to be the one who has to go back to someone who, in genuine faith, has bought a bike this way only to find that all is not as it seems. Sad to say there are some unscrupulous folk out there - they don't lie, they just don't tell it like it is and rely on the fact that most folk are not bike mechanics. One of these bikes had scratched and worn stanchions & knackered springs in the forks, worn bushings on the rear shock (we didn't go as far as examining the state of the shock), and a worn bottom bracket which we cannot access as the crank arm threads are destroyed and it failed to respond to the old -fashioned type puller. The only way to remove the crank will be to destroy it at the expense of the new owner. The other had chain, cassette & gear cables worn out, very tired forks, the wrong gear mech hanger and a cracked hydraulic caliper. The former description just listed the components on the bike - no comment about the condition - the latter merely commented about a small tear in the saddle cover - nothing else - to the average punter it seems that all would be well. Neither bike was cheap either - one was very expensive. Both purchasers are going back to the person who they bought from but this is never easy as the 'Caveat Emptor' clause rules. They are between a rock and a hard place and I feel for them.