# Schwinn on EBay -- Is this a good buy?



## TJW (Dec 23, 2017)

This looks pretty nice for the price:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1940s-Schw...644227?hash=item3afb164683:g:vdMAAOSwYc5aOVLW


----------



## GTs58 (Dec 23, 2017)

Looks darn nice for the price to me. Good thing I don't have the room or that kind of extra cash. Seller is a member here.


----------



## deepsouth (Dec 23, 2017)

Buying a finished bike is always cheaper than doing a restoration on a beat up bike,
unless you can do all the work including paint . These are fairly expensive bikes to restore if you have to buy many parts.  This one looks ready to enjoy. If you like it, go for it. It's your money, so don't worry about what others think.


----------



## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 23, 2017)

He says a Caber I’ve dealt with a time or two, solid dude in my opinion.


----------



## bikemonkey (Dec 23, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> He says a Caber I’ve dealt with a time or two, solid dude in my opinion.



I looked at his eBay store items and figured he had to be a Caber...


----------



## Clark58mx (Dec 24, 2017)

Hello Yes that’s my bike. I’ve had it for about a year. Been in my collection. Selling because i got some other projects. I bought it here on the Cabe. Very nice paint job. Couple minor scratches from being moved around.


----------



## spoker (Dec 24, 2017)

super nice bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## SJ_BIKER (Dec 24, 2017)

I woulda bought that already if i didnt have all my current projects


----------



## Bikermaniac (Dec 25, 2017)

Damn it! now that I'm in selling mode. Great bike for the price.


----------



## TJW (Dec 27, 2017)

Thanks for all the comments and thoughts.

I bought this bike and will post a report when I receive it.


----------



## ballooney (Dec 27, 2017)

TJW said:


> Thanks for all the comments and thoughts.
> 
> I bought this bike and will post a report when I receive it.




Congrats on your purchase.  It's a nice bike.


----------



## TJW (Jan 2, 2018)

FEDEX (bikeflights.com) delivered this bike to me today.  The boxes looked perfect so FEDEX seems to have done a good job with the shipment.

It was very cold in Houston today so I did not try to do the re-assembly today.

However, I did open the boxes and from what I was able to see, the bike looks to be as described.

So far, I give very high marks to the seller (Clark58mx).  He shipped the bike very quickly and he appears to have done an excellent job of packing it.  He has also been very good about communicating quickly.


----------



## GTs58 (Jan 2, 2018)

Glad to hear that beauty made it home safely. Two thumbs up to you and the seller!


----------



## TJW (Jan 11, 2018)

Well, I finally started unpacking this bike today.

To say the least it was a sad experience.

The rack was bubble wrapped separately, but it was in the bottom of the box.  The shipping box shows no damage.

Apparently the box somehow flexed in shipment and the rack got badly bent (see pictures).

When I saw the rack, I just stopped unwrapping stuff, so I don't know if there is other damage or not.

To say the least, this badly bent rack will ruin the look of the bike.

I think this cures me of the old bike hobby.  It is just too risky to ship nice bicycles.


----------



## GTs58 (Jan 11, 2018)

Bummer. I know how you feel, I've been thru that a few times myself and stopped unboxing. I can't get a nice bike part shipped without damage. I picked up a cherry chain guard and when it showed up I said a few choice words and didn't even open it until four days later. It was destroyed.


----------



## WES PINCHOT (Jan 11, 2018)

SO SAD!
HOPE IT WAS INSURED IN ANY EVENT.


----------



## TJW (Jan 11, 2018)

My current thinking is to just part this bike out and try to recoup what I can.

This cures me of the old bike hobby.

Far safer to buy old cars and have them transported than to ship a nice bike.


----------



## ZE52414 (Jan 11, 2018)

TJW said:


> My current thinking is to just part this bike out and try to recoup what I can.
> 
> This cures me of the old bike hobby.
> 
> Far safer to buy old cars and have them transported than to ship a nice bike.



Why would you part that bike out cause of the rack??? Doesn't make any sense. Why not straighten the Rack or buy a rack And paint to march??


----------



## TJW (Jan 11, 2018)

ZE52414 said:


> Why would you part that bike out cause of the rack??? Doesn't make any sense. Why not straighten the Rack or buy a rack And paint to march??




Matching the paint on the rest of the bike might prove to be challenging.

Plus I haven't even unwrapped the other parts of the bike so there may be additional damage that I haven't yet seen.

At age 81, I'm just not inclined to go through the hassle of trying to find a rack and then trying to get the paint matched.  I have had a lot of experience trying to get paint to match on some old cars and it can be a challenge.  With my luck, the repainted rack would stand out like a sore thumb.

At the moment, just parting the bike out has a lot of appeal and may be the simplest solution.


----------



## ZE52414 (Jan 11, 2018)

TJW said:


> Matching the paint on the rest of the bike might prove to be challenging.
> 
> Plus I haven't even unwrapped the other parts of the bike so there may be additional damage that I haven't yet seen.
> 
> ...



Shipping 15 different parts would seem a little tougher. But it's your bike why don't you offer it here on the cabe whole for what you have in it. Never know may get your money back.


----------



## TJW (Jan 11, 2018)

ZE52414 said:


> Shipping 15 different parts would seem a little tougher. But it's your bike why don't you offer it here on the cabe whole for what you have in it. Never know may get your money back.




Thanks, that is a good thought.


----------



## tripple3 (Jan 12, 2018)

TJW said:


> Thanks, that is a good thought.



Bummer.
I grabbed the eBay pics before they're gone for future reference.


----------



## Kickstand3 (Jan 12, 2018)

tripple3 said:


> Bummer.
> I grabbed the eBay pics before they're gone for future reference.
> View attachment 736779 View attachment 736780 View attachment 736781 View attachment 736782 View attachment 736783 View attachment 736784 View attachment 736785 View attachment 736786 View attachment 736787 View attachment 736788 View attachment 736789 View attachment 736790



thats a beautiful bike very expensive to put togeather like that .  I believe you got a good buy . Have fun with it


----------



## TJW (Jan 12, 2018)

tripple3 said:


> Bummer.
> I grabbed the eBay pics before they're gone for future reference.
> View attachment 736779 View attachment 736780 View attachment 736781 View attachment 736782 View attachment 736783 View attachment 736784 View attachment 736785 View attachment 736786 View attachment 736787 View attachment 736788 View attachment 736789 View attachment 736790





Thanks--


----------



## TJW (Jan 12, 2018)

Kickstand3 said:


> thats a beautiful bike very expensive to put togeather like that .  I believe you got a good buy . Have fun with it





unfortunately, the rear rack was removed from the bike and was packed in the bottom of one of the shipping boxes and it got badly damaged in shipment.

Don't know what I will do.  

But I think I can recoup most of my costs by just parting out this once beautiful bike.


----------



## ballooney (Jan 12, 2018)

TJW said:


> unfortunately, the rear rack was removed from the bike and was packed in the bottom of one of the shipping boxes and it got badly damaged in shipment.
> 
> Don't know what I will do.
> 
> But I think I can recoup most of my costs by just parting out this once beautiful bike.




I have been in your situation and most of us have been as well or will be at some point if you are active in the hobby and have bikes shipped.  It's always a risk if you're not picking up.  However, from my experience, I suggest you take a step back and give yourself at least a week to process your disappointment.  Parting the bike now would be more of a knee jerk reaction, an emotional decision, than if you come to the same conclusion a week from now with a clearer, rational mindset.  It's a beautiful bike with or without a perfect rack and there are talented members here that could likely remedy your problem.  That said, I hear your words and I feel for you.  Hang in there.


----------



## TJW (Jan 12, 2018)

ballooney said:


> I have been in your situation and most of us have been as well or will be at some point if you are active in the hobby and have bikes shipped.  It's always a risk if you're not picking up.  However, from my experience, I suggest you take a step back and give yourself at least a week to process your disappointment.  Parting the bike now would be more of a knee jerk reaction, an emotional decision, than if you come to the same conclusion a week from now with a clearer, rational mindset.  It's a beautiful bike with or without a perfect rack and there are talented members here that could likely remedy your problem.  That said, I hear your words and I feel for you.  Hang in there.





Thanks for the thoughtful and good advice.  

I took the rack this morning to the automotive body shop that has done paint work for me in the past on some old cars.

I was surprised at how much they want to straighten the rack and then carefully color match the paint.  Very expensive.


----------



## dave laidacker (Jan 12, 2018)

Hello,

What a beautiful bike. I would not get discouraged about that rack. Buy another rack that is straight (used or new) and look for someone else to paint the rack. Several times I took a chain guard to NAPA auto parts, had the paint matched electronically from the guard and then they supply you with an aerosol can with a special nozzle and it lays the paint down real nice. I wouldn't do a complete bike that way but you may be very surprised how good that is. I did it on several small bicycle parts in the past. If you want to sell the bent rack I may be interested.


----------



## Autocycleplane (Jan 12, 2018)

TJW said:


> Thanks for the thoughtful and good advice.
> 
> I took the rack this morning to the automotive body shop that has done paint work for me in the past on some old cars.
> 
> I was surprised at how much they want to straighten the rack and then carefully color match the paint.  Very expensive.




First of all, bummer. We all feel for you.

Some thoughts:

Have you contacted the seller? He's reputable and will likely attempt to make things right here.
The rack can likely be saved, I've gotten some pretty wonked-up 6-hole racks looking good over the years.
Do you know who painted the bike originally? Or what kind of paint is on it? Should be relatively easy to match.
Feel free to send me a private message here, I can give you names of a couple of hobby guys that might help you out for much less than an auto shop.
It's a good looking bike, you got a good deal on it before the rack fiasco. You may still come out ahead on this with a little cooperation from the seller and some help from the Cabe community.


----------



## TJW (Jan 12, 2018)

dave laidacker said:


> Hello,
> 
> What a beautiful bike. I would not get discouraged about that rack. Buy another rack that is straight (used or new) and look for someone else to paint the rack. Several times I took a chain guard to NAPA auto parts, had the paint matched electronically from the guard and then they supply you with an aerosol can with a special nozzle and it lays the paint down real nice. I wouldn't do a complete bike that way but you may be very surprised how good that is. I did it on several small bicycle parts in the past. If you want to sell the bent rack I may be interested.





Thanks for the suggestion.  I have had an O'Reilly store create touchup paint in the past for an old car and it worked pretty well.

However, I think the rack for this bike would need to be professionally painted.  Otherwise, it would detract from the rest of the bike.  Even if professionally painted, it is somewhat of a gamble as to whether everything will match.

I briefly checked EBAY and THECABE and it looks like a nice replacement rack is going to cost in the neighborhood of $200+,so, with the cost of professional painting added in, this will be an expensive repair.


----------



## Clark58mx (Jan 12, 2018)

I have used my local auto parts(Hovis) for paint matching. I usually take the chainguard in, and they mix the color for me. Very close. And it’s in a aerosol can, and is more automotive grade then cheaper spray paint. I remember using a lot of bubble wrap on this bike. And a lot of brown paper for padding. I am blown away that rack got bent the way it did.


----------



## TJW (Jan 12, 2018)

I think the box got flexed in handling by FEDEX.

I contacted bike flights.com this morning and they are going to see what they can do for me.

The rack is the only thing that I have removed the bubble wrap from.  I knew as soon as I pulled it out of the box that it looked bent out of shape.

There might be damage to other items that are still in bubble wrap, but I don't think so.

Overall, I think you had everything well wrapped.  And I am very thankful that the shipment was insured.

The shipping boxes showed no obvious damage when they arrived.   However, upon very close examination this morning, I found a crease in the larger box where the rack was.  The crease or bend in the box was much more noticeable on the inside of the box.  My only conclusion is that the larger shipping box got flexed in handling and shipping.

Anyway, I hope bike flights.com can use their influence with FEDEX.


----------



## bobcycles (Jan 14, 2018)

TJW said:


> I think the box got flexed in handling by FEDEX.
> 
> I contacted bike flights.com this morning and they are going to see what they can do for me.
> 
> ...





------If the whole thing does leave a bad taste in your mouth?  By all means part it out.  Pretty funky / amateur (but shiny! ; ) ) restoration..
A properly restored B6 would be triple the price you paid done right.   And with the $ money recouped, you could probably find
a very decent original unrestored bike which would be not only a better investment...but a nicer piece of nostalgia to own.

As a shipper and receiver.....I am SOO so sick of the lack of effort people make when packing bikes and parts.  ...
There is no excuse for things like this happening.  Even a dropped or 'mishandled' by FedEx/UPS package should
be able to withstand most damage if the PACKER makes the effort to safeguard what is inside.

I can remember back in the 90's when I was a UPS devotee.... and shipped entirely through them.   ...Eventually?
Careless and even shady people ruined the process.  Due to excessive Claims and fraudulent BS
UPS began seriously raising rates on bike boxes...and TOTALLY scrutinizing packages...even
insisting that you open them up at the location as they totally nit picked the contents.

I remember it getting increasingly difficult as they got more stringent.  2 main reasons....people lying about
insured values to profit from claims.... and ridiculously lazy packing procedures by sellers/shippers.

I had to quit using UPS due the escalation of costs and hassles shipping.

PLEASE!  If you pack a BIKE....pack it like you are shipping it to yourself ....or "God" or somebody...

Most of what I hear about or experience in damage claims could have been avoided.

My 2 cents.


----------



## bobcycles (Jan 14, 2018)

TJW said:


> Well, I finally started unpacking this bike today.
> 
> To say the least it was a sad experience.
> 
> ...






If you decide to keep the bike..... I'll shoot the top for you N/C if you buy the paint from my local supplier....maybe 60 range for the match
and a pint of red/marroon 
Another caber I know agreed to straighten that for you and prep.
Let us know


----------



## TJW (Jan 14, 2018)

bobcycles said:


> ------If the whole thing does leave a bad taste in your mouth?  By all means part it out.  Pretty funky / amateur (but shiny! ; ) ) restoration..
> A properly restored B6 would be triple the price you paid done right.   And with the $ money recouped, you could probably find
> a very decent original unrestored bike which would be not only a better investment...but a nicer piece of nostalgia to own.
> 
> ...








bobcycles said:


> ------If the whole thing does leave a bad taste in your mouth?  By all means part it out.  Pretty funky / amateur (but shiny! ; ) ) restoration..
> A properly restored B6 would be triple the price you paid done right.   And with the $ money recouped, you could probably find
> a very decent original unrestored bike which would be not only a better investment...but a nicer piece of nostalgia to own.
> 
> ...





Bob--

I may take you and Eric up on your kind offers to straighten the damaged rack and repaint it.

Your thoughts and your offer are most appreciated--

Thad


----------



## Oilit (Jan 16, 2018)

bobcycles said:


> ------If the whole thing does leave a bad taste in your mouth?  By all means part it out.  Pretty funky / amateur (but shiny! ; ) ) restoration..
> A properly restored B6 would be triple the price you paid done right.   And with the $ money recouped, you could probably find
> a very decent original unrestored bike which would be not only a better investment...but a nicer piece of nostalgia to own.
> 
> ...



The sad fact is a lot of sellers don't want to take the trouble, and there's no guarantee it will survive shipping even when they do. If a bike isn't close enough to pick up, I generally pass. Nothing ruins a good deal faster than a box full of beat up parts.


----------



## TJW (Jan 16, 2018)

Oilit said:


> The sad fact is a lot of sellers don't want to take the trouble, and there's no guarantee it will survive shipping even when they do. If a bike isn't close enough to pick up, I generally pass. Nothing ruins a good deal faster than a box full of beat up parts.





You are so right.  I knew better and should not have taken the chance on buying a bike that had to be shipped.

Only good thing is that I think I can, over time, recoup most of my money by just parting this bike out.


----------



## ZE52414 (Jan 16, 2018)

TJW said:


> You are so right.  I knew better and should not have taken the chance on buying a bike that had to be shipped.
> 
> Only good thing is that I think I can, over time, recoup most of my money by just parting this bike out.



I'm still trying to figure out what you mean by recoup most of your money? Do you think these are cheap bikes or you way over paid? If you parted that bike out you would make money. Rack or no rack.


----------



## TJW (Jan 16, 2018)

I've never parted out a bike before so it would be a learning experience.

It also would be some work to sell and ship each individual part.

My best guesstimate is that selling the pieces would roughly recoup my money but I am not an expert.


----------



## Freqman1 (Jan 16, 2018)

TJW said:


> You are so right.  I knew better and should not have taken the chance on buying a bike that had to be shipped.
> 
> Only good thing is that I think I can, over time, recoup most of my money by just parting this bike out.




I've shipped a bunch of bikes and bought a bunch that were shipped to me including a Bluebird, Aerocycle, '38 canti Autocycle Super Deluxe, '20 Flying Merkel, Shelby Speedline and Arrows, etc... The only bike that ever received any real damage was a Schwinn B10E that was shipped with the rear fender on it that got crunched. The seller refused to make it right (and had lied about the condition of the fenders to start with) and I eventually had to buy a new set. I would not let shipping stand in the way of a purchase but if I'm dealing with someone new then I make sure to discuss proper packing with them. V/r Shawn


----------



## TJW (Jan 23, 2018)

This one has a good ending.

With the seller's help, bikeflights.com paid for the damaged rack.

We were able to show that this bike was well packed by the seller.

I can't say enough good things about bikeflights.com.  If you have to ship a bike, they are definitely a good choice.  They have outstanding customer service.  They are, in my opinion, infinitely better than dealing directly with FEDEX on a claim.


----------



## 49autocycledeluxe (Jan 23, 2018)

even without the rack at all the bike is worth what you paid for it. you need to take things like this to a hobby painter, an actual body shop has to make a bunch of money to keep the doors open, us hobby guys put whatever you give us right in our pockets.


----------



## TJW (Jan 23, 2018)

49autocycledeluxe said:


> even without the rack at all the bike is worth what you paid for it. you need to take things like this to a hobby painter, an actual body shop has to make a bunch of money to keep the doors open, us hobby guys put whatever you give us right in our pockets.




So far, I have had no luck finding a hobbyist or bicycle shop in Houston that does bicycle painting.

However, a fellow Caber in California has offered to straighten out my rack and Bob U has offered to paint it for me for just the cost of the paint, so I may have to mail the rack around a few places to get it fixed reasonably.


----------

