Larry,
I vaguely remember the auction. Did the seller show pictures of that part of the frame? Was the bike shipped with any insurance? Does the seller have spotless feedback? He may be motivated to keep that 100% positive feedback. Can the frame be repaired and if so, at what cost?
You can also check with Steven Maasland who has a lot of experience as well as contacts in Italy and brings stuff into the USA frequently, but first see what the seller has to say first.
Happy Thanksgiving from rainy, cold, damp New Jersey
Mike Schmidt Stirling, NJ USA
On 11/23/06 12:36 AM, "Larry Myers" <curmudgeon1957@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello to all!
>
> I just received, this morning, my first foreign purchase from e-Bay. It is a
> very cool ALAN bike, sized for a child (or very small adult)- 22' tubulars,
> 155mm cranks, jr. Concor seat, etc. Only one small problem- while unpackaging
> the bike (which was very poorly packaged), I discovered that it has a broken
> frame. The RH seatstay has parted company with the seat lug, leaving about a
> 1/8" gap between these two pieces. I don't feel that the poor packaging caused
> this- it is a break much more typical of hard use , than of shipping damage.
> The Italian seller was not a bike specialist; their line of work seems to be
> vintage scooters & motorcycles (and other antique items), and the break was in
> a place that only a fairly skiled mechanic would notice it, so I am pretty
> convinced that the frame was broken when the seller obtained it from it's
> previous owner. I have e-mailed the seller; but will probably not hear back
> for at least a day. I would greatly appreciate any input/advice
> from fellow listers who have been through this sort of thing- how it was
> resolved, how long, steps I can take to get a speedy resolution,etc. The
> transaction was conducted through PayPal, where I am a verified buyer/seller;
> should I call them, or would I be wasting my time? Any info appreciated!
>
> Larry Myers, Portland, OR, USA
> curmudgeon1957@yahoo.com
>
>
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