Used electric bike or new e-bike?
Should you but a used electric bike, buy online or buy from a real shop? This questions are worth consideration. After you've more or less decided what kind of e-bike type you want, and you also have a list of preferable brands, you are face with the issue of where to buy the electric bike. First of all, you've to decide whether you want a new pair of maybe you want to save money and get a used e-bike.Moreover, if you've decided to buy a new pair, should you buy it from an online store, a local store or maybe from a big box retailer? Keep on reading to find advices and tips on purchasing through each one of this channels.
Used or New 
If you want to save some money and get a decent bike, you should consider buying a used e-bike. It may be the best option to get a good quality e-bike if you are on a tight budget. Sometimes, it is more knowledge-wise to purchase a great used e-bike then buy a new cheap e-bikes. But it's not straight forward of course and you should be cautious. You should aim to buy a used electric bike which is still under warranty. If the warranty is over, you should be prepared that maybe in the near future, you will have to get a new one. The battery is the most expensive part of all the electric parts, so do your research and find out what is the cost of a battery replacement prior to you purchase. Do your research before buying. You can start by reading the reviews, hall of fame and searching in forums. There are a couple of sources for used electric bikes for sale, such as classified ads, online boards, ebaY, Craigslist and a like. Take a knowledgable person with you to see the bike if you know one, or maybe even take the bike to an e-bike store for a test if possible. Don't skip the test ride, If possible, take the e-bike for a ride for more then a few minutes. Do not be in a rash, if the seller pressing you to close the deal, I suggest you to say - no deal, and move to the next one. There is a chance that he is trying to hide something from you. If you don't find a good enough used electric bicycle and you can't afford buying a new electric bicycle from good quality, you should also have a 3rd alternative which is to use a sharing service which is becoming available in more & more cities nowadays. And from the seller point of view, in case you want to sell your electric bicycle, you can expect to get a good resale value for it. A high quality motor, controller and console don't degrade in their value so much over the years. It is just the battery which degrades in it's price heavily during the years. And except this, all the other parts are just like in any other conventional bicycle.
Bricks & Mortar vs. Buying Online  Buying online sounds like a great way to save money and time, many of us have got used to buy online almost everything. But often it's not such a good idea when it comes to electric bicycles. Sometimes, great looking deals can turn out to be misleading. Instead of this great bike with fabulous specifications, you will get poor quality e-bike which is hardly functional and doesn't perform as advertised. There are cases of course when buying online is absolutely fine, especially directly from the websites of well recognized brands. Buying from China or Taiwan is popular, click here to read about the pitfalls to avoid and about the opportunities.  If you want to increase the change that you'll receive a well certified, quality e-bike with valuable and guaranteed warranty, do not buy online. Instead, buy directly from a bricks & mortar dealer. It is more likely that your new e-bike will be properly inspected, tuned and delivered to you in proper condition if you buy through a dealership. You will also hopefully get the opportunity to discuss with the shop's trained and professional team, test-ride a variety of e-bikes and find the one that fit best for your needs. There are top of the line e-bikes that can be purchased almost solely through the companies online store, and sometimes the dealership store is not close to you. In such case, buy online.
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