Yeah, this is a real phenomenon on eBay and, personally, it irritates me. When is a rose not a rose? When you call a low quality 1980s Centurion a "lugged track frame."
The peak of this came when I, when walking the dog one morning, spotted a frame in the garbage. I picked it up, excited, and quickly put it down. It had been sandblasted but was heavy, ugly, big seams on the tubes, and had no exciting features to mention, not even a derailleur hanger. The picture of a 1970s bike boom $79 special. Not to mention it was too small. So I put it back in the junk (thus avoiding a fight with the wifey about yet another frame in the house). Two weeks later, it appeared on eBay as a "track" frame.
If I'm selling something made for track use, I use the word "track." Otherwise, I don't. And that's how it should be. In fact, eBay actually has a policy against this. It's called "keyword spamming" and is when you use a term that does not reflect your listing to attract attention to your item. Because bicycles is a relatively small category on eBay, it probably doesn't draw the oversight that others do. But it's fairly rampant. How many listings have you seen that run lists of frame manufacturers at the end of them, just to pop up on search terms (you've seen them: "Great for your Bianchi, Atala, Masi, DeBernardi, Benotto, DeRosa, 3Rensho...." ad infinitum).
I don't like being a cop and in fact avoid the role assiduously, but frankly, putting the word "track" in an auction heading when something is clearly NOT for track use is false advertising and it's market manipulation and it preys on the lack of knowledge of newbies and the like, people who should be encouraged to get in the bike collecting, loving, worshipping hobby, not burnt because they haven't been doing this for years.
In my very humble opinion, people who pull this should be reported to eBay. And if they list a crappy Nishiki and put the word Masi in the title, same goes.
Ken Bensinger Brooklyn, NY
Anderson, Robert wrote:
> Check out this completed auction for a pair of Bata bikers:
>
>
http://ebay.com/
> sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd =1
>
> Or ebay # 220004591258
>
> Someone paid $92.50 for "Vintage Bata Cycling Shoes NOS Track / Fixed /
> Toeclips"