[level7]

I live in San Francisco. I was going to suggest you check the nearest Craig's List or eBay. I have bought two bikes off Craigs and three off of eBay. Look at eBay and if you find something interesting, post us back.

Shipping is not an issue, as I have a professional shipper that can ship a bike coast to coast for $700 or less. I have used these guys three times:

http://www.motorcycleshippers.com/

On eBay, I'd start by entering "Ducati" as a search term, then "sort by highest price first" and see what pops up in your price range.

On my 998 I saved about $4000 off of what they were going for at the time.

See what there is, then get back to me. There are lots of tips and tricks to make sure you don't get burned on eBay. Generally, best to look for low mileage bike that a seller is getting rid of for a legit reason.

Here is eBay search under "Ducati"

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ducati_W0QQamp;sspagenameZhQ3ahQ3aadvsearchQ3aUSQQcatrefZC5QQfclZ3QQfromZR7QQfrppZ200QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQftsZ2QQsacatZQ2d1QQsbrsrtZd


Here is the search term "Ducati red" a narrower search:


http://search-desc.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=unknown&sbrftog=1&catref=C5&fcl=3&frpp=200&amp%3Bsspagename=h%3Ah%3Aadvsearch%3AUS&from=R10&satitle=ducati+red&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&fts=2&fsop=3%26fsoo%3D2&fgtp=&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=94104&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=


Here is "Ducati red supersport"

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ducati-supersport_W0QQamp;sspagenameZhQ3ahQ3aadvsearchQ3aUSQQcatrefZC5QQfclZ3QQfromZR7QQfrppZ200QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQftsZ2QQsacatZQ2d1QQsbrsrtZd


There are some members in here who swear by eBay, others who would not buy a bike sight unseen. By the way, eBay reports that their BIGGEST sales category is eBay Motors and vehicles. So, I'm not alone.

+1 Got mine from ebay.

Cut to the chase and ...

-Get proof of the title and insurance and a pic of the VIN (ties the VINS together and increases legitimacy).
-Call the insurance co. and verify the information.
-Call the vehicle licensing department (or whatever they call it in that state) of the state the bike is registered in and cross check the vin with the owner. Ask if its a rebuilt, or salvage, blah blah blah. They are usually very helpful especially if you offer up the information first. If the bike was purchased on a loan then it becomes a bit harder to prove because banks usually don't give ANY information on any of their customers but again the insurance will prove this one way or the other (loan=insurance). The customer usually has to authorize the bank to give out information.

Run away from anyone who can't pass that test.

That is just the beginning....
Then get some people to inspect the bike for you if you're too far away or request lots of pics or even a video (with that days newspaper in view).
Then worry about winning the auction or hitting the "Buy it now" button.
Then worry about picking it up.

HAHA, brings back memories when I went to pick up my bike.

Most legitimate sellers won't mind sending you information about the bike. If they're not helpful, then you probably won't want to do business with them anyway.

eBay works great, but you still have to do your homework.

Oh, if you create a plan up front (financial and logistical) you won't miss any critical issue and your transaction and pickup should be smoother. I missed getting a hitch and ball for the UHaul trailer. Luckily, there was a Lowes nearby. It could have been a showstopper for me