T120 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Now I don't for a moment regard "profit" as a dirty word and I'm not complaining but this is just an anecdote from personal experience. I set up at an auto swap meet with a bunch of odd parts and stuff,cleaning out my garage.Most of the stuff was priced cheap so that I wouldn't be to packing it up and taking it home.A fellow,(whom I hadn't met before), came along as I was setting up and put a pile together and made me an offer somewhat less than the total would have amounted to...Fair enough,he got the stuff and I had a head start on getting rid of my "junk". Later,I just happened to see all of the items I had sold this fellow show up on ebay for sale. I was surprised at the prices people paid for this stuff and to put it mildly he did very well. While I've bought stuff myself on ebay,I haven't sold anything - as yet...Hopefully,swap meets and ebay will continue to provide those that have a genuine interest in the hobby, parts for their projects - at a reasonable prices.However, my impression is that ebay's impact has inflated the pricing of some parts and also some of the little "doodads" some regard as valuable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randroid Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Ralph, I have long pondered the concept of "morality" and equally long ago have I concluded that its definition is incumbent upon he who is defining it, ergo it falls into a category of concepts not to be defined. Another similar term that defies definition is "stupid". It is well to leave those expressions to the mind of the individual, however, for how else could we justify to ourselves how we select our friends? -Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyHarold Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I've found that the best way not be a profit-center for parts flippers is to do some price research before I sell anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 IF a person is happy to pay the e-bay price or figure it is worth it not to let another get an item and run the price up..what can you do..laugh..well I would but often this sets a new benchmark for the next same item when it is listed..that is the drawback. We have folks on here that do not work on their cars and as such money is not object and if they get it for x amount while sitting on the couch, meet the mailman at the door and then hand it off to their mechanic..well how can you argue with that..it works for them..eat drink and be merry..for tomorrow, if all goes well, you get to do it all over again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkestes41 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 In essence, you were the wholesaler and the other guy was the retailer. Happens everday at every store in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T120 Posted January 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have long pondered the concept of "morality" and equally long ago have I concluded that its definition is incumbent upon he who is defining it, ergo it falls into a category of concepts not to be defined. Another similar term that defies definition is "stupid". It is well to leave those expressions to the mind of the individual, however, for how else could we justify to ourselves how we select our friends?-Randy ..I believe I get your drift,Randy...For some,the "gray" area is pretty flipping wide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 if you sold something to someone and got your price..so be it..but if someone told you they needed a certain part for their car and knew you had it, kept asking and asking for it for thier car..and later you see they got it only for resale..that is false pretenses and yes I can see hard feelings..but..its a lesson learned..you will see that person from then on for who they may be..its a sad world out there..I have been sold things dirt cheap just on the promise that it would not end up in someone elses hand..few hard feelings between the other folks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T120 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) ..Absolutely! - No argument there,Tim. Edited January 16, 2012 by Ralph D25cpe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Years ago, back in the '70s, a fellow did that type thing with me - on a car. Was selling my blue P15 coupe, which was pretty nice. He used the line about wanting one more old car (he was an older fellow). So I dropped the price a bit (don't recall just how much now) and he took it. Later I found out he had turned around and advertised it in Hemmings Motor News for a higher price, of course. Yes, I was rather unhappy about that.....but........ah well. When I have sold a few things in the past on ebay, I put my beginning price at what I would take for the item. So, if there was only one bid, I got what I wanted. Anything above that was gravy. So I understand the feeling that one gets "taken" when someone immediately goes and re-sells your (former) goods for more. Such seems to be life in the "business" world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbagestate 44 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Some of the sellers on ebay are outrageous. These guys take a rusty little piece of crap and list it with an opening price that's pure fantasy. I'll do without before I bid on such an item even if I really need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dodgedoobie Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 i buy and sell on ebay. and yes the prices on some stuff have skyrocketed. but i always try to do homework before i buy on ebay. cause sometimes you can buy one new for what they price them at. when i sell stuff if its mine and not using anymore then i list it at a low price cause for one i dont need it, 2 it not making me any money sitting here, 3 someone else needs it. im good friends with a auctioner company here in town and i go to his auctions some when tools or car stuff is availible. but i watched several things go higher than what you can buy new for. for example i bought a 16 foot fiberglass ladder back in summer. from lowes for like 100 bucks. i went to auction he had few weeks after that and same type ladder in same shape went for close to 200 bucks. i thought man what a idiot. i bid up to 75 bucks cause i could use another. but i stopped after that. its crazy how things will go way high on stuff. dont get me wrong if someone bids on mystuff and it goes high i dont complain. afterall they wanted more than the other guy. heck reason i list stuff on ebay cause i dont want it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbomb Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Whatever the market will bear. Like the sign over the door of the second hand store says: "We buy junk; We sell antiques". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadkingcoupe Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 While not directly about eBay I have heard and observed a couple of interesting parts interactions. 1- A guy walks up to a booth at a swap meet. The buyer picks up a lens and excitingly states how he has been looking for this glass lens for over 15 years! He cant believe he found it and swears that he has been looking far and wide for this hard to find lens. He asks the vendor "How much?" The reply $25...the buyer states that is way too much money and complains that it is only worth $10. The discussion doesnt go well and the vendor is getting irate that a hard to find lens isnt worth the $25. The vendor takes the lens and throws it on the ground.....steps on it...breaking the lens. He replies "now you can have it for $10". Poor behaviour by both parties and no one wins. 2- A guy is selling his car and the advertisement says that he refuses to sell it to someone who is going to hot rod it. These kinds of ads always surprise me....if the buyer purchases it, the vehicle is his/hers to do as he wishes. Why would a seller claim to have influence on the buyer after the car changes ownership? 3- A guy is selling at a swap meet. He sells an item and tells the buyer "I dont want to find this item for sale on your table for more $$$"s." Why does the seller think he has any ability to control the item after the sale? The last two examples I have seen multiple times and am always curious about the logic of the seller. Can anyone explain to me the logic of trying to sell an item and control it's use after the sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamfordsgarage Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 ...Can anyone explain to me the logic of trying to sell an item and control it's use after the sale? I can try. Now if a person sells an item, be it car, house, whatever, and then after the transaction is complete tries to specify or control how that item is to be used that's just plain nutty. The buyer can do whatever he wants and the seller has got no grounds to suggest otherwise. I think we can agree on that. On the other hand if the seller makes it clear up front that he does not want to sell the car to a rodder, or the house to a developer, or whatever the restriction that is his right. He probably has a pretty good reason for feeling that way and its a free world — if I don't want to sell my car to, say, Tim Adams 'cause he might put a modern engine in it that is my option. I couldn't hold him to it legally, but would rely on his good character to be upfront with me on any plans to re-engine the thing later. Of course if he later sells it on to someone else, anything could happen. I sold a car this weekend to another local club member who collects original and restored cars. I know he's not going to rod it and I've got no worries about the fate of the car for at least as long as he owns it. This is a car which might have been attractive to a hot-rodder... 1929 Nash Sedan, 25,220 original miles, zero rust, zero wood rot, doors open and close like new, mostly original paint and quite presentable, original interior with not a rip or tear and complete with the rear compartment privacy blinds. Truly a time warp vehicle, only marred by a water jacket crack that slowly drains the coolant into the oil pan. It was in our family for over 20 years but not driven for the past dozen and had just become a prime-space dust collector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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