Buying off Ebay

Ebay is not always a winner.
I paint a holden VT club sport,the stickers on it were a raised bubble type and he wanted the same back on.
He told me the price on ebay and said they were not quite the same.
I said check the dealer and that will give him an idea if the savings will be worth it not being correct.
Ended up being only a few dollars more for genuine.
Beware and know your costs before assuming ebay is cheaper.
Usually it is as i shop there a bit.

Have been using Ebag a fair bit of late,have noticed a few things,.
#1. It has killed most bargains.
#2. Everyone(most people) are out to make a buck(because thats the way todays world works).
For example ,
Master Brake Cylinder rebuild kits for a dirty old dodge vary in price from $10 to $75 and the postage from the states varies from $13 to $50 (its got me farked) so shop wisely.The thing for sale really is worth what you or what some desperado will pay for it.
There are some good sellers on there.
There are also some duds,these are the ones fishing for that desperado,who perhaps doesnt realise what the thing is actually worth.
So do your research.
And there is also Shill bidding on Ebag.
On another forum I watched 2 highly respected big players in the hobby bump each others bids up.(R soles)
End of the day,wheel and deal on Ebag with your eyes wide open.
Because it is what is and its in all likelihood here to stay.

....who wants to ever concern themselves with car insurance?..

...rang ol' mate at comminsure (CBA insurance) and asked for the quote on basic bomb insurance (no fire or theft), so the quote for the new beaut AU wagon was $303.00 and i say....jeeeez!!..

...he dropped it to $250.00 in a blink!...

Learnt to look overseas for parts many years ago when i had to replace the dampers in my 1989 Jaguar. It was almost half the price to fly 4 from the UK than to buy them locally.

Most recently on my Vito van when the brake rotors and pads needed replacement again it was far cheaper to import by air than to buy locally and 300mm brake rotors are not light.

My Subaru Forrester flashed up a fault code that says the A/F Ratio sensor is faulty and needs to be changed.
The price from 2 Dealers was $587.00 for Part No. 22641AA360.
Checked Ebay and found I could get one delivered from a Subaru Dealer in Colorado for $220.00.
Rang my local Subaru Dealer and they told me they KNEW I could get it for that price from the USA but wouldnt meet me on a price.
I would love to support Australian Companies and would happily pay up to around the $300.00 mark to show that support............but not nearly $600.00
The sensor arrived yesterday so will have it fitted shortly.

I buy a lot on Ebay, but sell nothing, because I am a bit of a hoarder. I have found the good thing is that I can get secondhand, NOS, as well as new parts for my old pommy trucks and the Dolomite and Minx from UK, and postage for small things cheap. I got a NOS starter form my Leyland 680 for 5GBP, and a reconditioned gear change pedestal for 6spd Leyland selfchanging gearbox (In Oz they are made from unobtainium) for 8GBP.

I can get new parts for my 1960s and 70s Japanese road motorbikes from Tiawan, but have to accept the chroming will be thin so I have to weigh up if getting local rechroming is similar price.

I have had pretty good luck from both overseas and local Oz sellers for second hand parts but a few costly exceptions mean I have learnt to always check postage cost before you bid, such as very pricey and slow from Canada.

I have also learnt that when people say a big engine turns, it does not 50% of time. :(When they say old engine is complete, learnt they don't always know or care if it is not, such as my 4cyl 'complete' Deutz from farm was missing starter, exhaust manifold, pulley tensioner, and hydraulic pump. :'( :'(

I will still buy a lot off Ebay but if I am not sure I will ask and if it is not in photo I will ask not assume.

To further what the Scotsman said, I will not trust anyone selling anything on eBay. To vent a little frustration, I will tell you a story...

Recently I became interested in a rather large "collection of parts" that I saw on eBay. I got in contact with the seller and explained that I would buy his "bundle" if I could have a look first and make sure everything was legitimate. He says ok and I embark on a journey halfway across the country. He is kind enough to pick us up from our transportation and take us to the items. From the get go, he says "It comes with this and comes with that and these things are to go with it." Some bits are there, some are not. I say "Where are the other bits?" He says "At my place, but I will bring them back here in the morning." After some general discussion he explains that he is selling the items due to a little financial hardship within his own business, so I explain that having been burned before, will only give him a deposit for the item and once it is in transit, I will pay the rest. So I ask him how much deposit does he want, and he say "X dollars will get me out of trouble," and as his circumstances were a little difficult, I offer him a fair bit more deposit to help him along, he agrees and a receipt is written up.

After a few weeks, transport for the "collection" is organized, and after speaking to the transport company representative, I call the seller to arrange the payment of the remaining balance. After the information is exchanged, he tells me that I am lucky to get his "collection", as in the days after the sale, he had a few people offering to buy various bits and pieces, but he assured me that the answer was no and my purchase would arrive soon.

Fast forward another week and my "collection" has arrived, with what appears to be many of the bits and pieces as promised. However, a few days later, I go through the "collection" to find that many of "highly sought after" parts are missing as well as several pieces that were included in the deal, are not present. In fact, most of the smaller constituents of the "collection" are just junk and don't even "fit in" with everything else.

Perhaps the bits were stolen? I doubt it, the transport company was very reputable and came with glowing recommendations. The answer comes in the form of unanswered phone calls and emails to the seller.

Thinking back I could have been a little more cautious but given his status in the "community" I thought I could place some trust in him.

If old mate ever stumbles onto this forum and reads this, I'm sorry but you went back on your word and that cuts me deep. I could be wrong, prove me so. If you want to make good, you could always pop the missing bits on a pallet and send them through. I won't say no...

Its the same old story, there's always one that wrecks it for everyone else...

But I guess "If you don't have expectations, you can't be disappointed."

I buy lots of bits of ebay and touch wood so far no dramas, always pay with paypal and that way if anything goes wrong you have got time to dispute it and get a refund.

One of my lucky finds on Ebay a NOS windscreen for my 1944 inter

Trevor

It's not only eBay where you get burnt. A while ago there was an add on here for some bonnet hinges, I asked the seller what they were like and he assured me they were in good nick. Being a trusting person I said I'd take his word and transferred the money I to his account. The hinges arrived and when I checked them they were very ordinary. I contacted the seller and stated they were worse than the ones already on the truck and disputed his claims on their condition. He didn't even offer me a refund!!! I suppose it's my own fault and it's damaged my trust in people
Billy