Here is a prime example of uPay lunacy. Notice the winning bid and then read the third line down in the description:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=013

I bought a set exactly like this the week before for $65, with no other bids. What is also interesting is there were two other bidders going above the price quoted for Dennis Carpenter. Most of the other reproduction parts places have them advertized for around $200, so maybe Carpenter's site is out dated, but still there was three bids over that!

I have seen this a lot on uPay. Mac's lists parts usually starting at the price they have listed on their web site and the bidders will add another 10-25% instead of going to Mac's web site and ordering it. I find this amazing, are these people too lazy to do a little finger work and save some 10-50 bucks? I'm cheap and try to find every way possible to save money when I can especially if all I have to do is push a few buttons on the keyboard.

 

I noticed that the guy who won the auction was the same guy who placed the first bid...some people get too emotionally involved in the "competition" of the auction and end up paying way too much for items.

 

That's funny!!!

 

unbelieveable.

 

This is so true!

I bought a fuel cap/gage for my little JD 318 from John Deere Parts a couple of years ago.

It was (and still is) about $12+tax. They usually have 2 or 3 of them in stock. You can also go to http://jdparts.com and buy it from them and have it shipped to your door for the same price + shipping but who would want to do that? It would increase the price by the shipping. But some farmers, etc might if they live out in the "stix"....so it might be worth it.

On EBAY there's people who also sell these cap/gage devices. They always start the price at around $12-15. The people that buy them bid them up to $20+ AND they of course, pay for shipping!!

P.T. Barnum was WRONG!! A sucker is NOT born every minute!! There's a sucker born EVERY SECOND!!!!!!



Cheers!


Rick

 

Hi my name is Don and I must confess that I have been guilty of paying too much for some things.</FONT>

Is this like</FONT><FONT color=black> <O[IMG] /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com[img] /><st1:PersonName><font color=" /><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>he o</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>her group </FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>ha</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> some people a</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>end?<O</FONT>

<FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=black>When I was looking for </FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>he original spare </FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>ire carrier I couldn'</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> find one anywhere “</FONT><FONT color=black>maybe I was a bi</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> impa</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>ien</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>”. </FONT></FONT>

<FONT color=black>And finally one came up on u-pay and I go</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> i</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>. Well </FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>he carrier was in </FONT><st1:State><ST1<FONT color=black>New York</FONT></ST1</st1:State><FONT color=black> and I am in </FONT><st1:country-region><FONT color=black>Canada </FONT></st1:country-region><FONT color=black>so shipping was expensive as was du</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>y and all. I </FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>hen found a new reproduc</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>ion for abou</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> 1/2 of wha</FONT><st1:PersonName><FONT color=black>t</FONT></st1:PersonName><FONT color=black> I had paid.<O</O</FONT>
<O</O

<FONT face="Times New Roman">Don</FONT>
</FONT>

 

Hi Don,


well, most of us have done that too!! (We just don't "fess up"!! )



Regards,

Rick




[QUOTE=DonMckay]Hi my name is Don and I must confess that I have been guilty of paying too much for some things.

 

[QUOTE=HT32BSX115]Hi Don,
well, most of us have done that too!! (We just don't "fess up"!! )
Regards,
Rick

Not this cowboy..... First thing I do when I'm thinking of buying something from ebay, I find out if its available from any vendors. Then I find out what the price is. I just watched a guy pay $540.00 (with shipping) for a 1970 Chev. auto shift, tilt column. You can get a brand new IDIDIT column for $470.00. At the same time "Fatrodders" had one in his ebay store for $200.00. It was dented @ about 2" from the bottom of the column, but who REALLY cares @ that price? While I was getting the OKEE-DOKEE from the "keeper of the cheese" someone exercised their constitutional right to "buy it now" and I missed out on a great deal.
Moral of the story? NEVER get the wifes permission! (I have my wifes permission to tell OTHERS to never get their wifes permission!)

 

I always check with my local NAPA store first if I see a part on uPay that I think I can get from them. I bought a new fuel pump for my '51 F-4 last spring for $40, usually on uPay they start at $50-60 and go up from there. Brake parks are the same, cheaper at NAPA and I don't have to pay shipping. NAPA usually has what I want, and their local, so if I have a problem I can take a ten minute drive and raise heck with them, which I have never had to do, yet. I prefer to buy face to face just for this reason.



[QUOTE=fiddysixF]My theory is she'll get over it. I get yelled at if I do something wrong or don't do anything at all so I mise as well get something out of it.

 

I don't know if it's the case on the grille Bob posted, but I will say that Dennis C.'s shipping costs for stuff that is a little large (like headliner kits for 48-52's) adds a disproportionate amount to buying from him. You sometimes see a guy selling something brand new from D.C. who is willing to charge only the actual shipping, which can be $100 less than what D.C. will nick you for.

But you also see a bunch of fools too...

 

On the larger items I wait until the big swapmeets and order them from one of two vendors that go to all the meets. I call a week or two before the show. The vendors usually get free or greatly reduced shipping from the manufacturers if they buy a certain amount of parts and they pass the savings to me, or charge a small handling fee. Something like a head liner they usually have one or two in stock or I try to call them early enough to so they can include it in their order to the manufacturer.

I have to travel 80-100 miles to the swapmeets but I plan to go there anyways so I don't include that cost in the parts. Heck, I am happy to go to a swapmeet even if I don't get anything. To paraphrase the bumper sticker, " A bad day at a swapmeet is better than a good day at work"

 

When I started to work on my truck, I ordered every free catalog I could find that carried parts for it. I downloaded catalogs from places that charged and printed out, and even though it drove my wife nuts I had a foot high pile of catalogs, shopping around was well worth it. I'd see the ebay stuff all the time go for more than it listed in some of the catalogs and couldn't figure out why. I think ebay helped me on getting some decent NOS stuff that none of the catalogs carried, as well as good used sheet metal, but that's about it.

 

Rules for buying on "upay":

1. Only buy what the original manufacturer or reproduction guys DON'T make.
2. Know what the "usual" or going market price is of the item you want to buy.
3. Set an upper limit of what you are willing to pay for the item.
4. If you bid early, set an upper limit on your automatic price that you think the last minute snipers won't exceed, but is still below your upper limit.
5. Be ready to be a last minute sniper, for the items you REALLY, REALLY need.
6. Sometimes buy a package deal with stuff you DON'T want to pay a cheaper price for the item you DO want. Sell the excess stuff on upay.

Yes, I have bought stuff on upay, and yes, I have paid too much for ONE item. I have been sniped at the last second on items I really needed. Upay is a useful place to buy stuff, but it ONE source of many. Always use the right tool for the job. Sometimes upay is NOT the right tool.

Phil

 

There are alot of items that you can find new on ebay and get a great deal on. I bought my EZ Wiring 21 circuit harness on ebay for $150 new in the box, I bought a B&M shifter (new in the box) for approx $25 less that the cheapest catalog price I could find.

I'm a tightwad, I always shop around
Bobby

 

I'll second this stuff!

I ALWAYS AM a "Last Minute Sniper"

I.E. I NEVER buy anything on ebay by bidding on it more than about 10 seconds before closing.

Then, when I finally do bid I ONLY bid the absolute MAX that I will pay for it and feel comfortable. I ALWAYS do my homework before bidding on anything.

There's ALWAYS someone waiting in the wings pressing "refresh" checking to see what the amount is doing in the last min or so of an auction......If it's an auction where there's only 1 bid it's usually the guy who bid on it. If you are bidding on something that has a LOT of bids on it and it's something valuable the first rule will still apply.......DON'T BID ANY MORE THAN YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH and are willing to pay of course!.

Cheers,

Rick