| Author | Message | ||
     Steve_mackay |
I just don't understand WHY people pay *MORE* than retail for stuff on ebay... One case in point is this turn signal. Which, I bought two of 'em last week for $4.50 each. But this one is going for $6.00. Retail is $5! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35575&item=450 0712566&rd=1 Now, the $4.50 is including my 10% discount for Brag from Hals HD. But we all know Daves also gives the same discounts to badwebbers  | ||
| Tank_bueller |
Don't forget the $15 (or whatever)for shipping!!!!! | ||
| Vegasbueller |
And these people get really pizzy when you bust them on a shipping rip off! We sell on eBay, and know what it costs to ship stuff. You would not believe some of the hate mail we have been subjected to when you catch someone overcharging. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
heh, there was someone last week selling Baker 6 speed sportster trannys for $99, with a $1899 shipping rate... | ||
| Court |
I always state the amount I am charging for shipping. Sometimes I guess high, sometimes low, but anyone bidding KNOWS before bidding. I still laugh about the Signature Series timign cover I paid $137 or soem rediculous figure for....a simple bidding war. | ||
| Black_sunshine |
I think people pay more because of the bidding war. It's just winning the auction that makes people want to bid more. I know I have gone higher than I wanted to on price because I want to win. Luckily, someone else wanted to win more than me. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
I've gotten A LOT of good deals of ebay. Heck, we've bought 4 Buells this year alone off ebay. 1 '00 Buell Blast with 3K on it for $1899 1 '98 S3T $3200 with 6200 on it(salvage titled), but all fixed up. 1 '98 S3T $4250(with TONS of extra parts) 9500 on it $4250. Bike was REALLY showroom condition. 1 '03 XB9R Salvage title, $3200, $150 later, we got a ridable bike. Purchased a tank, fairing, and tail section for $130 shipped. I can't believe they only charged me $15 for shipping. We've had good luck with ebay so far. I ALWAYS set myself a limit as to how much a bike, or part is worth to *ME*, and I stop there. I've never gotten in to bidding wars. I just find it unbelievable that people will bid BEYOND what a part costs retail. | ||
| Jmartz |
For quite a while now I've been wanting a Corbin seat for my S1. I carefully check ebay for these. To my surprise these bring well over 100 dollars and as high as $175. Turns out Corbin has lowered the price to $219 from the $329 they used to charge and there is no surcharge for fabric or color selection. Fact is used, scratched, picked, worn seats should sell to next to nothing since Corbin charges $165 for a recover. | ||
| Bcordb3 |
The competitive spirit! Winning is not everything it is the only thing. I too am guilty of purchasing something (a tool) on EBay for more than retail (later found the tool at Harbour Frieght for much less). Hey but I won the auction, high fives all around! | ||
| Bluebuellxb9r |
You mean that not everything on Ebay is not cheaper ?  You must do your checking of other routes before bidding on stuff. Ive done pretty well overall with Ebay - I got a swingarm for my Ex250 and a fuel tank for 150 bucks , with shipping. I also got a mixed pot of bolts and a wiring harness for a ex250 for 8 bucks ! The switch I needed for the bike was 45 bucks from a dealer, and I got two of them plus some other stuff for 8 ! | ||
| Scooterroid |
I saw a Race ECM for a XB9 go for $209, not including shipping a couple of weeks ago on eBay. Hah. Also, saw a used Jardine go for close to $200, not including shipping. Some people just don't know how much stuff cost. They would be LOSERS on the Price Is Right for sure. Thank goodness they're out there, though. Just sold my stock mirrors and turn signals on eBay. Steve-O | ||
| Court |
I confess that from time to time, it's simply a matter of convenience....like buying CD's on Amazon. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have paid just a little over retail once or twice as well, if it is a hard to track down item. I have consistently gotten far better customer service, and been able to much better judge the quality of the seller on Ebay, then on other internet retailers. | ||
| Court |
>>>been able to much better judge the quality of the seller on Ebay, then on other internet retailers. Agreed. 100+ transactions and only two that we less than "perfect". There are a couple people I just routinelhy do business with for high end Motorola radio gear..service is spectacular. Court | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
I have been caught paying more than I should have before. Usually happens when I see something that only has minutes left and I don't have proper time to research it. On the other hand, as a seller, I usually try to guestimate the shipping and provide a flat rate. Sometimes I research the going rate on similar items that have already completed. Usually, I'm within a buck or two (no, I don't make a killing on "handling" charges), but sometimes it ends up costing me a buck or two more than I charged. It's a wash. On one purchase that I made a couple years ago, I picked up an HP Color LaserJet 5 for something like $175 plus a flat $50 shipping. After it got to my house, I was shocked. I had forgotten just how big and heavy these things were. It was well packed in a wooden crate. It came via FedEx freight. I got on their website and calculated shipping. Turns out the guy had to pay at least $125 for the shipping, so he ended up selling me this perfect color LaserJet for about $100 net. Works for me... BTW, I checked his remaining auctions and the printers no longer had flat rate shipping. They all said to contact him for a shipping quote due to size and weight...  | ||
| Wardog3187 |
I sold a bunch of stuff on eBay awhile back and I'm getting ready to do it again. When I write my ad, I always state to have them email their address so I can send an accurate shipping rate via USPS. I see quite a few items on eBay with outrageous shipping charges. You have to be a fool to pay that. That's my 2 cents on this issue.  | ||
| Rockbiter1 |
I'm a fool. I just got an HB-125 hydraulic chain tensioner direct from South Oregon Hot Bikes, for $82...and $15 shipping (they screwed me on shipping) Plain cardboard box, no packing materials. The only protection the parts had was a light film of oil. Oh, i got an instruction sheet as well. Not worth 15 bucks, but then again, it was shipped UPS, and took 8 days to get here. Oh well...at least I got it | ||
| Tom_b |
Sometimes it is just convenience. I was whining before about some of the Buell dealers giving me the runaround on parts. So i bought them on e-bay.Most stuff I paid about dealer or below. some stuff i paid higher just to get it. I bought a new set of front buell turn signals for 30.00 counting shipping. but the guy had them, I KNEW I would have them in a few days and I didn't want to ride with one broke turn signal.Just have to beware of the fine print. I just bought a set of Bell tech dropped spindles for my chevy truck that retail around here for over 275.00, I got them shipped to me for 180.00. They are brand new in the unopened box. (Message edited by Tom_B on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Slaughter |
Hey - it's the feeding frenzy thing. I am amazed at what people are willing to pay and myself, don't understand it either. Some people just get sucked into it without checking out easy-to-find discount (or retail) pricing. Just picked up a spare rear swingarm and axle for my "next" XB project bike for $50 including shipping. E-bay works. Almost all my underwater camera gear I got from ebay. Just gotta know what it's worth to pay for it and hold at that point. Sunny got her VF500 trackbike off Ebay and then she found a custom lowered Sergeant seat that almost lets her stop flat-footed. Tim Hurley got his S1 racebike (Ex-Hal's Bilansky) and for a few thousand less than he was thinking he'd spend building it one piece at a time. Yeah, I was stupid bidding up a scuba teddybear but I was trying to impress Sunny at the time and she was also my scuba instructor... different topic (Message edited by slaughter on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Shotgun |
If you use a sniper service, you're not tempted to go over what you think is a good price. Just put it in and don't look til it's over. They drop your price in at the last second. If you got it, great. If not, at least you didn't get sucked it. Try EZSniper free sometime. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Shotgun, that is precisely what I do... | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
I like Powersnipe myself... | ||
| Court |
I *try* to do the same thing...just bid the maximum I'd be willing to pay and wait to hear. There have been a couple times I've played games at the end but in each cash (notabably the timing cover) I paid way too much. | ||
| Scooterroid |
AuctionBlitz Snipe Away. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Court, These days, if you DON'T do a last 10 second bid on ebay, you just wont win it... | ||
| Rocketman |
I'm lucky when I buy off Ebay. Not one person, other than me, wanted those Wiseco forged Thunder Storm pistons. $140 thank you very much. Better still, the exchange rate these days. $150 is around £82 through PayPal. Ridiculous when you consider only a few years back it was like pound for dollar exchange. Rocket | ||
| Dasbuell |
This is not the answer all... but here is as Paul Harvey would say... "the rest of the story" ...On shipping. Especially when someone is trying to make money on the side out of their house. And I know someone will take exception to this... so just call me a moron out loud at the computer screen and not waste space and hijack the thread to counter my observations. (I am the first to admit that I am no rocket surgeon) I started thinking about this after I paid $6.00 shipping for a very small item. Then decided I would make a little money on the side on Ebay. I saw $1.30 (or something near that on the "stamp"  That I received in 3 days... that for about a buck... could have taken two or three more days. But they spent the extra to get it to me sooner. What I did not see was $1.50 for the padded envelope (we are up to $2.80) I then shipped a small item like it, obtaining a padded envelope, printing a shipping label, and packaging it up... that was about an hour of my time. I then drove to the post office, waited in line, and drove back... that was another hour. So... so far for the $6.00 shipping charge I have $1.30 in postage, $1.50 in packaging material, and 2 hours labor. Let's see... that means for the two hours spent... the remaining $3.20 covers labor at a rate of $1.60 an hour. I am thinking minimum wage has gone above that. There is more to shipping than the actual postage... time is money... and if someone is doing Ebay as a small business... they would be stupid to cut their throat on shipping charges by NOT factoring in their time. Don't like the postage fee... factor in what sales tax would be if bought locally, and gasoline to drive to and from the retailer... if it is out of line then ... AFTER you factor in the packaging materials and their time making it happen... DON"T BID ON THAT ITEM! ABOUT AUCTIONS... if you think Ebay had some goofy bidders... go to live auctions... and watch people pay more for some item that they could have bought new with a warranty at some retail outlet. 99 times out of 100... that person is thrilled they won the auction! My view from both sides of being a buyer AND seller on Ebay. | ||
| Court |
Okay....let me take a stap...is that why it is refred to as "shipping and handling"? A long shot I know....but the universe is suddenly clear to me now. Court - a guy who watched 3 Union Electricians spend 4 hours assemblying a cheap desk yesterday so we wouldn't to pay Staples the additional $25...you do the math. A great illustrattion, sitting here at the new 3,400 desk, of what "handling" is. |
