e-bay, in my experience

[Ed Gunter]

I have bought 4 GTO parts through e-bay. All looked really nice in the pics, but 3 were electrically defective. Over $150 in the trash can. I suggest that before you bid there, you think of all possibilities (who would have thought to ask if an antenna body or a power top switch would be eaten up inside with corrosion?)--and ask all the questions. If you don't get a response, it doesn't mean the guy is too busy, it probably means he doesn't want to answer your question.

[Ed Gunter]

I have bought 4 GTO parts through e-bay. All looked really nice in the pics, but 3 were electrically defective. Over $150 in the trash can. I suggest that before you bid there, you think of all possibilities (who would have thought to ask if an antenna body or a power top switch would be eaten up inside with corrosion?)--and ask all the questions. If you don't get a response, it doesn't mean the guy is too busy, it probably means he doesn't want to answer your question.

[Tim642957]

I take it these were used parts and not NOS. eBay can be a gamble and has been discussed here many times. Have you contacted the seller for a refund?

[Glenn]

Bid for anything on eBay, but clear with the seller prior to bidding the right to return the item within 3 days after receipt if not satisfied. Pay with Pay-Pal, eBay's credit card payment system. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[hiwaystar71]

i will continue to sell on ebay,but never buy again.guy that f-d me had over 130 positive feedbacks.total of people ripped off now is 6.every day more are posting neg feedback

[Marty Phipps]

I sell and buy quite a bit on EBAY.
As a matter of fact, the sweeeeeettt 428 I found came from there.
I've been burned both ways on there also.
Right now I'm still trying to get a "puke" to send me a 400 hood I bought from him.
I'm quickly learning that the only time to buy from there, is if the price is definitely lower then what I can buy new.
Or else it's something I can't find any where else.

[Blackcat]

It might have been better to check the parts section right here! I seem to have a bin of switches for GTO's/Lemans/Big Pontiacs.
People right in your state are here and I refund or replace bad stuff. I'm sure that everyone is much better here.(Cheaper to!) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Givindabird]

I've been interested in a few things on e-bay,even bid on a few,but the bidding goes so high on most things that you can add a few bucks and get it brand new from a reputable source.

[sherm455]

I have bought a number of items on e-bay. Most have been pretty good. I e-mailed seller a number of times to make sure of desriptions. There were many items I let go because of insuffient information, or the price got way too high.

[RAJ7395]

I buy and sell a ton of stuff on E-bay and I've been pretty lucky so far. When I post an auction, I give a fair and honest description of my item condition and always encourage people to ask questions before bidding. To date, I've never had anyone request their money back or had a neg feedback. Honesty is the best policy period!!!! I check my e-mail at least twice a day and respond to all questions as soon as I am able. I've had a couple of my items bid up way beyond what I thought was fair so I cut the price back to where I thought it shoud be. I've also compensated for high bids with free shipping. As far as bidding is concerned, I only bid after I have my questions answered and only on items that I can see in photos. If I see something I just can't live without, I wait until the last 10 seconds and bid what I think it's worth. If I don't get it then too bad. I wouldn't give up on E-bay just yet as there are cool people out there and it is a valuable resource for our hobby.

[stevep]

All I can say is that I have had a very good experience on EBay.Buying and selling.Mostly buying.
But you have to remember one thing.With so many people using it,you're bound to have a small percentage of dirtbags involved.
It seems to me that the number of good people far outnumber the bad.

[BOB VIDAN]

I SELL A LOT OF ITEMS ALSO ON EBAY AND HAVE BOUGHT A FEW AND ALSO HAVE BEEN BURNED ONCE BUT ALSO HERE ON THE BOARDS. IS NOT EBAY, WHERE YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE AND USUALLY GET MORE VIA EMAIL, FAR SUPERIOR TO EXPENSIVE WORDS IN HEMMINGS, A BUNCH OF EXPENSIVE PHONE CALLS AND YOU STILL DON'T NOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING UNTIL YOU OPEN THE BOX? THERE ARE FLAKES EVERYWHERE AND WHEN FOUND NEED TO BE BEAT AND KICKED TO THE CURB, THAT'S WHAT EBAY'S FEEDBACK HELPS CONTROL. YEAH NOT PERFECT, BUT MORE BETTER.

[RR67GTO]

Good day friends. I buy and sell more than a few things on E-bay. I do not sell Pontiac parts, but do buy them from time to time. Just this last 10 months, I bought a set of really nice 68 Firebird tail lights complete for $10.00. Shipping, was $15.00.

Then I ended up buying a 1966 GTO Tri Power complete other than a few of the small items missing. All carbs were correct and in good condition ready to rebuild. And yep, the surprise what that the intake had no cracks in it. It was removed from the car after a few short years and stored. Cost ?? $507.00 and cost of UPS ground.

Then, I have bought three sets of heads for a 455 I'm building because I didn't know what I wanted that would worh the best. Started with one set and saw another that were a better choice. Ten changed my mind and bought some nice 6X-4 heads that are what I used. Heads cost me about $60 to $80 for shipping, but all were really good condition. And, I'm sure someone will have a use for them. And I ask a million questions before buying. If they don't want to or take the time to answer, I don't waste my time and forget it and move on. Even, if it's something I really need or want. Besides, needing and wanting never end anyway correct ? Good day people < Mike >

[SCOTT ESTERLE]

If it wasn't for E-bay i would not be able to build my new motor & also it has helped to clean out my garage. Trying selling in the local paper not only is it expensive no one ever calls.

[yagermichael]

ebay is buyer beware there are some shaddy people so always pay with a credit card that offers protection and get a option to return it sometimes it is a hassle but you can use it to your advantage. it is a great resource

[Ed Gunter]

Great comments-- Thanks.

Tim-- I tried what you said-- I e-mailed the latest guy. 3 days ago, Still waiting to hear from him. If I don't hear from him in another day or 2, I'll post my letter to him...and give some negative feedback. We learn as we go along.
I know there are alot of honest people on e-bay. Unfortunately, I was too knaive and I ran across 3 who may not have been so honest.

Cheers-- GTOs forever.

Ed

[WallyB]

I agree with SteveP, a few bad apples can spoil it & so far I've only got good deals or hard to find stuff, as promised - on time, from the USA, Canada & Europe. Only problem is a few sellers never bothered to post feedback, so my transaction numbers are low. Toronto only has 1 real source for 67-69 FB stuff & charges too much, so eBay helps fill the void.

[Old Man Taylor]

I have not had a bad deal on eBay. I may pay too much sometimes, but no one forces me. It is my choice and it depends on how badly I want an item. I have not yet sold anything, all of my transactions have been purchases. I have probably bought about 500 items and my feedback total is 278. I try not to buy from buyers that don't have much feedback, or have recently changed their names. However, if I want something bad enough I still go for it. I have had several unusual issues, but the sellers have always responded positively. B/T/W, most of my purchases have been tools, but I have bought Pontiac items as well, e.g., a set of NOS Aqua 64 seat belts and retractors for my GTO.

[carbking]

We use Ebay for both buying and selling.

For selling, we use it as larger stores would use a "close-out" sale. Just to get rid of stuff for which we no longer have a market, or grossly overstocked. Our experience has been that if we do a good job on the description, and take decent pictures we can expect to receive an average of 30 to 60 percent of retail. By setting the opening bid low, we have about a ninety-eight percent sell rate, which is the object of a close-out.

For buying, I am continually amazed that, with literally millions of viewers, we are still able to purchase many items (some extremely rare) for pennies on the dollar. Much better than swap meets for bargains, and I don't have to pack the junk through the swap meet (still go to them though).

Have we been burned? yes, but not often, and less than with classified ads.

Big turn-offs: reserve auctions (if reserve unknown), auctions with no pictures, auctions demanding money orders, all of which we won't participate.

All in all, would have to give Ebay a huge thumbs-up.

Jon.

[Tim642957]

Ed
I hate to see you or anyone get ripped on eBay. Post negative feedback and don't look back. Your comments may help someone think twice about bidding on this seller's auctions in the future.

I have a friend who has been bidding on eBay for over a year. About 3 months ago he won some parts from a guy in California. He sent him $165 for winning the auction and never heard another word. His emails to the seller bounced back undeliverable, the seller's phone was disconnected - the guy just vanished. After this my friend thought to check the seller's feedback. It was less than stellar.

[hiwaystar71]

money orders is only way i will sell.i wont take a check from anybody.been f-d for a bunch,ebays handling of fraud is fraud in itself.

[Dennis B]

I have purchased quite a few parts off of Ebay. I got burned one time, and had to waite a long time for delivery one time. All the rest were positive. I recently saw a post where the guy that burned me was complaining about someone burning him. Really made me laugh.

[robscar]

purchased many parts for my cars off of e-bay. have all been successful. the best part is when sellers use their local newspapers for packing material, especially the classifieds. with that said there have been many parts that i have passed on for various reasons. i did get some parts the other day from a board member which was good as i finally got to meet someone who shared the same interests.

[Ed Gunter]

Fair's fair.
Thanks, Tim & others.
After 2 emails, I finally got ahold of the guy. We negotiated an agreeable settlement & I posted positive.
Guess the honest players will make things right even though thay say "all sales final"-- scary words--.
I usually just tend to avoid the combat of arguing over defective goods. And never go back to that place---

Cheers.

[TheTempest]

I'll toss my eBay "lessons learned" into the fray. PUBLICATIONS: many times the stuff being auctioned is available, new, direct from the manufacturer. Case in point; Hollander has great reprints of their parts interchange manuals available new for $99 plus S&H (hollander-auto-parts.com) An enterprising fellow car buff was auctioning these books and getting upwards of $175(!) for them. I suckered myself into over bidding for this set (thinking it was rare, one-off and out of print). A fellow eBay-er clued me in on the rip off this guy was purpetrating and I confronted the seller with it (his ad had the "eBay Power Seller" seal and a statement of "satisfaction gauranteed"). We agreed to a lower final bid price, which *was* decent of him but only because I called him on it. His e-mail to me smacked of arrogance; he was taking advantage of unsuspecting bidders, especially fellow car enthusiasts (this guy was into Studes and Avantis), and had no reservations about doing so. Be carful out there 'cause there are folks who *will* take you for a ride.

I don't bid on "NOS" or any parts unless I've got a PY (and the competions) catalog(s)to reference for the "rarity" of a part. Check the internet for any aftermarket manufacturers websites to see if what your bidding on is available direct.

Mike