Luck Selling on this Site?

Gene F

Gene F

Well-known member
Have some parts I was thinking about getting rid of. Have any of you guys tried using the for sale section on this site? Had any luck? I kinda hate the thought of draggin' parts with me to a cruise-in, or regional car show. Mostly Model-A stuff, but some GM A-body, and Y-block era stuff too.
 
Yes, selling has worked ok for me.
What doesn’t work, for me, has been answering a “wanted” ad.
Probably responded to 5; to date, not one response, none, nothing, zilch, zero……
Not even “thanks, found one”. So, people wanting are SOL.
 
"Wanted" means "Give me bids on your parts and I'll pick the best for the least. As long as all of it is super cheap!"
That said, I am to the point where I feel it is best for the hobby and for karma for me to give or sell very cheaply. There are so many that want to hit a home run with all their old, needs-to-be-rebuilt parts that it is frustrating. Most of what I have was either given to me or acquired from friend's estates very cheaply. Just price to sell and you'll be fine. Stock model A parts are not bringing much so... I would rather give it away to someone I knew would really appreciate it.... just no to a flipper.
Many in the US are in bad financial straights and anything they see that's old they think will fund their lifestyle... even old, seized Model A parts.

JMO,
D
 
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I really don't like to sell if the buyer can't lay his hands on it.They need to want to buy it,not me just wanting to sell it to them.Many years ago I had a 2 carb manifold for sale,with two carbs mounted on it.I did specify local sale,but the guy that wanted it knew who had built it in the 50's.Turns out his dad had used manifolds from that maker when he raced back then.He was restoring one of his dads old cars and wanted it pretty bad.I sold it to him,(postal money order showed up fast)and I had it boxed and ready to go.It went to Texas.He let me know when it showed up,told me it was exactly as described,and was looking forward to putting it on his dads car.Within minutes it was on ebay for 7 times what he had paid me for it.It wasn't the part about him making money on it,it was the fact that I didn't want to ship and had gone out of my way to get a shipping price,do the work,and then haul it 12 miles the the shipping depot.That's when I stopped advertising here.
 
price right and they will sell. If you want top dollar, forget it. Go to ebay and pay the fees.
 
Someone listed something I was interested in so I sent a private message with some questions. He never responded. Not even a sorry, it's been sold. If you're going to list something, be a good egg and respond to all inquiries.
 
Depends on the part. A small NOS part will have the fine points guys beating a path to your mailbox to buy it. A rusty fender that needs to be crated and shipped for a lot of money will likely still be in your garage 5 years from now. The heavier/bulkier and/or more common the part the smaller the online market is since there are probably parts guys in every local club that have what you need.
As far as pricing you need to be realistic. It's not just the part. Shipping is a big part of the deal. You need to add the time it takes you to box it up and take it to the PO. The buyer needs to look at his total cost including the shipping - a $5 part with $10 shipping makes no sense so you'll be keeping that one.
 
Will, in defense of the sellers- if I get a million questions about a nothing item- I'll be honest- I may be the guy that doesnt respond.


sometimes buyers and sellers need to be realistic ................


nobody is interested in writing a 500 word essay over a 20. part
 
I haven't tried to sell anything here, but I have found a few things that I needed/wanted.
 
I had good luck on here getting rid of a bunch of parts. My main requirement was that they be picked up as a batch, not picked through. I wasn’t trying to make anything.
 
Still listing shocks, carbs, and rebuilt starter switches here. These things are not growing on trees. Do not enjoy making the effort to locate a part, make the effort to make it accurately rebuilt, then having it cherry picked, or being a total waste of time. I would not have been a successful horse trader.
 
It’s amazing the amounts of undesirable, worn out, unuseable junk that is posted on these want ads….scrap.
I know, I know “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. So I’m pontificating!
Several prolific vendors post often and list prolifically. I remember one guy went “ttt
“ over 100 times; brother, it ain’t gonna sell!
I don’t have to look so don’t bother beating me with that! Something for everyone?!
It’s seldom much of worth, to me, is found here. The forums are good.
 
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I've had great luck with my "Grab Boxes". I'll take 10 or 12 items and put them in a plastic crate and put a single price including freight. I'm not in the Model A used parts business, but I'm in the share the wealth program. I look at some of the prices here and on Ebay and wonder how I missed the gold plated dog bone shock connectors. I price stuff to sell, not to keep.


PS....I'm a Model A hot rodder and like to share OE parts until somebody starts bad mouthing me.
 
I was wanting an OD , one popped up one morning, OD + transmission ( Mitchell ) for the price of one ( new in an unopened box ) beat feet 500 miles calling on the way every couple hours, don’t sell it to someone else ( he said first money gets them ) luckily I took more cash , he offered a set of new iron break drums installed on hubs for less than 1/2 price . Someone was loading a Tudor phantom that was in pieces! He also offered a Dusenberg to me , didn’t have enough money for that purchase
 
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