So you want to sell and make big money on Ebay!

Ok I thought I would post this so everybody who thinks ebay sellers make a killing could experience a little of the not so good that comes with selling on Ebay.

I sell about 3,000-4,000 items a year. Everything from nice NOS emblems and Chrome to gas caps, Switches even small service parts and bolts.

The last few weeks have been trying as I seem to be drawing in the challenged to bid or even buy some of my items.

Here is an excerpt from a few of the questions and customers I have had in the last week.

2 nights ago my 1948 Plymouth convertible sold. Here is the buyers response

"I was bidding on the other Ply Conv and somehow your car got crossed with the other one. I will pay for your relisting fees due to my error. It was not intentional just the wrong car. "

This was for this auction

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191239757227?forcerRptr=true&item=191239757227&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123

The day before that a buyer had contacted me about an accessory aftermarket Horn ring he bought, here is a link to the auction

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191195826048?item=191195826048&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:X:RTQ:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr

To date here are the email's he has sent me and my responses word for word (copied and pasted)

Original response from buyer

"HELLO RANDY Im the Person who Bought the HORN RING N HONESTLY I was alil UpSet Ive Bought 3 Diffrent Steering Wheels n nCANT GET IT TO FIT .... ITs alil OFF ON ALL OF THEM ... SO WOULD LIKE TO RESELL IT JUST TO GEY MY MONEY BACK OR EVEN $150.00 I PAID LIKE $170.00 DIDNT WANT TO LEAVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK .....SO Im just Letting you know... Thanks for your Time /////"

My response

"What car or steering wheels have you tried it on? It is aftermarket from the era as you can see by the quality. It may not be a perfect fit for some applications. Again, please let me know what ones you tried it on? Thanks for contacting me, Randy"

His response to that

"Ive tryed it on a Few Steering wheels that l bought at the Swapmeet ReGuardless they Dont seem to Line Up = Im Honesty Upset alotta Things lve Bought on EBAY seem to Not Fit or Not what they say they ARE .. l bought Headlight Lenes for my 37 THREE TIMES finally got the Right ones PEOPLE AFTER $100.00 seller insisted they were for 37 but they were for 38 - 39 I Bought Other things n Ended up with stuff l will NEVER USE = N NOW THE HORN RING ... HONESTLY Im not even WORKING at the Moment SO MONEY is Tight .. l hate to Levae BAD Feedback but What should l Do . Spend Another $100.00 Looking for a Steering Wheel ? "

My follow up response

"What steering wheels did you try it on though? If they weren't any of the standard (not deluxe ) wheels listed in the description it probably won't fit. Being the manufacturers have made probably thousands of different style wheels over the years. I'm trying to figure out if there is an issue with the part not fitting the application or if the part is trying to be used on the wrong application. Please let me know, Randy"

His last response

"Look l try it on one the BOX said it would FIT ..... THE DAM PART DOSENT FIX or is a DEFECT = n l Think You knew That So Dont Get Upset when l Leave you Some Ulgy FeedBack ok ..... $180.00 Might not be Nothing to You but to ME it is ESPECIALLY SINCE I even WORKING at the MOMENT n STUCK with a Part that l cant even USE..."

I want to note the box has applications for both models it sells that fit different types and years of wheels so I'm not sure which set of applications he is referring to or if he even knows which model horn ring he has. I still have no idea what car he bought it for. (the question I have asked from the beginning)

The final kicker for the week I received this Question/comment from an ebay member. Again word for word Copy and paste

"upper hose is not the inlet...in through the bottom on all vehicles.."

This is in regards to this auction I had listed at the time

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311002810311?item=311002810311&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr

Remember this is 1 week.

So do you still want to sell on ebay?

Aside from those sorts of incidents, with all of Ebay's little fees, it's harder and harder to make a buck there.

It's a great way to get rid of stuff, but at this point, unless it's something very unusual or desirable, in the end you don't get top dollar. The Ebay fees as mentioned, and Paypal fees since they push that as the only way to get paid, and shipping charges either keep people from bidding or, if you offer to pay shipping, take a chunk off the top.

It was a lot more fun on Ebay 10 years ago!!!

As for the idiotic comments you seem to be getting from "buyers", it just amazes me that some of these people are able to muddle their way through life.....

The horn-ring buyer sounds almost illiterate--

or at least functionally so. So it's not surprising

that the parts he orders often don't fit!

"As I seem to be drawing in the challenged" .....

Boy auburnseeker, I think we can all relate to that comment. There are some real winners on there lately...

I sold a 80 year old wrench to a guy for $3 who "claimed" it was damaged then left neg feedback without even contacting me. Then he claimed I wouldn't respond to his emails, seems he was just having a bad life... took me 4 months to get it straightened out.

Whether it's $3 or $3000, sometimes it makes you wonder if it's worth it but until there are better more efficient avenues I believe Ebay is still the best way to sell certain items. Still can't get over the fact they are charging for shipping now :mad:.

"As I seem to be drawing in the challenged" .....

Boy auburnseeker, I think we can all relate to that comment. There are some real winners on there lately...

I sold a 80 year old wrench to a guy for $3 who "claimed" it was damaged then left neg feedback without even contacting me. Then he claimed I wouldn't respond to his emails, seems he was just having a bad life... took me 4 months to get it straightened out.

Whether it's $3 or $3000, sometimes it makes you wonder if it's worth it but until there are better more efficient avenues I believe Ebay is still the best way to sell certain items. Still can't get over the fact they are charging for shipping now :mad:.

That is a very bothersome thing because they base their "shipping" fee on what THEY estimate the shipping cost will be and they, more than not, use a higher estimate than actual shipping costs. Even if it costs you less to ship, they STILL charge you on what THEIR estimate is.

I kind of wonder about the shipping. I've seen quotes all over the place for basically the same item. I recently bought a ceramic resistor for the dash light dimmer on a light switch. It was only $3 shipping. There was an identical item with the shipping for $8.00

Go figure.

I feel your pain, brother. You probably have a much larger volume of questions and comments, but whenever I post a car for sale on eBay, I brace myself for the "experts" to come out of the woodwork telling me A) all the little things that are wrong on the car, that my price is crazy, and C) that they had one just like it except it was blue not red and wasn't a convertible but a station wagon. I actually had one guy hit the "Buy It Now" button on a car, then E-mail me to tell me he had no intention of buying the car at that price, but he didn't want anyone else to buy it while he was "negotiating" with me. WTF?

I try to keep it in perspective and ignore a lot of it simply because it's not worth my time to chase all the rabbits down all the rabbit holes, but it has been my experience that the less expensive a car is, the more aggravation there is selling it. $200,000 cars? Usually sold on a single phone call. $10,000 cars? Well, let's just say I had one guy travel from another country FOUR TIMES to look at a car that he ultimately paid about $8000 for before he could finally convince himself it was legit. I probably spent a total of 20-30 hours holding his hand. My commission? $180. Feh.

Managing expectations is the most important thing you can do. Buyers almost always have unreasonably high expectations simply because our money-back-guarantee, 3-year-warranty, the customer's always right, instant gratification society makes them expect perfection or payment. Sorry, old cars and their associated parts don't work that way. And on the internet, where anonymity is guaranteed, well, it allows people to be at their worst (which is why I always put my own name on things--it reminds me to be considerate even when I don't want to be).

And yes, I'm scared for the future because illiteracy is reaching epidemic levels. Wow!

On this site selling is a LOT less of a hassle and I appreciate all those who have taken the time to buy items from me as I continue to downsize my collection ( and resist the temptation to buy more with the proceeds!).

Terry

At one point in my life, I thought I wanted to "deal" in old cars for a living. I found out that there were levels of car pr icing, and it was interesting to see the division. I'll explain, but I'm using 1970-80 pricing to illustrate, so understand that.

There are bottom feeders, easy sales and no complaints, $500-1000 dollar cars, buyer knows he's buying a project.

The mid range, $5000-15,000, picky buyers who would complain about any and everything, before and after sale. Anyone could come up with this range of money and they were a pain.

High dollar, $20,000 and up, knowledgable smart buyers, knew the market and what to expect, pays their way and goes away happy.

I was in retail for a few years, and know that some people are not "customer worthy", and your best course of action is to send them on their way....

I gave up on Ebay years ago. The first experience I had, back around 1997. Bought 7 items within a week , 2 of the items never arrived. No help from Ebay or Paypal, just an automated runaround. So I figured back then it was a scam and I have not changed my mind. Tried selling on Ebay, I wanted to build up some feedback before listing expensive items, so I sold a few things and got about 1 feedback for every 5 items sold (one buyer bought 4 items, gave me 4 positive feedbacks, which Ebay chose to count as 1).

So, to hell with Ebay. From time to time I will bid on stuff but only under these conditions: I can't buy it anywhere else, and I can afford to get ripped off for 100% of what I bid without feeling too bad. Obviously, this limits me to cheap items, a few times a year. In fact I don't think I have looked at Ebay in several years now.

If you want to check out my account it is Happysale 1 if it even still exists.

There is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who wants to start an Ebay competitor that is not dedicated to ripping off the public.

Later...............

Tried to sign in to my account and Ebay won't let me. No idea why. Says contact customer service, when I try, it flips back to the first page. The usual Ebay runaround except this time, only 2 pages not the usual 40.

O ya, I had an old friend who was an Ebay power seller, he quit in disgust a few years ago when they raised all the fees and half the customers disappeared. He was pretty fed up with their crap too.

A little math reveals that you are selling 70 items a week and only getting 3 or 4 nitwits. This is a remarkably low percentage if you ask me. Evidently even this is more than average . I envy your good luck.

Ebay.......

Oh, the stories I could tell, but, really, everyone who has actively sold on Ebay has the same stories, just the people and items are different.

My final Ebay straw broke a couple of years ago. One morning I logged onto my account and there were 15 new Honda ATVs (four wheelers) listed for sale at No Reserve. There were bids on all of them and, of course, lots of questions being asked. Well, someone apparently hacked into my account and listed these. I have never owned or never sold an ATV and quite honestly, up until this incident didn't even know what one was!!!! I immediately canceled/deleted all the ads and contacted Ebay. Never heard a peep from Ebay. The next morning, the same thing happened. I again deleted them. I tried contacting Ebay to no avail. I talked to a friend who advised me to change my password. I did. The ATV listings stopped. Then I got my monthly Ebay billing statement which was nearly 800.00 due to all the ATV listings which, at the time, cost almost as much as listing a car. Needless to say I did not pay this and canceled my Ebay "membership".

Reminds me of another funny story from my friend the Powerseller. When Bush declared war on Saddam Hussein, and Canada refused to join in, it seems a lot of Americans got sore because all of a sudden a lot of his shipments (from Canada to the US) got trashed by the US mail.

In one case they deliberately drove a fork lift through a carefully packed, antique tube radio.

His response was to insure every shipment for 10 times what it was worth. He could insure a $50 item for $500 for less than $10 bucks, and charge it to shipping and handling.

He made quite a haul on this for a while. Unfortunately a lot of his American customers got their purchases destroyed but, they were insured and he gave them their money back.

I question the mentality of the USPS who were deliberately destroying packages going to American customers but, there was nothing he could do about it.

I have never had a problem on EBAY! All my customers have...........

Sorry, we have to discontinue this post. The originator has been struck by lightening...............

I use Craigslist now instead of ebay. I still get dumb questions, but no fees.

I feel your pain.

There are ways to search all Craigslists for an item, are there ways to list your item on all Craigslists?

I feel your pain.

There are ways to search all Craigslists for an item, are there ways to list your item on all Craigslists?

It makes me think there might be. I've seen listings for the same item in many different CL areas.

I don't know about craigslist. I've had an 80,000 Corvette listed on there and I can't tell you how many people offered me 20,000 or more less without ever even inquiring into the cars condition further. Same for the 1948 Plymouth Convertible mentioned above. Ad stated 17,500 firm. Of course I got offers of 12,000, 15,000 and about everything in between, then the trades I had offered were for the most part vehicles that I could tell from the thumbnail not even worth half the 17,500 price I had listed and they wanted to trade out even.

Just now I received an inquiry for the 36 Chrysler roadster I have listed in the for sale section of this forum at 37,500.

The offer tonight was I'll give you 27,000 for it. Again sight unseen. I replied and told him an offer like that in person would have resulted in bodily harm and a not so pleasant immediate ejection from my property.

My patience is really starting to wear thin all the way around. As it is my Vette sustained substantial damage from a serious electrical fire that destroyed the Fuel injection unit, wiring harness part of the dash and damaged the cowl just because I wanted to go for a ride last Sunday. (it was the only old car I had that I really wanted to drive because it ran like a bear and drove spectacular. Then to top it off my 6.0 litre Ford diesel popped a head gasket and I wasted 3 days in steamy hot sun shine doing an egr Delete because that's what I was told the problem more than liklely was. Now it's down at a friends shop for a $5,000 Head restudding and bulletproofing.

Oh and I'm hitting the big 40 tomorrow. What a great bunch of Presents. :mad:

Here are some before and after shots:(

Sorry to hear about the Vette, it truly looked like a fantastic car. I hope no one was hurt.

It's insured, right?

It's insured but it's going to be a rough go I think. The adjuster they sent has never done a Vette, new or old, Doesn't know about the construction, where to get parts, or anything about the letters NCRS and this car was very correct right down to the spark plug wires. Just my luck. It was insured through a major old car insurance company so I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

I did clean, neutralize and preserve everything as quick as I was allowed to. 6 hours after the fire it was back in my garage, so the fire and subsequent fire fighting agents were the only damage it sustained. Unfortunately they are pretty substantial when you really look things over. Firewall, Cowl, Cowl vent, dash frame, everything on top of the motor and almost everything in the engine bay needs restoration as well as the gauges, radio, clock (all of which worked) and every assembly under the dash. Wiper assembly and transmissions, heater, etc. It ruined the hood and even charred the RH hood rail but didn't get into the outer fender. Really disappointing since it was a no hit body.

The engine had just started so it was still cold when it happened which probably helped limit the damage a little. The engine internally is fine I think. The Fuel injection plenum is fairly well sealed so nothing went into the motor. Very important since it's all matching numbers.

I emptied 2 small extinguishers on it and then was spraying a neighbors hose under the hood through the side that popped open afraid to raise it all the way up because the wind was really blowing from the opposite side and I was afraid of a flash. We emptied the Sheriffs fire extinguisher on it and then the fire Department showed up. That's when we popped the hood all the way, at that point it had burnt up into the dash so I opened the cowl vent for them and they got at it that way.

We still aren't 100 percent sure how it started but I think looking around at everything in the aftermath that a wire might have chaffed on the lower ignition shielding that comes from the starter in the start circuit.

I was fortunate. I pushed it out in the street away from the house and other 2 cars in the garage and when it was all said and done only burnt the hair off one of my arms and somehow sliced the palm of my hand but nothing serious. I look at the bright side (you have to at this point) It could have been worse and it could have happened 8 miles away from the fire Department (my usual cruising route) not 1 mile away on a Sunday when the guys are all at the department. (it's a volunteer one. ) They were also very good and did as little damage as possible.

I hope luck will go your way. Maybe you can request an adjuster who knows something about Vettes?

Anyway, turning 40 isn't so bad, I wish I could be 40 again.

It didn't bother me until a week ago when everything just started going south. It's just been one after another lately. Maybe 40 will be the turning point and things will start getting better right? LOL I have my lotto ticket in hand.

There will be a lot less sellers once the IRS is given complete access to all Ebay seller's information. Sellers will be paying income tax on all sales over $xxx amount individually and accumulative sales.

Wayne

I already declare all my sales and run it as a business. Pay Pal already reports all sellers earning over 20,000 or selling more than 200 items a year so they have been working on it anyways for a while. They have us all in the corral, now they are just sending us down the chutes.

So sorry to hear of all your troubles piling up. Maybe the good life will start at 40.

It is sad that we have so many illiterate people in this country but that’s our school systems. Craigslist and EBay are useful but dangerous. We can find and buy almost any part today but some people don’t have the smarts to use these tools without screwing up then they want to give neg feedback. One of my biggest complaints is with fed x. I have gotten to the point where I wont buy from anyone who uses fed x for delivery. I ask to have my orders shipped any other way or forget the sale. I have refused to buy several items in the last few months because the seller used fedx only.

Fed eXcrement. :mad:

So it continues today. The latest question.

"will this fuel pump fit a 1938 chevy?"

For this item

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191244256856?item=191244256856&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr

Happy Birthday Seeker. Smile - we appreciate you, may your fortunes return, tenfold.

Chuck in Kansas

Rusty,

I find your comments regarding the US Postal Service offensive and without anything of substance to back it up. By ascribing some imagined political agenda as being the cause for a damaged parcel from Canada is laughable, what an imagination!-Bill

It's insured but it's going to be a rough go I think. The adjuster they sent has never done a Vette, new or old, Doesn't know about the construction, where to get parts, or anything about the letters NCRS and this car was very correct right down to the spark plug wires. Just my luck. It was insured through a major old car insurance company so I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

I did clean, neutralize and preserve everything as quick as I was allowed to. 6 hours after the fire it was back in my garage, so the fire and subsequent fire fighting agents were the only damage it sustained. Unfortunately they are pretty substantial when you really look things over. Firewall, Cowl, Cowl vent, dash frame, everything on top of the motor and almost everything in the engine bay needs restoration as well as the gauges, radio, clock (all of which worked) and every assembly under the dash. Wiper assembly and transmissions, heater, etc. It ruined the hood and even charred the RH hood rail but didn't get into the outer fender. Really disappointing since it was a no hit body.

The engine had just started so it was still cold when it happened which probably helped limit the damage a little. The engine internally is fine I think. The Fuel injection plenum is fairly well sealed so nothing went into the motor. Very important since it's all matching numbers.

I emptied 2 small extinguishers on it and then was spraying a neighbors hose under the hood through the side that popped open afraid to raise it all the way up because the wind was really blowing from the opposite side and I was afraid of a flash. We emptied the Sheriffs fire extinguisher on it and then the fire Department showed up. That's when we popped the hood all the way, at that point it had burnt up into the dash so I opened the cowl vent for them and they got at it that way.

We still aren't 100 percent sure how it started but I think looking around at everything in the aftermath that a wire might have chaffed on the lower ignition shielding that comes from the starter in the start circuit.

I was fortunate. I pushed it out in the street away from the house and other 2 cars in the garage and when it was all said and done only burnt the hair off one of my arms and somehow sliced the palm of my hand but nothing serious. I look at the bright side (you have to at this point) It could have been worse and it could have happened 8 miles away from the fire Department (my usual cruising route) not 1 mile away on a Sunday when the guys are all at the department. (it's a volunteer one. ) They were also very good and did as little damage as possible.

That's too bad, ....

Quick thinking on your part to get the Vette away from the other cars.... And to not open the hood. I came upon a car with an engine fire , I was several yards away and yelling 'don't open the hood!!' They didn't heed and sure enough, when they opened the hood, the fire grew explosively ....

Did you tell the insurance company how you saved them $$$$ by your quick actions?

You should tell how you saved yourself and them from a larger claim

.... and ask them to send a more experienced And Vette savvy adjuster....

It is sad that we have so many illiterate people in this country but that’s our school systems. Craigslist and EBay are useful but dangerous. We can find and buy almost any part today but some people don’t have the smarts to use these tools without screwing up then they want to give neg feedback. One of my biggest complaints is with fed x. I have gotten to the point where I wont buy from anyone who uses fed x for delivery. I ask to have my orders shipped any other way or forget the sale. I have refused to buy several items in the last few months because the seller used fedx only.

You blame the school systems... I blame parents. I think I'm more correct.

Almost missed the occasion Happy Birthday Auburnseeker, gee I remember 40. (barley) Been a run of bad luck around here too but compared to your loss mine are trivial. I suppose no matter the situation someone has it a lil better or worse.

Concerning Ebay I've been fortunate. Never sold but bought. I've always gotten what I paid for and never dissatisfied, I always feel like I'd better know what I want & do lots of homework. From working in retail I understand your grief there are some real ? how do I say "pieces of work" nicely.

Better days around the corner:)

Dale

On the "illiteracy" question, I agree with West!

It's much more the parents than the school system--

and once a child gets to a certain age, it's likely his own fault

if he's not doing the work and not paying attention.

Was he "bored" in English class when they were teaching

grammar and proper writing? Was he drinking before age 21

and learning to "party" instead?

We must be understanding and kind to these people, but

they are responsible for themselves.

It's insured but it's going to be a rough go I think. The adjuster they sent has never done a Vette, new or old, Doesn't know about the construction, where to get parts, or anything about the letters NCRS and this car was very correct right down to the spark plug wires.

Don't worry about the apraiser that looked at the car, (an adjuster working in an office will set the offer on the price of the repair)

The appraiser, by law sets a price that the insurance company must set aside to pay the claim.

The shop that does the repair, at your direction, is the one that sets the cost of the repair.

A judge will almost always award you the full cost of the invoice, especialy if you have paid the shop in full.

After all the hype I heard, I tried E-Bay once many years ago. I selected 3 interesting items. Never mind not selling any, I never even got a bid. I asked around and they told me it was because I didn't have "Paypal". Well, I went back to my old way of selling and been doing fine ever since. No E-Bay Fees, no Paypal Fees. Now, this was back in the "old" days. Since then, I have learned that there have been a lot of changes in E-Bay and not for the betterment of the seller!!

Now I have just learned something on here about "E-Bay Shipping Fees" ?? Don't fully understand that right now, but what's next ?

Auburnseeker, As far as problems with parts that people claim won't fit, I offer returns. I'll refund the Full Value of the part, except for the Packing Charge and Shipping Charges. I even offer returns if the part is fine, but the person just changes his mind about it. Although it's for everyone, I'll only mention it when asked. People seem to really like it, but as it turns out, I hardly ever get a return. But I can understand your position if you have already paid for all those Fees. No one wants to take a loss.

Bill

After all the hype I heard, I tried E-Bay once many years ago. I selected 3 interesting items. Never mind not selling any, I never even got a bid. I asked around and they told me it was because I didn't have "Paypal". Well, I went back to my old way of selling and been doing fine ever since. No E-Bay Fees, no Paypal Fees. Now, this was back in the "old" days. Since then, I have learned that there have been a lot of changes in E-Bay and not for the betterment of the seller!!

Now I have just learned something on here about "E-Bay Shipping Fees" ?? Don't fully understand that right now, but what's next ?

Auburnseeker, As far as problems with parts that people claim won't fit, I offer returns. I'll refund the Full Value of the part, except for the Packing Charge and Shipping Charges. I even offer returns if the part is fine, but the person just changes his mind about it. Although it's for everyone, I'll only mention it when asked. People seem to really like it, but as it turns out, I hardly ever get a return. But I can understand your position if you have already paid for all those Fees. No one wants to take a loss.

Bill

I do offer returns but I don't come right out and say it. Instead I list my policies in my description which ebay for some reason has decided is not as important as their "fits" or "item Condition" box. Why do we need a box to state the items condition and defects when we have the description which is where you describe the item and it's condition. People now just buy on what's listed in the box, never seeing any of the information in the description which usually has as in my case, what to do if you don't get an item as well as other important information such as the exact application, like whether it fits cars with AC and not Power steering or other important information that doesn't fit in the crummy fits box or item condition box.

Almost all of my listings state

"As with all my parts, if you feel it has an issue once you receive it, please contact me to have it resolved. I value my reputation and try to provide hard to find parts at great if not down right cheap prices to keep our old cars on the road."

With having to eat one shipping cost at the least, I don't want to come right out and say sure, buy it, try it so now you have damaged it and it looks used, so I can happily take it back to sell as a used item for less because you didn't read the description.

I try to maintain 100 percent positive feedback. Anyone who sells on ebay will tell you that takes alot of schmoozing, admitting the customer who is truly wrong is always right.

With the horn ring the guy never did tell me what car he owned but I agreed to a full refund upon safe return of the item. That's 12.00 in shipping right there I loose.

I've never had a case against me go to ebay to decide, so I guess that's a bonus.

I had this one come in yesterday

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=191237639487

My reply -

"I can take a return. The description , which ebay encourages bidders not to read it seems, lists the application. including 55-56 GMC. Let me know if you are going to return it and please in the future on anybodies auction ignore the fits crap that ebay lists. Thanks for contacting me, Randy"

Another interesting event on the Sunday my Vette caught fire. Afterwards, I had the car interior out cleaning off all the white fire fighting agent, so I scattered the parts all over my truck to dry them in the sun. I needed to go my shop 1 mile away to get my wet dry Vac to vacuum the charcoaled white ponds out of the Vette so I grabbed my wife's truck which she had just finished waxing and putting in her garage. I went to the shop loaded up the vac, went to start the truck and click. The battery went right there. Never any warning. I grabbed my Tester which showed dead, so I put it on a charger and even tried boosting it with the charger. Nothing. So I grabbed the Plymouth convertible out of the other bay loaded up the vacuum and headed back to the house. You should have seen the look on my wife's face. "Now what". I told her you're not going to believe it.

I know 40 isn't a big deal but with everything else, it just seemed Like I was at the top of the hill on a freefall down the other side.

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes.

I have to be thankful we are all in good health now, although the whole chain of bad luck started 3 months ago when my wife broke her leg and had to have a rod put in it, 9 months pregnant and then delivered our Daughter Auburn Victoria 8 days later.

I'm going to scratch this spring and summer off and just hope for a good fall and great Hershey although I'm not rushing it.

Here is the latest on the Steering wheel horn ring mentioned above

"Im Sending it Back EXACTLY LIKE CAME RAPPED W/FRAGGLE SIGS ON IT - EXACTLY LIKE IT CAME IS IT POSSIBLE for You to SEND ME A POSTAL MONEY ORDER in Sted EVEN FOR $150.00 I will Be into THIS $190.00 WHEN it Gets Back to You ... n Beleive Me lm Gonna Leave Very Good FEEDBACK SO EVERYONE CAN SEE HOW HONEST N FARE YOU ARE ... "

You just can't make this stuff up.