hddennis Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Am I just out of touch with the price and rarity of items or is this the biggest eBay rip-off ever?67 Cadillac Conv. Tail Light Bulbs (2) - eBay (item 130494870615 end time Apr-06-11 01:04:36 PDT)Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 The guy is a dreamer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Must be smoking some good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I don't think that's a taillight bulb. Looks more like a 50cp cornering lamp bulb to me, and those have gotten scarce. Scarce enough I paid close to ten bucks apiece for two a couple years ago. I got loose in an old parts store's back room and cleaned them out of every one they had after that, and would also scarf them out of junkers with cornering lamps.Would be hard to justify $25 apiece though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest windjamer Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 :confused: I guess im just old and senial, I can not understand why anyone would try to take advantage of a person like that. There was a crook advertiseing a turn sig. switch for a 65 skylark and asking three times what it was worth. Pi**ed me off so bad I sent a p/m to the buyer telling him where to buy it for a thired of what that clown wanted. Yes I sell stuff,and yes I want to make a little profit,but I try to treat outhers the way I want to be treated. If I over price something its because I didnt know and would want someone to say hey Dick, your a little high there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Sellers like that give sellers a bad rap. I price my stuff to sell. If it's auction style and goes for big? money well that' s what the people determined it to be. But in general I sell alot of items for retail price. Retail price being what the dealer got for them 30-50 years ago. Kingpin sets for $10-$20, lots of small chrome mouldings and switches for $10.00 all in the oem packaging. Actually I need to check on the light bulbs I may have a bunch of them. Probably Guide brand ontop of that. I hate to see a seller stick it to you because you need it. I think it hurts the hobby. Especially when a guy is doing a car he likes but it isn't wort hmuch money when it's done. He's in over his head before he gets started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I don't think that's a taillight bulb. Looks more like a 50cp cornering lamp bulb to me, and those have gotten scarce. Scarce enough I paid close to ten bucks apiece for two a couple years ago. I got loose in an old parts store's back room and cleaned them out of every one they had after that, and would also scarf them out of junkers with cornering lamps.Would be hard to justify $25 apiece though.I read it as $25 for 2 but that's still about 5 times what I would sell them for. He also said "quality used parts at affordable prices" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 How is this different from a plain 1293 ? Looks more like a backup light bulb though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I still don't understand why people get all worked up about things like this. First, the seller has to pay the ebay listing fee whether the item sells or not, and the fee structure is tied to the asking price, so the higher the price, the higher the fee (this is also why you see items with a $0.99 starting price and a reserve in the thousands...). If a buyer is stupid enough to overpay for an item that's available elsewhere for less money, well, I have no problem with separating an idiot from his money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 I still don't understand why people get all worked up about things like this. First, the seller has to pay the ebay listing fee whether the item sells or not, and the fee structure is tied to the asking price, so the higher the price, the higher the fee (this is also why you see items with a $0.99 starting price and a reserve in the thousands...). If a buyer is stupid enough to overpay for an item that's available elsewhere for less money, well, I have no problem with separating an idiot from his money. And I fail to see what eBay's fees have anything to do with this conversation at all. Not everyone knows where to get cheap parts and this guy is clearly out to rip-off the un-informed or people new to the hobby which tends to thin our ranks as time goes on. But since it seems you subscribe to the P. T. Barnum theory, I doubt you'll understand that.Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 And I fail to see what eBay's fees have anything to do with this conversation at all. Not everyone knows where to get cheap parts and this guy is clearly out to rip-off the un-informed or people new to the hobby which tends to thin our ranks as time goes on. But since it seems you subscribe to the P. T. Barnum theory, I doubt you'll understand that.Howard DennisI'm sorry, but given the information sources available today, and the ease of using them, there's no excuse to be uninformed. If a buyer is too lazy or too stupid to find the best price, then more power to the seller. If the parts really are that rare, then supply and demand kicks in. As for ebay listing prices, my whole point was that when these solid gold bulbs fail to sell and the auction ends, the buyer still has to pay the listing fees. He's the only one hurt by being a dreamer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest windjamer Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thank you Howard. :(Joe, its called ETHICS please look it up in the dicionary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 The market (buyer) always sets the price. Not a thing unethical about that. If buyer A is willing to pay twice what buyer B thinks it's worth that makes buyer B wrong. The market, not the seller, always defines the "fair" price.........Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Double M Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thank you Howard. :(Joe, its called ETHICS please look it up in the dicionary.Talk about being "Out Of Touch" Ethics? Ha Ha Ha!I believe the term "Caviat Emptor" comes from the days of the Greeks.If sombody has not figured out that basic and classic axium, then it is time for another old saying..."A fool & his money are soon parted"I hope next time, he gets $35 each for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl B. Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Did y'all notice...these are USED bulbs... soooo.. like, how much time is left on them???? They might burn out after a few minutes of use.. who knows.... seems like a big gamble to me.... I'd sure hate to put that much in a used bulb, but, that's me....a tightwad...B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Talk about being "Out Of Touch" Ethics? Ha Ha Ha!I believe the term "Caviat Emptor" comes from the days of the Greeks.If sombody has not figured out that basic and classic axium, then it is time for another old saying..."A fool & his money are soon parted"I hope next time, he gets $35 each for them!Hope the newbies don't use these ideals to judge all us old car people. It's beginning to sound like we should issue the new guys t shirts with targets on the back!Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I'm pretty sure "caviat emptor" is Latin which was the language of the Romans. I side with Howard and Dick on this issue, we all know what it feels like to get overcharged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVE A Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 It has always been a source of aggravation to me when I see some of the prices on e-bay that the uninitiated pay for parts. I guess I was lucky to get associated with a club for my marque very early in my Crosley career. I learned very early that the best way to get things needed for my car was through other club members and through vendors that are dedicated to the preservation of my brand. I think a lot of it is a matter of trust, and who you trust. Occasional undiscovered things come up on e-bay that are not handled or available by the other sources but they are rare and mostly for the advanced collector. It is a shame that people don't check with these organizations first, they would save time and money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 It has always been a source of aggravation to me when I see some of the prices on e-bay that the uninitiated pay for parts. Why? Is it YOUR money? I get upset about the prices that people with more money than brains pay at Barrett Jackson and the like. I'm not upset because they overpaid, I'm upset because when Joe Dirt sees these idiots on TV, they immediately think their POS is also worth that much. This, by the way, is exactly what happened in the housing market, so why should the old car market be any different?As for ebay prices, learn to use the "search completed auctions" function. You will quickly find out that the obviously overpriced crap rarely sells. Asking prices are just BS. Cash changing hands is what sets value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 $25.00 is not too much! Hey! I got a piece of the original wire that went to those used lights that I will let you have for only $36.50! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 To follow the logic of some.......... Items should be auctioned off and sold to the lowest bidder. It just makes no sense at all. If a person wants to sell something cheap as a favor or even give it away that's one thing. I do it all the time. But, the reason for selling to the general public, for profit, is to maximize the return on investment. There is not a thing unethical about it. You charge whatever the market will bear. The market will always determine the "correct" price. I used to collect and restore pinball machines and I ran into the same mind set from other pinball hobbiests. They felt that they were fellow hobbiests and if I "found" a $1000 machine for $100 then I should sell it to them for $150. It would be an interesting observation to see how the cheaper is better faction prices their cars when they go to sell.............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Years ago I collected Samurai swords. Some in the hobby decided that any newcomers were fair game or fresh meat for their own financial gain at the newcomers expense, because they hadn't taken the time to learn. Several years ago the bottom fell out of that market because the newcomers found out what was happening and moved on to friendlier hobbies and growth stagnated in the sword world. If this mindset shown here persists the same may happen here. If no new blood wants your collection it's value doesn't hold up very well. Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 A while back, there was someone on ebay selling a 1930s Dodge ram radiator cap (in fair shape). It was listed as a "buy it now" for over $1,000.00. I emailed the person after a couple of weeks and informed them that they will NEVER get that price when a beautiful one can be had for $500.00 or less. They thanked me and kept it at that price. I don't think that it ever sold. I say "more power to them" if they get their asking price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocsGal Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 After reading the responses of some of the members here I have to admit I am slightly dismayed but also encouraged. Dismayed because the people in this club and forum are people I try to find parts for - because I want my parts to go to people who are interested in the hobby for the sake of furthering the hobby and sharing our joy in it with a dwindling group of people. Encouraged because those people who DO have ethics about the way we price and sell our parts to each other will continue to encourage others to get in to the hobby and continue to try to save as many of these cars and parts as possible, so we WILL have a hobby for the FUTURE. I HATE selling on E-bay and avoid it if at all possible. I will always offer parts to friends in clubs and people on sites that I know before I will do Ebay because they are making too much money off of MY hard work.Now I understand that some of you think that it is the buyer's 'own fault' for not being educated about their vehicle or the availability of parts but isn't that also why we have this website, this forum and this CLUB!!!! We should be extending a hand out to these people and helping them find those resources instead of laughing and saying, "What did that poor sucker pay for that part?!" I want and NEED to make some money off of my parts too, but I would not be able to sleep if I knew I was ripping people off by selling them parts that they paid way more than they were worth. I just wasn't raised that way!Maybe the market will bear your prices for a while but my prices will hopefully sell consistently over the long term and I will develop a reputation for honesty, integrity, value and consistency. My customers come back because they know I will try to find them what they want and what they need rather than make a quick, deep profit and send them on down the road. That is one of the reasons I have (successfully) owned my own business for the past 27 years and still have most of my original customers I started out with. I have spent the last several years courting my fathers old clients and trying to build my own reputation for car parts and restoration services. I would never do anything to jeopardize a clients trust in my or my father's reputation. That is what makes some of the people in this club and forum different from others and I am glad I read this post so I can recognize the difference in the people!! I'd rather be different with integrity than be construed as just another one of the high-volume, profit-driven masses! I am glad that makes me different and I hope it is ALWAYS that way! 'NUFF SAID!SharonDocs Gal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 ...Encouraged because those people who DO have ethics about the way we price and sell our parts to each other... I'm sorry, but when did trying to maximize one's profit become unethical? We're not talking about misrepresentation of the item description. We're not talking about bait-and-switch. We're simply talking about the asking price that a seller has set on an item. Either buy it or don't. This is Econ 101. Buyers have more resources available to them than ever before as far as the ability to verify whether or not an asking price is reasonable. Despite our nation's apparent desire to always blame someone else for self-induced problems, I still maintain that the buyer who overpays has no one to blame but him/herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Actually, now that I think about it, there is an interesting related issue here. This thread has seen a number of posts about how it's "unethical" to ask an overly high price ("high" as determined by the author's standards) on a relatively rare item. Let's talk about the case of the marque-specific vendors who sell items for 25-50% over what they can be purchased for through other sources. Repeatedly I see people saying that they'd rather pay the higher prices to support these vendors? Are the vendors being unethical? Or am I being unethical by buying my parts from the lowest-price seller. And yes, the quality is the same, in fact the specific items are nearly always made in the same factory (usually out of Chinesium). I'm not arguing paying a higher price for a higher quality part. I'm talking about wild variations in asking prices among vendors for the exact same part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 (edited) Personally I'm amazed that the terms honesty, ethics, integrity etc etc are being conflated with the PRICING of parts that by definition have no intrinsic value. Those terms have everything to do with DESCRIBING the part and nothing to do with PRICING the part. The value of the part is also a moving target as NOS supplies dry up or repro's become available. The value of any old car part is EXACTLY what someone is willing to pay for it. The person who is willing to pay top dollar for a given part is often not the poor uneducated schlep described above but is a well heeled collector or his restorer who couldn't care less about price and just wants the part NOW. The argument could also be made that a seller with family or buisness dependants actually has a fiduciary responsibility to provide the maximum return on investment. Every dollar left on the table is a dollar taken away from a dependant.If a given seller is more comfortable in selling below market price for whatever reason that is all well and good. But does that make the given seller somehow more moral, honest or a person of higher integrety. No, it just means that's the way they choose to do business. This is a hobby not a charity...........BobDisclaimer.......I buy far far far more than I sell, most parts I just give away and that doesn't make me more "moral" than anyone else. Edited March 14, 2011 by Bhigdog word change (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddyshack Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Nice post DocsGal, we need more people like you. E-bay has become an easy way for sellers to unload items without very much homework. Misrepresented years, descriptions, usages, etc. all contribute to the frustrations that potential buyers have. Some of us "old-timers" see right through these tactics and question the sellers extensively. The new member just starting out is really at a disadvantage, and usually takes these listings as gospel. Big mistake! Always research your project, and seek good advise before you buy.Just an opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest windjamer Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 OK, as I understand it the bulb is a tail light for a 67 Caddy. Thats a 1034 or 1157 bulb available at any parts store stop & rob and possably the local drug store. A buck each unless you get them from me and I ask $3 for a box of ten. Joe, if you see me at Hershey,please introduce your self,Ill need to rase the price on whatever you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 OK, as I understand it the bulb is a tail light for a 67 Caddy. Thats a 1034 or 1157 bulb available at any parts store stop & rob and possably the local drug store. A buck each unless you get them from me and I ask $3 for a box of ten. Joe, if you see me at Hershey,please introduce your self,Ill need to rase the price on whatever you need.And again, you are free to ASK whatever price you want, just as I am free to say no thank you. I don't see how any of that is unethical. It's business. I also find the comments in this thread about the "poor new members of the hobby" to be hilarious. These younger folks are probably waaaaay more web savvy than the rest of us and can find the market pricing info in seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 OK, as I understand it the bulb is a tail light for a 67 Caddy. Thats a 1034 or 1157 bulb available at any parts store stop & rob and possably the local drug store.By the way, you would be incorrect. The bulb in question is a 1293. A ten second Google search shows vendors selling them for a whole $4 apiece. This is what I mean by buyers being able to find market pricing data very, very easily. A seller who pays $25 (admittedly for a whole TWO used bulbs) without doing this search DESERVES to be separated from his money. Of course, the new, $4 bulb doesn't look EXACTLY like the old one (and, it says "Taiwan" on it). Judge for yourself if the difference is worth it:Old:New: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 "I also find the comments in this thread about the "poor new members of the hobby" to be hilarious. These younger folks are probably waaaaay more web savvy than the rest of us and can find the market pricing info in seconds."I'd like to comment on the sickness of this comment but choose not to as it's obvious Joe won't rest till he has the last word on this. So you win Joe, screw your fellow collector to your heart's content. Apparently no one ever helped you when you started out and your just returning the favor. Sad really.Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 "I also find the comments in this thread about the "poor new members of the hobby" to be hilarious. These younger folks are probably waaaaay more web savvy than the rest of us and can find the market pricing info in seconds."I'd like to comment on the sickness of this comment but choose not to as it's obvious Joe won't rest till he has the last word on this. So you win Joe, screw your fellow collector to your heart's content. Apparently no one ever helped you when you started out and your just returning the favor. Sad really.Howard DennisHow is setting ASKING price in any way "screwing" anybody? Just to be clear, I think the $25/pair for used bulbs is ridiculous, but my point all along has been that no one is holding a gun to anyone's head and forcing them to buy these bulbs. The only person "screwed" is the seller when the item doesn't sell and the seller STILL has to pay listing fees to the auction site. Since he's only hurting himself, how is anyone else being "screwed"????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 By the way, in response to the original question posted here, yes, many who posted in this thread really are out of touch. If you willingly walk into a 7-11 store and pay $7 for a 12 pack of soda that you could have gotten at WalMart for $4, did you get "screwed"? Is 7-11 evil for asking a higher price than other stores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 OK, sorry, one more example that's car-related. Saturday was the annual swap meet put on by the Chesapeake Region chapter. I've been going to this swap meet for three years now. There is one vendor who's been there every year with a bare 455 Olds block. The first time he was asking $300 and carried it home with him. The next year he was asking $200 and again carried it home with him. This year he was asking $200 and included a crank with it. I finally bought the pair for $100 since he was tired of carrying it back home. By the logic in this thread, I was "screwed" when the seller was asking $300 for this block. I don't know about the rest of you, but I sure enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim_Edwards Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 "I also find the comments in this thread about the "poor new members of the hobby" to be hilarious. These younger folks are probably waaaaay more web savvy than the rest of us and can find the market pricing info in seconds."I'd like to comment on the sickness of this comment but choose not to as it's obvious Joe won't rest till he has the last word on this. So you win Joe, screw your fellow collector to your heart's content. Apparently no one ever helped you when you started out and your just returning the favor. Sad really.Howard DennisHaving chased parts for all ages of automobiles on the web, and having owned a computer service and hardware business from 1986 to 1998, I am of the belief that newcomers to the hobby can be seriously mislead by their first trip to a local parts house. Meaning when they hit a site like this they already believe parts that we may find easy to locate are impossible to easily find at any price. I have observed that there are some people for whatever reason who figure the first availability response they get on something is 100% fact and if it happens to come from some nit-wit behind the counter at AutoZone or the likes they just don't look any further. All of which is complicated by the fact of perhaps their having little or no auto mechanics experience.I will also say that "youngsters" are not necessarily as savvy in doing web searches as one might think. Apparently doing research is not taught in schools today as it once was when one had to learn how to use the card files in a library; and in spite of search engines like google one still has to know how to reduce or expand a search criteria to eliminate getting 50 zillion possibilities. Realistically, those folks are "ripe" for the picking so to speak and as we all know there are people out there more than willing to take advantage of ignorance and/or lack of common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 ...I have observed that there are some people for whatever reason who figure the first availability response they get on something is 100% fact and if it happens to come from some nit-wit behind the counter at AutoZone or the likes they just don't look any further....And why should be coddle that? The first time they get burned, they will reconsider the need to do some due diligence. Getting back to the original post, this was an ebay auction. Someone looking at this auction MUST already know how to use a web browser and to search on ebay for a 1293 bulb. Typing that same 1293 bulb string into Google yields thousands of links. The first one up is the $4 price I quoted. Sorry, but anyone who spends $25 on used light bulbs before doing that simple 10 second search... well.. it's evolution in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dokks6t9 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Like someone said in a earlier post, someone with more money than brains will buy them...Period... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Pricing is what a willing seller will sell to a willing buyer will pay. I agree that some of the prices are way out there. There is a piece of literature that I have been watching on a buy now that has been listed coming up on two years. Will not pay the price ( and appears no one else will) and have been waiting for a reduction in price to the current market prices but there has been none. I do not need the piece as bad as the seller does not want to sell it at the current market price... Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I would say ,buyer beware.There are some parts ,i know i spend to mutch on,but need them.Who cares what they are listed for.I will buy what i need ,when needed,if i overpay who cares ,If you see it on the bay,and dont like the price,,dont save it,simple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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