Wanted: Ebay Competitor

[Guest BJM]

1st, I agree with virtually everyone's position that ebay leaves a lot to be desired, as the old saying goes.

2nd, though, there is a lot of vitrial in the comments and ebay is a vendor and yet the moderators are allowing all these negative comments yet deleting other posts regarding vendor comments.

Certainly they have noticed.

I thought ebay was great theatre about 19 years ago. Sit down at the computer, log in with a beer or coffee and find all these cool cars and parts delivered right through your computer. Those days are long over.

[DAVE A]

First of all, I do not "hate" e-bay. I dislike the policies they have adapted over the years and I will willingly help anyone who works to come up with a viable alternative. The constant changes to benefit e-bay (and to the detriment in some cases of buyers and sellers) like forcing everyone to use paypal (which made them more money) and charging on shipping charges, forcing the listing of shipping etc have made me look for another way. Til then, I will use them on the occasions that I can't find a better way for. I do believe with the group we have here, we can build a viable alternative.

[Sweepspear]

2nd, though, there is a lot of vitrial in the comments and ebay is a vendor and yet the moderators are allowing all these negative comments yet deleting other posts regarding vendor comments.

I don't know that I see eBay as a vendor.

Not like we would outfits such as Kanter and the like that cater specifically to the needs of the old car hobby.

[smithbrother]

I have purchased 133 items, and NOT ONE SINGLE ISSUE. Now with that being said, I do have issues with them.

Most have been posted here, I do not like the 'FITS' label, it really takes a lot of space, but it probably does help some sellers.

For me, well I check out Buick stuff everyday, I look at NEWLY LISTED ITEMS ONLY, and since I check such EVERYDAY, well it works for me.

Ebay is far from perfect, but truthfully it has been a great tool for me. I'm not saying it won't stay that way in the future.

There are some Buick sellers that are very PRICEY, and nearly all their stuff just doesn't sell because they have the BUY IT NOW set so HIGH. I have made offers to them via personal message, and a couple times they have come down to EARTH and taken my offer. For the most part they are FISHING for a SUCKER, sorry seller, I AIN'T ONE.

Dale Smith in Indy

[Studemax]

If you are tired of all the crap that shows up when searching for old car parts, try this: type in what you are searching for, and add two little things.

Like so....

studebaker -fits -covers

This immediately gets rid of most of claptrap that makes searching so annoying.

[MCHinson]

1st, I agree with virtually everyone's position that ebay leaves a lot to be desired, as the old saying goes.

2nd, though, there is a lot of vitrial in the comments and ebay is a vendor and yet the moderators are allowing all these negative comments yet deleting other posts regarding vendor comments.

Certainly they have noticed.

I thought ebay was great theatre about 19 years ago. Sit down at the computer, log in with a beer or coffee and find all these cool cars and parts delivered right through your computer. Those days are long over.

I read a few posts in this discussion and figured if I continued reading, it would get my blood pressure up, by making me think about how much less I enjoy Ebay than I used to. Maybe I need to go back and read all of this discussion and see if something needs deletion.

Personally, I buy and sell on Ebay. I don't like some things about Ebay now compared to how it was when I first started buying and selling there.

Regarding my duty as a Moderator, I don't quite see Ebay as a "vendor". I see Ebay as a communications medium for allowing buyers and sellers to connect. I personally think that Ebay is more expensive than it used to be and more expensive than I wish it was. I also find that Ebay is about the only game in town. There are other sites, but Ebay is where the masses are, thus it works.

Maybe I don't see the big picture. Maybe I sometimes think too simply. If I want to search for information, I go to Google. If I want to buy something that I can't find in a local store, I go to Ebay. If I want to talk about old cars, I go to the AACA Discussion Forum. If I want to communicate with distant friends, I go to facebook, or send an email.

If a less costly, more user friendly alternative to Ebay is developed, I will certainly go to it, but I don't really expect to see that in my lifetime.

[dlh61olds]

Hey !!!!!

I just tried what someone said to do, it works.

If I search 1961 oldsmobile on e bay I find 5000 plus items.

If I use quotation marks I find less than 300 items, all specifically "1961 Oldsmobile".

Try it on your car.

Dave, Thanx to the guy who said to try this.

[dlh61olds]

Just tried this on "1962 Oldsmobile" and it cut from 11227 items to 703.

Thanx again to whoever said to try this.

Dave

[dlh61olds]

Just trying to keep this "HOT" until a few guys see it.

Dave

[Dave@Moon]

Just tried this on "1962 Oldsmobile" and it cut from 11227 items to 703.

Thanx again to whoever said to try this.

Dave

A lot of the items you're eliminating are likely things you want to see. There are a LOT of parts listed as "1961 1962 1963 Oldsmobile Buick xxxxx xxxxxx*", or something similar. Unless you got lucky and searched for "1963 Oldsmobile, you'd miss that part.

Using the previously described "-fits -cover" method none of those parts would be missed, unless some hapless vendor listed something as "xxxxx xxxxxx* fits 1962 Oldsmobile". Right now I get 1,632 parts using "1962 Oldsmobile -fits -cover". Unless you're working on a car with VERY limited overlap of parts with other years/models, I'd strongly recommend using the "-fits -cover" method.

==========================

*xxxxx xxxxxx = part description, e.g. "brake shoes"

Edited May 19, 2012 by Dave@Moon (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

I found alot of those fits things don't really "fit" and Xenon headlight bulbs don't fit my 36 Airstream quite right.

I've been using the "1936 Chrysler " -seat -honda etc works real well. That really cuts down the new junk. Usually half the stuff I buy for my cars the owners don't know what they fit so I have a few searches to troll for that stuff as well. It's kind of like digging in those dollar boxes or tarps and finidng a real gem.

[dep5]

Hey !!!!!

I just tried what someone said to do, it works.

If I search 1961 oldsmobile on e bay I find 5000 plus items.

If I use quotation marks I find less than 300 items, all specifically "1961 Oldsmobile".

Try it on your car.

Dave, Thanx to the guy who said to try this.

Good to see some folks "know how" to search.

[jpage]

I was just looking at 1936 Dodge parts on E-bay and I am sick and tired of 25 pages of absolute garbage that has nothing whatsoever to do with '36 Dodges! Also some seller has grille crossbars on there for $129.oo each! What, is this guy NUTS! Steering wheels for $500.00 and some sort of bumper bolts that are only for 1960's Mopars marked for '36. They really need to do some policing of the items and what greed! It's a shame that some poor,unsuspecting so an so is going to get screwed by some greedy hustler and pay 100 or 500 percent more than a part is really worth and usually for junk. I was watching a tailpipe clamp I needed being offered at between $25 and $45 (in multiple listings of the same item). I bought one new in the box at Hershey for $4.00! I say to this type of E-bay dealer--screw you!

[Curti]

I have been buying on eBay from the mid 90's. So long that my eBay handle is my first name.

There are 36 different searches. I find the key is to sit down and read how to perform an advanced search. They look a bit like a complex algebraic equasion., but it works.

For instance, I am searching for a certain Prestolite coil, the search looks like this:

prestolite (coil) -(harley,pulse,direct,boot,pert*,41*,42*,43*,44*,45*,46*,47*,48*,49)

When this search returns too many items, I go over to the collumn on the left under specified sellers and exclude sellers that sell items I am not interested in. The list is pared down from 500+ items to 12 matches found. Then I select the option to have eBay email me the new items found for my search criteria each day. So in the morning there are emails from eBay showing me the potential items I am looking for. Occasionally there is something there that I am interested in. Only then do I sign on to eBay and view the item. 3-5 minutes in the morning has yielded wonderful results over the years.

[36 D2 Coupe]

I just opened this thread and have to agree with the beefs about eBay. I have bought many rare and one-only items for my '36 Dodge and am grateful for the folks who offered them and in many cases had no idea what they were selling.

That said, I have a pile of shop and parts manuals cleaned out of a closed Chrysler dealer to rescue them from the dumpster and make a little money for the widow of the late owner. I offered 10 of them on eBay to start and discovered to my chagrin that the *%$@## company wanted 9% commission on the SHIPPING COST. Now for some of these books the mailing cost was as much as the winning bid and I effectively ended up paying a double commission on them. There's no way you can recover this money from the buyer and for lower value heavy items, selling on eBay just isn't worth it. This is sad because some of the feedback I got from international buyers indicated that they were just delighted to get something they never thought they would find. So now the stash sits in my basement instead of in the hands of hobbyists who could use it.

Yes, I still buy on eBay but I'm reluctant to sell my excess bits and pieces only to be gouged with commissions on shipping. I did file a complaint with eBay and the response boiled down to "so sad, too bad, have a nice day"

Wish I had something constructive to add re: an alternative forum for old cars and parts but unfortunately eBay is the biggest pig in the pen.

Jim

[smithbrother]

I assume the reason they want commission on SHIPPING is because lots of sellers UP the shipping cost to make even more money. We have all seen sellers list shipping/handling as $15.00 when actually the shipping cost amounts to $5.00.

I see a lot of magazine sellers say, FREE SHIPPING, and they have the actual mailing cost built in to their STARTING ASKING PRICE.

I wish you well,

Dale Smith in Indy

[1937hd45]

If I list a book at $.99 with Postage & Handling $4.00 (the max eBay allows), or the same book at $4.99 FREE postage in the USA which one would you bid on, and why? NEVER EVER trust the shipping fee eBay comes up with. I had one item with an opening bid of $19.99, got ONE BID on the last day, checked the auction to see eBay came up with a $114.00 shipping cost. The one bidder got it and it was shipped FedEx Ground for $11.40. eBay scared all the other bidders on that one. What REALLY gets me is the FREE SHIPPING check off box NEVER clears itself on the listing forum, everything else does! Got burned there a few times. Bob

[TexRiv_63]

I've been watching this thread since it started, assuming at first it was the latest in a long series of "I Hate Evilbay" threads but there does seem to be a lot of genuine dislike for the latest series of Ebay "improvements". My wife and I have been on Ebay since 1999 and have had very few problems out of very many transactions. It was very simple and idealistic in the early days but it also had a much higher potential for payment problems, shipping cost abuse, and seller fraud. As the company enlarged they have continually increased the number of rules and requirements for sellers to protect and improve the buyers experience, since without buyers the system collapses. They also started to move away from supporting the small "clean out your attic" sellers and the auction format in favor of the commercial sellers and Ebay Stores. They did everything they could to enlarge their business and increase their profits by improving the buyers experience and drawing more buyers. This is Business 101, and anyone who thinks they should have remained as they started is naive.

The original Ebay buying and selling model still exists but they have become such a large worldwide marketplace that participating is much more complex than it used to be. While I haven't always liked the changes I understand why they changed and I have adapted. I still use Ebay constantly for parts shopping and Automobilia collecting and still find great items at good prices almost every week. I do agree that the "Fits" program is terribly abused but by using some of the search tips mentioned above it's not that hard to get around the problem. You still have to be an educated consumer and "let the buyer beware" still applies. You do need to complain to Ebay about any abuse of their system because in my experience they will respond, it just may not be immediate.

As far as starting a competitive site for Automotive items only, I can promise I would be an eager user but it will be a tall order to pull it off - good luck.

[Dave@Moon]

]They did everything they could to enlarge their business and increase their profits by improving the buyers experience and drawing more buyers. This is Business 101, and anyone who thinks they should have remained as they started is naive.

Only problem, the vendors are eBay's customers, not the buyers. It is not as simple a model as "Business 101". They used to walk a middle road between the two, appropriate to their position in their chosen business model. Today they serve their best customers (numerically biggest vendors), to the detriment of everyone else.

That detriment is reaching the point of driving the non-new merchandise buyers away, and therefore the vendors thereof.:mad:

[Dave@Moon]

NEVER EVER trust the shipping fee eBay comes up with.

You should try selling books and records! There are flat rates allowed per auction regardless of what or how many media items are sold. Shipping is $4.00 for a book auction, whether you're mailing a pamphlet or 20 years worth of Mitchell Manuals. CDs are limited to $3.00 shipping, whether you sell a single disc w/o case or a 9 lb. box set of 10 discs and 250 page book.

You can bypass these by listing items in wrong categories (which accounts for about 1/2 of what you'll find in "Collectibles"), but that cuts WAY down on the number of bidders who look at the item.

There are a lot of items, especially vintage items, effectively being kept off of eBay by simple shipping restrictions.

[1937hd45]

I'd really like to understand Book Collecting, I sold a First Edition of Atlas Shrugged with a poor dust jacket for "Stupid Money" and was very happy to get it. The same book is available in paperback form if you wish to read it for under five dollars. I can understand automotive sales literature from the 1930's Original vs Reprints, but the book deal is a mystery. I have far more no bids than sales of books on eBay, but they are easy to pack and mail. Bob

[Dave@Moon]

I can understand automotive sales literature from the 1930's Original vs Reprints....

Book and record collecting are roughly the same. A reprinted brochure for a Cord or Winton reads exactly the same as an original, but how many originals are there? There wasn't a lot of demand for those brochures when they were new, and so not many were printed. That rarity makes them valuable, not what they contain.

If you have a mint or sealed copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from the first day of release in 1967, it's worth between $300.00 (mono) and $150.00 (stereo). A copy from the last vinyl pressings in the 1980s is worth about $10.00, and sounds almost exactly the same. The newer, digitally remastered copies (1995 and up) sound better than the originals, and are worth no more than about $30.00 sealed.

Very often record collectors don't even own a turntable to play them on. It's like collecting stamps. That rare copy of Atlas Shrugged will almost certainly never be read (or even opened) either.

[Friartuck]

I sort of touched on this last year:

http://forums.aaca.org/f169/line-flea-market-suggestion-308848.html

Chris W.

[auburnseeker]

I think this thread pops up every year when Ebay has there anual rate hike or scheduled improvements for the sake of change. Last year it was the new fee on shipping charges. the year before it was the mandatory pay pal only payment method. This year they are requiring all powersellers to offer no questions asked 14 day return policy on everything. (gives the customer a chance to check the item out try it on see if it works/fits then return it for any reason they choose. The seller eats one of the shipping costs which pay pal got a piece of the action on, then you get your damaged item back if it doesn't get lost on the way back or damaged because it wasn't packaged well for return shipment. )

Then tracking is required on 90 percent or more of items as well as 1 day shipping. Tracking as I have pointed out to people before only tells you the item got lost or was supposably delivered. If it's there when you go to the post office or open your door. Boom that's the same as delivery conformation. Tracking isn't available on First class international items so unless a customer wants to pay the 30.00 for Priority mail international as opposed to the 10.00 for first class then the seller can't comply.

A head postal representative in our area told me that tracking is pretty much useless. Once the item is lost it's gone. I don't really need someone to tell me the post office lost it. If you don't get it in 2 weeks consider it lost and ask for a refund. Refund given that's about all a seller can do. Ebay forces the sellers to refund the money one way or another. No sense in fighting it. Lost is Lost.

All that for a 20 percent discount of a percent of the final value fee. So it probably works out to 1-5 % Definately not worth all the extra work and headache.

So yes it's fun and about once a year we all get our blood pressure up but they are the only game in town at this point.

Hopefully a little competition comes into play. That's always a good thing to keep the playing field level.

[Guest Collectorscrave]

I've got one! I too have been upset with eBay and Craigslist so I created my own website for all types of collectibles. I mainly deal with sports memorabilia, antiques, and on occasions vintage car parts. I’m having trouble finding dealers that want to sell on my site because there isn’t as much traffic as other sites. However, I’m willing to let any seller from these boards sell for free on my site as long as you help promote it.

I took the craigslist and eBay models and put them together. So you can sell for free but have all of the features and functions of eBay with no spam. Classified Ads, Auctions, Buy It Now, Open a store, feedback, etc…

Please contact me if you’re interested in selling on my site. I spent over $5000 with various companies to have better placement on Google.

Richard Myers, Owner

CollectorsCrave.com (Stores: legendary-collections and C.C. Consignments)

804.747.6146

richardmyers@collectorscrave.com

Edited January 30, 2013 by Collectorscrave (see edit history)

[41 Su8]

I got out of ebay about 10 yrs ago. My account was hacked 3 times in 6 months and they said it was my fault. When they went to mandatory paypal, they wanted my checking account numbers. I drew the line at that point. The only time I buy is if they list a phone number where I can call the person directly. John

[Guest Collectorscrave]

John,

The beauty of my site is that PayPal is optional. You can accept any payment method you wish like checks, money order, cash, or other payment sites. Most buyers like PayPal because of their guarantee. If you get ripped off, PayPal will generally refund the money. I did integrate PayPal into my site but you don’t have to use it.

I post a lot of things on craigslist and put a link to my listings on Collectorscrave to drive traffic and purchases. This also cuts down on spam. Again, if anyone wants to sell their stuff totally free then contact me at RichardMyers@ collectorscrave.com with your phone number and I will call you with more detail. You can also call me at 804.747.6146

[jpage]

I used to deal with E-bay but have been dicouraged in the past few years with all the "junk" listed and the extremely inflated pricing and shipping. Although, I have to say, that when I did use Ebay(about 10 years ago ) I did have satisfactory results. I now find that I have a better avenue through this forum. By contacting folks that need specific parts for specific years I can deal with someone who is serious about what they need. As I'm not in it for the money, I often ask the interested party what the part is worth to him/her ,that way , everyone is happy . I also know more about the person I'm dealing with and how to contact them. After all ,I still feel that it's more fun to help another hobbyist than to try to get rich like some of the sellers do! Also I have made some good friendships in the process!

[Guest Collectorscrave]

I can understand. However, the fees associated with selling on ebay are out of this world which leads to higher prices. eBay even applies fees to shipping cost we charge which make shipping cost go up. I have sold thousands of items on eBay and I can't stand these fees and some of the dealers in my hobby. I built Collectorscrave.com with friendship and hobbyist in mind in hopes of reducing prices, providing more relationships, and bringing hobbies back to collectors. It's really a cross between eBay, Craigslist, and Discussion Forums. I'm not worried about making money on my website but it would be nice to see a bunch of stuff I would like to buy in one place rather searching through forum threads, shady and/or overpriced websites.

[smithbrother]

Hey, making a nice PROFIT isn't AWAYS GREED.

Personally I feel you need to plan on making a PROFIT, it will take the edge off of all the hard work.

Buyers/sellers don't mind your making some money, so IMO, you need to be truthful to yourself, and accept the fact that money is a very IMPORTANT part of this effort. After awhile it won't be fun ending the day and knowing that you have nothing to show for all your efforts. IMO.

I'm not picking on you, just feel you will DESERVE some profit.

I wish you well,

Dale in Indy

[Guest Collectorscrave]

No doubt! My site is already setup to take fees. Very small fees! I need good dealers/sellers to get this thing started so I'm willing to charge nothing to support them. In return, they will promote the site through forums, websites and word of mouth which will drive more traffic. Website traffic will lead to the success of the website. All listings on my site will be pulled into the search engines on a weekly basis. I've been working on this site since last April and I've had over 5000 hits. That doesn't sound like a lot but that is based on the 800 products I currently have on the site. More products more traffic/customers.

My site is like restoring a 65 Chevy Nova SS. Keep chipping away until it starts. One of my favs

Thanks for all of the feedback but I still need sellers.

[30DodgePanel]

No doubt! My site is already setup to take fees. Very small fees! I need good dealers/sellers to get this thing started so I'm willing to charge nothing to support them.

Thanks for all of the feedback but I still need sellers.

Hi Richard,

I went to your website and did a simple search for parts. Only came across 2 parts for sale after searching many different variations. It's a bit confusing to be honest, but I'd like to give it an honest look so can you suggest anything that would make my search more fruitful or do you just not have anyone selling auto parts yet ?

Thanks,

Dave

[Guest Collectorscrave]

Dave,

My site is for many different collectibles including antiques, sports memorabilia,and vintage/antique cars. I'm currently seeking dealers for all of the different categories on my site. If you scroll to the bottom of the home page I have categories for muscle, vintage, antique, etc... cars. Yes, I only have 2 parts out there right now. If you wish to sell on my site and need new categories then we can talk about that. I can redo them to your liking.

RM