Informing a seller they are wrong

[ia-k]

Looking around on Facebook market place for car parts and I notice a seller had a wrong year listed for a part. Think of a "squarish" hood badge listed for a 1952 Plymouth when 1952s where "roundish". As I am somewhat familiar with 1951/52 Plymouths I know the square badge pictured is for a '51. I have noticed this several times on different cars and parts--wrong year or model.

 

Do any of you let the seller know he/she is wrong on the year or model? How do they react? 

 

I have no interest in purchasing the part but thinking about just giving them a FYI.

 

 

[c49er]

I do...and they usually thank me..a few  never reply back.

I do it via a pm if possible.

[Bhigdog]

If it's an egregious error I have informed them via PM. Usually get a thanks..........Bob

[Bloo]

I do it privately if possible.

[28 Chrysler]

I corrected a fellow about a hood ordainment that was listed  as  a 1952 Chevy but was from a 1955 Chrysler. The response I got back started with YOU and a bunch of four letter words that were not very nice.

[Terry Bond]

That's the reason I've all but given up trying to be helpful. I think people here on the discussion forums are a little more appreciative of the info because they recognize the amount of expertise that really exists here.  Doing it for sellers on FB, Craigs-list or evil-bay is ridiculous though.  The people selling things are all experts (according to them).  I just wish there was some way to contact bidders to warn them of fake and reproduction items that are being passed off as originals.  I see sooooo much of that it really is sickening to watch unsuspecting buyers being suckered in.  I think the words "Vintage" and "Rare" should be banned! 

Terry

[wayne sheldon]

I used to try to private message people about their misconceptions. Sometimes I got thanks and saw corrections, sometimes not. A few times I got horrid replies using more foul language in a single short paragraph than I have used in most single whole years! Ebad seemed to be really bad that way, and I quit trying to be helpful there more than ten years ago.

I do sometimes point out errors, faults and misconceptions on this forum's for sale sections. Even there, I usually pull my punches somewhat. I did make some comments about landau bars on a "not mine Buick for sale" last night. Did I go too far? I hope not.

Trying to balance reasonable informing others of something not right and not torpedoing a sellers reasonable effort can be tough.

[Bloo]

1 hour ago, 28 Chrysler said:

I corrected a fellow about a hood ordainment that was listed  as  a 1952 Chevy but was from a 1955 Chrysler. The response I got back started with YOU and a bunch of four letter words that were not very nice.

 

That seems to happen to me when the item being advertised has a much higher value than what is actually being sold. 

[Harold]

5 hours ago, ia-k said:

Looking around on Facebook market place for car parts and I notice a seller had a wrong year listed for a part. Think of a "squarish" hood badge listed for a 1952 Plymouth when 1952s where "roundish". As I am somewhat familiar with 1951/52 Plymouths I know the square badge pictured is for a '51. I have noticed this several times on different cars and parts--wrong year or model.

 

Do any of you let the seller know he/she is wrong on the year or model? How do they react? 

 

I have no interest in purchasing the part but thinking about just giving them a FYI.

 

 

I'm a big fan of '51-'52 Plymouths.  I have 2 P23's now and have had several others in the past. There are many fairly obvious differences and also a number of subtle changes from one year to the other.    I gave up trying to correct sellers a long time ago.  I never got a thank you or even a nasty reply and decided it wasn't worth the effort. 

 

PS:  If you want to discuss these years of Plymouth send me a PM. 

 

[John348]

I have been corrected several times and have embraced the correction, again it is all in the delivery

[John_S_in_Penna]

Just now, John348 said:

I have been corrected several times and have embraced the correction, again it is all in the delivery

"Do right and never fear the consequences," it has

been said.  Giving occasional corrections in the spirit

of helpfulness, I believe, helps the other person.

 

Lincolns of the late 1970's all have plastic Cartier-named

clocks in the dashboard.  This leads some people to think

their car is a "Cartier edition," which was a designer edition

with specific trim and paint colors.  I once e-mailed a

correction to a seller but never heard back.

 

[avgwarhawk]

Yes, I correct the misinformation.  It's better for the seller as a correct description will get the person who needs the part.  Nothing I hate more than "fits 1954 Buick" and the item is a super charger for a LS. 

[Guest]

 I corrected a seller of a "solid car" once by telling him that I had personally inspected the car before he owned it and that the frame was completely rotted and all panels needed replacement Inc. the floor braces.

 

                                                          😮

[Walt G]

12 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

I think the words "Vintage" and "Rare" should be banned!

I totally agree Terry , along with Very Rare and Iconic. The to often used words used to be 'nostalgia' or 'nostalgic'. 

[Bhigdog]

5 minutes ago, Walt G said:

I totally agree Terry , along with Very Rare and Iconic. The to often used words used to be 'nostalgia' or 'nostalgic'. 

All subjective terms based on the seller's personal opinion. Neither correct or incorrect.................Bob

[8E45E]

Not very often I've corrected an Ebay seller, but any I passed on a correction to, they thanked me for making the effort to do so.  The only hostile reaction I had was well before the internet, when I corrected a seller of a Canadian market 1972 Citroen SM at an auction who told everyone he had the 'only six-Cibie headlight' SM in North America.  (All US market SM's and 1973 Canadian market SM got four sealed beams.)  He asked where I got my information from, and he got even more angry when I mentioned names of other owners I knew who owned similar cars, including the owner of the Citroen dealer in Edmonton who sold them at the time. He then shook his head at me, immediately got in his car, and put the window up.  I must have had too much information for his liking!!

 

Craig

[Jim Skelly]

I've emailed people to correct them on their Ebay description.  About half thank me for the correction.  The other half won't respond, but some do revise their description.  It's usually not worth your time since a lot of people buy stuff at garage and estate sales just to flip it.  I went to a model car show a few years ago and a guy was selling 2 Chevrolets marked as 1949.  He was probably a decade or so older than me.  I pointed out to him that they were actually 1950 models, and the Bel Air (2-door hardtop) was not introduced until the 1950 model year.  I could tell he was skeptical, but he probably went home and looked up photos on the Internet to verify what I said.

 

  

[Bhigdog]

One thing I never do is "correct" someone's car at a show even though I am certain I know what I'm talking about. That's my policy because, like most experts,  at least half the time I don't know what I'm talking about..............Bob

[60FlatTop]

I have listed items with obvious mistakes in my presentation because there is a certain group out there who will think they are taking advantage of my ignorance. You know the type "I wouldn't cross the street to look at one of those". Until he shows up with one he thinks he stole and it's the greatest thing ever.

 

Just sitting here I am picturing a guy with permapress Khaki pants, a large pattern plaid shirt, and a fedora. Anyone else seen him? He has a brother who has been retired for 25 years and still wears his factory work uniform because it was free.

 

If it wasn't for stereotypes there wouldn't be any types.

[8E45E]

14 minutes ago, Jim Skelly said:

I went to a model car show a few years ago and a guy was selling 2 Chevrolets marked as 1949.  He was probably a decade or so older than me.  I pointed out to him that they were actually 1950 models, and the Bel Air (2-door hardtop) was not introduced until the 1950 model year.  I could tell he was skeptical, but he probably went home and looked up photos on the Internet to verify what I said.  

Last summer, a quite modified 1958 Chevrolet Yeoman 2-door wagon showed up at the local Friday night A&W Cruise.  A number of us gathered around to look at it, and talked it up with the owner.  One individual asked what the top-line 1958 Chevrolet wagon was, and I stated it was the Nomad, which was a 4-door with Bel Air trim.  Similar story, someone a decade older didn't believe me at first and insisted Nomads were only made from '55-'57 and were stylish 2-doors, until he consulted his iphone and saw a photo of one for himself, and stated that he 'stood corrected'.

 

Craig

[60FlatTop]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

insisted Nomads were only made from '55-'57 and were stylish 2-doors

I had owned 4 '58 Chevies before joining the Navy. One of them was a Nomad 4 dr with the wide trim above the drip rail.No one in the Navy would accept that as the truth.

 

The last one I owned was a black bottom, white top Yeoman. The old woman who lived next door told me she thought it was a hearse. I told that to her son who was a bit affected. He said, with a stutter "The first time you started it I thought it was a cannon!".

[mcdarrunt]

We have built, restored, resto rodded, street rodded, etc many rides over the last 40 years so I often see one of them for sale. Without identifying as the builder I ask for details on the vehicle and get answers from near accurate to fantasy. A 56 Ford F100 big window pickup was shuttled about after the owner died and the stories grew wilder with each relocation. Just a few examples: it was the golfers Lee Trevino's personal truck, it had a MII ifs (actually a Volare/Aspen), engine was a 429 Cobrajet (actually a 351 Cleveland), four link rear (actually ladder bar) and any other catch phrase item that was hot button at the time. Lesson is to only trust your own eyes or the eyes of an expert in that field.

[TexRiv_63]

I do this on Ebay all the time with very little negative response and I have been corrected in some cases - I am grateful for the feedback.

[Billy Kingsley]

I learned very early on it was not worth the effort. I once tipped off a seller of something somewhat rare and expensive NASCAR item that he had spelled the drivers name wrong in the listing and would likely have more money coming his way if he corrected it....he called me a "grammer Nazi" and said he was blocking me from bidding on his stuff. I had no intention to as I already had it...and he didn't have anything else I was interested in ever back when eBay used to show what the seller had sold. 

 

I decided I could spend my time and effort on more useful things and now I just laugh at people who can't even bother to read what they are selling. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

56 minutes ago, Billy Kingsley said:

...he had spelled the driver's name wrong in the listing...

 

You were doing him an even bigger favor:

A misspelled name might not be found in

a computer search, while the correct name

would be.  He needed to trade his oafishness

for gratitude, and he would be much more successful!

[Jim Bollman]

I correct eBay sellers from time to time, more for the buyer that may not know the difference than for the seller. Most thank me some do not respond. One acceptation was a fellow that had a reprinted Crosley manual up for sale for 3 times what you could buy the same reprint new. I suggested it was still a good item but he probably would do better pricing it closer to what anyone could buy it from one of several Crosley dealers. He did the cussing out and what did I know answer. I watched him trying to sell it for months, not sure if he ever found a sucker or not. I have stopped giving advice on parts in flea markets unless asked. I once saw a desirable piece at the Crosley Nationals and suggested he raise his price by 3X and it would still be a good deal for someone that needed it. I walked by as he was packing and he made a nasty comment about it not selling at my high price. I should have just handed him his original asking price and taken it to Hershey and tripled my money. Did work for me once at Hershey, on setup day a fellow asked what his box of Crosley speed equipment was worth and I told him what I thought it would bring. He then tried to sell it to me for what I told him it was worth. I told him I didn't need any of it and if I bought it I would have to make money selling it and since it was the first day I didn't want to spend all my money before it really started. He walked over to my spot later and sold it to me cheap and I sold every piece before I left, made about 5X on my investment and only had to keep it for a couple of days.

[1937hd45]

2 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

You were doing him an even bigger favor:

A misspelled name might not be found in

a computer search, while the correct name

would be.  He needed to trade his oafishness

for gratitude, and he would be much more successful!

 

 

Misspelt words in a listing can work to the buyers advantage, if you get lucky, saved me $400.00 on an eBay deal years ago. I don't bother correcting others

[Lahti35]

I spend too much time in the garage fixing other people's mistakes, no need for me to do it online too!😀

[Ed Luddy]

Recently tried to let a guy know that his rare 1975 Corvette did not come from the factory with a vinyl covered T-top. He bitched me out told me it was all original despite the turbine wheels and crappy vinyl top and I'm an idiot for doubting him.

 My mistake for pointing out the obvious, but the car still hasn't sold after being on the market for 6 months. Must be the rareness or maybe the ridiculous price? Who knows? Apparently not me!

[tcslr]

I have learned more from the good and decent people on this site than I can imagine. The reason is that people shared their knowledge. 
when I was a boy, I desperately wanted to know how to fly fish. A guy took us - a very good fisherman. When I asked him what fly he used, he said ‘none-ah-na’ fly - none of your business’

how hurtful. But what I learned was that knowledge - unshared - is not knowledge. If I know something - others do not - and I do not share but keep it secret- is it knowledge? Or valuable? I think not.

whether the receiver is grateful or not is the ultimately not important. We must try. 
 

be kind. Be generous. Be gracious. Teach. You’ve done it for me. 
why would you want to be anything else? We owe it to those who come after us. 

[Str8-8-Dave]

I have done this a few times on E-Bay but have largely given up on it.  Some sellers appreciate the advice and a few correct their ads.  But there is so much stuff that is mis-listed and some intentionally I've come to an opinion that the buyer should know what a correct part is for his car before he starts looking at E-bay.  E-bay sellers are not always subject matter experts, they just like to sell stuff, get paid and go away.  Others are interested enough to know what they are selling and describe it correctly.  It's buyer beware.  Also, E-bay lets you return most items, if you get something and it's not right, as I just did, they make it pretty easy to returns something, you just have to pay the return shipping. 

[JCHansen1]

Like many things in life, unless I'm hired to give an opinion, I let sleeping dogs lie in these types of situations. I'm generally feel that people convinced against their are of the same opinion still, so what's the point? The onus is as much on the buyer as it is the seller anyway to ensure they know what they may be buying, and I don't have space for jerks in my life, having had previous experiences similar to those who have chimed in before me on the negative side a time or two in the past. 

[TheMoneyPit]

I gave up correcting the sellers on eBay almost immediately, but then I tried putting posts here showing the difference between reproduction radiator emblems that were on eBay and the original ones it was nearly as bad. It became humorous when someone accused me of badmouthing the ones on eBay so I would drive the price down for myself! So, I dropped doing that as well…

 

There are those types of people everywhere, and trying to help them is a fool’s errand.

[Jubilee]

23 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

 

If it wasn't for stereotypes there wouldn't be any types.

 

College professor to class:  Shout out first stereotype that comes to mind.

Male in back of room:    Dumb Blondes!

Blonde in front of room:  Sony!

[The 55er]

Going down a slightly different path, I'd like to CORRECT all the dirtbag internet parts flippers that lie, misrepresent and deceive as many people as they can just to make a quick buck. They represent aftermarket NORS Glo-Brite taillight lenses as NOS, Foxcraft fender skirts as car manufacturer's originals, resell reboxed aftermarket Quality Parts brand ignition parts as original Delcos and (in my own personal experiences) resell used stainless mouldings and grille parts that I removed from cars that sat outdoors in the woods or in junkyards for 40 years as NOS trim or early take-offs that came from long-term indoor storage after THEY WERE TOLD the history of the parts I sold them. This goes on all the time and it's getting to the point where I don't really trust anybody on the internet anymore. There's no use trying to correct these sellers as they're not going to change their dishonest ways. Caveat Emptor. 

[hook]

I used too but give it up. I'm always finding hoses, water pumps and radiator caps for Franklins on eBay. Most of them don't care.

[B Jake Moran]

So far I have gotten a nice response.  One item was a 49 Chrysler Windsor and he had it as a 1948.  As some know- that’s a transition year.