Date:         Mon, 28 Jan 2002 19:17:33 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Surprising Vendor Comment
In-Reply-To:  <CMEFLEIPMEEPNKMLMHILAEOBCAAA.tomn@dslextreme.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

> Did Frank factor in the listmember discount in the prices that were
quoted?


No, in fact he didn't.  To recap, I offer a 5% listmember discount on most
orders over $50, which just about offsets the freight charge. Also, I carry
a lot of OEM brands that no generic auto parts vendor has, because I import
them directly from Europe rather than settling for what's available from the
mass-market U.S. distributors.

Actually I just took a look at the site myself.  It's nicely laid out, and
compared to many full-line auto part vendors, their average markup is not
horrendous. All things considered, I'm rather impressed; not a bad VW
showing for a full-line import parts site. Many full-line import sites are a
complete joke when it comes to Vanagon parts. Their site reminds me a bit of
carparts.com, which was one of the first full-line auto parts websites.

I think Frank's right about their database coming from an outside source.
Based on pricing and selection it all seems to be automatically generated
rather than entered item by item by a real person (again, like
carparts.com).  For example, the prices fluxuate wildly, and there is great
selection on some items while other very common items are missing
completely.  For example, using a brake job as an example, their brake drums
are a bit cheaper, but their brake shoes are priced much higher (I sell
German Pagids for 40% less than their generic shoes), and they can't provide
a matching brake hardware kit at alll.  Kind of what you'd expect from an
all-around import parts supplier as opposed to a specialist.

They do list some parts I don't, although I found the reverse to be true
more often (since they're not a Vanagon specialist).  Do they actually have
the parts? If they are just transposing a supplier's database as I suspect,
the listing would only mean that their supplier shows the number in their
database, not that they actually have stock. (For example, many online
general auto parts sites, like this and carparts.com, list the entire
Beck-Arnley parts catalog, but that supplier has shuttered half of their
warehouses and trimmed their actual in-stock selection dramatically since
their catalog was released.)  I'm guilty of doing the same thing with
listings on my website for car applications that I don't sell much of (i.e.
if you pulled up a part for a Jetta on my site, it would be taken right off
of a supplier's database without any research as to actual availability,
much as theirs is).  But when it comes to Vanagon stuff I'm much more
thorough, since it's my specialty.  I generally know not only availability,
but also the quality and historical reliability of the product I'm selling -
which is very important.  If you'd like, shoot me a direct email  with the
part number, description, and price of anything you need that's on their
site but not on mine; I'll do my best to provide it at a comparable price
(if it's really available), and will also add it to my site for the benefit
of other Vanagon owners.

Do be careful on using them as an informational resource, as I did see some
glaring errors (clearly they're not Vanagon experts).  For example they
claim at one point that the plastic before-pump fuel filter used on most
later Vanagons is no longer available, and recommend replacing it with a
piece of hose.  This is bad advice, and obviously was lifted verbatim from
supplier data that is just plain wrong. Not only is the advice bad, but it
is impossible to follow; the filter (which is readily available for around
$5, not only from me but even from any Pep Boys, Napa, etc.) has a different
sized inlet and outlet, precluding simple replacement with a piece of hose.

So, like I said, I would definately encourage you to compare (it keeps me on
my toes!).  But as always, do make sure you're comparing "apples to
apples" - and I would also advise that you use a more specialized site to
double-check proper fit and application before ordering, no matter where you
buy.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  (215) 234-VWVW
  www.busdepot.com

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