Date:         Tue, 9 Mar 2004 11:51:15 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject:      Re: E-bay protest... hey it's a market
In-Reply-To:  <E1B0jtS-00079b-00@gull.mail.pas.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

>>>   So I went out
>>> to see this guy who bought my Vanagon.  He
>>> clearly said to me,  "Vanagons are worth a ton
>>> more in parts than they will ever be worth
>>> in running condition.
>>>

Vanagons will only be a valuable source of parts as long as there are
also a number of them running that need those parts.  Take too many out
as parts, and the running herd diminishes the need for parts. Ebay is a
market, it all balances out and makes your "whole" vanagon more
valuable, too. It just isn't a good place to buy most parts for all the
reasons mentioned.

I doubt that ebay takes out nearly as many vanagons as poor mechanics,
reckless drivers and salty roads.

That said, ebay is a poor substitute for the community of this list. I
used to buy parts on ebay before I got on this list. I now use ebay
only to find vanagon tools (valve adjuster, diesel shims, etc.), don't
think I've bought anything else on it for quite a while. But it got me
by until I found this list, both vendors and non-vendors. The vendors
are right to say that they sell cheaper than ebay on a lot of stuff
that's better, and more honest about what you're getting. If you saw
something in one of our vendor's catalogs or on their sites that
advertised "vintage vanagon bus NOS " parts you'd puke, you'd never buy
from them, especially if you had to read the BS stories about how I
bought this for my dad but he lost interest blah blah blah.

One thing I will say is that when you buy something off ebay, you get
it right away or not at all. I've got several things ostensibly coming
my way from list members, and haven't heard in a month or two as to
whether it's shipped or what. In some cases I've been forewarned it
would take a while, in some cases not. In one case I did get an email
that the member couldn't find the part after all, sorry bout that, look
elsewhere. I don't know whether to look elsewhere after getting
involved in one of these deals where the seller/donor can't make it to
UPS. I have no idea if I will ever see the stuff or not. At least you
don't get that on ebay. You know you've been screwed right off the bat
: )

Jim