Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

OK...not to start a rant or throw anyone under the bus, but I've been in the hobby a long time want to share my sentiment on classic car parts and the flat out greed of many pickers and parts re-sellers.

I'll start by saying that not many years ago, I completed 2 frame off restorations where a lot of rare and original OEM parts were bought through this forum, T/C, and from other like minded collectors. Sure the rarer the part or the better the condition, the higher the price realized, but what's with this trend of flat out greed the last couple of years (especially through eBay)? Almost every GM part you see listed or described has a reference to Z/28, Copo, Yenko, LS6, L78, L88, NOS or "Survivor" to simply justify the asinine pricing attached to the item? I mean are anchored bolt sets really worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars, is a used plastic grill really worth 3K, is an old worn out shifter worth $1200, is a used gear set worth thousands of dollars, is a script top cap worth $800, and who in their right mind can ask several thousand dollars for a block without it actually being magged, machined and cleaned prior to demonstrating its absurd price?

Suffice to say the asking price of certain items or date stamped parts have far exceeded the values of the cars they once belonged to. One case in point is an item I had been watching the forum classifieds for, and one day it surfaces. As often occurs, it was a collector passing a nice item along and it was priced quite fairly (as often happens between collectors). The down side is that I saw the ad one hour after it was posted and it had already been spoken for and purchased by a known re-seller. That same re-seller listed the part elsewhere within hours for double the price, and one that far exceeded it's actual market value by 40% to 50%.

What's really disturbing is that too many people (in my mind) are now overpaying for these items rather than sitting on their wallets and saying screw that (i'm not paying an absurd price for that item no matter how bad I want it). I agree that many in the car hobby want the best of the best, the rarer or actual NOS parts for their special car, but in my mind it really is getting completely out of hand. I mean it's like every half decent part that is now listed has an asking price like it belongs to the only known survivor car from its class? In fact, if most of us bought a car missing many of its original numbers correct parts today and wanted to restore it to stock, the sum of the costs for its parts would put the price of the finished car well over the cars actual market value. In actuality, the cars have not increased in their base values based on anything near to the increase in the parts so sooner or later one thing has to gotta go pop.

Either people will get tired of the asking price for some of the parts and there will be a serious correction factor, or the price of the cars the parts belong to will increase in value where buying the overpriced parts is simply more justified. I don't see that happening anytime soon and figure that sooner or later people will simply get tired of seeing some of the ridiculous asking prices for parts. And this isn't just the really rare stuff, but much of the common line part numbers which cross over as well. To me it also fuels the requirement for the repop parts, and thankfully there are some good parts coming out now that have far exceeded the OEM quality with prices being 75% less than what some pirates in the hobby are asking for stuff. (not intended as a comment to upset the purists, but it is getting better on many of the parts being controlled through reputable parts houses)

Again...this post is not intended to insult or throw anyone in particular under the bus. My intention here is to discuss the increasingly alarming price of parts versus the values of the actual cars they go onto. The last point I would make to this discussion is this simple analogy; If a numbers matching car was to actually follow and increase with the value of its parts today, a common 69 Z/28 would then be worth 150K. They are now selling between 55K and 75K on average with the finer specimens achieving 100K. What would you say if in 2 years from now, the prices of a given Z/28 rose to 150K? Would you buy one if the market went that way or all sellers started asking those kind of numbers? Or would you simply say not in this lifetime? Maybe change you focus to another genre or another model and blame it on greed?

Appreciate you thoughts on feedback on the trend of late? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/Can-I-Have-It.gif[/img]

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I completely understand your thoughts but keep in mind the Muscle cars have all gone up in prices on average too and the parts follow this trend too.

Most people that own these cars have multiple cars and deep pockets and will pay for real NOS or good Used parts they want. IMO
Yes it is sad that the average Joe can not even afford these parts or good quality muscle cars but it is what it is.

Then there are guys that are lucky they have had there cars for a very long time and paid next to nothing but they don't complain when they cash out and get big money in return. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] Good topic lets see what everyone else says.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I have noticed the same trend, original GM parts at ridiculous asking prices. I would focus on what the parts are selling for. Since 2003, when I began purchasing these parts, there has always been a premium on rare NOS, or excellent condition take off parts or parts from HP cars, especially solid lifter varieties. I do have an issue with parts hoarders purchasing these parts at reasonable prices with the intention of re-selling them at double, triple, or more just to make money, as I think it dirties up the hobby for the everyday restorer who can't afford these insane prices, who actually have the car for these parts. With that being said, I have purchased rare parts at good prices just to stash away, knowing I will probably need them later, but not to sell. Some of this craziness may be due to trying to obtain a 1000pt restoration for the car show circuit and the owner is willing to pay whatever it takes to have the car win. Anyway, I love the hobby, just not the prices of the parts.

my $.02

Paul

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Lot of parts aren't reproduced, and some that are reproduced, are clearly reproductions when put side by side with an original piece. I prefer original parts when putting a car together, especially if it's a survivor. Finding nice survivor parts always will always command a premium. Remember, the stuff isn't out there like it used to be 20 or even 10 years ago. The guys that do parts full time are out there every day finding stuff buried in garages or rifling through parts showing up at swap meets, going to estate sales or auctions, and driving all over the country to find stuff to make available to the public to help finish a restoration. That time and effort has to be worth something. If you're so concerned about &quot;ridiculous asking prices&quot;, then I suggest you get out there and find the parts yourself and buy low.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Been to the supermarket lately? See the price increases? Hell, I went to Subway with my son this week and we had two foot-longs and two pops (no chips) and it was $23.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I agree prices have shockingly risen,but probably because the original parts are drying up.
15 years ago,I had 6 auto junk yards local to me that I could visit and still find those old 1960's/70's parts.When the price of scrap metal took a sudden increase upward in the late 2000's,that all changed and all 6 yards started crushing &amp; sold their land almost overnight,as they were tired of sitting on those rusting relics that we all took for granted...Me being 1 of them.
All are now trucking depots or landfill.There isn't 1 lb. of metal belonging to car on them today.As if the hand of God came down and wiped em clean.All 6 owners sold out and retired after sitting on those yards for some 40-50+ years.
I should've seen the writing on the wall,as the last time &amp; visited some of them their employees shouted,&quot;better take something off that car while you still can.&quot; [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

When I go to a substantial swapmeet today,I'm walking out within an hour,as all I see are 1980 &amp; up plastic car parts.
The desire for these old cars &amp; trucks is still there &amp; stronger then ever,but the individual parts sure aren't.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

The fact is that a lot of these people are receiving their asking price so as long as that continues to happen you will have to pay up for the parts. I buy a ton of parts and rarely if ever sell any. Because I am using these on customer restorations I like to make a little on the sell (maybe 10%) when I add them to the restoration to cover my search, emails, shipping, etc costs but that rarely happens any more. As long as there is someone willing to pay more for the part then you are we are screwed. I have come to terms with that part of it. What I cannot come to terms with is guys (and even fellow hobbiests) that demand maximum dollars from me when I purchase their parts but then those same people want FREE help with technical information when restoring their cars or when they call me wanting to buy some of my parts. Never seems to be a two way street. However and thankfully that is a very small percentage of the people I buy from.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

all part of the game..if i dont like it i dont buy...

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Yeah I totally get that some parts are not repro'd, and that others are simply rare and command top value. I do get out there myself to pound the pavement and hit Hershey and Portland swap meets as well as local scouring but they too are seeing crazy high prices. We all know how to find a lot of the parts, but half the battle now is that everyone is seeing what prices are being commanded from a lot of online sellers, and that is helping to drive this craze. What's challenging is that the price of a correctly restored car is often not realizing the price of its restoration where a lot of the correct dated parts are being bought or even restored to complete it. Maybe when more of those currently restoring number cars can come out of them relatively clean it will not look so outpaced, but right now parts are driving a guy to be upside down in ways that are incomprehensible.

I just bought another rare intake for a future project. I snagged a nice one at a price where many actually sell, but one guy lists one weeks later for a grand more because he has one and suddenly everyone has one for that new &quot;high&quot; price. That my friend I simply tag as greed, and it really does seem to be <span style="font-weight: bold">more rampant lately</span>. I have fairly deep pockets for the rare original stuff that I just need to have, but still struggle with the greed factor I am seeing lately and that's exactly my point. A big challenge are those who have the 980+ point cars who are looking to fix certain items to get that concourse tag. That in itself will always be a factor, but the guys with the multi million dollar collection will often overspend on a part just to get it or a spare and that's also contributing to the recent hikes. I have a friend who spends infinite amounts on parts and I cannot talk any sense into him because he doesn't care what it costs him, and that feeds the issue even more.

Rare stuff has always been rare stuff, and the stuff that's not repopped will always command, but I am starting to turn off when I see door switches listed for $150, a common plastic check valve for $175, and just about every item GM carried until just 5 years ago being listed as NOS survivor parts for 20x their original jobber rate from the parts counter. So why are so many high dollar cars still struggling to break the 100K mark if all these parts are so rare and valuable now? Seriously...I have a low mile 68 car that is beautiful in so many regards and has a ton of mint original NOS part put into it 20 years ago. Today that car is worth X on the market, but knowing how many mint original or NOS parts I could pull from it, I'd bet I could easily pull far more money out of it in parts than I could if I were to sell it.

That in itself is sad, but very true. It's an interesting discussion and I do appreciate hearing other views.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

It is the ironclad law of supply and demand.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

There's an old swap meet axiom - &quot;It's always easier to come down on price than it is to go up&quot;.


No telling how many of those parts actually sold for less than was originally asked.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I go to the swap meets to find parts for my cars I know how hard it is to find certain parts and even if I need them OR not I usally buy them and if I sell them then it will pay for the ones that I need

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Wow that was a lot of reading. It all Sums up by supply and demand. unfortunately if you want good used,Nos,or just simply non reproduced parts you gota pay to play

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

It has become much more expensive to acquire nice OEM or NOS parts to restore cars. The desirable cars are more expensive as well. However, this is a supply/demand issue and at the end of the day, my unwillingness or inability to pay to own another &quot;correct&quot; 1969 Z/28 ultimately doesn't keep my from having a good quality of life. It's not food or shelter. If I have to reconfigure my goals to 1979 or 1989 Z/28's, that's a little sad for me, but that's about it. I will add that any of us who are buying parts for &quot;future projects&quot; that may or may not happen in our lifetimes are just as guilty of reducing the supply to people that have projects that need parts right now. Parts are cool but they need a car to go on to be happy. Kind of like those toys in movies that kids never play with-they're just not fulfilling their destiny;)

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I myself have no issues with a parts hunter charging what he feels as though the market will bring. The guys that do this full time to make a living have 10's of thousands of dollars in their own overhead. I.E. travel, hotels, fuel cost, having to own a vehicle large enough to haul these parts across country etc. They make connections that turn into parts deals over long periods of time(unpaid time). They find parts for our cars through these connections that maybe lost and out of the market for very long periods of time. They do deserve to be compensated for all these cost. Not to mention the education they have given themselves thru years of searching and I'm sure being burned a few times along the way. I myself am a blue color union worker (no complaints here). I certainly would not begrudge an attorney who charges $1000 per hour. As I know its his education/expertise that I am paying for. I myself truly enjoy still going to swap meets and getting dirty. I have also paid for a professional parts finder for that item that eluded me at the meets. No issues here !!!! My 2 cents have been deposited

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I got into that high end stuff for 2 years. What a joke. It is a proven FACT nos parts are not exactly the same as assembly line produced. Many parts you can still get. I'm tired of hearing about supply and damand. I see the same guys carrying the same parts for so long not moving anything. I sell parts at reasonable prices. I sold a Z28 crank 8n the spring for 450 not the overpriced market rate of 650 to 700. I sold a 69 Z28 intake 3 years ago to a very prominent member on here for 300. That is what it was worth. Money on hand and I moved on. I offered a guy with 3 1968 z distributors 750 for one. You would have swore I stabbed him. I told him only so many people need that part and my car will run with a 5 dollar distributor with the wrong number on it. I have gone back to selling common parts an have been making fair money on them. I bought some nos parts for my car I no longer want an will sell them to buy reproduction. Just my 2 cents

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NorCam</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OK...not to start a rant or throw anyone under the bus, but I've been in the hobby a long time want to share my sentiment on classic car parts and the flat out greed of many pickers and parts re-sellers.

I'll start by saying that not many years ago, I completed 2 frame off restorations where a lot of rare and original OEM parts were bought through this forum, T/C, and from other like minded collectors. Sure the rarer the part or the better the condition, the higher the price realized, but what's with this trend of flat out greed the last couple of years (especially through eBay)? Almost every GM part you see listed or described has a reference to Z/28, Copo, Yenko, LS6, L78, L88, NOS or &quot;Survivor&quot; to simply justify the asinine pricing attached to the item? I mean are anchored bolt sets really worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars, is a used plastic grill really worth 3K, is an old worn out shifter worth $1200, is a used gear set worth thousands of dollars, is a script top cap worth $800, and who in their right mind can ask several thousand dollars for a block without it actually being magged, machined and cleaned prior to demonstrating its absurd price?

Suffice to say the asking price of certain items or date stamped parts have far exceeded the values of the cars they once belonged to. One case in point is an item I had been watching the forum classifieds for, and one day it surfaces. As often occurs, it was a collector passing a nice item along and it was priced quite fairly (as often happens between collectors). The down side is that I saw the ad one hour after it was posted and it had already been spoken for and purchased by a known re-seller. That same re-seller listed the part elsewhere within hours for double the price, and one that far exceeded it's actual market value by 40% to 50%.

What's really disturbing is that too many people (in my mind) are now overpaying for these items rather than sitting on their wallets and saying screw that (i'm not paying an absurd price for that item no matter how bad I want it). I agree that many in the car hobby want the best of the best, the rarer or actual NOS parts for their special car, but in my mind it really is getting completely out of hand. I mean it's like every half decent part that is now listed has an asking price like it belongs to the only known survivor car from its class? In fact, if most of us bought a car missing many of its original numbers correct parts today and wanted to restore it to stock, the sum of the costs for its parts would put the price of the finished car well over the cars actual market value. In actuality, the cars have not increased in their base values based on anything near to the increase in the parts so sooner or later one thing has to gotta go pop.

Either people will get tired of the asking price for some of the parts and there will be a serious correction factor, or the price of the cars the parts belong to will increase in value where buying the overpriced parts is simply more justified. I don't see that happening anytime soon and figure that sooner or later people will simply get tired of seeing some of the ridiculous asking prices for parts. And this isn't just the really rare stuff, but much of the common line part numbers which cross over as well. To me it also fuels the requirement for the repop parts, and thankfully there are some good parts coming out now that have far exceeded the OEM quality with prices being 75% less than what some pirates in the hobby are asking for stuff. (not intended as a comment to upset the purists, but it is getting better on many of the parts being controlled through reputable parts houses)

Again...this post is not intended to insult or throw anyone in particular under the bus. My intention here is to discuss the increasingly alarming price of parts versus the values of the actual cars they go onto. The last point I would make to this discussion is this simple analogy; If a numbers matching car was to actually follow and increase with the value of its parts today, a common 69 Z/28 would then be worth 150K. They are now selling between 55K and 75K on average with the finer specimens achieving 100K. What would you say if in 2 years from now, the prices of a given Z/28 rose to 150K? Would you buy one if the market went that way or all sellers started asking those kind of numbers? Or would you simply say not in this lifetime? Maybe change you focus to another genre or another model and blame it on greed?

Appreciate you thoughts on feedback on the trend of late? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/Can-I-Have-It.gif[/img]

</div></div>


This is an interesting conversation.

NorCam, you say you are not calling anyone out but you mention a $3000 plastic grill and other specific parts that do make it seem like you are calling out specific individuals. If you are going to point fingers, don't side step it.

The prices of parts are expensive, whether it be an LS engine, Subaru STI brakes, vintage 427 block, or factory Hurst shifter. As stated earlier the prices may be high on many parts, that does not mean they are selling, but many are. Yes, in most cases you can part out a car for more than it is worth. This is nothing new. A set of wheels and tires can be stolen off a 10 year old car and in many cases that would total the car. Unless it is extreme example, the sum of the parts is worth more than the whole.

In the 80's, how much would a 1969 Camaro 6 cylinder car cost you in terrible condition? How much would it cost you to go to the GM dealer to buyer fenders, quarters, etc, etc. How much would the car be worth today? How much would it cost you to buy the car today? How much would it cost your to buy the parts today. How much would the car be worth today?

Do you have any interesting parts stashed away? What would you sell them for?

I do agree that part prices are expensive but so is everything else. I grew up in Southern California and used to be able to get a complete paint job done in nice driver condition with standard rust repairs including lower fender and rear window for $2000. That price included paint and materials. What is the cost for that job now.

Median house prices where I live were around 100K in the 90's. Now near a million. Fair? Probably not. But its life.


Jason

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

As far as the resellers are concerned, some of them have no real job. All they do is find parts for resale. They are the first ones on the field at any swap meet and they shop by truck. They don't waste time walking around to afford someone who actually needs the part the time to find it first. They often pay normal retail prices for items because they need it to resell. (at a substantial price increase).
If you're in business to sell bread, you need to have bread on the shelves. Their customers aren't hitting the swap meets at 6am; they're watching the classifieds on forums and ebay and buying their parts with their keyboard. And for that convenience, they're often paying a huge premium.
I will also say that just because a reseller gets $600. for a part that normally changes hands for $300. it doesn't set a new market price for that part. It just means he found someone who wants it now and can afford it. When someone over pays for something, it doesn't mean everyone else should.
That's just my take on it.
Verne

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

&quot;As far as the resellers are concerned, some of them have no real job. All they do is find parts for resale&quot;

To some that is their job. I'm too old and cranky to get up early to hit the swap meet and prefer just to buy from the guy that did. Doesn't bother me that he makes a profit.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Just wait 10 years for all of us to age to the point of no longer being able to enjoy these cars. There will be 1000s of musclecars and parts for cheap because no one will want them. The younger folks have no interest at all.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I am younger and hope that is what will happen to this market so
I can once again enjoy my hobby. My father has seen that with his Tootsie Toy collection. He does not care what they are worth but we know as that generation passes on THE DEMAND has also become less

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

capitalism..

funny...when it works for ya..its awesome..when it works against ya...yer being taken advantage of....

ive been swap meeting since 78...and its a diff thing now..you can buy all the S10 and 5.0 mustang stuff ya want..the cool stuff is just not available...ebay did that..it brought used parts into your living room...and ate up the surplus..and what it did was take it all away from the swap meets

i say 3 out of 10 meets i score...the others 7..i loose money...it harder and harder every day to even look at cool stuff..let alone buy it

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

I'm right there with Ds1 .. I've managed to make this business my life and I do try and encourage these younger guys to dig in and get involved. This hobby just like any hobby of &quot;collecting&quot; things becomes just that... It becomes a collection of stuff that when it all boils down is usually worth more to you than it is to anyone else.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 69SSZL1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just wait 10 years for all of us to age to the point of no longer being able to enjoy these cars. There will be 1000s of musclecars and parts for cheap because no one will want them. The younger folks have no interest at all. </div></div>

Don't count on it. I always think back to when I was a kid (I'm 41 now) and going to swap meets and car shows with my dad in the mid 80's. Back then everyone was looking for 69 Camaros, 57 Chevy's, and just about any year Chevelle SS or GTO. Sure the prices were lower, but that's what everyone wanted. That was 30-35 years ago. Dad used to tell me that someday when I was his age i'd be restoring cars like his new (at the time) Iroc-Z Camaro... but today (for the most part) people aren't looking for 80's cars to restore at all. They're looking for the same 69 Camaros, tri-5 chevy's and Chevelles/GTO's they were looking for 35 years ago... except there are far fewer projects to be found, far less NOS parts still around, and far more ill fitting reproduction parts available. I believe the popular cars will still be popular 10 years from now, and even harder to find NOS and original parts for.

If you're sitting around thinking all this stuff that's expensive now is going to get cheaper in a decade I think you're in for a disappointment. I'd love if everything people are into now became affordable and you could buy 70 Chevelles and 69 Z's for half price, and NOS GM parts for pennies on the dollar... but I don't think it's gonna happen.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Just think, in ten years these could be the &quot;Good ol' Days&quot; ....Bet I'm right? I was co-owner of a parts company for 20+ years. The customers with the &quot;short arms&quot; drove me nutz. &quot;I've been looking for this ( name any rare GM part) for 10 years&quot; .. I could have priced it at $20 and often did (just because I knew) and they would drop it and walk away. Drove me insane. Game is played from both sides gentleman. I've smashed parts right in front of an A-hole just to make a point. My time, my parts ....they were priced cheap, but I won't give them away!

BIG

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

If I saw a guy buying ferraris online and then asking twice the price immediately after that and getting it,I wouldnt complain to everyone about what a jerk the guy is , Id start buying ferraris.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: the427king</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I saw a guy buying ferraris online and then asking twice the price immediately after that and getting it,I wouldnt complain to everyone about what a jerk the guy is , Id start buying ferraris. </div></div>

How do we know he's really getting it?
Never has so little words said so much about a person.
...and under what alias is that person buying them under?

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mr70</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: the427king</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I saw a guy buying ferraris online and then asking twice the price immediately after that and getting it,I wouldnt complain to everyone about what a jerk the guy is , Id start buying ferraris. </div></div>

How do we know he's really getting it?
Never has so little words said so much about a person.
...and under what alias is that person buying them under? </div></div>

Alias?

What does it matter what name a person uses when they buy something? Cash money is cash money. Price shouldn't be subject to who the buyer is. My buying name sure isn't the same as my ebay selling name. Why do I have to have to have &quot;stupid&quot; stamped on my forehead when I'm looking to buy. My feedback on my buyer name is even private so sellers can't look to see what I have bought in the past. When I had public feedback I got lots of questions from sellers on why I was bidding on their item and if I was gonna resell it, that, and I'm sure I was jacked up on prices a few times too.

Stupid is as stupid does.....

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Speaking of using aliases Didnt a guy from VA put the wrong name on his name tag at an event a few years back so he could confront another guy that was talking about him online about his Ls6 . After the VA guy made the other talk about him in person, he told him who he really was. Made the guy turn 2 shades of 1970 chevelle red. Youd think the guy learned his lesson.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Where's the 'beating-a-dead-horse' emoji when we need it....Isn't this essentially the same discussion that occurs every year right after the Scottsdale collector car auctions?

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

When it gets personal time to shut it down.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Yep, I agree with that. It's all about supply and demand, if you can't run with the big dog's stay on the porch, I'am there and can keep you company... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

Mike

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Yes, there is some ridiculous pricing. But for the most part, no one is buying if it is truly ridiculous. Guy has had a DZ block on ebay for several years priced at $8,000.

I am not a pro parts picker, but stumble upon good pieces from time to time, and have come across the proverbial &quot;steal&quot;. Some I have used. Some I have sold for a profit to help fund other projects. I have also sold parts at almost no profit, some at a loss, and some just given away to help out a real &quot;car guy&quot;.

Sold a DZ block to a guy on this site because it matched his POP. He had seen a pic of the pad stamp (posted on another site comparing real and fake stamps) and sent me an email, asking if I would sell it. I can't remember if it was $1500 or $1600, but it was very close to what I had in it. I knew it was for his own car. I could tell on the phone he was about to wet himself when I gave him a price. Could I have held him ransom? Sure.

OTH I had a pair of NOS roof rail weatherstrips for which I paid about $40. Didn't bat an eyelash when asking $2000 for the pair. They went to a restorer on this site. I knew he was passing the cost on to the customer, who was having a high dollar car professionally restored. Does that make me a bad guy? I don't think so. They went on one of the $150k+ cars where they belonged. Find another pair of NOS for that price.

I would like a correct PS brake hose bracket for my 69 Z/28. I am just not willing to spend $400 right now. The only ones I have seen lately are on ebay for $349 and $399. Unbelievably, neither includes free shipping. My car is mostly original, and it is one of the few pieces I am missing. Charley stumbled across one a while back. I sent him a PM offering to purchase. The bastard (er... gentleman) didn't want to play favorites, so he put it on ebay. I am sure he got several other PM offers. I wasn't high bidder, so I didn't get it. No hard feelings. I have no bracket there right now, and refuse to put a repop on there. I hate repop parts. Actually, I am working on a letter from the original owner stating that the car came that way... never had the bracket. Then it doesn't matter, right?

But I digress. There is a place for those guys that do this for a living. While I don't always agree with their pricing, the answer is simple; I don't have to buy that part. Some parts are just hard to come by, and they are very desirable. If the pros weren't out there beating the bushes, spending countless hours pouring through loads of crap to find a few gems, many of these parts wouldn't be brought to the light of day, and wouldn't be available... at any price.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Mikeeeee, u always run with the BIG DOGS!!

Hows that COPO coming??

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: enio45</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mikeeeee, u always run with the BIG DOGS!!

Hows that COPO coming?? </div></div>

Ain't that the truth. He's just being modest.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Like so many other things in life (real estate and women come to mind), the value of anything is purely what someone is willing to pay on a given day. If you're the buyer, you always try to score a bargain, but when the seller, you have the power to accept or reject and hold out for more. When you miss out, or can't compete, keep on looking.
In short, some days you're the pigeon, and other days the statue.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ZLP955</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
In short, some days you're the pigeon, and other days the statue. </div></div>

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/haha.gif[/img]

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lynn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Sold a DZ block to a guy on this site because it matched his POP. He had seen a pic of the pad stamp (posted on another site comparing real and fake stamps) and sent me an email, asking if I would sell it. I can't remember if it was $1500 or $1600, but it was very close to what I had in it. I knew it was for his own car. I could tell on the phone he was about to wet himself when I gave him a price. Could I have held him ransom? Sure.

OTH I had a pair of NOS roof rail weatherstrips for which I paid about $40. Didn't bat an eyelash when asking $2000 for the pair.
</div></div>

I think many here can claim to have helped a fellow guy out at one time or another and know there are many good people here that have helped fellow collectors with a great item, and for that you have my total respect Lynn. I like hearing stories like a DZ block being united with a guy rather than being held ransom so thank you for that!!! I also understand when it is the right time to mark something up, and bat it out of the diamond. I've been there as well.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
But I digress. There is a place for those guys that do this for a living. While I don't always agree with their pricing, the answer is simple; I don't have to buy that part.Some parts are just hard to come by, and they are very desirable. If the pros weren't out there beating the bushes, spending countless hours pouring through loads of crap to find a few gems, many of these parts wouldn't be brought to the light of day, and wouldn't be available... at any price.</div></div>

Once again well explained Lynn. IMHO it would be nice if more pro pickers would sell those rare &quot;mechanical&quot; parts with a with a machine shop report, more pictures and enough disclosure so people who are looking for the high end/rare parts can actually see what they are buying <span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;every time&quot;</span>. Nobody wants to buy sight unseen and there are still too many out there who still sell without full disclosure.

I quite often flip rare oil cans and high end collectible gas globes, but never do I sell a 25K gasoline globe without taking the lenses out and sending high res pictures to ensure the integrity of the piece before asking 25K from a fellow collector for a couple pieces of glass. Yes it's a PITA removing them and comes with an inherent risk where I could crack or break one while taking it out for pics prior to the sale, but that's what a pro seller must do every time. I then take several photos showing it being professionally packed so the buyer knows it was well protected before sending it on its way. Never had one break, have sold many high end globes and never a dissatisfied buyer on the other end. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

It's called integrity and it sounds like you have that Lynn. Thanks for chiming in on this thread, I did appreciate reading your reply. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

Asinine, greed, disturbing, absurd and ridiculous are always excellent word choices when one is trying NOT to upset, rant, throw under the bus and/or insult.

Re: Parts Trend - What's with the asinine Pricing?
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: enio45</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Mikeeeee, u always run with the BIG DOGS!!

Hows that COPO coming?? </div></div>

Ahh, yea, but l can't spend like them.... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/crazy.gif[/img]
Eddie, The project of which you speak is Area 51 stuff, all I can say is see it at MCACN [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]
It should be there but I have been eating up allot of time napping in the afternoon, damn Tibor, it's his fault.

Mikeee