Why is it so damn hard for someone to sell parts?

[67 Florida Deluxe]

I found a specific part I had been looking for for quite some time on a "buy it now" ebay listing. Contacted the seller and we texted back and forth a couple of times about it that evening. I was awaiting a follow-up text from him before I pulled the trigger on buying it and when I got up the next morning the price had magically gone up 25%. So there are those a$$#oles, too :2gunfire:. It's still for sale.
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-Kent (BaT "daleallen")

OG member of the '67 Posse

A few of my toys, past and present
'56 Oval, '66 KG Conv't, '67 21-Window, '67 Bug, '79 SuperVert, '55 Pre-A Continental

[jason]

Ive had the same with buyers. Last 3 or 4 things I tried to sell, they didnt even show up.

[mark tucker]

Im still waiting....from 4 sellers.. that apparently dont want to sell the shit they have listed. 1 did contact me..she cant find it... then deleated the listing. so.... hear is a new title for this thread... why is it so effing hard to buy stuff??

[kingkarmann]

I have a slightly wobbly wheel on the GTi. Might be able to be fixed (or not). Anyhow I found a Facebook Marketplace seller advertising the wheel I'm looking for. The ad is at least 6 weeks old, took a chance and contacted him. "Are these still available" a couple of days later I get an affirmative response and we start messaging back and forth.
I asked if he minded shipping FedEx. No problem. Great! Can I get a total weight? The wife works for FedEx an can e-mail you a PDF shipping label. Great, he says. Then he says. You want all four wheels right?. Ummm no....
You advertised and pictured one (1) wheel, Not wheelsss. Then he proceeds to tell me he has a local buyer interested in the set of 4. WTF???
He will get back to me if the guy passes.
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"Depression is a malfunction of the instrument we use to determine reality.”

Mike Gerson

What is your "Bespoke Reality"?

[Spezialist]

Between forgetful baby boomers who may or may not even have the parts anymore and millinials I’ve given up on anything being business as usual ever again.
I recently had a guy I talked to on the phone! He spent the whole conversation telling me his whole life story and couldn’t be nailed down to meet.
So I put him in my contacts and waited.
Sure enough he starts emailing me like I’m the flake, totally stalking me. Wouldn’t listen to me at all. For a few moments I considered retaliation but did not.
Kinda of a bummer but whata ya gunna do ?
A very solid friend of mine may or may not have a storage locker full of his years of collecting vintage Porsche and VW parts and cars. At this point I don’t know if he is reminiscing or he really has it. It doesn’t matter to me, when he brings it up I offer to help. I consider this man family and he knows it. I would hate to see this collection go to a storage auction. If what’s he saying is true, he’s paying for it with his SSI.
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[61 BUS]

My pet peeve is sellers that won't put a price in the ad, like on CL. If they're going to sell something, it's up to them to price it. If an item isn't priced, I move on.

Same thing at swap meets. Most of the stuff isn't priced. If I go to an event and take stuff to sell, I always price my items clearly....and am usually willing to negotiate.
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61 Bus, 71 Bus, 76 Beetle, 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth, 47 Plymouth Business Coupe, 58 BMW Isetta 300

[vwracerdave]

My experience is not that people are scared to sell parts, it is they are intimidated by shipping parts. Most sellers just want you to pick it up and hand them cash. There are still lots of people that DO NOT do any kind of electronic internet money transaction.
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2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK
Featured in Dec. 2001 HOT VW's Magazine page 63

Watch my racing video's http://www.youtube.com/user/okvwracer/videos

[67 Florida Deluxe]

[Spezialist]

[YDBD]

[TDCTDI]

In addition to that, a potential buyer contacts you, asks you how much to ship the item. You then have to package the item, go & get a quote for shipping & then never hear from the assholes again.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[iowegian]

[scottyrocks]

[67 Florida Deluxe]

[mark tucker]

swap meats without pricing well sometimes you can get a hell of a deal..and sometimes that moron just wants to show of "lookey at what I have" shit. then you are wide open to show him/her all the flaws and issues with his pos and say ive got 3 just like it on the wall of shame back at the shop.you want more?you price is cheep !!or dam Ill take half of that!!! then give them the rong foney number.... you just cant fix stupid...or defective people.
what these non pricing morons dont realize is the amount of people that will pay the price if they just put it on the parts!!!!but they just keep walking. and if you see a box of stuff that you want, pick through ask afew how muches, then make a offer on the whole box. last week up in GA we got about $3000 worth of stainless bends for...$100. he wanted to sell them by the peice., make a offer,tell them they dont have to ever haul it around any more. they will usuely counter offer, you can counter offer it or not, but dont let them know how much you really want it....and do Not drool on the peices you really way. almost all sellers will dicker some. especialy if they dont know what they have...( waite till the knowitall leaves to go pee!! then dicker with the wife/helper)

[iowegian]

[Spezialist]

Blah blah
iowegian

Ya facker
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[67 Florida Deluxe]

[EverettB]

[wcfvw69]

I've been lucky apparently after reading all these posts. 99% of the people that buy from me or sell me something have been fantastic. I agree that retired people prefer to be paid by check/money order and when they buy something, often times simply send me a check or money order. I'm fine with that as well.

The 1% of folks that we are challenged by are typically people I'm trying to purchase things from. Facebook marketplace is terrible for people selling things and not replying back or vanishing during the conversation. It's very odd to me.

If people are trying to sell you things, they should not mind being asked for additional pictures or other information. I've had customers ask for that from me and I never mind supplying them with the additional information or pictures. In some cases they don't purchase it and that's ok. Now I will say that I've had a handful of people "try" and email me to death with question after question. I'm talking 10 emails plus. That's way too much and thankfully those folks are rare.
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Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

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