Hot Rods How Are You Guys Selling Your Parts?

I have sold a lot of parts right here on the good old HAMB with great people to deal with. I can say I have not had one deal go south in all the sales or buys I have done on the HAMB....
I don't charge for boxing or add any charge to the shipping cost. Lot of items done with pay-pal as a gift and no charge that way from them.

 

I only buy on eBay right now and I like it a lot. Many vendors offer free shipping.. on heavy stuff! Box of connecting rods, a radiator and water pump too.

I've bought parts on the Hamb classifieds as well. I bought some trim parts for my Ford on The Ford Barn (with a money order). I'm not up to selling anything yet, but I'll see what's left over as the Ford gets completed.

 

When I was still in Michigan, I sold alot of stuff via craigslist, a few flakes but most very straightforward sales. I sold at the Bearing Burners swap meet in 2012 & 2013 (unfortunately they didn't have it in 2015) and did pretty well. Some was stuff just to empty the garage, that I priced accordingly, but I also had better items that I got decent prices for. I was in town summer of 2014 and went to the Ford-Mercury restorers club swap meet which they moved out to Chelsea, that was pretty disappointing meet as it was much larger when in Belleville. Don't know how it turned out this year. PNW swap meets are awesome & bigger than anything in Michigan.

 

I remember a time when the HAMB classifieds moved so fast that it would detach your retinas. Not so much these days.

I remember posting a ragged pre 30 Dodge Bros coupe one time, walked into the kitchen for coffee and had 3 offers when I returned. I took them in the order of the time stamp and the guy was down from Illinois the next day to get it.

I have never charged anyone a boxing fee or added anything to shipping. That is just BS as far as I am concerned. But perhaps that is why I don't have any money today. LOL

 

Yep, made a quick killing in '08 selling parts in a pinch on eGay..then a couple years later, noticed all the damn extra fees WTF??!! And they get a percentage of what you sell also??. Some one needs to start a classified ad system just for our interests, and weed out all the shit. It's been HAMB classifieds with me for smaller stuff and CL for the bigger stuff. I don't do swaps anymore cuz after all the work, I end up breaking even on the cost of the parts, minus my time, swap space cost, gas expenses.

 

I think a lot of what is going on has been a result of the state of the economy also. And word of another recession in the near future.

 

I hate hate hate when I do a simple search on ebay, like 1935 Ford. and wind up with page after page of modern seat covers, billet grilles for F150s and 22" wheels. It has turned into a flee market.

I sell some stuff on eBay, some stuff on the HAMB, and some locally via CL too. There are only a million people in the whole damn state, so the chances of someone local with actual money being in the market for whatever oddball crap I've got can be kind of slim. I get really good shipping rates at my job for things under 100lbs, so that makes it a little easier to sell here.

 

I used to sell a lot on ebay. I'd list as many as 150 items a day and sales percentage was very good. Like others have said, ebay got greedy, then they got greedier. I no longer sell on ebay and rarely buy there anymore.
Craigs List sucks. Way too many flakes.
I've used the HAMB Classifieds with varying success.
Local automotive swap meets are a mixed bag.
Everyone I know is telling me Facebook is the place to buy and sell now. By the time I get a FB account something else will be a better marketplace.

 

It seems a lot of online sellers want a mint for their crap these days so generally speaking I've stopped looking online.

I've been looking for a pair of 28/29 roadster doors, new with new complete hinges, shipped to my door from Brookville you can 'em for $1180 for the pair.

Take a quick look at the prices of 'em offered on the Internet (eBay and the HAMB), add the cost of patch panels, hinges, and then the time to assemble them, it makes no sense to fuck around with wasted garbage. Some of the prices these jerks are asking is ridiculous.

That's just an example. Lots of parts are the same way.

Carburetors. I'll pay $20-$30 for one that someone online is asking $100+ for.

Just paid $35 for bellhousing that people are asking $150 for online.

Some rare/special stuff I'll buy off eBay because that's the place to find it, but mundane shit?

I'll find it off-line.

 

Good points.

 

I only buy parts, never sell any!
Probably explains why I have so many parts.
I have given some away to needy hot rodders.
KK

 

Well, I simply quit selling my extra parts a few years ago (for many of the reasons discussed by others above). I am now officially a hoarder by default.

 

The best for me has been eBay. Not quite as good as it has been in the past. I've sold stuff on there that I considered throwing way.

Gary

 

I haven't sold at a swap meet for years ,but i do go buy some.Craigslist works for me on things $20 or less. Facebook type swaps are where most of my stuff goes now,no added cost,no shipping ,make em pick it up.
I have tried buying on the HAMB but to be honest the stuff I've needed was way high, just my opinion.

 

Haven't sold on Ebay, or anywhere else in over 10 years, but always required a USPS money order, and nobody seemed to mind. Now I read that a lot of guys will only use Paypal. Doesn't a postal money order protect the buyer, too? I need to sell a lot of parts, but don't want to deal with PP BS and their horror stories. Don't mean to hijack this thread, but why not a MO ?

 

I don't have any problem with paypal, aside from the fees they charge...but since most of the stuff I sell on ebay is stuff I got for free or cheap, it's like play money. I spend it on different stuff that I don't need. I guess there are some folks who have trouble with it? what are they buying/selling? whole cars?

also I can sell junk around the house on ebay, get paid with paypal, and buy some new stuff from places like summit, rock auto, etc.

 

Craigs List for me, but I also put a sign in my window when attending a gathering or run.

 

You guys that say that you can buy/sell stuff on Facebook, where do you look? I have not seen any classifieds area on there.

 

I buy and sell on the hamb....sometimes buy on ebay.....but I sell most of my trim at the larger car shows and flea markets....spring and fall carlisle....I plan on doing hershey this year....ag hall and wheels of time....with over 3,500 pcs of trim it takes 3 hours to set up and tear down I only do 3 or 5 day shows.....stan

 

Its not for sale! Get the hell out of here!
Well ok.. if you really do need the parts and are actually building an auto that will put rubber to the road then we can do business.

 

You guys are lucky having access to parts close by!You don't realise how lucky you are.
I mainly buy thru the HAMB,never had a bad deal yet and mostly great people to deal with.
When in the States,I couldn't believe what was on offer,mind boggling at some swaps!!

 

Been buying on eBay for a long time and I have the search down to eliminate all the shit that is on there now, used to sell but not so much any more. Even bought two classic cars and sold one. Just bought my first thing off CL this week, a bobber, went OK.. We had a CL murder here as well, old couple went to look at a 65 mustang that was not even a reality, robbery gone bad and shot. The sellers (mid 30's couple)for me were nervous because of this having happened locally in the past year, he was packing but covered it up when he got the feel we were serious. And also this week made my first HAMB classifieds purchase, a car from about three hours away, and if I could just figure out how to search it better and remember it exists I will probably do more in the future with it.

 

Swap meets & few C list for me, no more Ebay it's too risky for seller now. I think having a variety of goods at the swap meet that's neatly laid out, labeled & priced is key. But I always make signs like "don't be afraid to make an offer " , price stuff to whittle down some, joke around & dont be pushy or a knot on a log. Take tables & use key items to draw them in to wade thru the stuff, even if it's a coveted piece , you could put a crazy price on & wind up selling it like I accidentally did. I get such a crowd that by having items priced "realistically" saves them asking while I'm dealing or collecting on those who got there first. I usually take 2 or 3 truck & trailers to Springfield Mo. each August & work my tail off selling 3/4 of it all. Best part though is making new pals & seeing some stuff go on to be used rather than collecting dust or rust. This meet is becoming a yearly sell out & monster hoot mostly filled with genuine article old stuff , not a China mart meet. As far as selling items goes....... As great grand pa once said "Son , you make your money in your buying not your selling". Same holds true with a business. But I'm really there to purge n unload the stuff, helps make room in the shop & some new car pals along the way. I like Swap meets & C list........ Flux Went to a good home.

 

Hamb, Ford Barn, Craig's list and swap meets have all been good to me...

 

I don't have much luck selling stuff, but then, most of my stuff isn't worth much. Usually its local sales or swap meets. I have a couple guys that come into my shop pretty regularly and buy parts & pieces for art work. Most of the stuff I sell is cheap, just in case someone might actually need or will be able to use it. Gene

 

It seems really hard to sell stuff now. depends what it is, but basic bread and butter stuff tha used to be easy to sell is really hard to get rid of. I have been tryng to sell a c-6 and FMX on craigslist for months, $100 each obo, havent even had a call. I cant bring myself to scrap stuff like this, but man, it seems like no-one is building cars anymore, not around here at least.

 

Portland Swap Meet.
Always in April.

 

The way around that is to use the advanced search in the upper right corner. When it loads, put in the word "fits", and you will eliminate most of the Chinese garbage that will fit anything.

I've sold a lot on eBay in the past, not so much now because I don't have much anymore. I have bought a boat load of stuff, stuff that just doesn't turn up much anywhere else as well as common items like used aluminum intake manifolds at a good price. It took me a year to find two missing emblems for my Lincoln at a price I would pay. There's still deals on eBay, you just have to be patient.

As for Craigslist, I've had pretty good luck there, too. Bought and sold several vehicles there. I guess the smallest thing I ever bought off of there was a set of C4 Corvette seats. Never tried selling parts there, not a big enough audience for small stuff from what I've seen around here.

I look at the HAMB classifieds from time to time, but haven't bought anything from them yet.

 

I'll list some HAMB related items here, but eBay is were I have most luck selling car parts and whatever else I can take a photo of. I've done Hershey for 46 years in a row, just buy at the others. Tried to sell a car on Craigs list once and all I got were scammers. Too old to understand Facebook. Bob

 

I've bought and sold on eBay and other sites, never had any major problems, I research before hand and I'm cautious about who I buy from. I've had 800 transactions on eBay, just gotta do your homework!