ePay ubberpricing strikes again "Hurst Shifter"

I'd been watching this thing, 'cause well, I could actually use it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...=4608919014&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1
A NOS Hurst Shifter for a Cad/LaSalle sideshift tranny, to put the shifter through the floor.
$565 later, which was about $365 more than I was willing to spend. I never even bid, it was already too far gone.
For the most part it was two guys seeing who's eWeenie is bigger.

The bidder Heathen1960 has ruined so many freaking Caddy flathead auctions for me. Its not even that I was willing to payup for something cause I so dearly needed it, but that I believe this dude just doesn't like to lose. No matter the game or auction.

Anywho, RANT OFF.
Just venting cause I guess I have less money and more brains. I am extremely happy for the seller. Dude is going to be hop skipping to the bank!!!!

 

auction the sale of goods to the highest bidder

 

That's a super rare piece, and NOS in the box with all the parts, which hasn't been availible in probably 40 years. It's no surprise that it's going to bring good money. I bet even here in the HAMB classifieds, it wasn't going to go super cheap.

In other eBay news, I bought a nice pair of '55 Dodge Royal rear quarter panel emblems, for $9, after watching a few singles do $20, so I held out and got a good deal on some things I needed.

Sure, there are some things on eBay that are going to bring a lot of money, but that's what is expected from rare and hard to find yet highly desirable items. There are still plenty of deals to be had on eBay. I don't see what the big deal is.

 

Ok, now go to the phone and call Pinstriper (Sam) at Rocco and Cheaters and see if he has one in the shop. Really do it, he's got some crazy stuff down there.... [SIZE=-1](205) 328-5140[/SIZE]

 

I know how that goes, I was up against some stiff competition when I was bidding on military vehicle parts. Those guys are NUTS. Gung ho ex special forces or something can't stand to lose!

 

I was just there saturday. Hell I found nos traction bars for a '58 edsel, and a stack of bullnoses for 51-54 mopars. you bever know what yer gonna find in that place.

 

I'm with you on this issue...

auctions like this can have a ripple effect - pretty soon everybody with a '70's slapstick layin' about thinks they gots $500 worth of vintage parts.

I've said it before...figure out what you're willing to spend, and contact the guy directly. If the guy is willing to sell at your # - then the part changes hands. I prefer dealin' man-to-man; too many ebay idgits for me.

FWIW...there will be a selling of stuff like this in my neck of the woods this spring. Friend of the family will be sellin' off a 50 year collection of speedparts, very little stuff from after the early 60's. They don't want a buncha damn dealers playin' games - nor do they want an estate auction free-for-all. We'll be making an inventory sometime around May - I'm thinkin' that here will be the best place for sellin' stuff. A buyer, a seller, and a price. That's the way it should be.

 

but c'mon dude.... $565 for a fuckin shifter? did someone famous stick it up their butt?

your comparison of rear emblems for $9.00 is way off... $20 and almost $600 isnt even close.

40yrs or not, most of the crap we deal with hasnt been produced for +/- 50yrs and being that laSalle trannys were as popular as they were, i believe its safe to say Mr DeepPockets just baught a bridge.....

InDaShop - try and fab up something similar.. we actually want to use this junk, not put it on a shelf for display

 

wouldn't ya just love to see the cars these people who spend the crazy money on NEAT parts build? if they are building a car?

 

OK, maybe my emblem comparison is a poor one, just wanted to point out that there's plenty of deals on eBay. Writing them off as totally overpriced is a bad idea, when you can save a lot of money on simple stuff by shopping them carefully.

But I'm sticking to my point that rare and desirable shit is going to bring big money. This spring I'm putting together a '66 Cutlass convert. for a friend as a 442 clone, and he's been shopping for a 4 speed console. Basically a big plastic base with a cast top piece and a cast glovebox door, decent ones bring anywhere from $1200-$2000, and Olds made thousands of them.

Why? Because there is a whole world full of people who are offered the chance to buy them, and there's someone out there willing to pay whatever it takes to get it. The guy with the LaSalle shifter might be a big money guy, or he might be just like one of us, with his whole car built in his garage, damned near ready to drive but without a shifter. So he pays the big money to get the part that he knows is going to work on his car without much fuss, and that's worth $565 to him.

I've paid what seems like an obscene amount of money for a few things for my projects, because it's what I needed and it was worth more to me to keep my project moving than it was to hold out for a deal. I bet everyone here has paid thru the nose for something at one time, just because they need it and can't wait around for another one.

I buy shit on eBay all the time, sometimes I get sweet deals, sometimes I've gotta pay what seems like too much for what I want. But I also sell stuff there, sometimes stuff sells cheap and sometimes I get big money for stuff that doesn't seem like it'd have that much value. It all evens out in the end.

 

I have also seen that bidder win a lot of early Olds aftermarket hot rod parts auctions, and I'm wondering if the recent newbie hamber "heathen" is the same guy as his HAMB posts seem to show his interest in early cad and olds engines. And not that its any of my business, but if it is the same guy, how many projects does he have going that he keeps buying all these parts on ebay, or are they being bought for resale. There's a lot of Olds parts auctions I would have bid on, but he bid the item up WAY past what I was willing to pay. Heathen, you out there?

 

Yes, RotGG, I know the definition of auction. My issue was with the "IN MY OPINION" highly over inflated price.

Squawblow, I'm not writing ePay off by any means. You are definately correct, deals do show up. I'll continue shopping. And have gotten deals myself. The funny thing is I have no problem paying a fair price or even slightly high price if it is something I need. Although we can all agree I believe that a super good deal gives ya a rush!

Plan9, well back to square one. Psychodamon showed me how to fab one up using an existing Hurst. Takes some tinkering but is easily do-able. I figured, hell if I could get it this would have saved some time, troubleshooting, and effort. Who can argue with being a little wise and taking a shortcut if one exists.

BigJim, seriously? I need to search that member name. Yes H..1960 is into lots of old stuff, including Olds, and Caddy. From whqat I can tell searching/snooping his feedback, he's a parts flipper. I got no problem with a guy buying parts for his projects. Hell, I've got no problem with a guy selling parts to pay for his projects. I even don't have a problem with buying swap meet material to put on eBay and make some coin to pay for a project. My beef is with guys who run the WIN at ANY cost attitude with regards to eBay and auctions. Then see the same part back up on eBay a month later with a high reserve, and a Buy it Now of greater than they paid a month before. (Now granted he didn't get this one, and I've seen him get beat before. So theres a silver lining)

Anywho, fellas, I know most of us have had this happen too us many a time. I just wanted to share an experience.
That and a $565 Hurst shifter. WOW!!!!

 

Quit complaining and start building! About the only difference between that kit and any other is the bracketry and you now have pictures to go by.
Even ask the seller for some more pix, he may be in a good mood after getting that much $$

 

oh, one important thing... dont miscontrue my quote from you as an attack... actually, i was chuckling while writing it. moreso, a freindly retort. my blood pressure has remained constant.

iam by no means a cheapskate... but there is no possible way to justify spending $565.00 on a shifter that isnt dipped in gold, inlaid with daimonds and signed by Jesus...even IF it is the last piece to a persons car (and we all know this is an ongoing process until we die or sell the car off). i see your point though... some things are left to people who can afford to pay obscene amounts of money to get OG junk.

im not faulting the seller or buyer... its their deal, but what i did manage to do was add yet another opinion to the HAMB

 

Or he could be driveing up the price for the seller. it's not like that doesn't happen on the bay.

 

OK, let's turn this into a learning experience...what's a Mystery Shifter? I've never seen or heard of that model.

 

could be, i see he has no current auctions , I have bought from him and talked to him on the phone ,very often you do not get what is pictured- more or less complete, but rarely in the boxes pictured , he does have a pile of shifters out of boxes and missing pcs ,you might contact him,

 

I didn't take it that way, and you do make a point. I was just trying to see it from a different perspective.

And I too would like to hear the story behind the name Mystery Shifter. Sounds cool.

 

Man who knows? Maybe a marketing tool?
I know in this instance it was a Hurst shifter to convert the 1938-1948ish Column Shift car with a transmission that had the shift arms on the side to a more hot rod friendly floorshifter.

We all are familiar with the '37 LaSalle Toploader tranny I believe. Well in '38 they went to a side shift to be able to make the cars column shift.

Benno- I hope you're wrong about the shill bidding. As I just found out this guy is a HAMB'r.

 

Looks EXACTLY the same as the NOS hurst I bought for the original 3 speed trans that came with my 57 Pontiac motor. I paid maybe $50 American for it and $20 something to be shipped over here in the UK.

Box, manuals & everything. Bet it would fit the La Salle too.

 

Damn I hope I'm wrong too.

I don't know if Hurst ever called them a mystery shifter or not. I know that we called them a mistery shifter because the little jam nut on the shift lever would come loose letting the handle swing around sometimes wildly while you were looking for a gear. it was a mistery what gear you would get.

 

I can vouch for that.

I have to say though E-Gay is without a doubt a mixed blessing.

 

third! found that out on the "Toad" w the Hydro , not fun at speed still have a nos round stick boot and ring somewhere around here

 

There is quite a bit of idiocy on the bay, and if it concerns a part you want or need, it can suck. But if you're on the other end....
Last year I sold a rimblow wheel off a Mustang I have. Thing needed work, and frankly, I thought it was ugly and wasn't keen on the rimblow idea. Drove a 73 Lincoln with that option and finally had to unplug the horn...

Anyway, sold this one lousy old steering wheel for enough money to get a great deluxe wheel, new headliner and new carpet for my 55 Buick. Worked for me!

Sounds like it went to a HAMBer and who knows, maybe a HAMBer sold it and now has enough cash to get that perfect part.
Point is, this is the way things are going. Like it or not, we're gonna have to deal with the fact that parts we want are now available to anyone, anywhere.

 

by the way there was one that just went off ebay opening bid was 19 bucks and it didnt get a bid

 

My old pappy would never go to an auction. He didn't want to be the person in the crowd that would pay THE MOST for something. Quite a character, my old pappy.

 

Well...I thought I'd let this thread run its course before making my reply. It seems to have pissed itself out last evening, so here goes.

InDaShop....auctions, ebay or otherwise, always end the same way--with one winner and a lot of losers. God knows, I lose a lot more than I win, but that's life. There have been many items on ebay that I wanted for myself, but someone with more money, more desire, or both outbid me. When that happens, it's just tough shit for me. If I can't handle that, then I need to stop looking at ebay.

My idea on the shifter was that, since Cad/Lasalle shifter conversions are so hard to find, that if I won it, I would then have the pieces necessary to reproduce the mounting brackets and shift arms that are unique to the setup. Then, combined with the actual shifter, which has nothing special about it and is still comparatively easy to find, I could get my money back by selling the repro setups, keep one or two for myself, and other guys with side shift Lasalle gearboxes would have a floor shift option. If you look at the bidding history, two other people outbid me, so that isn't going to happen now. Since the winner bid two consecutive bids, for all I know, he bid $1000, thought again, and bid $2000 to make sure he got it.

I can sit around and tell "old fart" stories with the best of them about the days (20-25 years ago) when I could go to Carlisle or Hershey and buy dual carb intakes for 235s for $10-$15 and McGurk valve covers for $20. That was then and this is now. Sure, I still manage to find a deal at a swap meet now and then, but it's the exception rather than the rule. I bought the tripower setup that's on my GTO in 1981 for $50, complete with correct carbs, linkage, and air cleaners. Now the same piece in the same condition brings $1200-$2000. If they still brought only $50, I wouldn't like them any less, but if you want one today, either pay the price or do without. I don't enjoy paying $2.75 for a gallon of fuel oil to heat my house with, but if I don't want to freeze or start chopping wood, that's what I'll do.

So, according to you, I've "ruined" many auctions for you? Give me a break! I can't remember the last time I was the only bidder on any auction worth anything, and you can't bid an item up by yourself. Due to a turn of events in the last few years, there is a much larger demand for vintage speed equipment than supply. Would the recent reproductions of it have happened if there weren't? Every one of us could survive without it, but for many, it's our passion, and we choose to involve ourselves in it. I was involved in it long before it was the popular thing to do, long before Britney Spears wore a Von Dutch hat, and definitely long before the insipid television shows that supposedly represent hot rodding existed. So after blatting about my bidding on ebay, you state on another thread concerning flathead Cadillac parts that "maybe we can work something out in the future". Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.

BigJim394....you're right, it is none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway. I've got a '50 303, a '56 324, a '64 394, a '51 331 and '53 331 Cadillac, a '55 264 Buick nailhead, and several small block Chevies, 235s, 261s, and 270 and 302 GMCs. I bid on and buy parts for all of them. No, I don't have enough bodies to put them in right now, but since they're not getting any easier to find, and in lieu of ever rising prices, now is the time to buy any of this shit. Today's top dollar will be tomorrow's deal. If you'd like to put together a committee to come to my garage and question wheter or not I have the right to own this stuff, let me know. So I've bid Olds items up higher than you are willing to pay? Join the club! I've seen several items go higher than I can justify paying. It's an AUCTION. If you want to buy parts that have a set price, go to swap meets. I can't wait until they start again.

I joined the H.A.M.B. to read what others have to say, learn a few things, and help out others with questions, such as the members I've helped out with camshaft specs. The thank you posts from those I've helped so far are much appreciated. If anyone can't live with the fact that I buy and sell on ebay, then put me on your ignore list. The last thing I'll do is try to tell any of you how to spend your money, or what to spend it on, unless it's in the form of well meaning advice. It's yours, you earned it, so do what you think best with it, and if you decide to pay way more for a certain piece than I would, it's none of my business.

 

I've heard of the Mystery Shifter, but not sure of the details. Back when I used to sell the stuff (~1980), the Competition Plus was the high quality, specific fit type shifter. There was also cheap construction, one size fits all shifter that sold for a lot less. The 'Mystery Shifter' lable seems to fit that type of product.

With most Hurst shifters, a certain shift tower would fit lots of things if a certain installation kit (rods, arms, mount) and handle was used. Using a less 'rare' (< $$$) tower kit and making or modifying the rest is doable.

Steve

 

To me the name implies that either it is hard to find to shift with, or it has a differetnt shift pattern each time you go to use it. I like the second idea.