Featured History What is the point of outrageous asking prices for common vintage parts

If I don’t like the price…I move along. It’s easy to do.

 

I can't the outrageous prices people are willing to give!
Almost $2,000 for a Franklin Q.C.? There are people who would give it because they think a quick change is pure magic! They have been running then in oval track racing since the 50s!

Almost every racecar in the country runs one! The only cl***es I can think of that don't run them are 4 cylinders (many are front wheel drive) Hobby/Street Stocks.


You see them (and the old style Winters) at oval track swap meet for a few hundred dollars some oval track guys are literary giving them away!

Plus are the tubes bent, Is the jack shaft broken?

A friend of mine had 3 given to him by an oval track ch***is build because no one wants them!



Oval track guys want the super lightweight Bulldog Q.C.!

 

Yep, saw this the other day.

 

Part of the problem is there are people with more money than brains paying "seller bubba" his outrageous asking price, and then "mo money-no brains" goes on social media and brags what a good deal he made.... then bubba raises his junk prices again...


,

 

I swear everyone thinks their parts are the last on earth, but you try and sell them parts and even free costs to much

 

Yeah, and then those parts sit around, sometimes in a damp ba*****t get ruined, or get driven to swap meet to swap meet for years until the person get tired of looking at them then claim no one wants them after years of people making real world offers, then scarps them or the person dies and the family bring in a dumpster and throws it all away!

 

I obviously did the swap meet seller role wrong. Back when I participated, my goal was to leave the swap meet with an empty truck and a pocket of cash. Anything that I offered for sale was stuff that I didnt want to haul to another swap meet or sit on for years. IF I could sell out on Saturday and not need to come back on Sunday, all the better. Fast nickel vs slow dime theory in work.

 

Here's another one of the "usual suspects".......
So I have an item that looks age-appropriate but functions like new.
I list it on Craigslist for a fair price of $100.
Fairly soon, I get a potential buyer calling...... Sight unseen, he asks, "Will you take $75 ?"
I say, "Naw. I'd rather give it away for free".
He says, "Well, I'll take it for free".
I say, "Okay then. It costs $100 to look at it, and if you like it, I'll give it to you for free".

 

As someone who has overpaid for a number of parts, I'll make myself available for questioning or blame for the current state of pricing. Hahaha.

Really though, I try to avoid overpaying for most things and I'm often price conscious. But when it comes to the hunt and finding something I'm searching for, I've often paid up to end the chase. I'm not unwilling to haggle but sometimes just paying the price to end the hunt is worth it.

I'm currently searching for a part that was as common as anything just 5 years ago and while the chase is fun - I need to get this car done... so I'll probably pay. (Another reason why not to have 20-year-long projects.)

 

I look back maybe 5years and remember items that I refused to pay the asking price but today would gladly pay that price. Aftermarket aluminum heads for a flatty come to mind most often but there are lots of other items like that. I consider it "buyer lag time". Everything seems overpriced until you look not too far into the past.

 

Because when I want/need something (in WA St.) it's an arm & a leg AND in Florida, so when I sell something I want an arm & a leg from Wa. St..........................

 

@brigrat , that's given me an idea. I'm going to try some new pricing strategy... instead of money prices my prices will be marked $Your first born or $Arm and a leg or $ your left nut, cause we've all heard somebody say they'd give their left nut for something.
I might be really on to something here.

 

This right here.
Ask a 100 bucks for something I think is worth 10, I don’t bother to even try to bargain.
The seller sets the price, I’ve the option to inquire or walk on by.

 

I’ll haphazardly speak up on a very very weird issue I’ve run into with listing items at bottom barrel prices and getting absolutely NO ONE purchasing the item UNTIL I RAISED the price.

So weird

 

If you list it low, no-one wants it because they think it must be ****.
If you list it mid-to-high, they want it because it must be ok...... but they want to pay the price of a **** one.
Ain't humans fun....

 

Just read this whole thread twice..... Trying to grasp who's who here...... So- As a BUYER=ME..... First- I'm looking for a certain part, and is it offered in the aftermarket/repo'ed, or have to find an original...... Then- Price comparison of new/available, or used.... What's the market rate? Hmmm? If I see something i'm interested in, and inquier, I just ask the seller if there is any wiggle room on the item. I'm not going to be a ***** and lowball. Being crafty and polite goes a long way with people......If it works out=ME knowing what the market is, and on the 100% scale of how bad do I need it RIGHT NOW, then I jump......
Now, me as a SELLER= Pretty sure everyone here has some sort of stash or another! Maybe just extras, leftovers, or from upgrades, and good "used" stuff needs to be purged...... Yep, " I know what I got" LOL.
BUT, my **** is worth some coin, and it goes back into my cars. I try to make things fair for MYSELF by taking a hit of course/always...... I have to fund my projects- no one else does..... So I am saying, if you don't like my prices, keep on stepping, and good luck. If you find what you're looking for, for way less, good for you! I've been on both sides of the debate. I have walked away buying many a time, and have refused selling the same...... So, quit your *****ing about what things cost......No one is holding a gun to your head....... Pay or don't........

 

Besides my 57, my son and I have two OT E-body Barracudas. I am glad we have a lot of spare parts because the asking prices are ridiculous. About 20+ years ago I was at the Carlisle swap meet with a group of guys. We stopped at one vendor and one of the guys was interested in an old door handle that looked like it was from the thirties. The guy looking to buy it did not have a car older than the fifties. The seller had at least 15 to 20 of the same handles and he listed it for $5.00. The guy with us offered him $3.00. The guy said no. He then offered him $3.50 and the guy was getting annoyed. He went up to four, and the guy took the handle, threw it in the dirt and crushed it with his foot. He said it is "yours for free". The guy looking to buy the handle said," alright I'll give you $5.00 for it" The vendor said I am not selling you anything. On the trip home he complained about the vendor. I can see how it can be taxing to deal with some people. That was the last time we took that guy with us.

 

I recently sold boxes of sbc parts on marketplace for $30 and the guy messaged me two days later saying he wants his money back? I told him he would have to bring everything back to witch he asked if he could keep some of the stuff but get his money back. Instantly blocked. But right before I hit that block ****on he messaged me saying he had my address and asked me if I wanted to play games. Boy oh boy yes I do. But non the less all items bought/sold by me are now local police station meetup. Unless they are ok with me going to their home.

(I will never buy something then back pedal even if I was straight up ripped off) it’s just not me. If I buy it whatever it be and whatever the condition it’s mine.

 

Reminds me when we had a garage sale at my grandmother’s place once. Had to be over 30 yrs ago, and most items were less than a dollar. Recall lots of folks offering 5 cents for items priced at 25 cents. What we didn’t sell went into the trash. lol!

 

Everything is rare, just ask the seller

 

No Low-ballers, I "knowz" what I gotz

 

I know both sides, but some stuff is extremly overpriced on the market.

On the other side...bringing junk to the swap meet and expecting big money for it is stupid, been there..got the t shirt....

For me it's easy... if a reproduction is cheaper than an original junk part... it is to expensive...

I always have to think about what Billy Lane said...." we rode panheads and knuckles because we couldn't afford a new Fat boy...."

Let that sink in....

Most prices are not "real"

 

I remember a guy asking $30 for an air cleaner wing nut. Chrome GM.. ****... I got several in drawer full of wing nuts. Lunch was on me...... Turkey Leg was only $9..

 

I have told this story on the H.A.M.B. before but it's good.

Friend of mine needed a muti carb intake for 324 Olds for a customer's car.
He went to a collector who a had a wall of 303, 324 intakes.

Tom asked about several and asked "How much?"
The man replied not for sale!

The last intake asked about the reply he got was"Do you know what that one’s worth!?"
Tom said "Yeah, nothing because there's no fuel and air going through it!"

The last time I told that story I was told “Tom s a jerk!”

But let’s think about it he asked a collect if he had anything to sell went there with cash to buy an intake then was told everything he was interested in wasn’t for sale or was asked “Do know what that is worth?”

If you don’t want to sell then don’t! But don’t have someone come over who wants to buy and refuse!
In my opinion the collector is the jerk!

 

It’s always about being on the correct side of the supply/demand equation.

I don’t mind guys asking the world for stuff. They are just hunting the great white whale (moby **** reference there). If they are willing to sit on the item forever until that ****er comes along…that’s ok. And to be honest, sometimes I’m that ****er depending on how bad I want or need that piece. If I was stupid or didn’t plan or ac***ulate the parts for a build well ahead of time, I can be ‘forced’ into paying too much. it’s like getting ***essed a penalty for my foolishness. ****s, but happens….

Something my pops taught me early on: Buy from guys that need to sell and sell to guys that need to buy.

Seriously though, now on the sale side and as a vendor at a few swaps every year (same ones over and over) you learn who the common ‘socials’ are and they are usually the ones just out ‘shopping’ for something to do. And pretty soon you can tell who the real buyers are. They are the ones that do more of a bee line to my tables and want to get down to business pdq. Love em. And as a side note: I give way better deals to the young guys that are building something.
Never fails though that near the end of the day I’ll get the guys ‘collecting’ stuff and we’ll negotiate on what’s left of the ‘good stuff’. Typically my 32 parts. And it all comes down to whether I want to load it back in the truck/trailer or not. Sometimes they ‘win’ and sometimes I do. If it’s heavy stuff, we can both win.
.

 

Best deal ever for me was a farm auction, off to the side was a Chevy tri power set up, didn't know what a 348 was back then. Had 3x chrome air cleaners, and the original Black dual snorkel air cleaner with it.
Hammered at $19.

Had correct carbs, linkage. Owed brother $100, gave it to him. He found a 4bbl school bus 348 engine soon after.

 

As I said earlier-

 

Some people collect ( with money) to "be" somebody....

I have seen women naked...I don't need this kind of behaviour.

Collecting is only fun when you buy truckloads and keep some items for yourself at 0$....while Making money...or finding stuff in the s****.

 

This isn't really the point of this thread but if I take stuff to the swap meet its usually in a couple bins I can load or unload quickly with smaller impulse buy stuff or rummage bins where its all the same price. Making $100 on a handful of greasy **** I don't have to keep moving around the garage is worth it to me.

When buying at a swap meet the fun for me is scoring stuff for a great deal, sometimes people don't know what they have and I'm not going to be the one to tell them that. HA I typically only haggle if I buy a couple things at once.

 

I find enjoyment giving parts to people that can use them instead of me storing for decades anymore. I'll put together package deals at swapmeets if I selling.