Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

patrics wrote:but the real problem is with all the chancers using the buy it now function for second hand parts - vote with your feet as they say and never buy any used part on a buy it now.

Whats wrong with the buy it nows? If you see something and you feel the price is fair then why not?

Ok, those mega priced ones are daft but to call all buy it now sales chancers isn't really fair.

I'd rather use a buy it now than compete with all the chancers who cancel the sale as they haven't got it high enough or say they have lost/broken/dog ate it.

Hi
Why not let the market decide after all it's an auction site - isn't that the whole point?

Regards
Steve

Its an auction site that gives you the option of saying what you would like to get. Set a price that you want and you may sell or not.

It also means the buyer can decide if they want it and get it rather than putting a price in and it gets sniped or bidded up at the end.

Same as on here, its just another place to sell (they just rip you off with fees there )

SimonH wrote:Its an auction site that gives you the option of saying what you would like to get. Set a price that you want and you may sell or not.

It also means the buyer can decide if they want it and get it rather than putting a price in and it gets sniped or bidded up at the end.

Same as on here, its just another place to sell (they just rip you off with fees there )

Where do they rip you off with fees? If you mean eBay then I have to disagree.

eBay charge 10% of final value up to a maximum of 250 GBP. Most auction houses charge the seller at least 15% (plus local taxes) with no maximum.

Auction houses also charge the buyer commission, again at least 15% plus taxes. eBay don't charge buyers.

Please explain how eBay are ripping you off?

Don't they also take 10% of the postage ,where's the justice in that?

John

And with PayPal which you are obliged to offer (and cannot charge for) you are up to 13.5% and more if there's a foreign exchange element to it. I've had an eBay account for 13+ years and I've seen fees steadily hiked from if I recall correctly 6/7% as they've cynically grabbed a stranglehold on the market. I think comparing them to an auction house is a bit unfair as eBay don't have to show/display the goods on their premises, pay for heat and electricity, do the marketing take photos etc you do all that for them! I think most eBay users think that they've become greedy and risk shooting the golden goose with their fees. It just needs a rival to take a foothold and provide them with some competition. Unfortunately they are so big (their economy is bigger than some countries!) that they'd just buy out the rival. Do you know they own gumtree now? How long will it be before they put FridayAd, exchange and mart and the like out of business and then they'll start charging for all adverts on gumtree!

Cynical moi?

elanfan1 wrote:And with PayPal which you are obliged to offer (and cannot charge for) you are up to 13.5% and more if there's a foreign exchange element to it. I've had an eBay account for 13+ years and I've seen fees steadily hiked from if I recall correctly 6/7% as they've cynically grabbed a stranglehold on the market. I think comparing them to an auction house is a bit unfair as eBay don't have to show/display the goods on their premises, pay for heat and electricity, do the marketing take photos etc you do all that for them! I think most eBay users think that they've become greedy and risk shooting the golden goose with their fees. It just needs a rival to take a foothold and provide them with some competition. Unfortunately they are so big (their economy is bigger than some countries!) that they'd just buy out the rival. Do you know they own gumtree now? How long will it be before they put FridayAd, exchange and mart and the like out of business and then they'll start charging for all adverts on gumtree!

Cynical moi?

13.5% is still less than all of the auction houses I know about. They also charge if you pay by card so this is similar to eBay.

You are obliged to offer PayPal but on expensive items I state cash on collection only and haven't been pulled up yet. PayPal is convenient for me and I factor in the costs when selling using Buy It Now.

The charging of 10% on postage was a response to people trying to cheat the system by listing items cheaply with a high postage, but it is a blunt instrument and catches everyone so this is, IMO, a bit of a cheek. However, I simply add 11% to my postage costs to cover this charge.

If not happy with eBay, use an auction house for your stuff. You will get less for your items and pay more in commission. I sell a lot on eBay and many items have gone overseas. With the whole world able to bid prices are pushed up higher than you will get at a local auction. Plus you have to transport the items and pick up if not sold.

I agree that competition may reduce costs but having to check two or more sites for stuff would be a pain so I will suffer the extra cost for the convenience.

Before eBay, my old car stuff tended to be scrapped. Now, almost everything gets sold and I wish it had been around 40 years ago

Before E-bay my old, unused, or just spare stuff was given to any enthusiast that asked for it on a 'you need it I have one" basis, I also recieved some parts in the same way but human nature being what it is I usually was asked to pay for them even from friends who I had given loads of parts to, that said the parts changed hands for sensible money, mates rates if you like.

Now I am having to repurchase these self same parts at E-bay prices, often with the seller bidding against me which e-bay turn a blind eye to.

So me, I wish we could go back to the old pre E-bay days.

However it is rewarding to sell very obscure parts to people sometimes across the world that would never have known I had them before and that I would never have known they needed, in the past I would have thrown them away.

eBay isn't compulsory If you don't like it don't use it, simple really

The problem is most people HAVE to use flea bay if they want to restore their cars or keep them on the road but i use it with a pragmatic reluctance as there costs are very minimal per transaction and 6% or so would be more than enough.I use gumtree a lot if selling as i much prefer a good old fashioned straight sale.I cannot see any problem with buy it now,its only a straightforward ad,if its to dear it wont sell.I would also offer anything Lotus for sale on this site before selling it elsewhere or coming on this site only to tell everyone i am putting it out to auction
regards
Paul

S3FHC wrote:Lotus Elan S1 steering wheel sold on fleabay (ended on 14 Dec 2015)

winning bid...

?1,251 !

Just today I was quoted $349 USD to put new leather on my Plus 2's steering wheel- and it's not even special Lotus-leather!

Needless to say, I'm looking for a more reasonable quote.

The stitching looks a little suspect on those Wheelskin covers.
Check this outhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elan ... Sw7FRWZrAB

The success of eBay really is a tribute to the power of having first mover advantage. Its time-limited auctions make sniping the only rational bidding strategy and leads to lower prices for sellers. But they use it because eBay has the largest customer base.

Even worse, time-limited auctions and sniping mean that the market value of an item is never properly established, leaving sellers and buyers in a state of ignorance. Hence sellers setting apparently dopey prices for their items in the hope of not getting taken to the cleaners. Buyers may as well hang on to a rabbit's foot and hope for the best.

As for commissions, earlier this week I was tempted to bid at an online antique auction until I noticed that the Buyer's Premium was 30%. I think that even Sotheby's stops at 25%. Needless to say, I couldn't bring myself to bid anything.

Nick

e-bay ? love it. I`ve bought 3 things today.If you don`t like it, then don`t use it. Simple.
Jim