Asking too much? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Adriel · #1 10-15-2016, 09:49 PM

Not making progress on selling the spare parts I don't need and thinking because asking too much. All I know is to take the lowest on eBay and then include shipping. Where should we be looking to prices?

What does a complete parts wagon go for? I know less than if parted out, as takes additional resources to do so.

Thank y'all in advance for any help!

t walgamuth · #2 10-15-2016, 10:01 PM

Whatever works. You just gotta look at the competition and make your best guess at value, then offer obo. I just keep on lowering the price until it sells, or if its a rare part I might wait.

Adriel · #3 10-15-2016, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Whatever works. You just gotta look at the competition and make your best guess at value, then offer obo. I just keep on lowering the price until it sells, or if its a rare part I might wait.

Thank you Tom.

So far, been holding onto things. But, now got a wrecked Mercedes right by the curb and don't think some of my neighbors like that and like to be a good neighbor even if don't mind.

Did check for parts wagons, but finding nothing. What, take one third of a running wagon?

t walgamuth · #4 10-15-2016, 11:12 PM

I had a rust free texas wagon body that I sold here in Indiana.....seems like about a grand. It lacked motor and trans. and front seats.

Thingymagigercarpart · #5 10-15-2016, 11:18 PM

What parts do you have for sale?

Adriel · #6 10-16-2016, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

I had a rust free texas wagon body that I sold here in Indiana.....seems like about a grand. It lacked motor and trans. and front seats.

Tom, yes looking, think will toss out $1750 for both the whole wagon except the driveline, all the '79 parts, the back half of the '79, and the '79 driveline. Gives room to put together one wagon and sell it for at least low market value.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thingymagigercarpart

What parts do you have for sale?

The issue is distance: heavy stuff is expensive to ship. Got two wagons here, so what are you looking for?

babymog · #7 10-16-2016, 08:35 AM

This is a tough site to sell parts, many here are U-pull fans and there are others here selling parts very reasonably. Usually that means parts sell here for much less than elsewhere.

I will always offer here first because it's a good bunch of people, but if nobody needs what I have I often evilbay the more valuable and easy to ship stuff and scrap the rest.

Part of the problem for me is location, heavy or common parts aren't worth the shipping.

If you have time, make it clear you'll take best offer and buyers will eventually find you, but in my case I couldn't even give away most of it unless I'm also willing to ship.

Junkman · #8 10-16-2016, 09:31 AM

If I wanted to part, I would make a list of parts and find out what it costs to ship each including packing materials and boxes. Next, look up what the part on Ebay and sort lowest price + shipping "Buy It Now". Now, try loading a part on Ebay and decide whether you want to fool with it (removing, describing, taking pics, calculating shipping costs, packing, driving to shipper, loading on Ebay etc).

The critical things for selling on Ebay are 1. low price, 2. low price, 3. lots of pics if you have a non-standard product, 4. Communicate only through Ebay so you have documentation, Offer buy it now at fixed cost including shipping, 5. Buyer Pays return shipping.

Ebay will allow 12 pics per item for no listing fee. Use them. More pics get picked up and have more views. Respond quickly to questions. Download the Ebay app on your phone so you get information timely and can decide to respond or not. Open a separate bank account for Ebay only. You don't want Ebay or PayPal messing with your regular account.

I set up a spreadsheet with item description, cost, shipping & handling as inputs. "Item Cost" is calculated as the sum of those. Selling Cost input. Ebay/PayPal Fees calculated at 12.5% of selling cost. Final margin= Net Selling price - all costs. Published Fees are 12% but when I back figure 1 month's fees/total sales, it is a little over 12%.

I would also use the option to consider offers but find that I don't have to discount much if I'm near the low end of the price spectrum. People that ask for discounts want the product and are just trying to get an extra little bump on price. I was/am selling OE Altima O2 sensors and only professional mechanics have bought them instead of getting cheaper aftermarket sensors. All have asked for a discount. All have bought with a small or in most cases $0 discount but I'm way under the Nissan retail price.

You could use this as an experiment on whether yu want to mess with Ebay. Their prices are really rock bottom but buyers are paying full shipping costs on an individual part. Amazon has higher prices but is less forgiving on shipping delays. Delays are measured by how long to post a tracking number. Many vendors generate a tracking number immediately but don't load the truc that fast.

97 SL320 · #9 10-16-2016, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkman

The critical things for selling on Ebay are 1. low price, 2. low price, 3. lots of pics if you have a non-standard product,

4. Communicate only through Ebay so you have documentation, Offer buy it now at fixed cost including shipping,

5. Buyer Pays return shipping.

Something also to note, e bay has a function that prohibits communication with a seller before a purchase is made. I'm not sure if this is default or the seller set this up as all other presale questions I've had with other sellers went through no problem.

Also, a e bay seller can place a limit on how many items a person can buy in a specified time frame. With the same seller above,I was trying to buy 2 items that totaled $ 20 but they put a limit of one item every 10 days.

When I was finally able to contact the seller through a completed sale e mail, they were entirely clueless and refused to investigate the issue.

As for the parts selling, the market is continually shrinking so you will have to sit on parts fro a while, this isn't like a pile of parts for a common 4 year old car.

oldsinner111 · #10 10-16-2016, 09:49 AM

some people over price,I have been watching older good diesels going for a fortune used.their crazy cause all the rubber,and plastic is shot.
And there are idiots out there that will buy them.

t walgamuth · #11 10-16-2016, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

Something also to note, e bay has a function that prohibits communication with a seller before a purchase is made. I'm not sure if this is default or the seller set this up as all other presale questions I've had with other sellers went through no problem.

Also, a e bay seller can place a limit on how many items a person can buy in a specified time frame. With the same seller above,I was trying to buy 2 items that totaled $ 20 but they put a limit of one item every 10 days.

When I was finally able to contact the seller through a completed sale e mail, they were entirely clueless and refused to investigate the issue.

As for the parts selling, the market is continually shrinking so you will have to sit on parts fro a while, this isn't like a pile of parts for a common 4 year old car.

There is a function to ask questions about products and often there is a link to a website which also allows questions and negotiations if desired.

babymog · #12 10-16-2016, 10:42 AM

Junkman has a good system which leads me to believe he does this regularly. For that purpose, this is a good system.

For those of us who just want to move parts out, and hate to see good parts scrapped, it makes it apparent that if you have 100 parts around, following this system to properly price and sell them all could easily be 30 hours and makes it time-prohibitive for most of us. So I go back to my prior post where it's just not worth the effort, just toss the rare but not worth the time parts and try to sell the worthwhile ones.

Example: I tried to give away a W140 moonroof assembly, all parts meticulously removed so that someone could convert a W126 or steel-sunroof W140. I was scrapping the car and thought it a shame to toss this assembly. Nobody was interested because of location and shipping cost/complexity, so I tossed it. Perfect 124 headliner: same fate. sheetmetal parts, complete 124 rear subframe with diff and axles, 603.970 short block, ... the list goes on and I scrapped them all. It seems a shame, but recycling yards are crushing a nice '85 300TD with a bad transmission somewhere this week, ... life goes on.

I have a couple of nice 603 engines for sale, I don't think anyone's serious, and if not I'll probably pull the IPs, head, maybe timing cover, a couple of other easy buck parts and have the rest hauled to the local metal yard. Boxes of good 124 stuff, some 140 parts, have wasted space for long enough thinking I'll find someone who needs them or will spend the time to sell parts on evilbay as Junkman does, but it eventually gets to the point where you and I are: space is worth more than the parts.

Adriel · #13 10-16-2016, 01:30 PM

Thank y'all for the replies!

Just goes to validate rather sell the '85 whole. Yes, will "loose" money, but get it out of here. I was honestly also thinking it be a good surprise for the landlord: he was not happy at all with the '79 in the back yard when he came in the Spring and wanted it gone A.S.A.P.. He is coming in a couple months, but now that seems Rich has backed out, just have to let the chips fall where they may.

Thinking if got a long fence pole, drove it deep into the cliche' (a.k.a. God's concrete), could use a come along to drag the '79 further back and pull the '85 in so not out front.

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

This is a tough site to sell parts, many here are U-pull fans and there are others here selling parts very reasonably. Usually that means parts sell here for much less than elsewhere.

I will always offer here first because it's a good bunch of people, but if nobody needs what I have I often evilbay the more valuable and easy to ship stuff and scrap the rest.

Part of the problem for me is location, heavy or common parts aren't worth the shipping.

If you have time, make it clear you'll take best offer and buyers will eventually find you, but in my case I couldn't even give away most of it unless I'm also willing to ship.

Trouble is, most of those yards no longer have any Mercedes older than the 1990's; never been a wagon in a yard for at least ten years. They are super rare and worth at least $10,000. Meaning, don't get scrapped unless rusted out or in a very severe wreck like mine.

I will be 30 in December, so I got time.

Maybe just need accept that need to make the space and also move them to Texas with me, if have to move there. I bet if I hung onto them for 30 years, be worth something. :

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkman

If I wanted to part, I would make a list of parts and find out what it costs to ship each including packing materials and boxes. Next, look up what the part on Ebay and sort lowest price + shipping "Buy It Now". Now, try loading a part on Ebay and decide whether you want to fool with it (removing, describing, taking pics, calculating shipping costs, packing, driving to shipper, loading on Ebay etc).

The critical things for selling on Ebay are 1. low price, 2. low price, 3. lots of pics if you have a non-standard product, 4. Communicate only through Ebay so you have documentation, Offer buy it now at fixed cost including shipping, 5. Buyer Pays return shipping.

Ebay will allow 12 pics per item for no listing fee. Use them. More pics get picked up and have more views. Respond quickly to questions. Download the Ebay app on your phone so you get information timely and can decide to respond or not. Open a separate bank account for Ebay only. You don't want Ebay or PayPal messing with your regular account.

I set up a spreadsheet with item description, cost, shipping & handling as inputs. "Item Cost" is calculated as the sum of those. Selling Cost input. Ebay/PayPal Fees calculated at 12.5% of selling cost. Final margin= Net Selling price - all costs. Published Fees are 12% but when I back figure 1 month's fees/total sales, it is a little over 12%.

I would also use the option to consider offers but find that I don't have to discount much if I'm near the low end of the price spectrum. People that ask for discounts want the product and are just trying to get an extra little bump on price. I was/am selling OE Altima O2 sensors and only professional mechanics have bought them instead of getting cheaper aftermarket sensors. All have asked for a discount. All have bought with a small or in most cases $0 discount but I'm way under the Nissan retail price.

You could use this as an experiment on whether yu want to mess with Ebay. Their prices are really rock bottom but buyers are paying full shipping costs on an individual part. Amazon has higher prices but is less forgiving on shipping delays. Delays are measured by how long to post a tracking number. Many vendors generate a tracking number immediately but don't load the truc that fast.

Yes, I been selling parts for a while to the Volkswagen community, but when moved out here, things disconnected. I always included shipping. Since was selling to the community, didn't mind a narrow "profit" margin: just wanted to see parts being used. In the local community (there is no one else out here that drives a W123) I was in back in Cali, we just swap parts all over. Like a set of Webbers: just kept moving around the group as needed, think were on at least five engines.

I thought Rich was going to take the parts and help me clear out for the move, so got things better organized, put in boxes. I really like the idea of an Excel file and now this will be easier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

As for the parts selling, the market is continually shrinking so you will have to sit on parts fro a while, this isn't like a pile of parts for a common 4 year old car.

But, at some point, these will become even more rare collector vehicals and that limited market will be willing to pay for what few parts are left. Just might take 30 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

some people over price,I have been watching older good diesels going for a fortune used.their crazy cause all the rubber,and plastic is shot.
And there are idiots out there that will buy them.

That is economics: demand drives price. But, if you look hard and far enough, deals can be found. Four Corners is a fantastic broker and shipping isn't terrible ($649 Seattle to Mesa).

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

Junkman has a good system which leads me to believe he does this regularly. For that purpose, this is a good system.

For those of us who just want to move parts out, and hate to see good parts scrapped, it makes it apparent that if you have 100 parts around, following this system to properly price and sell them all could easily be 30 hours and makes it time-prohibitive for most of us. So I go back to my prior post where it's just not worth the effort, just toss the rare but not worth the time parts and try to sell the worthwhile ones.

Yes, Junkman is in the business. Right now, doubt I have 100 parts until start taking apart the '85.

Some of us are more concerned than others. Those that are provide the community with a service. So, before I tossed stuff out, gave a last call on this forum section.

Now that have consolidated, think could fit the parts in the '79. Big thing will be dragging the '85 into the back yard. First obstacle is the trailer is pinned in and full of stuff including a blasted water heater have to keep for when I move out.

Junkman · #14 10-16-2016, 06:56 PM

You can contact any Ebay member anytime. Next to the search field there is an "advanced" link. Select it and it will be obvious how to contact a member.

Ebay can be profitable if you have access to parts and buy cheap. Usually parts sell best if they fit a common car. Also, newer cars or even specialty cars sell well. Jeep people for example are crazy for parts. People driving old vehicles are cheap. Items that break or in our case, items that are usually worn or broken come to mind. Console, door or dash wood comes to mind.

I had a supplier promise free to me drop shipping. Some parts cost more to ship than buy. If a part sells for $150 with (free shipping = free to the buyer) and $100 is my normal shipping cost from the supplier, free to me shipping is a real deal and parts move really fast when priced $30 under the market. It also means I have a $70 extra margin. Unfortunately, this supplier turned out to be slow and then refused to ship the expensive to ship parts. I am still cleaning up the mess.

That brings up another point. Never lie to a buyer. In this case, I explained the situation, refunded the money as quickly as possible & thanked them for their business. Most said they'd do business again but I'll need better prices than I can at this moment. It was pretty much a cluster ......headache but shows that there is no point in not being forthcoming in business.

There are also bots that will watch the market and automatically reprice subject to parameters you set.

97 SL320 · #15 10-17-2016, 05:56 PM

Try this, go to bottom of page and click on " Ask a question " , a list of stock questions will pop up. Click on any question , then click on "contact seller" . You will get what is pictured in my attachment.

BB2491 2006 06 Jeep Liberty Engine Control Module P05094939AB | eBay