The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk e-bay. or how i learned to love the auction...

looks like i own an original, 1950 3/4 ton hub cap. i've come to the conclusion after my second attempt at bidding on an item on e-bay, that the only time i've felt this kind of anxiety, uephoria, and an overwhelming desire to throw up, was when i was participating in the auction to purchase my grandfather's 1950 chevrolet pickup almost 13 years ago.

i will not say "never again!" about bidding on an item on e-bay, but it may be some time before i can stomache another e-bay interaction.

oh yeah, thanks denny for not trying to out bid me!

I agree. Once I bid on an item, I can't stand not to win it - it pi&&es me off terribly, and I take it very personally. On the other hand, after you win an item, it's thrilling to come home at the end of the day and have a package waiting that's always something good!

Personally, I think eBay is an excellent TOOL for restorers. Whether you bid or not, you can learn a He!! of a lot about what was out there 40 years ago, just with a little searching of what's for sale.

I just wish I hadn't opted to invest in their Stupid-A%% stock right before it tanked!!! Just proves the moral: Never invest in the market (or old Trucks!) what you can't afford to lose.

-Michael

When I see something I want on eBay, I go back and bid the maximum i'm willing to spend on it at the last second.

If I win, great! If I loose, well.. I only lost because somebody was willing to pay more for it than I was.

Yea, it does suck to loose an item by a dollar or so, but that's the great thing about eBay.. there'll be another one up for auction soon, if not immediately.

I bought a radiator and a carburator for my 54 Plymouth on E-bay and I have no gripes.

Cliff59

I bought 2 Rochester carbs on e-bay. A heck of a lot cheaper than the swap meet. No hassles, the seller answered all my questions before I bid.

Congrats p.j., let me know what shape it's really in when you get it.

And , I gotta ask again, has anyone talked to any of the vendors about the posability of these going into production again??

Denny Graham
Sandwic, IL

I've found most all of my NOS parts for my 53 3100 on E-Bay. Since I took so long to restore it and the fact I would replace the part at tear down it made the project a lot of fun.

I've bought a couple items from E-Bay with good results. However, I started getting bombarded with scam email from PayPal...offical looking, but most containing spelling errors. Hummm....that doesn't sound kosher!

I could just imagine my bank account flying off to [censored] or Kazakhstan (I don't trust that Borat character) so I've weaned myself from it's charms.

Maybe I'm overly skeptical, but I'd hate to have to travel across the world to square up with some scumbag who was trying to scoff up on my stash.

So for now, I'll sit back and watch!! Save my purchases for some local vendors who are within an arms reach if there is a problem!!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!!

I have had some good and some not so good pruchases on e-bay. Sold a few items also. I guess I agree with Fla54, saving most of my purchases for local vendors.

I have bought & sold on E-pay for many years without issue, but then I'm pretty picky about my purchases & either try to get new items, or make sure what I'm bidding is what I want.
I have gotten many many parts off the site, found it invaluable in finding odd parts for the Bomber, bits & pieces for my Coke machine, and now even more so for the GMC (I got a NOS Hydrovac, in it's original box for $24!!).
MY personal peve tho, the butt darts that use auto bidders. they dont have the guts to actualy bid against you, no they use this automated thing that hammers the bids in at the last 5 seconds via a high speed connection till it wins or hits the cap amount the bidder sets. Got outbid that way 5 times in a row trying to get a Vega steering box,...

BTW, if anyone is looking for rare hub caps, look up Pearsons Auto Wrecking & Hubcaps near Ridgecrest CA. They have caps for darn near anything you can think of & ship world wide. Lost of neat old cars too, & last I was there they had a stack of old bolts as well.

I also take getting outbid very personal. I hate it, and I also hate not being the high bidder. When I log in, I wanna see my name as high bidder. I think I may need a break from it after these 2 auctions end!

I have bought a car and a pick-up and over a hundred other items on E-Bay. No problems at all.

I think if you jump in and bid early, it just runs the price up further. My strategy is to wait until the last 30 seconds or so and put in my max. I have won several auctions this way. Occasionally some one else with a similiar strategy will beat me out in the last seconds, but not very often.

e bay is good and bad depinds on your seller and if that know any thing about cars and the shipping is where i got burned

I've had a whole bunch of great experiences selling and buying on eBay.

When I see something I really want, like Fumblin46, I put a maximum bid on it that I know no one else will go to ... and it works.

People will come in at the last minute and try to out bid you ... and I mean the LAST minute! I just bought a great Singer sewing machine last week (built in 1949 and totally restored - great for sewing leather; I'm starting my interior now) and someone came in 47 seconds before the auction was to close and bid above me; my max.bid kicked them out with $5 more ... then they came in again 17 seconds before the auction was to close and bid above me again; my max.bid kicked 'em out with $5 more again ... and then they came in again ONE SECOND!!! before the auction was to close and bid above me again!!! I couldn't believe it! If I didn't have a decent maximum bid, I never would have beat them out ... and this machine is one you will NOT see on eBay again.

It sure felt good to win! And even better when it arrived at my doorstep 4 days later!

eBay is great, man. Shop at home and get stuff you'd never be able to find otherwise.

I bought (or almost bought)a 67 C20 that was advertised to have 28k and a 1 owner truck. When I got there with the cashiers check, the story changed. The odometer had rolled over at least once if not twice, no documentation, and no knowledge of original owner or family. Needless to say, I backed out of the deal. That was my only bad experience with Ebay out of about 30. Otherwise, it has been a terrific resource.

there is a site called ez-snipe that will post your high bid at the last possible moment to insure you win. not sure how it works if more than one person signs up for this service on the same item, but if you really want an item, it might be the way to go.

i'm not really complaining about e-bay. it is an amazing venue for just about anything you may have an interest in. i definitely did not like being out-bid on my first attempt at buying an item, but that is the way the system works.

just bought my second item today. an early birthday present for myself. not all bad...

I have bought a lot of things on ebay. I prefer to bid my max, or up to 10% more if I really want it. I normally try to wait as close to the end as possible to bid. Sometimes, if I know that I will not be available to bid late, I will just bid the max, and check it later.

Lots of neat stuff, but buyers beware. Theres always a chance to get burned.

John