Gotta Love ebay

Traditional Farmer

Well-known Member
Location
Virginia
Went looking for what I thought would be an easy to find piece of straight 1 3/4 inch radiator hose,4 parts stores within 5 miles of my farm none had it.Lots of choices on ebay got a 3ft piece on the way.Looking for 9/16 bolts and lug nuts to redo the stripped
out threads on my Oliver 1550 diesel front hubs.Called closest bolt supplier 20 miles away
price seemed high.Found NOS grade 8 bolts and NOS Hyster lug nuts for less than than
1/2 the price the bolt store quoted me even with shipping included.No trip,no gas.
Lots of complaints about ebay here but they have saved me a lot of time and money over the years with parts.
 
I have to agree. Very few problems with ebay. Craigslist sellers can be completely nuts. Lot of lazy people there who do not delete sold items also. Spend a lot of time chasing down dead ends.
 
Yes, I agree. Ebay can be a lifesaver if you're smart about it. Most times, it makes more sense to plan ahead and have it shipped to your door rather than go to your local parts dealer. You do have to be smart about it though. I've found in some cases, where Ebay prices are not reasonable and its better to go to your local parts store.
 
Last Harley project I did I would just eBay the part number and order the lowest price with shipping. The eBay sellers are cheaper than catalog sales.
 
I agree. I've bought several parts for H Farmalls, a transaxle for a John Deere riding lawn mower, and many other parts and supplies without having to go beyond my computer. Even such mundane stuff as 4X4 decals for Chevy pickups etc.

All probably cheaper than if I'd gone through the usual channels.

The only problem I ever had was a punch bowl I'd ordered was broken in shipping. And that wasn't eBay's fault. The seller reimbursed my PayPal account for the price and filed a claim against UPS. And UPS picked up the pieces so I assume the seller's claim was successful.
 
(quoted from post at 08:12:28 03/27/15) Yes, I agree. Ebay can be a lifesaver if you're smart about it. Most times, it makes more sense to plan ahead and have it shipped to your door rather than go to your local parts dealer. You do have to be smart about it though. I've found in some cases, where Ebay prices are not reasonable and its better to go to your local parts store.

Key words being "smart about it". Make double sure the seller is a reputable seller who is actually in business, and not someone who picked up a bunch of stuff at a yard sale, but knows nothing about it, and is trying to make a profit
 
As far as the bike part places that have bad feedback but over thousands of transactions the bad feedback can almost be ignored . You will find if you read the bad ones they are foriegners whos stuff got lost in their own countries corrupt mail systems.
 
DR. Just where do you put in a part # to ebay ???It seems to me that it would be quicker to get parts !! Jim in N.M. email is open........
 
Replaced the radiator in my 96 Explorer. First time several years ago I went the junk yard route. Lasted till a couple of months ago. NOW it was very cold and there was no way I wanted to do it so I checked at the local Mineke. When I heard a price of almost $600.oo I about passed out. Lucky thing on the radio I heard the weather the next day was going to be about 50*. Took a trip to Auto Zone and $150.oo later and add about 1 1/2 hours it was done. Reason for this story..... Ebay had EXACTLY the same radiator made in Canada, same as my Ford and was only $100.oo with shipping. I could have waited a day?? Rats
 
Hi Jim , I emailed you but in case it doesn't go through . You just put the H-D pt # right in the search box . Every once in awhile some other product will be mixed in if it is a similar part #. Then you can add words like 99952-58 sprocket to get rid of the other non H-D stuff.
 
Just bought 2 9/16" log bolt from Napa in next day and a bit over $2.00 each. I got with 3/4" head to match all the rest. I have 49 but they have the 7/8" head and need 3/4" and did not want to try to file them down. These 49 I have no use for.
 
I agree as well. I use ebay for my welding wire and all types of new parts. Unless we have a very special need we only go to town once a week. When I need welding wire I order on ebay for two dollars less than town per roll getting two with free shipping and receive it in two days. You do have to check and double check before ordering anything. Always check the shipping costs. I bought horse harness from one that had slightly over 16.00 shipping. Another seller had the same harness for 10.00 less but his shipping was 47.00.
 
At one time I sold quite a few used tractor parts on eBay. I soon discovered that people who made that kind of purchase were reliable to the point that I began to ship before I received payment. That was before I accepted PayPal and a lot of bidders didn't use it either. I was never shorted. That, to me, spoke well of the kind of folks you find on here. gm
 
Ebay is usually the first place I look. 9 out of 10 times thats where I end up buying from as well. They almost always have what I'm looking for and sometimes I find stuff I didnt know I needed.
 
The local auto parts chain store gave me his super low price for a Nissan Sentra radiator of $155. I got one shipped to me from Ebay for less than $50 total. Homo Depot wanted $41 and change for a set of JD mower blades plus about $30 for the belt. I got the blades and the belt delivered through Ebay for about $40. Shop local? They apparently don't want you to. TDF
 
You make a very valid point. I'd love to support local businesses, but many times they make it VERY difficult, and when I see prices that are 2-3 times what I can buy online, it is a no-brainer. And - these days, many of the so-called local businesses are not really local at all, but chain stores doing business local. I did purchase a starter locally (if you call 60 miles away local, but I am pretty much an hour away from everything except for the Dollar General and a Caseys convenience store), as I needed a starter that day, and could not easily wait a week to get it, however I could have purchased it for half what the Oreilly Auto wanted for the one on the shelf, and my guess it was not of any better quality than what I could buy online for half. On the upside, I did have the luxury of taking it back if it failed, but another way of looking at it - I could just buy two and keep a spare and have my own warranty part on the shelf for the same $$.
 
I recently needed an Armature-Magneto for a small gas B&S engine. Best deal I could find was $42.99 plus shipping and handling which totaled a little over $50

I originally did an Ebay search with the engine type but found nothing, but before I committed to an Armmature I decided to do a search on Ebay with the part number.

Am I ever glade I did another search, I found the part NEW on Ebay Shipped for $15.75

A $35 savings.
 
Can't beat ebay and they're just as quick and reliable now as Amazon. It's sad what is happening in local stores like TSC ... not to start another rant on TSC, but you should be able to go into any TSC and order parts and get them the next day like you can at a car dealer. Or what they don't carry in their inventory, you should be able to get drop shipped to you. Instead they'd rather sell a bunch of other junk like cowboy boots and cat toys.
 
I've given up on CL, used to have good luck but the last few times I've gotten the run around. I tried to sell a skid loader, priced it what I thought was cheap with pics and I emailed a video to a bunch of folks. Had 3 guys tell me they were coming to look set a time and none of them showed. Deleted the ad I've still got the loader it'll be @ a consignment sale this fall.
 
Sprint wanted 350 bucks for a new cell phone like I wanted.I bought the same phone in a sprint box for 55 bucks on ebay.
 
One thing that TSC or most local stores run into, is a minimum order. We run into it all of the time,some companeys will not sell you anything less than a $100.00 order(or $150.00,$200.00 etc) We canceled over 60 orders last month(All sold on delivery) because suppliers would not ship without a minimum order.
 
Ebay and Amazon are now my go-to places when I need something. Amazon Prime gives you free, two day shipping in most cases.
 
Chuck,
I'm with you, Ebay and Amazon prime. Find things I can't get locally. Prices are low, No tax, fast shipping. I do an advanced search on Ebay then go to Amazon. I needed a heating element for an oven. Got it in 2 days from Amazon, under $12.
 
Same here. Ebay is whee I usually START looking. Driving 15, 45, or more miles to pick up a $10.00 part is ridiculous. Trying to find anything odd up here is a waste of time. Ebay just takes a little patience and knowledge.

I still make use of a few select local people/businesses, but Ebay beats Walmart pricing pretty often and always beats Lowes or the local hardwares, which are all chain stores now. As far a car and truck parts, my days of slogging through mud and briars to lay on on my back in a puddle and fight wasps so I can get a part that "might" be good? Done and over!
 
My Dad said he needed a starter for his snow blower. He was quoted $200 by a repair shop. I ordered it online for $70. He asked me how much he owed me and I said $140, That way he is saving $60. LOL I handed him the receipt and he gave me some money and I just stuffed it in my pocket.

We were playing cards with my brothers and if Dad had not remembered to ask, I would not have said anything. We all had a laugh over it
SDE
 
I am a retired underground miner. One of collecting interests are carbide mine lamps. Ebay is the only logical place to look for them. OCASSIONALLY I will find one at an antique store. You guessed it, about triple the price of the same items. Ebay is a good place for collectors.
 

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