The weird and grossly overpriced eBay listings are humorous;
but I have a perspective on this that is still colored by
relatively unpleasant memories of trying to scrounge MG ZB
parts in the pre-Internet/eBay/... days.
Okay - so the unrelenting commercialization of the web is
changing eBay (along with many other resources) in some
directions we're not too fond of. Still, as a restoration
tool, I'd much rather have than not have eBay as an option.
For every "$800 gauge" there are probably another 5+ parts that
have traded at a more reasonable price helping to both complete
a restoration and keep scarce parts out of the landfill. Also,
contacts made with eBay sellers can often lead to other needed
parts that may be bought or traded outside of the auction
venue.
I imagine most who have been at this hobby for any length of
time have responded to at least one newspaper ad for the "rare,
original, rust-free car" only to find holes in the floor-pans,
bondo on the rockers, and a frozen mis-matched engine. Does it
really surprise anyone that some of these same sellers are now
operating on the web?
The best defense against being ripped off is still to become an
educated buyer. This is where a lot of thanks go to this list
and our club connections.
Regards, Bob Douglas
---- On Sun, 03 Feb 2002, Ian Spencer (ian@sunbeamalpine.org)
wrote:
> Man, I'll tell ya... What is eBay turning into these days...
I'm scared
> to even look
> there anymore. :-)
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