WHY is eBay no longer a place to sell vintage car parts?

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

I have had my seller account since  1999. I sell vintage, difficult-to-find NOS, and used, auto restoration parts... Nothing is reproduction, and they are parts, one cannot find, just anywhere. (ergo, I don't deal in '55-'57 Chevy parts.)  I realize my seller niche does not enjoy the ebay bidding fire, of years past... But in the last 18 months, my sales ON EBAY have flat-lined.  However, my swap meet sales are still great, and continue to rise every year. Several years back, I learned THAT is the place to take the "good stuff"...As, it would seem, that eBay bidders/buyers have come to be *cheap*, for what ever reason. Now, I like a good deal, like anyone...But I'm also a realist.  Low-ball offers (even on non-OBO listings). A bidder may feel his car is worth multiple $1,000's...But heaven forbid, they should spend $30.00 for a rare, not-reproduced emblem for it. None of us sell on eBay, for our health.  But one cannot have crazy prices either. What has sales traffic been for you other vintage auto parts sellers? 

[marinermikes]

It's not just auto parts! It's every thing. I can no longer sell used outboard parts on here. They just don't sell very well here any more. At least not like they used to. The same way with  antique clocks. The price you get here is two thirds of what it used to be.

In the past buyers would come here to find that rare or desired item. Now they come here expecting to buy that rare hard to find piece at a discount. I believe it's just the nature of the beast.

Not that I really care but I've been a power seller here for six years straight. This month I will loose that.

I'm selling the same types of items that I have in the past but sales are sporatic.

I have cases of cheap music boxes. I listed them last summer and in two months sold none. Fall came and it was like some one turned on the faucet. Started selling three or four a day for a couple of months and then the lights went out some where about March the sales ended just like that. Haven't sold one since.

I stopped buying inventory a couple of months back. Trying to get rid of what I have and then I will be done here. I have to go where the money is and right now that's with my brick and motar business!

[legitimate_bidder]

The problem is Ebay. It's become too difficult to use. They dumb it down more and more, which causes you to have to jump through more hoops and do more clicking to accomplish what you once were able to do in a flash.

Stuff is too hard to find, unless you're a veteran user, and know where to look- and even then, it can be a hassle.

You type something into the search box, and instead of just showing items which have the words you typed in the title, they show you all sorts of irrelevant junk, because they use some al-gore-rhythm which tries to figure out "what you really want instead".

And it's getting worse and worse.

Oftentimes I'll come here, type something in the search box, and after a click or two, instead of trying to figure out how to out-smart all of their nonsense so I can find what I'm looking for, I just get disgusted and go elsewhere.

[autopartspuller]

Ebay is still the best online place to find used car parts.  

I think it's the amount of people trying to dabble in the market combined with people who currently have a tight budget.  

My sales are still steady but, in June (specifically June 8th) they dropped and have not picked up to what they should be this time of year.

[ripsmc]

I quit selling on eBay some years ago because of the ever increasing fee schedule and what I feel is anti-seller policies.

I dealt in mostly antique motorcycle parts along with a few car parts.

There is no way on God's Green Earth I was going to take the slightest chance on losing a rare and valuable Harley or Indian part because some yokel wants to scam me. The best way to avoid the problem is to not participate. That in turn led to my buying less on eBay also and I now buy parts online from established vendors or private sellers I personally know.

[atikovi]

When buyers can perform a search sorted by price, the lowest priced seller will usually get the sale, while the 10 others will just gather dust. Great for buyers, not so for most sellers. Unless you are selling a one of a kind item of course, but that is unlikely.

[hawkwind5454]

No doubt, the space between the buyers who are willing to spend some money, has increased. And as the previous thread states, I do sell lot of less common items...That seems to make no difference.  I wonder if some of these radically price-conscious bidders would also check around for the best price on a kidney transplant, or a funeral. Do these people go into a grocery store and dicker with the manager over the price of a loaf of bread? I don't think so.  If I NEED something....I NEED it.... Bottom line. One must find a happy medium between being price savy, and just down-right, unrealistically TIGHT.  If you want my $100.00 item, for $50.00, you are looking at the wrong listing. You need to look at the lower quality listings, for $50.00....and not mine.

[legitimate_bidder]

Trouble is, even when you want thye quality hard-to-come-by stuff, unless you're really seasoned at tweaking the searches, and are willing to take the time and trouble to do so, the "real" stuff gets burried behind pages of repro stuff and cheap Chinese garbage, and you give up in disgust before you ever see what you want. That, and the fact Ebay has driven away many of the small ameteur sellers who often sold stuff like that, kinda makes it look like Ebay is just a dollar store for cheap junky parts.

When I first started Ebaying, I used to sell antiqu 8N tractor parts. There was a thriving market here for them. Buyers could find ANY original part they wanted, down to the smallest nut and bolt; and sellers would get top dollar for nice stuff. Now, 15 years later, those same parts, when you can find them, bring maybe a quarter of what they did in the past; and most of us sellers are long gone.

Ebay needs to learn that what affects sellers, will also affect buyers, and vise-a-versa. When Ebay was just a venue; before they started trying to read your mind; when searches matched what you typed, and then you could refine them from there; before they started meddling- there was a thriving market here in thousands of categories.  Ebay has systematically destroyed almost every one of those markets.

[atikovi]

It ain't rocket science to search for parts. Need a heater control valve for a 98 Ranger. First thing I do is check Rockauto to get an idea of what is out there as to brands and prices out the door with shipping and their 5% discount. From there, I get the part numbers and search here as well as Google. Decided I wanted OEM Motorcraft since the original one lasted over 250,000 miles. Usually RA is cheapest but this time I found it here for a buck or two less from a 99.7%+FB @95,000+FBs seller just 2 states away so I bought it from them and expect it to arrive quicker too.

[legitimate_bidder]

I generally don't buy new auto parts on Ebay- For quality parts, as you said, the deals are usually no better than what you can get in a B&M; and plus I like dealing with a B&M for stuff like that, in case there's a problem, so I can deal with it tomorrow, instead of waiting a month for return shipping and everything.

On the occasions when a cheap generic Chinese part will do....then Ebay is great. I've had very good luck with cheap coil-on-plugs from a particular seller- getting a whole set of 8 or 10 for what one COP would cost in the store.

But it's the used, older/unique/hard-to-find parts which used to be the real appeal here; and those are the ones which have been pushed out, as their sellers were often strong-armed out; or they get buried among all of the chinese repro stuff, and 1000 ads all with the same pic of the the ame generic part.

[riptwo0]

Same here, I had some fun and made a couple bucks selling used classic car parts.

Met some real nice people also.

I agree with most all posted allready, 

ebays multi year after year of new formats for {motors} parts searching did it in jmho.

 and the import junk that was let loose in the parts compatibily.

Just how many years, make & model of autos will a new pair of fuzzy dice fit. then here come the generic floor mats, on and on page after page.

The bidders, buyers of classic car parts for the most part are not kids , and didnt want to mess with best match ect.  Back a few years they could enter their year make and model then choose {used} and scroll through several pages of used parts that fit their auto. Simular to looking at a hemmings mag.

You had more impulse buying of parts they were not even hunting for when they got on line.

myself , like the OP have went back to swap meet selling, better money , less **bleep**. and no shipping.

[autopartspuller]

I am not sure how most of you manage Ebay and Flee markets.  I used to go to Carsile a few years back.  But then they started charging higher fees and the people weren't buying as much so, I stopped.  I haven't looked around for a good one down south, yet.

[dubiousgain]

I used to sell some auto-retoration parts, but now, only buy, for my own cars, and sell vintage toys.  The vintage car parts thing just became too much like hard work.... Pontiac guys became cheap, Buick guys died off,  Olds guys enjoyed searching, more than buying,  Unless you had super-muscle car Mopar stuff, nobody wanter Chrysler, and Chevy guys just plain had too many parts buying options....Be advised, these were my experiences, and yours, may differ. 

[riptwo0]

Myself , I just stick to my home state and sell at the local / nearby swap meets during the summer.

This next weekend we have another one my brother and I will be at.

I have not parted a car for sometime now , just clearing out now what I had left over from years past.

We tried to post /sell parts from older cars that were not serviced by the restoration catalogs.

If we got a good deal on a popular car then yes we would part it but didnt hunt them down.

Back when the auction format was hot on here it was all pretty fun.

But time moves on and this place is just like wally world these days.

If you find a nitch and its working ride it until it runs its course.

[legitimate_bidder]

Ebay used to be like some wonderful flea market, where you could find ANYTHING, from antique to vintage, to just plain used...to good deals on new stuff. They were unique. It was what made them a phenenom.

Then they decided they'd rather compete with Amazon (Whereas before, Ebay had no competition!)- as a result, they've turned into a giant online dollar store, with tons of cheesy Chinese carp, and new items (often from questionable sellers) at prices which are higher than what you'd pay on Amazon or an independent website.

Ebay has essentially made itself obsolete.