GREED is going to kill this scene

[scott wilson]

i trade as do many others, but i feel that if we are too greedy then we will kill this new scene in it tracks. Please traders stop thinking its like the splits...i mean £250 for a rear bumper c`mon...that is sheer greed

 

[scott wilson]

:msn4:

 

[froggy]

Unfortunately i agree its going that way, i have recently noticed on Ebay that even saab seats (a recognised upgrade) are being advertised as a direct fit in a camper and are then trying to charge extortionate prices.
I always try and buy off here (or vzi) as most VW people are more genuine and realistic with prices. But i have also noticed that some traders at the shows are no longer offering show prices though aswell :evil: :?

 

[rustydiver]

Sliders twice the price they were 2 yrs ago :shock: , should have got one then :lol:

 

[Loxy]

i trade as do many others, but i feel that if we are too greedy then we will kill this new scene in it tracks. Please traders stop thinking its like the splits...i mean £250 for a rear bumper c`mon...that is sheer greed

I cant quite see what your point is? If it werent for the prices people are paying then it wouldnt be worth you importing stuff from abroad and selling it for a good profit.
Or are you telling us that you sell at cost?

& I'm not trying to have a go at you but you do need to be careful what you wish for

 

[Doris]

I agree, one of the things that I liked about the VW scene all those years ago was the 'brotherhood' between VW owners. we tended to have the VW's because we loved them.

I feel many people don't love VW's today,and help one another keep them on the road - just see it as a lucrative market!
such a shame!!

however, earlybay seems to be the nearest to the former - some good guys on here!!!

 

[Clem]

One observation I had at Stanford Hall was the huge reduction in imported parts this year, the tables of US stuff from the last couple of years just wasnt there, obviously this is due to the exchange rate and rise in shipping costs, and within that the far fewer buses coming in due to falling demand - vicous circle.
The knock on effect is that whats left rises in price to suit.

I agree the scene is friendly and helpful, but dont forget that it puts a roof over the heads of those that depend on it ..... camerarderie wont keep the house from being repossessed.

 

[Araon]

I suspect Scott is refering to what he sees as pure profiteering, theres a difference between earning an honest good living and just ripping people off, not always a case of the value of an item, more a case of summers coming and you want this but its gonna cost you (rubbing hands in a menicingly way), funny I was chatting to Stuart at Stanford hall about a very similar subject people in the scene for easy money and all that ....

Yeah the tables were lacking in a lot of the imported goodies, the prices werent reflecting a credit crunch though in most cases :roll: I have to say there were some good bargains to be had as well from others, that German dealer was there again this year with bloody stupid prices again....

 

[AxlFoley]

Remember though stuff is only worth what people are willing to pay,did the £250 bumper sell??

I'm still on the look out for overiders, but wont be paying over £100 for them.

 

[Haveacamper]

I dont understand how a shit slider can be sold between £250-£300 and will evidently require a new skin or slider. if that is anywhere near the price trade pay for it then the whole van must be worth thousands.

if traders really loved campers that much and werent in it for money then alot of vans would be saved rather than cut up and sold as donors.

i've seen pretty much whole vans sold in parts - clips, arches, rear corners, sliders, specific panels. All of the major panels that contribute to a whole bus.

My opinion is that the high majority of traders are in it for the money - Unfortunately the restorers need the parts, and the traders know that they are becoming more rare.

NaFe

 

[futbus]

Hi I`m also a trader of sorts, as half my business is vw related the other engineering stuff. I drive and have been into T25`s for the last 15 years or so and seen the days of buying vans for a couple of hundred quid long gone. Unfortunatly some buses are just worth more in bits with some parts in high demand in all sectors of T2`s T25`s. The days of given stuff away for free or a box of tea bags just to have that feel good feeling are rare although we have given a few bits away recently, but only to repeat customers.

I think there are people in every walk of life that just join a bandwagon to make a quick buck then are gone just as quick as they appeared, but if people are prepared to part with there cash. Everyone does a job to pay the bills, its the same thing, all companies make money by selling goods or service.

Like many i`ve been into vdubs so long now that I think i`m a true enthusiast as well as a trader. At the end of the day if your prepared to pay the price then live and let live.

just my opinion for what its worth.

 

[noddy]

On the positive side if these buses maintain a good and increasing value, more of them are likley to survive the scrap yards.
The same happened with splits, once they became worth something people started rescuing them.

IMO if people are not prepaired to shop around or wait for parts at resonable prices then that their look out.

 

[Haveacamper]

Hi I`m also a trader of sorts, as half my business is vw related the other engineering stuff. I drive and have been into T25`s for the last 15 years or so and seen the days of buying vans for a couple of hundred quid long gone. Unfortunatly some buses are just worth more in bits with some parts in high demand in all sectors of T2`s T25`s. The days of given stuff away for free or a box of tea bags just to have that feel good feeling are rare although we have given a few bits away recently, but only to repeat customers.

I think there are people in every walk of life that just join a bandwagon to make a quick buck then are gone just as quick as they appeared, but if people are prepared to part with there cash. Everyone does a job to pay the bills, its the same thing, all companies make money by selling goods or service.

Like many i`ve been into vdubs so long now that I think i`m a true enthusiast as well as a trader. At the end of the day if your prepared to pay the price then live and let live.

just my opinion for what its worth.

i agree with what you are saying mate - but a few times recently (since i've been trying to source panels) i've noticed alot of panels fromthe same bus for sale and does beg the question what area of the bus was so bad they couldnt have just saved it.

i think the RHD slider is the biggest issue at the moment. i cant see how sha**ed door can be sold for £200-300. i agree mint ones are rare. by the time you put right a bad slider it will cost more than a mint one, and never as good. i just dont see the logic.

NaFe

 

[clyde]

Im not a trader and only ever sell bits and pieces that i come across as a hobby really and tohelp people out. Ive given loads of stuff away for free or a couple of beers or a helping hand.
To me thats what the scene is all about.

Traders have been ripping people off for along time now to be honest, but its been rightly said they are in it to make a living (killing) and are not into it for the love of VWs. (they may have started that way but money soon takes over)

We the buyers set the price to some extent, picture it................

Youve seen the part you need for to finish a resto, its NOS and the price is climbing slowly on ebay. You really need this part and have lost 6 previous auctions and are not prepared to let this one go. You bid too much but win the part so your happy, but now everyone traders etc can see what someone is prepared to pay for the said part and now that becomes the going rate. From this time onwards the price will only get more expensive as the said part becomes even harder to find.

As for the credit crunch, i dont think this will make anything cheaper. The classic car market is steady and if anything this market is on the increase price wise.
People who bought parts/cars before the crash are not prepared to sell for less than they paid so would rather keep them till things improve if they can. Euro traders whos parts seemed well priced when the euro was in better shape are not going to do to well in the UK at the moment and at the last show i went to in Holland prices seemed to have increased their to.

Nows maybe the time to just tighten your belts and if your bus is on the road keep it that way and use it as was intended (cheapish camping holidays and days out) and worry about that dodgy slider or rusty door bottom when the market improves.
If you dont buy it the traders will have to drop the price when they are in the same boat as everyone else.

 

[clyde]

i trade as do many others, but i feel that if we are too greedy then we will kill this new scene in it tracks. Please traders stop thinking its like the splits...i mean £250 for a rear bumper c`mon...that is sheer greed

Just out of interest Scott what do you charge for a rear bumper? As most early bays you see around have got the in correct split rear bumper on anyway due to the correct diamond tip being harder to find than a slash cut, maybe this is what sort of sets the price to some traders.

If your selling them cheap then everyone can buy one off you whos got the wrong bumper on their buses, then get their money back selling the slash cut type onto a splitty owner................

Everyones happy. :lol:

 

[BigG]

Im not a trader and only ever sell bits and pieces that i come across as a hobby really and tohelp people out. Ive given loads of stuff away for free or a couple of beers or a helping hand.
To me thats what the scene is all about.

Traders have been ripping people off for along time now to be honest, but its been rightly said they are in it to make a living (killing) and are not into it for the love of VWs. (they may have started that way but money soon takes over)

We the buyers set the price to some extent, picture it................

Youve seen the part you need for to finish a resto, its NOS and the price is climbing slowly on ebay. You really need this part and have lost 6 previous auctions and are not prepared to let this one go. You bid too much but win the part so your happy, but now everyone traders etc can see what someone is prepared to pay for the said part and now that becomes the going rate. From this time onwards the price will only get more expensive as the said part becomes even harder to find.

As for the credit crunch, i dont think this will make anything cheaper. The classic car market is steady and if anything this market is on the increase price wise.
People who bought parts/cars before the crash are not prepared to sell for less than they paid so would rather keep them till things improve if they can. Euro traders whos parts seemed well priced when the euro was in better shape are not going to do to well in the UK at the moment and at the last show i went to in Holland prices seemed to have increased their to.

Nows maybe the time to just tighten your belts and if your bus is on the road keep it that way and use it as was intended (cheapish camping holidays and days out) and worry about that dodgy slider or rusty door bottom when the market improves.
If you dont buy it the traders will have to drop the price when they are in the same boat as everyone else.

Couldnt agree more.

 

[futbus]

Traders have been ripping people off for along time now to be honest, but its been rightly said they are in it to make a living (killing) and are not into it for the love of VWs. (they may have started that way but money soon takes over)

Sorry but I disagree that us `traders` are ripping people off, yes we have to make a living, but you cant put all traders into the same catogory. If you want to take the discussion that way then all the super markets, petrol stations, royal mail, utility people just to mention a few are all ripping you off as well.

And for not in it for the `love of VW`s` well I put it to you to prove otherwise, it`s all i`ve ever driven and all I own at the moment. We have a total of 9 vdubs in our household and never likely to change to anything else.

 

[Graham L]

As a relatively new trader to the VW scene I feel I should add to this post, first and foremost its not my full time job and to be honest if it were I'd be struggling to keep my house at the moment.

I got into buying the first couple of buses that I bought as they came up at the right price and I felt I could make a small amount of money on them and at the end of the day that is business but once you start to buy a few more and need somewhere to store them buy parts etc etc the overheads start to stack up and it all gets very tight.

We are trying to offer buses at a sensible price and not trying to rip people off and yes we are still importing buses in from states despite the dollar rate is bad as these buses still seem to offer the best value in the long run and its taking a while to work out what sells and what doesn't.

Both Dean and I are still confused why the RHD Deluxe Project bus won't sell at £3750 (less than its cost me so far) yet its RHD has one rust hole in the floor and needs a bit of bodywork but apart from that its a very sound bus but no matter what we do it won't sell.

When it comes to parts I think the point here is finding a price thats right for the seller and the buyer and then both parties are happy, I have to say that at the moment it seems very hard to determine what that price is on certain parts. I think we all know an engine fetches between £300 & £400 as a runner (well thats what I seem to have to pay) yet a RHD slider in good condition is a rare beast, the one I had that needed some work eventually sold for £100 so I don't think anyone got ripped off there.

I think the point Scott is making is that some people are just being silly, the last rear bumper I bought/sold was £80, the front bumper off one of my buses has just sold for £65 again I don't think these are rip of prices. To be a trader you need deep pockets to be able to buy the stock/parts in the first place and until it sells you have no return on that money and in some cases that can take months.

Just my point of view,

 

[faux]

It is a shame when people charge over the odds for parts etc.....but people don't have to buy these things.

I have bought many parts from Graham at FBI......why? you ask, he often has them on the shelf and in good condition

I now have the privilege of a bit of experience and a cool website, where people help out and generally sell things at reasonable prices. I think it is sensible to post wanted adds and see what comes up. If a dealer sees it they can ask their price if your average Joe has the part in their garage they can offer it up at their price.

I have made a bit of money over the years by buying something cheap, doing it up and selling it on, if that were a business I would have made a loss but I enjoy it. I also buy things then decide I don't need them or can't justify the cost and sell them on, either at what I paid or less.

It is a great scene where if you look and ask around there is always someone to help.

BUT......Don't forget that the dealers/traders keep the scene alive, because without their risk taking and investment it would be very hard to get some of those much needed parts. Don't put them down too much, but let them know if they are taking the P***.

 

[noddy]

Faux I think you have hit the nail on the head, I would guess that traders have good times and lean time, and have to make money when they can to stay in business.

My main grip is the fact that the supply of good OG parts is drying up 4 years ago and more it was possible to find most thing in NOS or good second hand condition, the shows always had a good selection of parts, good westy interiors for 300 quid etc. Now however parts are starting to dwindle so I would expect that prices are set to increase for most items in the future, until good quality replacement part become available.