GREED is going to kill this scene

[scott wilson]

my point allbeit without thinking properly about it was that i think prices are rising out of control and yes costs have gone up but i still think some prices are just silly. Still like i said i obviously didn`t think this through properly as i do make a living doing just this sort of work and ...welll yes ..some of my prices are silly too.
the morale of this reply...people in glass houses shouldn`t throw stones an all that

 

[Monster966]

I've been after a pair of split LHD driver side seat runners for a while now & found at least 4 pairs plus a load of bay ones on a certain traders stand @ dubfreeze. Of course I asked & I was told £100 :lol: My reply was you're having a f**king laugh, but no he really meant it. I'm not talking about a huge chunk of floor/treasure chest area here, just the runners on the smallest piece of floor they could be.

I have to agree with your original thought here Scott some people really are just creaming silly money for stuff. I run my own business & I wish I could get away with that sort of profit level. I can understand cutting the scrap busses into more, smaller pieces so you get your money back easier but there has to be a limit somewhere. If they'd been £30 or maybe even £40 I probably would have got a pair of bay ones as well (I don't like the 1-1/2 seat). I'll do what most sensible people would do & vote with my feet & wait a bit longer.

 

[Bus'n'Bug]

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***.

Again, I agree with you here, I'm pretty new to the early bay scene but have had a bug for a long time, if you truely love VW's then to be honest you should know what your getting into, Lets be honest it is a costly hobby/love what ever you want to call it and sometimes it does make your bum cheeks go funny when you realise how much your shelling out weekly/monthly. We havn't got a lot of money to spare but if you shop around its there, you just gotta look and be patient.

 

[BILLYBOB]

Again, I agree with you here, I'm pretty new to the early bay scene but have had a bug for a long time, if you truely love VW's then to be honest you should know what your getting into, Lets be honest it is a costly hobby/love what ever you want to call it and sometimes it does make your bum cheeks go funny when you realise how much your shelling out weekly/monthly. We havn't got a lot of money to spare but if you shop around its there, you just gotta look and be patient. [/quote]

Couldnt agree more. My van is a very costly love, and i am sure most of yours out there are as well, but at the end of the day we all enter into old vw ownership with our eyes very widely open. If you dont.......you certainly pay, one way or another, hence the never ending stream of unfinished projects on ebay. If you really want a part for your 30 odd year old van and it really must be nos then unfortunately you will have to pay. The stashes of parts are getting scarcer, and as has been very rightly put, it does cost to buy, ship, and store all of these things that we all must have. The simple fact is that out there in the world there are always people willing to make a quick hefty profit. If you must have what these people offer then be prepared to pay up. If not, walk away. There are lots of decent, honest, and value for money traders not only on here, but amongst us generally, and hopefully that will continue for many years to come.

 

[ice man]

one thing i think i should add is.last year i did not own a van. the year before my mate did not own a van. both our vans had not been on the road for many years and needed parts.
so thats 2 more vans back on the road.how many others are put back on the road every year? they all need parts for example early bay rear bumper/irons getting rare and more people want them the price is goin to go up.
but if your like me you know what you want to pay.and you just wait.

any one got any rear bumper irons

 

[butty84]

i am as guilty as the next bloke for paying over the odds for stuff but i can honestly say that i have picked up what i feel are some bargains over the last couple of months but, that said, i have also been ripped off too.

for example i wanted a front bumper so saw one that looked ok on ebay and bidded the balls off it until i won it for just over a ton, i was made up until i picked it up and it was shite, the steps were ok ish but the mid section is bolloxed. then i spotted another listing last week which was so poorly advertised it could have been mistaken as a late bay bumper and i won it for £5.51, its absolutely mint!!

i suppose ebay does have a impact on the price that traders charge but in my short experience it is all swings and roundabouts.

andy

 

[scott wilson]

one thing i think i should add is.last year i did not own a van. the year before my mate did not own a van. both our vans had not been on the road for many years and needed parts.
so thats 2 more vans back on the road.how many others are put back on the road every year? they all need parts for example early bay rear bumper/irons getting rare and more people want them the price is goin to go up.
but if your like me you know what you want to pay.and you just wait.

any one got any rear bumper irons

this was kinda what i was trying to say. The more vans back on the road the better, but i`m worried people will start to be put off doing just this knowing that its gonna cost em which will then have a knock on effect throughout the scene

 

[BigG]

I think most will agree that most of the traders on here, futbus, graham, scott etc are honest , helpful enthusiasts and the ones ive had the pleasure to deal with have always been very helpful.

Its true however that there are some who are in it because theres easy money to be had, providing of course they have what we want.

I blame the likes of ebay where people get very personal with their bidding and will pay what ever not to be out done :roll: a kind of cyber road rage if you like. Others folow suit with similar prices and if people will pay it, then why shouldnt dealers ask it.

I would love a deluxe clock and some bumper trim to finish my bus of but I'm not going to part with 3 or 4 hundred quid for something that doesnt effect the enjoyment of my van, so the price doesn't effect me. If someone else wants to pay that then theres no problem.

Remember, we the buyers dictate prices.

Graham, I'm quite shocked as to why that deluxe hasn't found a buyer :shock: maybe you need to put the price up

One final note, the scene for earlybays is slowly but surely groing abroad and its only a matter of time when the exchange rates start to lure people this way.
If you want to see greed then wait until the big boy classic car dealers start getting hold of good vans and shipping them out.

Hold on to your imported westys boys :mrgreen:

 

[froggy]

One final note, the scene for earlybays is slowly but surely groing abroad and its only a matter of time when the exchange rates start to lure people this way.
If you want to see greed then wait until the big boy classic car dealers start getting hold of good vans and shipping them out.

Hold on to your imported westys boys :mrgreen:

Thats why i own a UK van, No-one will want it :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[sparkywig]

One final note, the scene for earlybays is slowly but surely groing abroad and its only a matter of time when the exchange rates start to lure people this way.
If you want to see greed then wait until the big boy classic car dealers start getting hold of good vans and shipping them out.

Hold on to your imported westys boys :mrgreen:

Thats why i own a UK van, No-one will want it :lol: :lol: :lol:

Except me.......

 

[strongy]

interesting subject,and i might contradict myself here :? i dont pay the silly prices but dont blame people for charging them.i want a rust free slider,bur refuse to spend £500 on one.someone else with more need for one will pay it.rare items should be more exspensive,there rare.
i wanted a continental interior last year. at the time i think i got a bargain because there was a few for sale,my friend wants one now but none about so its name your price time.its crap, but if i had one sat in the garage i wouldent be letting it go for what i payed for mine last year.what im getting at is if i were an importer and something landed on my doorstep that i knew was rare and there was big demand i would sell for as much as i could get,is that not the nature of the buissness?

its down to the individual to decide weather they need that part in there life enougth to part with thier cash

well thats what i recon anyway :mrgreen:

 

[andewilson]

i dont think the popularity of the scene has helped. i am relatively new to the scene having only had my bus 3 years. and it seems to be gathering momentum every year. when i had my beetle 15 years ago people didnt restore as much to the standards they do now. i am guilty too for teying to turn a bus that was ready for the scrap yard into something worthy of showing

 

[Araon]

Personally I feel that once the repro panel guys sort their act out and produce decent quality tin then this will help.... once these guys start producing items that fit and of decent grade then prices have to drop, most people would rather put new quality steel in if they could guarantee a trouble free fit....

 

[sparkywig]

Personally I feel that once the repro panel guys sort their act out and produce decent quality tin then this will help.... once these guys start producing items that fit and of decent grade then prices have to drop, most people would rather put new quality steel in if they could guarantee a trouble free fit....

Here, here. Repro panels are awful compared to the original metal.
I've been reusing 40 year old plate, salvaged from a roof cut, to repair my bus.
I think the only repro panels I've used are to replace the windscreen bulge and patch the cargo floor.

 

[bugger]

Just got home from Vanwest,went looking for some early rear bumper irons,found a pair best described as very very poor condition asked how much and was told £40.00 then he said each :shock: Needless to say i walked away

 

[Micko68]

Why is it that the swaps forum is so quiet and hardly anyone is willing to swap with one another to get the parts we need? This would cut out paying the silly inflated prices for parts.
I'd say the large majority of people on here have got a garage or shed full of unwanted gear, but aren't willing to let it go in exchange for something they may be after.
I hoped that the VW scene would be a little more open to this.
I myself have a couple of doors that i don't need and was willing to swap them for any of the parts that i needed, but got no replies whatsoever.
I couldn't even give them away for the last 2 weeks, so they're in my works' van and are going in the skip 1st thing in the morning.
Let's all grow beards, wear dodgy jumpers and getting swapping a bit more!!
Long live our VW Sscene!!!

 

[eastcoastslammer]

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....[/quote]

I asked the German trader how much the 68 bay tow bar was? wait for it ''' he wanted £180!!!!!! :lol: im a trader and when i look around at the prices of some of the stuff at the shows im shocked'' i must still be selling my stuff at 1980's prices '' ah!? thats why im allways skint??

 

[Araon]

Yeah the tow bar did have the correct hangers though....did that make it worth 180 notes :?

 

[K@rlos]

I agree the price that rear bumpers go for is stupid! Thankfully mine is good so i don't to worry, rear engine valances are the same, i payed £50! at bug jam in 2008 from kleift n klock. People reproduce barndoor spilt stuff why not early bay gear

 

[clyde]

this was kinda what i was trying to say. The more vans back on the road the better, but i`m worried people will start to be put off doing just this knowing that its gonna cost em which will then have a knock on effect throughout the scene

Like you said at the top of the thread Scott its greed. If traders ask so much for stuff it puts people of restoring buses they will be out of work with only them selves to blame. Ironic really aint it because they will be the first to moan about the demise of the scene that they ultimatly set in motion. :roll:

You can see from this thread that alot of new people are getting into the scene and think this is a new situation. It isnt its just that Bays are the new Splits and its our turn to be on the most wanted list. Due to the last splitty explosion many parts have been repo,d so this lowers the cost of parts in the breakers market which levels the market somewhat.
I dont know if EBs will ever be in this situation? Splitty panels and parts never changed much from 1950-1967 so can be copied and used on any bus without much work. EB parts that are hard to find (bumpers, hangers, front panel, rear quarters and lots of other parts) ran mainly from 68-71, so not quite the same demand on parts but still the same initial investment in getting bits made.

This is catch 22 because if repo panels and parts arent made then more buses will get broken which will make the buses rarer and then the knock on is parts become even more expensive.