On Fri, 28 Jun 2002, Jeff McNeal wrote:
> Bill,
>
> As noted in my previous e-mail to the list, I agree that finding a
> freshly rebuilt trans/rebuilt O/D combo for $600 sounds too good to be true.
I looked for 5 years without finding one of these amazing bargains. Go
figure.
>
> But if I may, I think the real objection that some might have is how
> you are using the list as a "fee-free" auction for your own benefit,
> by pitting list members against themselves, as if they were on eBay (as
> when you said "high bid is currently $400").
I never posted "high bid is currently $400" to the list. I said I had
the od/tranny to sell and then took all of it off the list. That was
part of a private email sent only to the six people who were informed up
front that I was going to do this as a mini-auction. Any of them could
have opted out or just not bid. I assumed that when no one objected to
the originally stated conditions that they were interested in doing it
that way.
> In other words, yes, you're
> offering your stuff to the list, but it doesn't appear that you're
> providing any real benefit to anyone other than yourself, since it costs
> you nothing to conduct your own, personal auction before a large crowd of
> interested parties.
Yes, but Ebay has a reputation for running the price of things up far beyond
their actual value. I thought having a chance to bid only against a small
group would have its value and keep the price from being forced to the absurd.
>
> In short, you ain't doing the list members any favors in this instance.
Rest assured, I won;t even consider it in the future.
>
> Now, if you simply listed the price you wish to reasonably receive for
> the combo ("first $450 plus shipping takes it"), then I don't see how
> anyone could object, unless MJB simply doesn't wish for people to
> advertise items for sale on the lists, which I don't believe is an issue.
I don't know an absolute value for it. Look at the garbage I took over
trying to price my car. But I do want to get as much out of it as I can.
That was stated in the private message to the original 6 people who expressed
interest as well.
>
> I didn't get my tit in a wringer when you announced that you were selling
> your Triumph to buy an MG. Hell, I used to own an MGA, too. Big deal.
> But to discount the intense rivalry between the marques and to
> underestimate the loyalty of Triumph owners probably set you off on the
> wrong foot from the get-go.
And how is offering someone the chance to get something as rare as an OD
tranny slighting Triumph owners?? I could have just put it on Ebay in the
first place. Maybe I should have.
>
> BTW, I really don't care about what you're doing now, but I think you
> deserve to know why some may take a hostile stance towards what you are
> doing, even if you can't put it together for yourself.
If giving listmembers first shot at something like this a bad thing, so be
it.
>
> Enjoy your new MG and good luck unloading all your other stuff.
> Personally, if I were you, I'd either list prices for everything on the
> list and whatever doesn't sell, throw it on eBay, OR simply throw it
> on eBay.
I was trying to avoid Ebay as I find it somewhat repulsive. I have put
prices on the MK IV parts on my website. I don't know if they are realistic
or not. I basicly looked at prices in catalogs and availability. I am sure
most here wil think they are all too high. In which case, nobody has to buy
them.
> Once upon a time I had a free auction site for Triumph owners
> like you to list items for bidding for free, but nobody used it so I shut
> it down. Eh!
I went looking for it. It was the first place I thought of when I finally
something worth selling. I would have put my car up there too. Sadly, I
think a lot of the parts currently resting in my shed are going to end out
in the scrapyard.
bill
--
Bill Gunshannon | de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves
bill@cs.scranton.edu | and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton |
Scranton, Pennsylvania | #include <std.disclaimer.h>
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