Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

[Gary B.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

I have to say that I've bought a lot of nice used items for my '66 via John's auctions over the past 4 or 5 years and I've always thought the price was reasonable and I can only think of one item that didn't meet my expectations and that item was promptly refunded.

I'm not going to be bidding on a $100 wing nut, but if someone does, that's what the buyer thinks it's worth.

Gary

[Ronald L.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Since they can't be reproduced, you can't have mine for $100!

In fact, maybe $200 is cheap since I don't like how the alternatives are being ground down and any sharp judge can see that - it does not have the sheared edge of the steel blank.

If gas caps were an issue last year at Carlyle, better hold onto these and the multi thousand dollar filter they hold down

[Pat M.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

When I see a part listed at what I think is an unreasonably too-high price, I simply go onto the next listings, and shop elsewhere.

I'm failing to see the harm in someone setting their own prices....

Yup, what he said.

[Joe R.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

"Caveat Emptor"

JR

[Joel F.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

From someone who lists a wing nut on E-Bay for $100.

Jim,

I have never met John, nor purchased any part from him. I have often viewed his auctions and I too am amazed at the prices some of his parts bring, even though I am not familiar with the $100 wing nut you mentioned. That said, if you look at John's auctions closely, you will note that they usually start with a very reasonable price and reserve and get bid up by others, rather than him starting with a very high initial price and reserve and going up from there.

So if you had a wing nut and offered it at $10, and it got bid up to $100, are you price gouging or simply letting the market do it's work? I think the latter.

Just my $.02

[Peter J.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Joel - I wish I had a hundred of those wing nuts because I would have on ebay right now. I was one of John's bidders on those wing nuts but I got out bid several times at twenty bucks and I kept thinking the "got to have that bolt at any price bidders" would dry up but I never did get one from him. I guess we all have different levels of monetary reality.
Pete

[Joe L.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

All------


I hate to see Pacific Corvette go. They were probably the best source for used Corvette parts out there. The thing that made them different was they inventoried all of the used parts by GM part number. That makes it so much easier to obtain the specific part you need. I don't know of any other used parts source that does this.

[Ridge K.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

All------


I hate to see Pacific Corvette go. They were probably the best source for used Corvette parts out there. The thing that made them different was they inventoried all of the used parts by GM part number. That makes it so much easier to obtain the specific part you need. I don't know of any other used parts source that does this.

Agreed, Joe.

I did business with them a couple of times over the years, both times ordering via part number.
No problems here .......

[Peter J.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Joe - That is how I got my NOS oil pan from them, you listed part numbers for oil pans and the dates they changed in one of your posts on the DB and I went to parts voice that a friend who works the local chevrolet dealer parts counter gave me the number to and I got a list of sales sources for that part number and Pacific Corvette was on that list and the rest is history.

[Page C.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

I can NOT believe that GM singled sourced all the wing nuts from one supplier for all the mid year production air cleaners.
Page Campbell

[George J.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

When I see a part listed at what I think is an unreasonably too-high price, I simply go onto the next listings, and shop elsewhere.

I'm failing to see the harm in someone setting their own prices....

Ridge,
It has a few problems that I see. One, it clutters up ebay. I can't stand that I have to scroll down through a hundred useless ads like this to get to what I want. And don't tell me to refine my search, what with all of the oil filters that have "fuel injection" as a tag. Secondly, it makes our hobby and those involved in it look like crooks. In my opinion it is opportunistic, at best. It would be like overcharging an elderly person for a service/product just because they don't know better.

George

[Ridge K.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Ridge,
It has a few problems that I see. One, it clutters up ebay. I can't stand that I have to scroll down through a hundred useless ads like this to get to what I want. And don't tell me to refine my search, what with all of the oil filters that have "fuel injection" as a tag. Secondly, it makes our hobby and those involved in it look like crooks. In my opinion it is opportunistic, at best. It would be like overcharging an elderly person for a service/product just because they don't know better.

George

I appreciate hearing your view point, George.
You've actually brought up three points very worthy of discussion.

The hundreds of useless eBay listing due to the lister using keywords such as "fuel injection" are a cronic problem, yet I see it as the fault of eBay's poor management team. Their excutive board can certainly bring revenue in (by the billions with a "b"), yet they lack a shread of personal integrity. I speak from experience here. In addition to searching for parts just as you do, I have stated before that I previously have sold a very large volume of parts on eBay. I have not re-stocked parts for eBay sales since the month Meg Whitman left, and Donohoe was named CEO. Once again, in my opinion, eBay has dropped the ball on this issue. Let the eBay board know. Their San Jose mailing address can be found via a google search.

As far as making the hobby look like "crooks", personally I don't share that view. For every person who might be offended by a "ridiculously too high" asking price, in my opinion .... there are 100 more people that either chuckle, or just move on to the next listing as I do. Quite frankly, in my circle of a few dozen close Corvette buddies, I haven't heard anyone complain. I've only read the few concerns on the TDB.

Lastly, and most importantly about the possibility of overcharging an elderly person: It would be sad if any elderly person was taken advantage of. It probably happens tens of thousands times each day in our vast country of over 300 million people. Yet, I am only responsible for my actions, as well as the fact that I also accept responsibility for the actions of my immediate family including grown children. I know that I will never intentionally overcharge any person that I can tell does not fully understand the transaction proposed. Neither will my family members, as that's how they were all raised. It is not my place to police the internet, however.

Thank you for constructively sharing your views. I learn something every single day I visit the TDB.
Ridge

[Pat M.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Ridge,
It has a few problems that I see. One, it clutters up ebay. I can't stand that I have to scroll down through a hundred useless ads like this to get to what I want. And don't tell me to refine my search, what with all of the oil filters that have "fuel injection" as a tag. Secondly, it makes our hobby and those involved in it look like crooks. In my opinion it is opportunistic, at best. It would be like overcharging an elderly person for a service/product just because they don't know better.

George

I agree with Ridge, and here's my two cents. First, I don't think an ad is "useless" because some object to the price of an item.

Original wing nuts have been bringing this price, and much more, for some time. That is what the market will bear right now. I don't think pricing an item accordingly makes anyone look like a crook.

There are some who object to what they see as crazy prices and find their own parts (sometimes through great effort and, ironically, great expense) at swap meets, junk yards, through other contacts, etc. Good for them, more power to them.

Far from not knowing any better, I personally find it easier, and usually more economical in the long run, to pay a premium on a part and have it delivered to my door rather than endlessly chasing one around so I don't get "ripped off." People like John have made if far easier for people like me to correctly restore their cars, and I for one am grateful. JMHO

[Ridge K.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

I agree with Ridge, and here's my two cents. First, I don't think an ad is "useless" because some object to the price of an item.

Original wing nuts have been bringing this price, and much more, for some time. That is what the market will bear right now. I don't think pricing an item accordingly makes anyone look like a crook.

There are some who object to what they see as crazy prices and find their own parts (sometimes through great effort and, ironically, great expense) at swap meets, junk yards, through other contacts, etc. Good for them, more power to them.

Far from not knowing any better, I personally find it easier, and usually more economical in the long run, to pay a premium on a part and have it delivered to my door rather than endlessly chasing one around so I don't get "ripped off." People like John have made if far easier for people like me to correctly restore their cars, and I for one am grateful. JMHO

Excellent point, Pat.

While I was in the NOS and used original parts business, I travelled the swap meet circuit from the west coast, across country, and typically finished the season at Carlisle.
In an average year, I would put 8 to 10 thousand miles on the car, and spent a minimum of $4 to $5 thousand dollars on hotels, gasoline, turnpike tolls (Pennsylvania has some legendary tools), and additional travel expenses.
Anyone can do the math here. If I only accomplished the finding, purchase, and resale of 100 quality parts, a $5K investment in travel expenses relates to an addition $50 of cost in each item.
Initially, my average goals would be to acquire close to 1,000 parts per year to help spread the individual costs lower. In the last couple of years I did this, one was very lucky to find even 100 quality parts ...going from near coast to coast. Many rare part supplies are simply exhausted, and internet auction sales have taken away the possible finds at swap meets.

When I started selling on eBay, the seller could figure an average "cost to sell" at somewhere between 3 and 1/2 percent, up to around 5%. That was IF you required a check or money order payment only.
These days in the Donahoe management of eBay, cost can easily run 15% 20% to sell when having to also pay PayPal's very high fee structure.

Before retiring from the business, I actually closed $250K of sales on internet auctions + direct ssales to friends and acquaintances. I would seriously doubt that I netted a profit of $20K in the ten years I sold parts. I did it, because I enjoyed it.

I respect the views of those who see this issue differently. For me, my very strong beliefs in the free-market system, over-ride any concerns I have of ridiculous pricing. Joe R. said it very, very well ......."Caveat Emptor"

Ridge.

[George J.]

Re: Pacific Corvette; are they still in business?

Sorry, but anyone that would pay $100 for a wing nut is foolish, in my opinion. Yes, I know others have a different opinion.

George