silly prices for vw parts !

hi all,
just wanted to start a discussion on what people think on prices of parts for our vw's ....
just irritates me to browse the net and see some stupid prices asked for parts that aren't genuine such as repro and double the price if not more....(example found on the samba)

"for sale oval rear window venitian blind - us$250
brand new made in australia
includes air freight to the usa"

:repuke

i didn't think that interest rates had so much effect on car parts and sales of cars....:duh

yeah samba prices are extortion sometimes, from aussie sellers too. I guess people will pay more for bits n pieces overseas

I encourage any sort of discussions like this but let's please not mention any business names, or individuals in particular as we've had dramas in the past.

Thanks guys and gals :kiss

I remember when VW parts where insanely cheap.

Just yesterday I bought a new front shifter bush for a late kombi. It was $9.50 and at the time I thought "Jesus. that's allot for a little piece of plastic" but I was there so I paid it, went home and fitted it.

Thinking about it later I realised $9.50 might not have been so bad. Recently I paid $25 for a accelerator cable boot for a Nissan.

I decided $9.50 was OK. I needed it, It was there, I bought it and I have it, end of story.

The days of 50c VW parts are gone. VW parts are still around 1/2 the price of other car makes so not to bad. It's all relative really.

I all depends on how much someone wants it and how much they will pay for it. I know, i want the correct panels for my 54 (bonnet etc.) and have had to bend over for them but I want them. Sorry if this drives up the price but there only worth what someone will pay. If everyone refused to pay the obsene prices do you think the prices would come down... of course not! The only thing that will happen is that you will miss out on that hard to get part you have been looking for and someone else will get it, stick it the shed for another 5 years, blow the dust off and put it up for auction for double the price. This is life people. Everyone's out to make a buck. I dont agree with this behaviour but how can you control it? Look at it this way, at least the prices of our cars are going up gradually and one day maybe they will be looked at in the same way as a Austin Healey, Jag or any of those vinatge classics and not just a peoples car!
Happy Bidding,
T54

I'd like to think that the sense of community on here is worth something, and that people don't go out deliberately trying to make profits which may be seen as "unsportspersonlike". It's worth something more than a few bucks in your pocket to have a sense of integrity, and keep as many dubs on the road as possible too.

Then again, some of this community work hard in the land of dubdom to make a living, and they do it fairly. I visited Custom in Stafford yesterday for example. Many thanks to Terry, Brad and the Custom buggy blokes for keeping their hearts in it!

Anyway, I just think that it taints the name VW to have people ripping off other people. Some other peeps on here think the same thing, 'cause as soon as someone seems like they are trying to, they get their undies run up the flagpole (and more).

Supply and demand!

I do not mind paying a top price for anything that is in good usable condition.

Cheers
Dave

vwombat wrote:I'd like to think that the sense of community on here is worth something, and that people don't go out deliberately trying to make profits which may be seen as "unsportspersonlike". It's worth something more than a few bucks in your pocket to have a sense of integrity, and keep as many dubs on the road as possible too.

I agree. I've sold some things on here and it really didn't worry me about the price, so long as they were going to someone on the Forum.....only to then see the same parts on Ebay two weeks later for 200% more than what the buyer bought them for. Maybe I undervalued them, but blatant profiteering does annoy me. I know I won't sell to this person again if I do sell parts again in the future.

The starting price on Ebay was 200% higher.......

TYP-114 wrote:The venetians have been a scam for a long time.

Don't know why people don't buy direct from the manufacturer in South Australia.

Cuz peaople don't know who the manufacturer is.

On Ebay anybody anywhere anytime can search for what they are looking for. The irony is it might be cheaper from a shop just down the road, but how do you know without walking into every shop and randomly asking prices on parts.

Shops hate people who just walk in ask for prices and don't buy anything. How are we sposed to shop around for the best price when you get treated like poo for asking prices.

hey wait..

What is this about venetians?? I want a set, where can i get them cheaper than ebay??

sorry to hijack thread....

I enjoy selling and buying parts also because you get to meet people who are into VW's.

prices are driven by what people will pay and what people's priorites are. For example I would not pay us$250 for a blind for my car but I am more than happy to pay $100 for a small jar of face cream, this is because I think that my looks and absence of aging is important to me while I couldn't care less about a blind.

It all comes down to a matter of what is important

If you spent the money on the blind and kept the sun off your face, then you'd need less face cream..... 😀😀😀

me and the missus were having a similar conversation last night about how much clothing is actually 'worth' as a physical piece of material vs the price you pay in shops, especially 'brand name' gear...

~air fooled~ wrote:me and the missus were having a similar conversation last night about how much clothing is actually 'worth' as a physical piece of material vs the price you pay in shops, especially 'brand name' gear...

Not much, a t-shirt probably has about 5c worth of materials in it. But there's more to it then that.

It has 5 c materials + labour cost to manufacture, labour cost to sell, depreciation of machinery to manufacture, salary of finance, maintenance and customer service staff at place of manufacture. Maintenance of buildings, payment of rates etc etc.

So by this point we have a t-shirt in a bag on a pallet. Most likely in China. By the time you add all the costs mentioned it's "cost" price might now be $2, they sell them at a profit for $2.50.

Then it gets bought by a company over here lets call them "Lust Jeans". And they get it shipped over here. So by the time they pay shipping the shirt owes them $4.

Now this is where it gets expensive. The shirts are distributed to stores, the stores are in flashy air conditioned shopping centres that charge ridiculous rent and the stores require several staff at $20 dollars an hour just to stand there and ask the customers if they need help whether they buy anything or not.

"Lust Jeans" also has a head office that has sales, marketing, IT, HR staff etc etc all with coffee addictions that require huge salaries and an air conditioned office in the middle of Sydney.

The Marketing department spends millions a years advertising "Lust Jeans" on TV and in Magazines with expensive and beautiful people in there catalogues and commercials.

So lets say with all this the T-Shirt owes them $15 to break even.

When they sell the shirt they have to pay the bank for the use of the EFTPOS machine or Credit card transaction (3%?) and they have to pay the government 10% GST. So the T-Shirt Owes them $18 to sell.

The Share holders of "Lust Jeans" are a greedy bunch that require them to make a profit. Apparently it's not a charity organisation.

So the Store sells the 5c T-Shirt $25.

i got a quote on venetians for the bay back window
& the side windows at back $100 each now thats a good price
try any big curtain/blind company they will measure made to fit

I don't know about silly prices but how about silly products. Guy at the nationals this year (2005) was selling a (chinese takeaway) container with second hand spark plugs. I don't know about you guys but really, would you want to buy second hand spark plugs?

Only time I need them is if I break down on the highway and even then I'd prefer a new set.

Anyone want to buy some second hand oil. Only done 6000 miles. Only been used once before......maybe I can interest you in some 100,000 mile gearbox fluid? Or brake fluid, bled yesterday? Any takers?

6000 MILES for your oil changes. You cheap insensitive B@stard!!!

the guy in sa calls himself sun shade products or sumfin like that he make venetians for all makes and models even new vz commies!

prices are driven by what people will pay and what people's priorites are. For example I would not pay us$250 for a blind for my car but I am more than happy to pay $100 for a small jar of face cream, this is because I think that my looks and absence of aging is important to me while I couldn't care less about a blind.

LMFAO! You crack me up!!! I bet the same goes for most of the Metro blokes on here too. Very Freudian it is too. I now know why you drive a new Beetle you ageist scum!!!

squizy wrote:If you spent the money on the blind and kept the sun off your face, then you'd need less face cream..... 😀😀😀

Once you hit the big 30, doesn't matter how much you avoid the sun, those 'fine lines' start appearing.

Besides it is a bit hard to keep one's face out of the sun driving a cabrio. I could wear a hat, but I don't like hat hair.

Gee I sound vain !

I also agree that sometimes You do get ripped off at times,
but If You want the part... Money really isn't an object...

I suppose I have the biggest problem with how much will I pay for a part I don't need at this time.. just a spare.....
I think "How hard will it be to buy in the future??"
Will I be able to buy it in the future?
What will the quality be like? [Mexican? forget it...]

I have notice that prices for VW parts have increased rather dramatically in the past 8-10 years... but I suppose everything else has too....

Did I post this on Thursday? Maybe Not...

Lee

squizy wrote:The starting price on Ebay was 200% higher.......

You can buy New printed T shirts made in Australia - with Sydney etc on the front - all sizes - kids are about $5..
Adults around $10...
these are for sale at the cheap shops at Chatswood...
they are for sale... all year round....

Now thats cheap...

Lee

The T-shirts are cheaper in Tempe!

As for the price of parts, VW parts are cheap, noticeably cheaper than other manufacturers parts. It is the biggest plus of owning and maintaining a Beetle. Beware the new VW parts though, nowhere near as economical as the older air cooled stuff.

Venetian Blinds for the 2003 Kombi Van.......these thoughts will drive me nuts......the possibilities...

i think that there are the vw scene is growing at a tremendous rate and original rare stuff IS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE!!as its only worth whats someones willing to pay...well on ebay you have hundreads of thousands of vw parts (world wide ebay)getting listed on a weekly basis.some cheap....mostly the not so rare stuff and some expensive...mostly the rarer stuff????so i think that it all comes down to supply and demand.if i have a part thats worth $50 and i have ten people that would be willing to pay $100....then what do i do????i sell it for $100!!!!

and its not just about profit for me as im always investing it straight back into my vw hobby...just a way for me to get a better collection for the future.but i guess it really depends on what county your in ....you can go to weekly vw swaps in some 3rd world counties and still buy rare bargains for a few aussie $$$$...just my thoughts😉

oh i dont know i think its shop around personally i have never bought
anything from the net i will buy & have bought from the parts forum on here
& there,s a lot of vw outlets in this country for new parts, im very happy with who i buy from now, supply & demand, inflation will always dictate.
no other car company on this planet has the abundance of parts as vw's
i have catalogues here that will fully fit out 50 year old cars not holden or
ford or morris minor citroen etc etc.