Here are two ads of the same car one before ebay. http://www.carsforsale.com/used-cars...a-ks-226956902 And one after as the dealer flipping and pushing the price up with out doing anything but a power tour sticker removal. Nice Job ass hat dealer. Must think we are all stupid. http://www.ebay.com/itm/221675804496...:MEBIDX:IT
Unrelated, what exactly is an ass hat? I always wanted to know where the term originated. Links are broken for me too. FWIW, I agree, most dealers are the same.
The ebay item number appears to be this Plymouth: http://www.ebay.com/itm/22167580449...l?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=221675804496&_rdc=1 Don't know where the original ad was from, but I'm guessing same car for several thousand less!
I'm guessing here because I've never sold a car on ebay. But the dealer probably raised his price on the ebay listing because on ebay the fees and commissions are higher for the use of their site. Most dealers work on margins. They must hit a certain margin on a sale in order to cover overhead, their time and operating cost. It stands to reason that if the operating costs are higher to sell on ebay then the actual sales cost would reflect that.
I can't see or find the original listing on Cars for Sale so I'm not 100% sure what your actual point is ..... But assuming like others that the cost was higher on ebay I made my initial post. Here's some more insight. The buy it now price might not be his target but his high end reach. The top bid is currently 9k lower then that with no reserve. Another possibility is that maybe when listed on Cars for Sale it needed repairs and those repairs were made prior to the ebay listing. I'm speculating here but my point is the seller might not be the ass hat your claiming. Their maybe a viable reason for the price difference. For example: Im am a boat dealer ..... Often I clearance used boats out at year end to move them on low margins. If they don't sell.... During the offseason I winterize, shrink wrap and store them. I fix things like gel coat repairs, interior repairs, pay insurance fees, flooring fees, in the spring I will detail them, tune them up etc. My fall price could be $1000's lower then my spring price because my costs in that boat could be significantly more. My cost to shrink wrap and winterize a boat could be $500 to $1000 bucks alone. People that look at boats in the fall then look at the same boat in the spring never understand these added costs. Some new boats just like cars aren't worth putting those efforts into them because you can't recoup the added costs. Other boats are worth it because a $1000 in repairs could add $2000 in value to the boat. So the spring sale price will reflect those added costs. Hope this helps people to understand how dealers operate and why costs some times fluctuate.
In the wonderful world of business, we call that "making a profit" :Smarty: I know some guys with the 7 to 4 jobs with the vacation time and sick days ect. they don't really care about the business as much as the over all cost of the product their purchasing. As a business owner there are many many other costs involved other than just the cost of goods sold. Including our late great Uncle Sam. who always has his hand out. Mandatory insurance, licences ect. it's a long list In this case, A dealer picked the car up or got it in trade. who cares really how he got it or what he paid. it's his and if you want it here's the price. every business is entitled to make a profit. otherwise whats the point really. why do guys buy starwars air cleaners at yard sales for 25 bucks and post them on EBAY for 600. because they can. If you want it...Buy it. IMHO I see no foul. That's my .02
As a former business owner/dealer/salesman, I could not have said it better. Many just think about the profit on the product. They don't think about the cost of keeping the doors open.
I have been a dealer for twenty years. I have lost money on two cars, but I think the general idea is to sell them for more than I paid.Often this entails a lot of elbow grease. Having just sold my 53 Chevy truck,the buyer has the benefit of getting it from someone who has owned it several years(some turnover rate I have)... And someone who has owned,appraised,inspected,hundreds of vehicles. In other words,not all dealers are the same. In fact,like most small business owners,they are likely to go "belly up" in their first few years. A flipper of cars is like a flipper of houses. The notion is put out there on TV to give idiots hope that there is EZ Money out there. In my experience,if you want to make money,you have to steal it or work. The dealers that I have seen stealing are no longer in business.....The ones really stealing do it with contracts and fees, but only to people who like to be ripped off apparently.
I can assure you that Not all car dealers are the same. Yes there are some bad ones like most any business in the world including insurance, investments, Fast food, etc, etc, etc.....
I saw a nice 71 Charger sell a while back at a local Mecum auction for 29K. The dealer from Tucson who bought it listed it a couple weeks later for 74K. I am guessing that they washed it and maybe changed the oil. One heck of a mark up.
I think it is a good thing that some of these dealers are out there. I would not pay 29K for a 71 charger if Richard Petty was selling it. It is good for business when people pay too much because your typical working guy like some of us were laughing when that car sold. It simply means what he is asking and what he will sell it for are two different things. Sometimes it is just a way of enhancing your inventory if your juggling buckhoo bucks. When an AAR cuda can be bought in the same price range as a 71 charger someone is playing with their numbers....or he just likes those cars. I do see your point though...it was probably just a fishing expedition.
