Old part values

I will play devil's advocate and suggest you sell them on E-Bay.

Does the T2225 cylinder head have any broken fins? If not I'd like it as a replacement for mine, which does have broken fins, unfortunately. Perhaps you could let me know how much you want for it.

Howard

Whatever you do, don't throw them out. The Club spares scheme would be a good place for them to go.

A pic would be good Dominic if you wouldn't mind sending one. Perhaps best if you send it directly to me at thompsonteam@btinternet.com.

Regards,

Howard.

Spares are worth what people will pay for them. Ebay is a good plce to BUY things cheaply. I have used it for years because I expect to pay BELOW the odds for it. Definitely not the place to get the best price for anything - trust me, I'm an expert and spend millions on eBay (don't tell the wife!). I also use it to buy office supplies for the charity I help run. For example - I pay less than 25% of the full price for laser toner.

It used to be regarded, and still is by many, as a "car boot sale" place with plenty of cheap and dodgy goods. Who knows, I might have even bought some myself when I was buying newspares at silly prices for my Jag afew years ago.

This is all academic for someone living in South Africa as he would really need to sell in that area, whether by eBay or any other method. I assume that international postage costs would prohibit long distance shipping.

Cheers, Lionel

Hi Lionel,

I would have to disagree, as far as myexperiencesgo. I find meny people will pay too much for an item on ebay due to not beingknowledgeable about other vendors & often pay more than retail. If you are talking old Norton parts, if all it takes is 2 people bidding on the same item that "have to have it" & the bidding gets ridiculous. Case & point, I saw a really cool Lucas rubber headlamp cover on ebay uk,http://www.ebay.com/itm/Triumph-Thruxton-T120-Norton-650SS-Gold-Star-Lucas-Headlight-Safety-Mask-C1960-2-/180997115537?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&nma=true&si=NV9n6y3kQiy262a4xABP3M8C680%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

It ended up selling for 285GBP ($460) !! I don't think it would have gone that far at a boot sale.I think for standard items you could find in a store, ebay has many bargains, but on old Norton parts, ebay seems to get the highest prices due to the way any auction works, every one is offering you a higher price than the last guy, at a boot sale , everyone is offering you less than your asking price. The other thing to consider, particularly if you offer it "worldwide" you now have tens of thousands of people looking at your Norton item. Where else can you get that kind of market? The postage costs should be posted on the listing, I live in the USA & buy the vast majority of my Norton & Lucas items from the UK. Even though the shipping is sometimes more than I want to pay, sometimes the item is difficult to find in the the USA, but more common in the UK. For example, I buy the majority of my magneto parts (new & used) from the UK, as the old MO1 items seem moreplentifulin the UK & dont come up as often in the USA, with the cost of shipping added in they are cheaper for me to order on ebay UK, than on ebay USA. Every situation is different on ebay.

I think ebay is the best & the worst thing for old bike parts.

Having said all that, my account "skipsoldbikes" has 100% positive feedback & a score of 913, trading since 2002. I am on ebay 1-2 times a day looking for old Lucas mag parts & Norton Nomad parts. When I was looking for parts for my model 77, it literally would have beenimpossible to get the tinwork, sidestand, and centerstands if itweren'tfor ebay.

Just my thoughts, I am sure others have had differentexperiences.

Skip Brolund

OK Skip, but you are quoting exceptions to the rule regarding prices. With most things you can get "bidding fever" where someone will go well beyond real value, but again these are exceptions. I could give youhundreds of other examples that I have bought over a wide range of items varying from antique Sterling Silver pocket watches to computer parts to guitar ampsthat have all gone for well under "market" value or shop prices.

You are obviously right regarding the much wider market that eBay offers but the average punter, who doesn't run a business, will not want the hassle of international shipping. Again,Nortons were made in the UK so no matter where you are in the world you may have to buy from the UK at some stage.

Anyone selling bikes in the UK is better off using the popular magazines. Not so bad if you have a fixed price and advertise in eBay as well as a magazine. I bought my De Luxe Navigator through eBay on bidding and paid well under market value for it!

As a general rule eBay is a buyer's market. That's why I hardly EVER try to sell anything, although I do have a camera I need to sell there soon!

Cheers, Lionel

Dominic,

I may be interested in some of the Dominator parts that you have. I've got a few projects that have been in various stages of progress and are still missing parts. Depending on condition and prices, perhaps we could work out a deal. I live in the US, and you can email me directly at wilkey113@yahoo.com

I'd love to see photos for some of the parts if still available.

Regards,

Jeff

Hi Lionel,

Ebay is one of those places where everyone has a different experience I guess. I sell a LOT on ebay, as I always get more for the item than taking it to a swapmeet (autojumble). There are many in the old bike trade that make a living buying parts at sales & swap meets , then selling on ebay. There are also bargains to be had buying on ebay to be sure. As to Norton parts, Pre Commando stuff always seems to go for top dollar here in the USA, I suppose its because it isn't as common over here. On the plus side, most American Norton owners arent asfamiliarwith the pre Commando parts & dont know what they have, thats when the bargains start (unless 2 or more "have to have it"). Not too many motorcycle publications do much with classified ads anymore (over here) now that ebay is around, other than the club websites.

On Non-Norton items, I always check eBay & Craigslist first for a bargain, something usually turns up.

Just wondering, what is the big hassle for UK sellers on ebay to ship worldwide? I notice a lot of UK sellers wont ship overseas, sometimes with a nice e-mail I can convince them to sell to me though

All the best,

Skip Brolund