# MORE E-pay madness



## Xence (Oct 2, 2007)

I don't get it. Seriously I don't get it. Someone clue me in as to why people wait till the absolute last minute to buy, and in our case, slot cars? Now it doesn't really matter what the widget might be. Sell anything you want and it goes for just an absolutely silly amount of money especially now. I've seen some cars that I wouldn't pay more than like $15 for go for at least twice that. I honestly can't name the car off the top of my head but ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHY do people do this to themselves?

Gee lemme buy this ratted out camaro for 3 times what it ... holy cow that's right that's one of them. Someone sold a purple AFX #3 with 2 BROKEN window posts for I want to say around $20-$25. I can't remember exactly what day or anythign like that but I thought I was going to puke.

This car did not have like the cool looking turbine rims or anything nice like that, just a standard, busted window post, camaro. Can anyone explain this phenomenon? 6 mos. ago this car wouldn't have gone for $10 now it goes for twice that? :freak:  

Another one I just remembered and this was my auction: I put a White/Orange AFX #17 Chevelle w/1 window post a complete mess and the other was just ok on there. Someone paid me almost $15 for it. WHY? I didn't lie about what the car was I put exactly on the auction that the car had a broken post and made sure to take a good picture of it so it could be seen. I don't want people thinking negative of me on there.

I dunno I just don't get it at times.

Just me thinking.

Cheers,
Xence


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Yeah agreed the insanity level has taken a sharp jump over the last year.

Ya just never know what drives a buyer to tip over the edge. My self it's scabby aurora bodies for plastic repairs and composte piles of T-jet/AFX parts. 

Maybe the guy who bought that Camaro spotted the fact that it had super ll magnets or an early green wire redtip 6 ohm arm. More than likely though, we want what we want for whatever reason, and the Bay provides instant gratification regardless of ryhme or reason.

I find it very interesting that the bay has currents or eddys, even rip tides. It's kinda fun to watch.


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## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

Probably what is happening for several years the TJET Boys came of age (internet age) and bought and bought and bought  Now the AFX Boys are coming of age and are having fun.

Roger Corrie


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## Ligier Runner (Nov 29, 2004)

This doesn't really count when talking about handyman specials or extremely hard to find items but I'm one of those people who try to leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding something I know I want. I scour the net looking for the best price and keep a record of who has it and how much they are asking, including tracking epay sales.

So, I find it hilarious when people bid up a car when I know full well so and so has it on their website for a much lower price including shipping. Is it laziness for not shopping around or the thought that this particular item may never become available again?


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Ligier Runner said:


> Is it laziness for not shopping around or the thought that this particular item may never become available again?


 
LR, 
I would tend to agree with you on this. Guess they've never heard of a search engine. Can't imagine why they would thing eflay is the only place on the internet to pick up cool things from their youth.  

Just makes it nice for those of us having the cars they desire. :devil:

rr


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## Xence (Oct 2, 2007)

Yeah that is the truth Roadrnr. I guess it must just be sheer laziness. I've gone through an absolute ton of websites looking for various things and I STILL miss stuff that someone else will point out to me. My point on this though is that at least I take the time to look and not just on epay as I would imagine most people on there do. 

I'm one of the younger guys on this board I would assume as I never used the t-jets when I was kid. I grew up in the late 70's though when A/FX & Tyco seemed to be having their "who builds the better slot car" days. 

As I said before though there are cars, even right this very second, that I know for a fact if I looked, JUST THROUGH THE BAY, that I can find them at a lower price. I honestly wonder if the commercials that ebay is now putting out there for the "I won it on ebay" type of thing is starting to get to a goodly portion of the mush head's who have the iq of a stump and believe in the Paris Hilton "I need it now" dilemma.

I know this thread is heading towards the "what's the deal with our society" sort of diatribe but again I really am just completely baffled at this sort of silliness.

Oh well, as far as I'm concerned if someone wants to bid on my stuff and give me more money for something I know is available elsewhere cheaper.... so be it. 

Just strange is all.

Xence


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Xence said:


> Someone clue me in as to why people wait till the absolute last minute to buy, ...
> ... Sell anything you want and it goes for just an absolutely silly amount of money


Sounds like you answered your own question. It would go for an even sillier amount of money if I didn't bid at the last minute.

For example, there's a rare red over white Denbeigh Super Chauvinist Saloon funny-car dragster body for sale. I decide I'm willing to pay 25 bucks for it. You decide you're willing to pay $20. You make your $20 top bid. Since somebody in Oshkosh has bid $16, you're now in the lead at $16.50. I wait until the last 6 seconds and throw in my $25 bid. Spang! Auction over. It's mine for $20.50. Hooray.

Alternate scenario: Just as before, you have your $20 bid in, and it's sitting at $16.50. I throw my $25 bid in a day early. I'm in the lead at $20.50. You look in and see that you're outbid. But you've been imagining that body on your dragster chassis for 5 days now. You mull it over and decide, considering that you've invested this much time in the auction already, maybe you'd be willing to pay a bit more than you thought was your top dollar three days ago when you made the $20 bid. So you put in a $22 bid. Uh, oh. You are immediately informed that I'm still in the lead at $22.50 [since you didn't go over my earlier $25 bid]. You mull it over for an hour or two. It's getting close to the end. Now you're agitated. You're not going to let me get YOUR Denbeigh body if I'm just a few cents over your last bid. So you throw in your last two bucks and see if 24 smackers will blow me out of the water. It doesn't. Auction over. It's still mine, but now I pay $24.50 instead of $20.50 because I gave you time to obsess about it. I like you, Xence, but not 4 dollars worth.

Now the real question is, why the heck did I just explain all that to a bunch of people I might be bidding against? Just an old softie, I guess.

-- D


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Dslot said:


> (snip)
> 
> ...For example, there's a rare red over white Denbeigh Super Chauvinist Saloon ...
> 
> ...


Ahh... another Car and Driver aficionado... :thumbsup:

--rick


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

ParkRNDL said:


> Ahh... another Car and Driver aficionado... :thumbsup:
> 
> --rick


:wave: Heh, heh.
Yeah, guilty. 
Still have those old issues somewhere... Presumably still filled with ads for Lucas driving lamps and MG Mitten Golden Mink car covers.
Wonder if those Denbeigh articles are on the web somewhere. Wonder if they're still as funny as they were back then.
-- D


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## Xence (Oct 2, 2007)

Unfortunately D-Slot I just recently went through something really similar, in fact pretty identical to what you're talking about. I made the mistake of bidding early. BAD idea. I found that out the hard way and am now of the same opinion you are. Wait till the last possible second and throw a bid out there. You never know. 

Or better yet and this is almost twisting the subject a bit. Someone asked if I would ship to the UK. I said sure, even though it said no international shipping, and it was going to be approx. $20. I didn't know till I got there that the thing I, and this was not even a slot car mind you, was selling cost like $25 for shipping. I went back to the computer, emailed the guy, and told him the shipping was more and the guy answered with "Well you told me $20 so screw you." I emailed him back and said "well lesson learned. Don't try to help people out. They just stab you in the back." Never got a response from this guy.

Hey it was my fault for telling him 2 things: A. that I would ship to the UK when it was stated right in the auction that I won't ship overseas and B. I DID tell the guy $20 and because of this I was made to eat the $5 extra in shipping. As I said in the email "Lesson learned." oh well.

Cheers


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I like to bid early on many auctions. I offer up my dream bid and then watch it from there. If I REALLY want the car, I'll get involved at the last minute, which I think there's nothing wrong with. It's how the game is played. No point complaining about it. If someone wants to pay for something than I do, who am I to complain about it? 

Sometimes though, a car will slip by all you guys and I will get it for my dream price. As for being out bid at the last second, it happens to me all the time. Again, that's ebay.

I once got an angry email from a guy I outbid at the last second, to which I replied " if you wanted the car so badly, you should have bid more for it than I did" 

It's as simple as that, isn't it? 

I then called him a few choice words, for bothering me with his incipid childishness

"Oh I didn't get the item I wanted, at the price I wanted to pay, No fair"

man, how pathetic is that attitude? 
I'd like to buy a new house for 10 bucks... should I whine about it?


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Does this brown Tjet camaro with the broken bump fall into this madness area?

This is what I pay for 1:1 cars! ...And the bidder SNIPED it to boot, hey!  

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110198931139&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

Joe, what you walked away from this deal?

!!!! Buying a slot car like that, from a picture, for that amount of money - if I were to think about dropping that kind of coin on an auction, instead I think I'd take my stash to a big show instead and pick and choose. I'd think flashing a grand+ looking for one car would motivate some sellers to pull some stuff off the shelf, might find something just as rare and get a better deal, maybe have more fun in the process too. 

Did boosa14 bid $11 on it?

Despite the latest advertising campaign, ebay is really pretty simple. Put in what you want to pay, give everybody else the least amount of time possible to mull over your bid. Somehow I don't expect "victorious" to mean who can spend the most. If that's the case just bid $1000 on every slot car you want, be ultra victorious and win 99.9% of them - except for brown camaros apparently. Whew.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

videojimmy said:


> I like to bid early on many auctions. I offer up my dream bid and then watch it from there.


Thats pretty much what I do also. If I get in an 'ebay' mood, I put a lot of early bids, at prices that I would very happy to get the product with. Most of the time, I am outbid by the following day. Sometimes, it comes down to the last moment before I am outbid. And sometimes (actually never) I win the bid.

But that's ok with me. It's like leaving Las Vegas even.


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## slikstr (Nov 5, 2005)

its the shipping that gets ya also. if there is something that i really want i put it into my faves and i will probably look at it 5 to 10 times and then realize its 9.50 to ship. ouch for the 5.00 car (if youre lucky) so now im into it for 15 bucks and week for the car. for 6 to 8 bucks more i can go to one of four hobby stores within 1/2 hour drive and i have a new car. my office is 4 blocks from the better hobby shop so most of the time i stop after work on company gas. so anyway maybe this is why im still waiting to get my thunderbird or the mercury cyclone i cant see spending even 15.00 on the car and all the shipping when i really just want the bodies (maybe im crazy i dont know) eventually everybody will have one and i will get lucky and be the only bidder. when i do the search engine most of them send you right back to the bay. arghh!! at least i can get new cars for 21.00 to 26.00 bucks and race them the same day


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## BewstdGT (Jan 4, 2005)

Not to mention, the local hobby shops NEED our business desperately. Our local place got shut down this summer because he was losing money hand over fist. It used to be packed every weekend for racing and all summer long for his outdoor r/c stuff. Hobbies in general are a dying breed locally because the economy sucks something awful (even tho Bush ensures us its doing great LOL). So its worth it to pay a few bucks more for a quality product from the local guy so he can keep paying his bills and offer a place to race or buy parts. Egay is retarded anymore. You see some of the collector AFX and T-Jet stuff go for $100 and I just laugh. ITS A SLOT CAR YOU MORONS haha. Its a guarenteed loss as an investment. But hey if those clowns are dumb enough to pay double for stuff the smart folks selling their stuff will be happy.


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

I hear what you guys are saying, but in some places, there are no hobby shops where you can get what you need. Here's a story of something that just recently happened to me. 

Within the last few weeks, I go to two of the largest hobby stores in Northern Delaware. One store carries nothing but 1/32 Scalextric. The other had Carrera and SCX. I was able to get a 9" straight section of Life Like track at this second store, if I was so inclined. Bear in mind, when I said "a", I meant "a", but I digress. 

Just last week, I call a small local shop just to see if he has what I need (some Tomy 15" curves) He says he has them in the back. Bingo. I drive over during lunch as he is only 5 -10 minutes from my office. He takes me in the back of the shop where he has a pile of used Tyco, MM and Life Like track co-mingled. Then he tells me the problem is that Tomy is "out of business". I point to a Tomy AFX RaceMasters Super Coupes set that he has sitting on the shelf and told him that I know they just released some new sets recently (Big D and Long Beach)......and he insists that Tomy went belly up and anything found new in it's box is NOS from before they went (his words) POOF. 

Being that I grew up in Philly, I know of a hobby shop in NE Philly where I can get Tomy track, but that's a 100 mile round trip drive from where I now live. In some cases, the shipping is much cheaper than the gas!! And I can spend the time waiting for it to arrive working on other things, instead of spending time in the car.

All that said, I would be sooooo happy if there were a local shop here that knew the hobby and carried the supplies I'd like to acquire.

PS this is the second time I've encountered a misinformed shop dealer. Last summer, my wife and I stopped in to a prominent dealer's shop during a day trip to spend a summer day strolling the historic district in Old City Philadelphia. He carried only Carrera 1/32 and told me "AFX" was out of business. What's that all about? Anyway, since we were already in the city, we drove up to the Northeast and went to Allied Hobby. Picked up my SI set there, and several additional cars. They also had new track pairs hanging on the display pins. Out of business, eh?


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## slikstr (Nov 5, 2005)

i do consider myself lucky with these hobby shops close by. i did not mention the train only stores there are 4 of them that i know of. they dont seem to be interested in slots but if i switch from slot to train i am in. a nascar collectable store that had some older slot stuff on the shelves, he said he hasnt sold any of the stuff he has (had) in over a year. not to change the subject though


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*No crying in Baseball...or E-bay*

Like VJ said, I try and get in early on things I'm really interested in, but abstain from needlessly bidding up during the frenzy period.

If I'm in early you can bank on a head shot in the final seconds unless the auction has been upbidded into the stratosphere AKA the "Moron Zone" Bewsted mentioned previously.

For items that have slipped by, I'm not remiss about squeezing off a shot in the final seconds; but it's few and far between. Guaranteed if I see one of our members in the hunt I'll drop them a note and see if we can divy the spoils.

The peewhine note that VJ recieved tickles my funny bone no end. If I happen to gun you down...or if you happen to gun me down...just say what I always say, "Nice shot man!" 

It's really nuthin' personal.


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

Bill Hall said:


> The peewhine note that VJ recieved tickles my funny bone no end. If I happen to gun you down...or if you happen to gun me down...just say what I always say, "Nice shot man!"
> 
> It's really nuthin' personal.


True. I'm sometimes amazed at the number of people who just don't get it.


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

"Its a guarenteed loss as an investment."

That may be true for most slot cars but AFX/Tomy GTP cars would have been an excellent investment over the past two years as per the recent auctions by "ez2me". The Nissans each went for well over $100 and I got mine for significantly less just a couple years ago.

Those auctions get pretty lively down the stretch.


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## slikstr (Nov 5, 2005)

is this what you would call madness? or am i crazy http://cgi.ebay.com/SLOT-CARS_W0QQi...oryZ2619QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Xence (Oct 2, 2007)

I saw that auction too when they first put it on and the first thing I thought was "what in god's green earth is that all about?" Whoever that is, if I remember correctly, has a bunch of auctions for that insane price. These people MUST be betting on people's ignorance about the hobby and hoping to nail the unwary.


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

Xence said:


> I saw that auction too when they first put it on and the first thing I thought was "what in god's green earth is that all about?" Whoever that is, if I remember correctly, has a bunch of auctions for that insane price. These people MUST be betting on people's ignorance about the hobby and hoping to nail the unwary.


EXACTLY, hoping to catch a shark in the ducky pond.


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

*Don't be short-sighted*

"Its a guarenteed (sic) loss as an investment.". 

If someone wants to call their old slot cars little "investments" more power to them. The only way anyone would ever know the return on said investments is if they were accounted for and posted- anybody want to volunteer? But: No fees, no insurance or taxes. And if you bought wisely you can be fairly assured that when you resell you can come out better than putting that money in a bank savings account and drawing that big 1/4 of 1% interest, or the 5% annual CD interest, or whatever you make and pay taxes on in that mutual fund LOL. Plus, with slot cars the fun and enjoyment you derive from them are FREE every day you have them, way more fun than anything you can do with a certificate (paper airplane?). That's better than recreation, it's therapeutic man!

Beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder. Geez, look what people pay now for stuff we used to throw away, stuff that many people still do throw out, donate, or sell for change at garage sales. People make a living reselling other's "junk," and that's more than investing, it's feeding your family.

You want to buy something "collectible" at or above top retail and expect to get all your money back and more? Good luck to the delusional, unless it's one of a kind, and even then you better hope it doesn't end up like Michael Vick or Barry Bonds memorobilia...... It all comes down to being a smart investor - buy AND sell wisely and you won't likely come out behind. Funny, every investment advertisement - even our state sponsored college plan - says "you may lose money." 

For a while old model trains went for big bucks in the antique malls, etc., the buyers got smarter as a group and the owners now all moan about how the bottom fell out. They were selling rusty junk for real money, now they can't. I'm sure that the AFX car that gets big bucks today won't sometime in the future. I am also reasonably sure that the original t jet I bought for $10 or so and cleaned up will bring a good bit more than what I have in it if I take a nice picture and stick it on ebay now or for some time to come. Of course, that means I would actually have to sell it..... Noooooo!

Rant done, thank you. :woohoo:


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## martybauer31 (Jan 27, 2004)

There's 2 kinds of bidding I agree with on ebay, the early bid like Bill mentions, or the last second snipe, I prefer the latter myself. That being said, if some knucklehead wants to spend 3 times the amount something is worth then let them have it. I was that guy at one time because I was uninformed and excited about retrieving a long lost piece of my past. It's not really that big a deal, and I have gotten my share of bargains since then. The buyer decides the value of an item, it's really that simple.

But if people are collecting these things with the hopes that they will be worth more money than what they spent, I have a bunch of long boxes of comic books and baseball cards I would love to sell you. =)


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## Ligier Runner (Nov 29, 2004)

I agree regarding the thoughts of "buying your retirement account" as I call it. Hobby collecting such as toys (and that's what slots are), is a funny and cyclical endeavor. The market can be going strong for a year or two and then suddenly it's not the hot deal any more. 

I've never collected/bought things in the hopes they would increase in such a way as to fund a year off from work or something. Call me pessimistic or realistic. 

In the end, it's "to each his own" and "one man's junk is another man's treasure". If someone is willing to spend the bucks to acquire an item, there is always someone willing to sell it for said bucks.

Oh, and lest we forget the great PT Barnum - "There's a sucker born every minute". :tongue:


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

I call you realistic. Although I can't say I never......more like, "live and learn". 

There's certainly nothing wrong if someone wants to buy something based on speculation of the item's future value. To each his own. It's just not what I am interested in. I dabbled a bit with that in another hobby, but what I learned is ultimately, there's a limit to the amount of discretionary funds I'm willing to sink into a hobby or collection. The trap I seemed to fall in was that I would buy something based on speculation and not because I wanted it. Then the thing I wanted shows up after the money is spent. 

Also, too many people who buy on speculation act like it's going to make them rich. That's where it starts to get silly. 

These days, I just consider myself a collector. Someone who buys things to have them, not to sell them for a profit later. You can bet that nowadays, if I buy it, it's because it is something that appeals to me personally, and that I want added to my "collection". 

As for future value, I'll leave that for my family to worry about after the funeral.


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## Xence (Oct 2, 2007)

I agree with alot of what's been posted since I started this thread. Moreso than not I'm just in shock at the price that people pay for some cars that I know can be had for much less. That was my main point on most of this. Just recently, and don't ask the auction number because I have no idea I saw a car go for like 3 times what I saw it for not even a week before. 

Like alot of people here have to say about that.... more power to them. Just amazes me is my only point. I guess the "gotta have it now" thing gets to people more than I would have originally thought. Again though, whatever floats your boat.

Cheers,
Xence


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## Ligier Runner (Nov 29, 2004)

I gotta believe that for some people, epay becomes an addiction of sorts. My wife thinks I'm addicted to it but if I was, I would have a whole lot more than just 22 feedback posts in the 3 years I've been buying things.

Ninety-five percent of the time, I'm looking for deals. If it isn't, I'm not interested. Hence only 22. :lol:


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## joejoeguns (Nov 11, 2007)

The only thing I'm salty about is losing out on that 1960 300sl vibe last night,lol.I wouldn't go that extra dollar,but what I really want is a 190sl in baby blue to match the one in my dads garage.oh well the search continues.I think E-bay is a healthy exercise in self control.................ya thats it.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

Check this out.... I had something up for auction last week. After it sold some guy contacts me and asks me if I have another item for sale and if so, he'd like to buy it. So I out it up on ebay and the clown didn't bid on it. That's the 3rd time that's happened to me in the last few weeks. Man, I hate that crap. Talk about wasting my time and money.

I wrote the guy telling him not to contact me again. I hate having my balls busted


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

videojimmy said:


> Check this out.... I had something up for auction last week. After it sold some guy contacts me and asks me if I have another item for sale and if so, he'd like to buy it. So I out it up on ebay and the clown didn't bid on it. That's the 3rd time that's happened to me in the last few weeks. Man, I hate that crap. Talk about wasting my time and money.
> 
> I wrote the guy telling him not to contact me again. I hate having my balls busted


Maybe the guy was looking to do a direct transaction outside of the bay? Of course, if he wanted to do that, he probably should have made that clear. 

Just a thought.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I made him that offer before I relisted the item, he didn't reply. I'm not going to sell my DVD's on ebay for a while, it's not worth the aggravation. Between ebay fees and Paypal's cut, I only make a few bucks on each one anyway.

I will be selling some cars over the next few weeks though, so keep an eye out for them.


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