how do the guys on ebay offer such low prices on rc parts?

[TypeONegative]

i see lots of new parts removed from new rc cars, i buy many of them how do they manage to make mony with this? I'm interested in trying it do i buy a new rc truck and just sell each parts as a pair and ill double my money? say i bought a revo 3.3 for say 500 even, would i profit 2-3 hundred on this or would it take forevet, help please thanks, not so much interested for the money just to spare time and make a little money

 

[cbaker65]

i see lots of new parts removed from new rc cars, i buy many of them how do they manage to make mony with this? I'm interested in trying it do i buy a new rc truck and just sell each parts as a pair and ill double my money? say i bought a revo 3.3 for say 500 even, would i profit 2-3 hundred on this or would it take forevet, help please thanks, not so much interested for the money just to spare time and make a little money

Not sure ,but I see that a lot of chop shops disappeared on ebay an parts have went up!

 

[olds97_lss]

Not sure ,but I see that a lot of chop shops disappeared on ebay an parts have went up!

Yeah, I've noticed that as well. Traxxas e-revo diffs went up quite a bit. I have 3 3.3 revo diffs in my drawer, wish I had bought e-revo diffs at the time. Pretty sure I paid around $24 for mine. The e-revo diffs have a bar in them for the spider gears which makes them tougher. They sell for closer to $40 shipped now.

 

[TypeONegative]

thanks guys, i will instead try to build trucks to sell, big block revos in particular, thoughts?

 

[bifft it]

parting something out usually nets a good profit, except when it comes to epig. unless you can move mass quantities at pennies profit per sale

Epig chopshops have dissapeared because the new owners of HPI refuse to release or manufacture new models and parts for existing models and get the parts supply going. Ever try to find a new boxxed savage X or XL to buy lately? they are extinct! there is no supply for the chop-shops to get their savage parts from.even hobbyshops can't get hpi parts. ALTHOUGH the savage flux XL parts are starting to show up on epig, but that is virtually a new line for HPI

selling Ebay is a losing proposition EVERYTIME for smalltime sellers as the cheap-ass gold diggers of todays society will not pay 15-20% over cost to buy stuff, hell, they will not even pay close to what its actually worth. most buyers dont even realize the high fees associated woth selling on epig, so unless you are willing to operate at a loss, stay away from selling on epig as a pastime

charges to sell on ebay:
10% off the top of final value fee AND 10% off the shipping fees you can sell 50 items a month without listing fees, but those fees are miniscule compared to 'final value" fees
5% is paypals cut
nevermind the shipping fees of $30-50$ for a complete savage USPS (the cheapest of the 3 shippers)mailed somewhere in the USA

A good example:
I recently bought 6-1tb HP 3.5" midline scsi drives for a server i am trying to get running. I didnt pay close enough attention to ad and bought them. My server uses 2.5" laptop drives and not the full size 3.5" drives. paid $425 for the 6 with free shipping
place i bought them from wanted a 20% restock fee AND re-imersment of shipping charges if i sent them back.
I decided to put them on ebay and sold them for $460/ free shipping.
when they sold:
UPS got $33.89 shipped to florida
paypal got $20.54
ebay got $46.00
_____________
charges from final sale price $100.43 and not included is my time, cost for shipping materials, gas from my house to shipping company

MAJOR FAIL...................................
.$460-$100.43 =$359.57
$425-$359.57 =$65.43 loss on that purchase/sale

you are going to lose close to 22% right off the top of each sale to pay other people for their charges($100.43 divided by $460)

I am eeebbaysystemsux on ebay...look me up

 

[Certified Mike]

The main issue I see is that you are going to find that most kits sell certain parts very quickly... The parts most likely to break in collisions or the 'weak link' in the drivetrain. Obviously you can only sell the parts once so you need to determine which of those parts are the ones you want to get the absolute most you can get for them without going too high and never selling them. Then of course are the things like the bodies, tires and wheels, engines etc that aren't necessarily only going to fit that kit or model of that kit. If you're looking for fast turn around with your money, you're not likely to do it this way imo. Once you get a rythm down and your pricing right with a bunch of kits in stock, you'll find that you have money tied up in what you have in stock BUT you're selling parts every day so the money is moving and the sales start to come in daily... It will eventually start to turn a profit.
I ran a auto and truck salvage yard for years... I would say I have some decent experience in this field. Although the product is different, it's pretty much as close as you're going to get.
Good luck!

 

[Certified Mike]

Problems I see building trucks is that you're competing with the pricing on used trucks. Ppl will usually go for the low dollar and try to save. Not everyone out there is selling junk that needs a ton of rebuilding. There are DEF good deals to be had out there. Like anything, it's VERY difficult to buy things new, modify to what YOU see as the 'best' or the 'right' parts/way etc... and then sell it with a profit margin that takes into account your labor etc... You put on XYZ tires and XYZ engine... The purchaser wants only ABC tires and ABC engine. Then the profits... A brand new kit costs 400, then you put in the engine for 200, then 200 in parts... Already, there is a guy who put that same money in for MOST of what you installed and he is selling it for 600. Even tho he used it for 6 months, he used it and maintained it like he loved it... Even tho it got used, he planned on keeping it for years... Problem is, HE just found out his girlfriend is pregnant and he needs to sell his toys for Dr. Appointments etc...
See, there are a MILLION stories like this... It happens ALL the time! There are too many deals out there for you to be able to compete with on any level. If anything, you may be able to establish yourself as a builder... Even then, you would be competing with hobby shops who WILL build to suit their customers and they are buying their parts at hobby shop (wholesale) prices. Their mark up is included in the sale price before they turn the first screw. They tack on another $100 to build the kit per order from their customer and they have just made a KILLER profit in parts and labor... Are you gonna tie up $800 in kit and parts for $100 in profit that may or may not sell in a week, month or year??? There are better ways to make a buck and they are Def more consistently gonna turn that dollar! Spend the $800 on a lawnmower! (i don't mean that as an insult either!) you're more likely to make that $100 back doing lawns for your neighbors!
I'm sorry. I don't mean to shoot down your ideas... I just see the holes in the plan and is rather tell you why I don't think it will work rather than hearing you failed. As with all members here, I wish everyone the best of luck.