Author Topic: Ebay Hustler (Read 5410 times)

Joe Peters · « **on:** May 19, 2008, 05:30:59 PM »

I just couldn't keep still, when I saw an Ebay ad for a 60th Anniversary Fox .35 that had a 50th Anniversary case that Ebayer "controllinengineman" was selling for $99.99!!!! This was being advertised as a 60th Anniversary Engine! I sent him an Email and advised him that this engine could be had for $65.00 from TOWER. And with a current discount you can buy TWO for a $130.00 less $15.00! He advised me that he was blocking my bidding on any of his engines he would list. Does he really think I would want to do business with him? I just hate to see my fellow modellers taken advantage of. I really thought he would take my message as a "FYI" message. He acknowledged the TOWER price and considered my message HARRASEMENT! I think I will contact FOX tomorrow and see if they are selling 50th case engines as 60th Anniversary models. How can people, keep doing this sort of thing? Hopefully, others will also call him on this. This is the only time I ever addressed this sort of thing. Any additional thoughts on this?

Joe Peters
AMA269

Tom Hagler · « **Reply #1 on:** May 19, 2008, 06:42:49 PM »

I never buy anything from the seller you mention because his prices/starting bids are always too high. Having said that, I don't see anything wrong with selling items for more than you can get them for elsewhere. It's the American way. And it's anybody's right to not buy from people who price too high. As for the question of whether Fox sells 60th anniversary engines in cases that are marked 50th, well, I wouldn't put it past them. I would probably have made the phone call to Fox before posting the message here.

Just my opinion.

Tom

Clancy Arnold · « **Reply #2 on:** May 19, 2008, 07:10:32 PM »

Your story reminds me of that old "Scottish" lullaby,

Buy Low, Sell High,
Buy Low, Sell High!!

Clancy

Joe Peters · « **Reply #3 on:** May 20, 2008, 06:31:07 AM »

Thanks, Tom & Clancy, for your replies. I know I should not of made any comment on this at all. But our mail order vendors help us with some kind of price break and I get upset when I see someone just waiting to rip off another flier. I usually, try to purchase from someone that is in this sport, not just as a merchant but as a participant. And, yes, buy low, sell high if you ONLY want to make a buck.

So, moving on...................... keep your lines tight. I guess, I at least got to stir up the pot.

Joe Peters
AMA 269
MECA470

Clancy Arnold · « **Reply #4 on:** May 20, 2008, 06:37:33 AM »

Joe, Tom

Buy Low, Sell High would be nice, But.

To be able to stay in business as a vendor in this arena, you must buy high (quality) and sell low (profit).

Clancy

Keith Spriggs · « **Reply #5 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:06:18 AM »

As Julius Caesar once said "Caveat emptor. Latin for "Let the buyer beware." Maybe it wasn't him, I never was very good with history. Maybe he was one the one who said "You have just got to taste this salad I made".

Bill Gruby · « **Reply #6 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:31:33 AM »

Gentlemen;

You can buy low and sell high all you want, but it won't be a 60th Anniversary Fox .35 Stunt. I wasn't sure so I called Fox and talked to Sharon. There ain't no such animal. As for the 50th Anniversary Foxes when they use up all the cases for this motor they will start on a 60th Anniversary Fox. Sharon said maybe later this summer. This is straight from the horses mouth.

"Billy G"

EDIT --- I went to ebay and checked on said engine. The paperwork does say 60th Anniversary Fox 35 Stunt. I went back to the phone and called Fox again. Again same answer, no 60th Anniversary Engines have been sold to her knowledge. She is going to check on this for me in case it was a special order. As it stands right now that engine never left the factory. I will let you know as soon as I find out more info from Fox.

Mike Anderson · « **Reply #7 on:** May 20, 2008, 10:19:50 AM »

Quote from: Bill Gruby on May 20, 2008, 09:31:33 AM

Gentlemen;

You can buy low and sell high all you want, but it won't be a 60th Anniversary Fox .35 Stunt. I wasn't sure so I called Fox and talked to Sharon. There ain't no such animal. As for the 50th Anniversary Foxes when they use up all the cases for this motor they will start on a 60th Anniversary Fox. Sharon said maybe later this summer. This is straight from the horses mouth.

"Billy G"

EDIT --- I went to ebay and checked on said engine. The paperwork does say 60th Anniversary Fox 35 Stunt. I went back to the phone and called Fox again. Again same answer, no 60th Anniversary Engines have been sold to her knowledge. She is going to check on this for me in case it was a special order. As it stands right now that engine never left the factory. I will let you know as soon as I find out more info from Fox.

I had a look at the auction in question -- it appears to me that the printed instruction manual that accompanies the engine does indeed say "60th" anniversary edition. It may be that different departments at Fox have not communicated with each other very well. As for the ebay auction, price, or seller I have no knowledge or opinion.

Marvin Denny · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2008, 03:48:42 PM »

HMMM. I don't think that Fox Mfg has printed up any 60th anniversary data and instructions yet. Perhaps someone has produced some bogus paperwork. I did notice that you can't actually see any of the instructions--- only yhe "60th Anniversary" part. HMMM
I myself would be cautious .

Bigiron

Paul Smith · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2008, 05:34:22 PM »

$55 cash at Toledo, and a free hat.

Wayne Collier · « **Reply #10 on:** May 27, 2008, 09:02:26 PM »

my mama told me "You better shop around!"

sorry, I couldn't resist.

....water falls from the sky, but look what it costs in a twenty ounce bottle at a
convienience store.... $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$

And then there's fuel prices $:-\$

Bill Gruby · « **Reply #11 on:** June 14, 2008, 02:38:48 PM »

OK --- This one is directly from FOX. This is the 60th Anniversary Model. No where is there 50th Anniversary marked on this case.

"Billy G"

Leester · « **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2008, 03:18:03 PM »

Well G-Man, I bought one of the new ceramic Fox 35's from Tower and when I received it all the paperwork said 60th Aniv. but the case has 50th aniv on it.

Bill Gruby · « **Reply #13 on:** June 14, 2008, 04:01:48 PM »

I've seen them both Lee, your guess is as good as mine on this one, Fox even seems to be in the dark. This one in the picture was sent to a friend of mine on a trade in deal. Yup he got it for a steal. I don't know what to tell ya?

"Billy G"

Leester · « **Reply #14 on:** June 14, 2008, 04:13:29 PM »

Really don't matter to me whats on the case, as long as whats inside is what I paid for.

Bill Gruby · « **Reply #15 on:** June 14, 2008, 04:17:37 PM »

You're right there Lee. What gets me on this one is the date on the paperwork, yet Fox didn't know it was out there. LOL

"Billy G"

Stan Bidowski · « **Reply #16 on:** June 14, 2008, 07:26:50 PM »

Leester, I don't see any of the new ceramic Fox 35's being sold at Tower. The ones I found them selling
were 50th anniversary, and not ceramic. Are you sure yours was supposed to be ceramic? What did
you pay for yours??
Seeing is believing. I can make out 60th anniversary on the one Billy has posted a pic of. Strange that Fox
doesn't know about it though?? Maybe someone else is making them!

Stan Bidowski

Leester · « **Reply #17 on:** June 14, 2008, 08:10:34 PM »

I ordered one April and it came in stock (limited) and was shipped 5/28 from Reno # 35016 .35 C/L ceramic engine at 124.99 The picture on Towers site is NOT the ceramic 35, at least not the one they sent me.

Bob Disharoon · « **Reply #18 on:** June 15, 2008, 04:54:08 AM »

Leester....that must have been one expensive engine.I guess you'll have to wait for the next retirement check to buy some new underwear

Stan Bidowski · « **Reply #19 on:** June 15, 2008, 09:00:39 AM »

Hey, I just went to Tower and punched in the number 35016. Guess what? The picture shows the
new Fox ceramic 60 stunt engine. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXUHU7&P=7
This just adds to the confusion. I guess Tower doesn't know what a Fox 35 is supposed to look like.

Stan Bidowski

Steve Scott · « **Reply #20 on:** June 15, 2008, 12:18:33 PM »

A week ago this seller was listing this engine for $89.99.

Better hurry, next week it'll be up to $109.99!

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #21 on:** June 15, 2008, 12:41:19 PM »

I looked at the link http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXUHU7&P=7 , and the pic is definitely the .60 stunt, but the tech data (click the link on the left at Tower's page) says .35, and only shows one version of the Fox .35 Stunt, to boot.

Think about how Tower would get a photo of the Fox .60 Stunt...Fox must have sent it to them. Tower doesn't list the Fox .60 Stunt, of course. It would be a nice match for the TF Score, but of course, it's not from the correct hobby conglomerate. Any conglomerate, in fact. But it seems like Fox dropped the ball, OR they have been trying to get Tower to carry the .60 Stunt. Do you suppose there's a way to call/email Tower and request that they carry the .60, to go with the Score, maybe as a combo deal?

Steve

Herb Calvin · « **Reply #22 on:** June 22, 2008, 09:51:25 AM »

I've gotten taken by fellow modelers. Just have to know what your buying. Most fellows are sharp enough not to be taken. Herb Calvin

Dwayne · « **Reply #23 on:** June 22, 2008, 08:44:15 PM »

I just read the feed back on this guy and it's 100% positive...hmmm

Patrick Rowan · « **Reply #24 on:** June 22, 2008, 09:26:52 PM »

I've found sometimes I can get great deals on Ebay & sometimes I get taken!

You put your money down & throw the dice.

Richard Grogan · « **Reply #25 on:** June 22, 2008, 11:06:04 PM »

Quote from: Dwayne Donnelly on June 22, 2008, 08:44:15 PM

I just read the feed back on this guy and it's 100% positive...hmmm

Ebay revised their feedback rating system. Now it only shows negative feedback for the past year, not for the lifetime of being a member as it was before..

wmiii · « **Reply #26 on:** June 22, 2008, 11:12:25 PM »

I just read the feed back on this guy and it's 100% positive...hm

I've purchased 5 motor's from him, they were resonable, and excatly as advertised.

Walter

Andrew Hathaway · « **Reply #27 on:** June 22, 2008, 11:37:17 PM »

Maybe it's me, but isn't it time to cut the seller a break here? It sure looks like the engine could have come from Fox the way he has it listed. And there's nothing wrong with not matching the lowest price available, or blocking potential problematic bidders. It doesn't seem like there's any reason to bad mouth the seller here anymore. Maybe this thread should be deleted?

Dwayne · « **Reply #28 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:35:34 AM »

Quote from: Andrew Hathaway on June 22, 2008, 11:37:17 PM

Maybe it's me, but isn't it time to cut the seller a break here? It sure looks like the engine could have come from Fox the way he has it listed. And there's nothing wrong with not matching the lowest price available, or blocking potential problematic bidders. It doesn't seem like there's any reason to bad mouth the seller here anymore. Maybe this thread should be deleted?

I just bought an engine and I'm waiting fo a Jr Satan, The engine was reasonably priced

Just One-eye · « **Reply #29 on:** June 23, 2008, 06:23:04 AM »

I really, *really* wanted to Hijack this, and resisted. The comment about wanting a Jr. Satan was a very strong memory prod. But I put it here, instead:

http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=9765.msg84683#msg84683

john e. holliday · « **Reply #30 on:** June 23, 2008, 07:42:14 AM »

Quote from: Richard Grogan on June 22, 2008, 11:06:04 PM

Ebay revised their feedback rating system. Now it only shows negative feedback for the past year, not for the lifetime of being a member as it was before..

When I joined the E-Bay thing it was 2 negatives and you were out. Now I see people with at least a dozen negatives and still selling and/or buying. As I told one guy, he needed to learn to read when he tried to give me a negative response. No more, DOC Holliday

Dave Wolfson · « **Reply #31 on:** July 05, 2008, 02:43:04 PM »

Peter. Controllineengineman here. Maybe if you looked more closely at the photo I posted in the listing, you'd see that the instructions sheet does read in big bold letters "60TH ANNIVERSARY MODEL 35 STUNT". So there is no false advertsing here, this is the way it comes direct from Fox Mfg. Yes, Fox still chooses to leave the "50th Anniversary" casting on the case, but it is sold as a 60th Anniversary model. Not sure Tower sells 'em this way, for all we know they are selling older models with the red, white & blue boxes, not the special-edition black & gold box. If the motor's for flying, then by all means go to Tower and save a couple bucks. But if it's for the collection, this motor has been advertised for what it is, customer satisfaction guaranteed. You seem like someone who'd "nitpik" rather than be a serious bidder. Please try to spend more of your free time involved with more constructive tasks, rather than trying to "save the eBay community". eBay is still a fun website to trade in, despite all the new rules and ever-rising fee schedules, because most of the members are good-hearted folks. That's what creates a positive experience for everyone. Ho ho ho...D'oh!!!

Tom Perry · « **Reply #32 on:** July 05, 2008, 03:02:36 PM »

Quote from: Dave Wolfson on July 05, 2008, 02:43:04 PM

Peter. Controllineengineman here. Maybe if you looked more closely at the photo I posted in the listing, you'd see that the instructions sheet does read in big bold letters "60TH ANNIVERSARY MODEL 35 STUNT". So there is no false advertsing here, this is the way it comes direct from Fox Mfg. Yes, Fox still chooses to leave the "50th Anniversary" casting on the case, but it is sold as a 60th Anniversary model. Not sure Tower sells 'em this way, for all we know they are selling older models with the red, white & blue boxes, not the special-edition black & gold box. If the motor's for flying, then by all means go to Tower and save a couple bucks. But if it's for the collection, this motor has been advertised for what it is, customer satisfaction guaranteed. You seem like someone who'd "nitpik" rather than be a serious bidder. Please try to spend more of your free time involved with more constructive tasks, rather than trying to "save the eBay community". eBay is still a fun website to trade in, despite all the new rules and ever-rising fee schedules, because most of the members are good-hearted folks. That's what creates a positive experience for everyone. Ho ho ho...D'oh!!!

Dave,

I've seen them come both ways and not just a picture. Bill Gruby's friend is a member of my club and he brought it to the last meeting for "show and tell". Had 60th embossed right on the bypass. I think its really a plot by Fox Manufacturing to make sure the serious collector has to buy two engines to complete a full set.

Dave Wolfson · « **Reply #33 on:** July 09, 2008, 06:29:17 PM »

You are probably correct. Guess Fox was using up their "50 Anniverary" crankcases...gotta get me one of them 60 cases soon! D'oh d'oh d'oh!!!