Why do so many sellers on eBay part out individual parts? I'm trying to find a rear hub for my 350f build and all I can find are individual pieces such as only the hub, or maybe the brake shoe actuator, or missing a bolt. This is so frustrating! Is there really all that much money in parting out "parts"? Why can't anyone just sell a complete rear brake assembly?
Frustrated Camelman
I've noticed this too. You see a lot less complete assemblies than you used to.
I agree, I often look at ebay and wonder wtf would you tear a reasonably good engine down to its component pieces and try to sell it one bolt and gear at a time?
Imho, the motivation for this behavior is:
1. Profit - The perception that the individual parts are worth more than the whole. (See #3)
2. Lower shipping costs - Higher shipping costs these days discourage buyers and cut into sellers potential profit. Smaller items cost less to ship.
3. Ignorance - The seller just doesn't really understand what they are selling or how to value an item.
(Except if it's from a Honda it's worth gold!)
In many cases I get the impression that a lot of the high-volume sellers are probably just hiring people to tear down the bikes and list the parts.
(mrmonkyclaw comes to mind.)
These people may just assume more parts=more listings=more sales.
The other factor to consider, if a seller is parting out a bike they paid little for they may not care how much of the bike they sell, they just want a quick return.
Tear down a good engine and manage to only sell a couple of gears, just chunk the rest into the scrap bin if it doesn't sell after a period of time.
Who's got space to inventory and store all that stuff?
I dunno, who knows what people are thinking.
