parts pricing question

[Lunatic]

Whats the going rate for a set of carbs for a '81 xS11? the little rubber tip is broken off of the enrichener arm, but other than that, they need nothing. They would probably need to be synronized on whatever bike they were put on, I suppose, but they're on a daily rider right now. Was 100 bucks plus shipping too much?

[trbig]

Was 100 bucks plus shipping too much?

Apparently it WASN'T for you? lol. I've seen them go higher and seen them go lower. You can drill a hole in what's left of the enrichener arm and put a knob or something there, so that's no biggie.

No, you didn't get a spectacular bargain, but no, you didn't get taken either.

[tom clisham]

If they worked

If you put them on & they worked, they're a great deal!

Generally, carbs for $100 or less need a lot of elbow grease to function

So, you did well.

[Lunatic]

I didn't buy them for that price, I had them for sale for that price. First he wanted a description (No big deal) then he wanted engine case numbers(I got them) then he wanted a video of the bike running with them on (I said,' enough') and ended the deal. I jsut get tired of jumping through hoops liek that. hHe then took the time to send me a nasty-gramm, saying how overpriced I was on them, and how I had wasted HIS time. Hells, guys, I never know a working rack of carbs for any inline four woudl be worth less than 100 bucks. Figured I'd ask. Shipping was to Canada, so it was going to be expensive to get them to him. He'd have a full 150 dollars into them by the time they were in his hands, but for a bolt on, turn the key and go vroom, set of carbs, even that doesn't seem insulting.

[fredintoon]

I didn't buy them for that price, I had them for sale for that price. First he wanted a description (No big deal) then he wanted engine case numbers(I got them) then he wanted a video of the bike running with them on (I said,' enough') and ended the deal. I jsut get tired of jumping through hoops liek that. hHe then took the time to send me a nasty-gramm, saying how overpriced I was on them, and how I had wasted HIS time. Hells, guys, I never know a working rack of carbs for any inline four woudl be worth less than 100 bucks. Figured I'd ask. Shipping was to Canada, so it was going to be expensive to get them to him. He'd have a full 150 dollars into them by the time they were in his hands, but for a bolt on, turn the key and go vroom, set of carbs, even that doesn't seem insulting.

Hi Lee,
first let me apologise for my fellow Canadian, please believe that only a minority of us are arseholes.
Hey! That must be why we keep electing minority governments.
But I digress.
$100 is a bargain price for a set of good to go carbs and shipping costs are a different discussion entirely.
FWIW, I bought a carb rack from a '79 at the Red Deer swap meet.
The slides are stuck all the way up and all the idler needles are missing but for the $30 I paid for them perhaps they are worth salvaging.

[crazy steve]

Value is in the eye of the beholder....

You see carb racks on eBay in the $100-150 range all the time, so that price isn't out of line IMHO. Personally, unless I saw them on a running bike in person, I would assume they would at least need a good cleaning before I would install them on my bike, but that's me. The buyer has to have realistic expectations about 30 year old parts after all. But an honest seller should make every effort to give an accurate description, then it's up to the buyer to ask the questions they need to satisfy themselves. If the buyer then doesn't like the price, then don't buy, it's pretty simple. It appears your buyer isn't very skilled in the art of negoiation...

When I sell stuff, I make every effort to accurately represent what I'm selling, sometimes making the item appear worse than it is by pointing out every flaw that I see, no matter how minor, but that guarantees a happy buyer.

Shipping is a whole 'nother can of worms....

[tom clisham]

putem on the parts forum

At $100 for a set off a well running machine, They'll sell.

I don't mean a bike that ran well 2 years ago & sat since.

[BA80]

There are a lot of fruitcakes and idiots on ebay. You just have to deal with them the best you can.

I had someone buy from me and then raise hell because the item wasn't as advertised and wanted a partial (most of price) refund and keep it. Completely untrue. I offered to have him return it and I would refund and pay shipping as soon as I recieved the item back in the same condition it was shipped.

All of a sudden the item was fine and the complaint was dropped. He was just playing me for some cash.

[dpotter58]

parts are worth whatever someone will pay for them. There's a seller on ebay now trying to sell used clutch cables for more than twice what you can buy new ones for. Somebody may bite on it. ya never know.

[Lunatic]

At $100 for a set off a well running machine, They'll sell.

I don't mean a bike that ran well 2 years ago & sat since.

Its my daily hauler "pick up truck" (google "flying Breadpan" for photos). I did not however ride it today, the blasted chinese HID failed me this AM when I fired the bike up. Riding in the dark with no headlamp is no fun. Time to put in a good old H4. They always fire.

[DGXSER]

If you had pics of the carbs, showing the mixture screws in good condition, pulled the bowls and showed all the jets in good condition, and bowl towers in good condition, looking clean inside, I would say you were asking at least a fair price. For a set you just cleaned and rejetted, and had running on your bike, you were practically giving them away.