Used Parts Ethics

[Yorkie]

Question - If I placed a wanted ad for parts - say cylinder heads - and a guy sells me some that turn out to be junk with deep cracks, should he be obliged to take them back or is it on me for being a sucker? Just curious as to what the etiquette is?

[drcoastline]

First and foremost Caveat Emptor. That being said I am assuming you are questioning etiquette here on Pelican? Since we are all enthusiasts you would assume the cracks would be disclosed so it's on you. If not I would take them back, pending how long you have had them.

[Yorkie]

Actually its not someone on this forum. I've had nothing but great experiences as both a buyer and a seller with this group. I've had the parts (Norton motorcycle parts) a few months and just got word form the machine shop that they are junk due to cracks. I've sold a few parts on ebay over the years and never had a problem making a refund if the buyer was not happy. I've also had some A**hole buyers as well !

[1990C4S]

I sold an old engine that was not as good as I thought it was.

I shipped him new parts, and I paid the freight.

But, buyer beware. It sounds like he KNEW they were junk, If I sell something I am not 100% sure of I say 'as is, where is, no refunds'.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Actually its not someone on this forum. I've had nothing but great experiences as both a buyer and a seller with this group. I've had the parts (Norton motorcycle parts) a few months and just got word form the machine shop that they are junk due to cracks. I've sold a few parts on ebay over the years and never had a problem making a refund if the buyer was not happy. I've also had some A**hole buyers as well !

A few months is getting a bit long. Don't know I would take something back after a few months. A week or ten days I would take the parts back and give a refund.

[Dantilla]

I really prefer local, face-to-face deals. Look closely at the parts, hand over cash.

Kudos to John Walker's swap meets!

[ckelly78z]

I was selling a lot of Datsun Z parts about 10 years ago, and parted out an 83 ZX turbo with the hood ducts. A guy bought the hood ducts about 10 years ago, and then moved 2 times a couple hundred miles at a time. He left me an email 7 years later, that he finally got around to opening the box, and the plastic mounting clips had broken (pieces were in the box), and wondered what I was going to do about it....I laughed LOL !

[cabmandone]

About the only thing you can do is ask if they'll refund. An HONEST seller will refund. One of the keys to online parts buying is ask for pictures. If you aren't satisfied ask for even more pictures and request high resolution pics. A good seller shouldn't mind providing plenty of pictures.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Question - If I placed a wanted ad for parts - say cylinder heads - and a guy sells me some that turn out to be junk with deep cracks, should he be obliged to take them back or is it on me for being a sucker? Just curious as to what the etiquette is?

The parts should be as represented. If he led you to believe they were good, he needs to make sure they are good. If he did not make any suggestion of condition that would be considered misleading, it's on you.

[DanielDudley]

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

[Don Ro]

OK, how about this.
It took the machine shop to identify the cracks...you didn't see them (I guess) so you can only assume the seller didn't see them.

[Baz]

This is where the phrase "As is" comes into play.

"Norton cylinder heads....appear to be in good shape. Sold as is."

Conversely....the ad may say "Refunds offered if seller is not satisfied"

It's all in the fine print.

[DanielDudley]

If you are buying cylinder heads for say, a WRX, if you are knowledgeable, you will know they are prone to cracking and you will check. That doesn't men they didn't come off of a running car. It just means they are not going to be suitable for machining or a rebuild.

If you buy them from a junk yard, they will give you a 30 or 90 day warranty. That's it. Buying from a private seller, it helps if you have some idea what to check. It never hurts to contact the seller. What's the worst that can happen?

Only you know when t is time to move on.

[sc_rufctr]

If there's something wrong with an item I own, I'd rather throw it away than try to sell it to someone. But obviously not everyone is like me.

Second hand engine parts are always risky.

I'd only buy from a wrecking yard with some sort of warranty that the item is serviceable.

[onewhippedpuppy]

How were they advertised? If the seller claimed that they had been crack checked, that’s way different than simply saying they “look good”. Being that a machine shop found the cracks I have to assume they weren’t visible?

[T77911S]

he should take them back at his expense.
he should inspect them or any other parts before selling.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Actually its not someone on this forum. I've had nothing but great experiences as both a buyer and a seller with this group. I've had the parts (Norton motorcycle parts) a few months and just got word form the machine shop that they are junk due to cracks. I've sold a few parts on ebay over the years and never had a problem making a refund if the buyer was not happy. I've also had some A**hole buyers as well !

A few days, I'd say you get a refund... a few months... nope, not a chance.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

Laughing..so true

[manbridge 74]

Consider the machine shop in this as well. They could’ve cracked the heads installing new guides etc and are trying to shift blame.

[mepstein]

As you can see, it varies with every buyer, seller, part and situation. I always try to work out issues if I sell a part and buyer isn’t satisfied but a used part is a used part (especially when sold as-is) unless seller and buyer agree to something during the sale.