USA vs UK eBay sellers --- a find for parts worth mentioning

[Discseven]

Lumping all USA eBay sellers into a group under a dark umbrella is not necessarily fair but for the sake of discussion, am doing it here. On more than a few occasions I’ve been stung by US eBay purchases. Times when I had a gripe, the sellers proved arrogantly defensive. Seemed cloned behaviour as if they had taken the same F-the-customer class. I say this not to vent my sour learning curve concerning eBay but to promote a positive… notably a stumble across the Atlantic to the UK. I was hunting for flag mirror parts for my 1980 911 and while I don’t usually source used parts from across the ocean I looked into this place, Rare Porsche Parts, on an eBay whim.

After a few emails, it was apparent this eBay seller was not schooled in the F-the-customer class as the USA eBay crew (that I have dealt with) suggest they are. And pardon me if you are a respectable USA eBay seller—again, I’m umbrellaing only to make a point. The fellow at Rare Porsche Parts I dealt with is Gergo Varro. I think he’s the owner or partner but am not sure. In any case, here’s a character who when he says he’ll do something… he does it. Reliably so. I eventually asked him for exactly what I wanted as I don't need the entire flag mirror assembly.



… Only the motor assembly, harness and rubber boots for both side mirrors. “In a perfect world,” I said to Gergo, “I want the motors guaranteed to be working, the cords in good condition, and the rubber boots complete and no rot.” He got back to me, “The perfect world exists.” He sent me photos to confirm the parts. Perfect indeed. The cost, very reasonable I think, $150. For the set including shipping. Then he refunded me $12 saying his quote was off. Who does that?! What I received, I tested immediately and indeed the motors worked properly and everything was in fine condition as he promised it would be.

This, unfortunately, is not the eBay norm as I have experienced it. Gergo is an exceptional person. A genuine pleasure to deal with. In a word, integrous. I mentioned to him there being a clear distinction between how he does eBay business and how the USA eBay sellers I’ve dealt with do it. He said he “knows about this" as others have said the same to him.

If you’re looking for used Porsche parts, I highly recommend Gergo. He’s an impressive resource.
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[jhynesrockmtn]

That is good to know. I just bought a German Market BMW 323Ti. It's the E36 hatchback that was available in the US as the 318Ti, but with M52 6 cylinder. Finding parts is a bit of a challenge. I will explore some UK or German based sellers.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Always good to hear about good sellers. My experience has been that the closer the seller is to the enthusiast end of the spectrum, the more willing they are to help. Sounds like Gergo knows his stuff, so I suspect he may be doing this as much for love as money.

[matthewb0051]

I'm that bad eBay buyer. When I lived in Germany in early 2000s, I had a Euro Spec E34 M5 (that I later imported to the US and 'converted').

I was looking for a second set of those throwing star M5 wheels for my snow tires. Stuff back then was plentiful and cheap. I won the auction and the seller apparently didn't realize it was an auction. When I got to their house with the higher amount of money based upon the end price of the auction, they said cost was only their starting price for the auction. I gladly paid the lower amount and my buddy and I beat feat.