I wouldn't be surprised if the fellow was NOT a lurker on this or other
lists because he/she (let's be inclusive now) offers a wide range of items
for 21 marques of vehicles, not just Vanagons.  Perhaps the fellow is just a
person who feels they want to "cash in" on some sort of online commerce,
probably based on some auction experience (great or small) and just for
argument's sake has a good background in automotive mechanicals (hence the
repair shop) and parts, but might still be a bit naive when it comes to
competitive pricing out there in "net world" & Ebarf.  The "professor" is
not the first and will certainly not be the last to engage in e-commerce of
this type.

Didn't see a Fedex or UPS truck go into their place today, but maybe that's
not to be expected on a daily basis from an alleged "front" such as this.
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
***********************************
On 6/25/07, Sam Conant <samcvt@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> What is amazing is that I assume the fellow or someone from that shop
> surely
> lurks on this list, and no one has come forward with even a meager
> explanation or marketing ploy.  I guess if I lived in that area, and I
> found
> some open doors on an otherwise usual business "day," I'd just bop on in
> and
> ask some questions.
> SamC
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Old Volks Home" <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 5:42 PM
> Subject: Re: eBay Professor for Vanagon parts ...
>
>
> > Definitely a front (see my Sunday evening postings).  I drove by their
> > address across the street from VWG/Airhead Parts again today to see what
> > lurks behind the (now open) 2 roll-up doors.  4 cars inside, 2 on lifts,
> > definitely looks like a repair shop.  Has a Mezzanaine in the back, but
> I
> > see no parts shelves, parts boxes or for that matter parts themselves.
> > Curiouser and curiouser.........
> > --
> > Jim Thompson
> > 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> > 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> > 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
> > 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> > oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> > http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> > ***********************************
> > On 6/25/07, VW Doka <vw.doka@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Of course, I had to look too...
> >>
> >> He is obviously reselling via one of the larger parts importers.  He's
> >> even
> >> using the copyrighted photos from that companies website.
> >>
> >> And Ron is right... his prices actually suck.  The few I looked up (
> >> - 171419812MY, Tie Rod End
> >> - 211611047FEC, Wheel Cylinder
> >> - 025121403B, Expansion Tank
> >> - 251407361MY, Ball Joint
> >>
> >> Are of these parts all marked up well over 100%.
> >>
> >> And shipping....  He is charging $14.60 to ship a ball joint!!  A 1 lb.
> >> part!  And $2.60 for insurance on a $27 item?  This guy is making a lot
> >> money on every aspect of his auctions.
> >>
> >> Good feedback though, so he must give good service.  He should for that
> >> kind
> >> of $$$
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Jeff
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
> >> Of The Bus Depot
> >> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 12:57 PM
> >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >> Subject: Re: eBay Professor for Vanagon parts ...
> >>
> >>
> >> > I came accross this guy on eBay.  He says, he
> >> > has over a million $ worth of inventory and he is
> >> > selling the stuff at the lowest prices I have seen
> >> > so far anywhere.  This guys's eBay seller ID is
> >> > "time_n_money".  Check his store, well organized.
> >>
> >>
> >> Of course I had to go look. :-)  It is a front for a company called GT
> >> International in Ventura, California (never heard of 'em myself).  He
> >> appears to merely be relisting a large wholesaler's catalog, which he
> >> probably orders in as needed or else dropships.  He misspells
> >> "Volkswagon."
> >>
> >>
> >> No bargains here at all. On every Vanagon part in his Ebay store, even
> >> his
> >> "10% off 1-Day Sale" prices are higher than my everyday prices.
> >>
> >> For example, his "10% off" sale price is $18 plus an inflated $13
> >> shipping
> >> for a Mahle ball joint.  But my everyday price for the identical
> product
> >> is
> >> $12.80 with list discount ($13.47 without) plus about half the shipping
> >> cost.  Similarly, he sells Indian made wheel cylinders cost (which he
> >> questionably claims to "meet or exceed OEM specs") for about the same
> as
> >> my
> >> European made ones.  And you could buy a PAIR of rear hatch struts from
> >> me
> >> for about what he charges for just one on his website. Out of
> curiosity,
> >> I
> >> also randomly checked a couple of Jetta parts (since BusDepot.com also
> >> covers all VW models), and found similar results.
> >>
> >> - Ron Salmon
> >> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> >> www.busdepot.com
> >> (215)  234-VWVW
> >>
> >> _____________________________________________
> >> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT