Price Too Good to be true?

[ford46guy]

My fuel pump went out on the MGM. At 185K, it lived its life.
If there was less rust I would probably spring for the MOTORCRAFT one, it is 250 on RA.

But, I decided to go with the Bosch Hanger..I could replace the pump but I had the sender jump around in the past. I have the digital dash.

Lowest price I can find from a reputable dealer is about $120.(RA, Autozone, etc)
Then I find this on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bosch-Fuel...d-Lincoln-Mercury-1997-2000/361271158047
Selling for $72.

Now, that sounds great, I say maybe a closeout. But I see him selling brands for prices that are just too good to be true (sometimes 1/2 RA price). I looked up the bare pumps, A $55 Bosch Pump sells for $30.

He also sells his own branded stuff. Now, he could be an amazing source to buy parts, or something is real fishy. Maybe it is closeout with no warranty (he warranties the product).

 

[bubbatime]

He has sold over 153,000 items with 99.6 positive feedback rating. He seems like a legit seller. I wouldn't be worried.

The online guys have no overhead. He likely just drop ships everything, so he doesnt have to warehouse ($$) stuff.

So, you order from him, he orders it from his parts warehouse network, and you get your item in 5 -10 days.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted by bubbatime
He has sold over 153,000 items with 99.6 positive feedback rating. He seems like a legit seller. I wouldn't be worried.

The online guys have no overhead. He likely just drop ships everything, so he doesnt have to warehouse ($$) stuff.


+1.

Can't do that volume and have that rating and be bent. My other insight into this is buying parts like this which seem "too good to be true." They are, because they are the OE manufacturer selling them out the back-door, with the name removed.

Example: I bought a Honda Accord oil control valve for their vvt tech for 1/4 the price off ebay, for a friend's car. When it came, it was the genuine Keihin (OE manufacturer) part, but had the keihin logo ground off after casting, presumably by the OE Chinese manufacturer, before back-dooring them to re-sellers. The "genuine Honda packaging" was likely fake, but the part was real. Welcome to internet commerce.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted by Or
Originally Posted by bubbatime
He has sold over 153,000 items with 99.6 positive feedback rating. He seems like a legit seller. I wouldn't be worried.

The online guys have no overhead. He likely just drop ships everything, so he doesnt have to warehouse ($$) stuff.


+1.

Can't do that volume and have that rating and be bent. My other insight into this is buying parts like this which seem "too good to be true." They are, because they are the OE manufacturer selling them out the back-door, with the name removed.

Example: I bought a Honda Accord oil control valve for their vvt tech for 1/4 the price off ebay, for a friend's car. When it came, it was the genuine Keihin (OE manufacturer) part, but had the keihin logo ground off after casting, presumably by the OE Chinese manufacturer, before back-dooring them to re-sellers. The "genuine Honda packaging" was likely fake, but the part was real. Welcome to internet commerce.

But when Honda, GM, etc. have parts made in China they get what they get. Serves them right.

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted by Or
Originally Posted by bubbatime
He has sold over 153,000 items with 99.6 positive feedback rating. He seems like a legit seller. I wouldn't be worried.

The online guys have no overhead. He likely just drop ships everything, so he doesnt have to warehouse ($$) stuff.


+1.

Can't do that volume and have that rating and be bent. My other insight into this is buying parts like this which seem "too good to be true." They are, because they are the OE manufacturer selling them out the back-door, with the name removed.

Example: I bought a Honda Accord oil control valve for their vvt tech for 1/4 the price off ebay, for a friend's car. When it came, it was the genuine Keihin (OE manufacturer) part, but had the keihin logo ground off after casting, presumably by the OE Chinese manufacturer, before back-dooring them to re-sellers. The "genuine Honda packaging" was likely fake, but the part was real. Welcome to internet commerce.

That is not a new practice. Aisn does it with waterpumps. They grind off Toyota.

But what he is selling is actual retail stuff. So nothing should be ground off.

 

[ford46guy]

I bought it. I can compare it to the Autozone one, I know them in the store. If it looks real bad back it goes.
Who knows with any part today. Everything is probably made in the same china factory. I was looking at a new KIA and I saw sensors that said made in china.

I see the bare ford fuel pump in the $10 dollar range, some sellers are selling 100s of them.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by ford46guy
Everything is probably made in the same china factory. I was looking at a new KIA and I saw sensors that said made in china.


All of the Big Three (GM, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler) buy parts from China.

 

[DerbyDave]

You should check out AM Auto parts. I have bought quite a bit from them and have always got top quality stuff. $58.99 for your fuel pump assembly with a 10 year warranty. Shipping is free too.

https://www.am-autoparts.com/products/fuel-pump/AM-28552820.html?m=476&y=1998

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Or
Originally Posted by bubbatime
He has sold over 153,000 items with 99.6 positive feedback rating. He seems like a legit seller. I wouldn't be worried.

The online guys have no overhead. He likely just drop ships everything, so he doesnt have to warehouse ($$) stuff.


+1.

Can't do that volume and have that rating and be bent. My other insight into this is buying parts like this which seem "too good to be true." They are, because they are the OE manufacturer selling them out the back-door, with the name removed.

Example: I bought a Honda Accord oil control valve for their vvt tech for 1/4 the price off ebay, for a friend's car. When it came, it was the genuine Keihin (OE manufacturer) part, but had the keihin logo ground off after casting, presumably by the OE Chinese manufacturer, before back-dooring them to re-sellers. The "genuine Honda packaging" was likely fake, but the part was real. Welcome to internet commerce.



"Third shift" parts is very typical in China. It happens with electronics as well. There's the customer facing supplier who sub-contracts some of the work another factory down the street.

Of course I'm not talking about OE parts which were sold in an OE box and the customer brand (ex, Honda) was ground off the part itself or omitted entirely (ex, oil filters).

 

[BigD1]

I picked up a pair of complete strut assemblies from a seller on Ebay that had lots of sales and very good feedback. $59 shipped for two complete strut assemblies. I thought something was just not right because they were so cheap.

Got the package, and the Gabriel strut assemblies were in sealed boxes with a big label on the box that said Carquest. Gabriel label on the box too that had part number and all that stuff. Apparently, just Carquest closeouts that the seller got cheap, and passed along the savings to me. Only got a 90 day warranty from the seller. RockAuto closeout is only 30 days.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by BigD1
I picked up a pair of complete strut assemblies from a seller on Ebay that had lots of sales and very good feedback. $59 shipped for two complete strut assemblies. I thought something was just not right because they were so cheap.

Got the package, and the Gabriel strut assemblies were in sealed boxes with a big label on the box that said Carquest. Gabriel label on the box too that had part number and all that stuff. Apparently, just Carquest closeouts that the seller got cheap, and passed along the savings to me. Only got a 90 day warranty from the seller. RockAuto closeout is only 30 days.



It's a good deal because closeout struts may already be bad! New old struts are like that sometimes. With it being a quick strut it will be harder to tell.

 

[ragtoplvr]

There are also companies that are not OEM and find the supplier to the OEM of the plastic, castings etc, then develop their own (often other inferior) other internal components.

They grind off the name too. Sometimes. They have done it to us. They even put our hidden internal tracking number in there BUT it obviously was NOT our our mfg.

Assume nothing with China.


Rod

 

[PandaBear]

Hard to say, most likely 3rd shift parts or knockoff that has the genuine identical external parts, or close out (it is for a 2000 mfg date domestic vehicle), or grey market (again, borderline knockoff and 3rd shift).

Another reason is for smuggling money out of China. When they can't get money out legally, people run a business outside of the country exporting and pay cash for their local bills. A lot of manufacturers' real money maker is in smuggling money for their export and real estate side businesses, and they just break even on their manufacturing.