anyone know of esprist on ebay
Discussion
good to know he is apparently not a crook -
I do think he needs to read the exotic car code of conduct though... we are all trying to be nice and all want good deals.. he seems to be a bit pig headed about things and just gives off unpleasant vibes... sure would make a multi-thousand dollare purchase of wheels feel better if the seller was a fun and kind person.....
I do think he needs to read the exotic car code of conduct though... we are all trying to be nice and all want good deals.. he seems to be a bit pig headed about things and just gives off unpleasant vibes... sure would make a multi-thousand dollare purchase of wheels feel better if the seller was a fun and kind person.....
bojangles said:
good to know he is apparently not a crook -
I do think he needs to read the exotic car code of conduct though... we are all trying to be nice and all want good deals.. he seems to be a bit pig headed about things and just gives off unpleasant vibes... sure would make a multi-thousand dollare purchase of wheels feel better if the seller was a fun and kind person.....
See what I mean?
While Jay Ataka may not be the most personable guy but I hear he is an honest person. I had a run in with him a few years ago via e-mail after I out bid him on a sun roof on ebay by $.01 he was not happy and vented a little. He was not aware of the ebay rules which allowed me to beat his bid by $.01. While having e-mail corespondence with him about the Esprit glass roof it became obvious that he has limited skill with the english language or english is a second language to him, From his last name I would assume he is Japanese and that was his primary language for most of his life with Jay being his chosen American name.
It appears he uses the selling of accessories and parts to defray cost associated his Lotus hobby. I feel he sells to make a profit rather than to sell extra parts he has. Until recently he had a white S4s that Ed Gomes from CA now owns. He has a tendancy to sell parts on the high side but still considered a fair price. In other words while it is not "a deal of a life time" he sells for the going price.
Regards to all,
Calvin
It appears he uses the selling of accessories and parts to defray cost associated his Lotus hobby. I feel he sells to make a profit rather than to sell extra parts he has. Until recently he had a white S4s that Ed Gomes from CA now owns. He has a tendancy to sell parts on the high side but still considered a fair price. In other words while it is not "a deal of a life time" he sells for the going price.
Regards to all,
Calvin
Thanks for the input.. but I think that a frequent ebay seller that get ZERO bids on a continuous list of several items for sale with high reserve prices is basically trying to sell for retail in a place where it is supposed to be an auction -----basically a crook trying to prey on uninformed buyers.
there are many cases where a higher than retail price is achieved in an aution but there are normally many bidders and the starting price is low...
a retail reserve price and a zero bid result dont sit well with me ...
... sure there are rules for ebay but if you asked most people why they use ebay it is to find a good Deal. And we lotus enthusiasts are a small group that I dont think need ot be preyed upon.
maybe i am just venting cause i was too fast looking for a good deal and i got a chip that i shouldn't use.....
there are many cases where a higher than retail price is achieved in an aution but there are normally many bidders and the starting price is low...
a retail reserve price and a zero bid result dont sit well with me ...
... sure there are rules for ebay but if you asked most people why they use ebay it is to find a good Deal. And we lotus enthusiasts are a small group that I dont think need ot be preyed upon.
maybe i am just venting cause i was too fast looking for a good deal and i got a chip that i shouldn't use.....
So just because he wants to make money and wont give away a set of wheels for less than what he paid for them makes him a "crook"??? You should really get your facts straight before you slander someone like that. Like I said he sold me a set of wheels for a good price and the transaction was uneventful. That is way more than I expect from the average ebay clown. Also, it is not a sellers responsibility to educate a buyer, you would think someone who is buying a racing chip that retails for $500 for 1/5th the price would do a little research first.
I think Calvin has outlined Jay's outlook precisely.
Jay buys/trades/sells Esprit parts for profit. He has his price in mind and will not go below that. From past Ebay practices his 'auctions' seem to confirm this philosophy. Auctions have ended quite suddenly when bitting is low.
I had spoken to him about purchasing his silver S4 back in 2002 and found him to be very friendly and straightforward. Unfortunately the car had too many miles for my liking and I never pursued the deal.
I am sure that if you did make an arrangement with him to purchase any items that he would follow through. He runs an auto inspection biz and I highly doubt that he would stake his reputation over a few Lotus bits.
A year or so ago he was asking $2800.00 for a set of Novas so he has come down quite a bit. Still, no real fire sale but fairly priced and you will get your stuff. Just make sure you ask all the questions to ensure what ships meets your expectations and needs.
Happy Hunting,
Steve
Jay buys/trades/sells Esprit parts for profit. He has his price in mind and will not go below that. From past Ebay practices his 'auctions' seem to confirm this philosophy. Auctions have ended quite suddenly when bitting is low.
I had spoken to him about purchasing his silver S4 back in 2002 and found him to be very friendly and straightforward. Unfortunately the car had too many miles for my liking and I never pursued the deal.
I am sure that if you did make an arrangement with him to purchase any items that he would follow through. He runs an auto inspection biz and I highly doubt that he would stake his reputation over a few Lotus bits.
A year or so ago he was asking $2800.00 for a set of Novas so he has come down quite a bit. Still, no real fire sale but fairly priced and you will get your stuff. Just make sure you ask all the questions to ensure what ships meets your expectations and needs.
Happy Hunting,
Steve
greezmunky said:
So just because he wants to make money and wont give away a set of wheels for less than what he paid for them makes him a "crook"??? You should really get your facts straight before you slander someone like that. Like I said he sold me a set of wheels for a good price and the transaction was uneventful. That is way more than I expect from the average ebay clown. Also, it is not a sellers responsibility to educate a buyer, you would think someone who is buying a racing chip that retails for $500 for 1/5th the price would do a little research first.
I sort of agree with Greezmunky. Many of us use ebay to find a deal or pay non retail. But these deals are limited to people trying to close out on items gathering dust (spare parts). But I do not consider what Jay Ataka is doing is wrong. It is the American way to sell and maximize his return on product. Market driven pricing is what it is all about.
In a way Jay is not an expert in ebay or I would not have been able to bid snipe him by $.01 for the glass roof with 5 sec left in the auction that prompted his objection e-mail directed at me. I also have seen him buy items low on ebay only to have him relist it at a higher price. I the roof and other parts I bought on ebay were for myself and friends not to resell at a profit.
As for Jay listing a high start with 0 bids and relisting it multiple times. I agree that one should list lower with a reserve to get activity but he maybe using ebay as a way to let people know what he has. After all if the auction fails and he sells the items off line or direct in violation of ebay rules he saves the commission that one would normally have to pay to ebay at the close of a successful auction. All this is just speculation and he is not really doing anything wrong.
All I can say is that people who know Esprit and parts know where to go to them at the best prices anyway. If you don't then e-mail someone who does and they will be more than happy to give advice or point you in the right direction. With the internet and the great bunch of guys on this forum and other lists there is no excuse for paying more than one thinks they should.
The new bunch of Lotus people who are now in the know are great. JK1, Hess, Greezmunky and so many of you that I can not name all of you who are the current people many seek advice from. Jim and I, although no longer Esprit owners feel pretty confident in the skills and knowledge of all of you learned by trial by fire. It was a few short years ago that the bulk of the FYI's were posted by Jim and I in the early days of this forum. While Jim and I have not posted recently as much as in our heydays, we will always read the forum and always be Lotus owners at heart.
If I ever find myself visting town near where you all live. I do expect to at least to view your car and if the time permits to go for a nice drive. Although the last time I visited an Esprit owner and went for a drive I ended up doing a fast brake job and lube the caliper pistons.
Regards to all,
Calvin
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