Some selling advice needed!

[stu_mitch]

Price: $100

Location: California

Description:

I have sold a gauge cluster to a gentleman in California. He paid promptly and I shipped the same day. He is was not happy with the cluster when it arrived because of blemishes on the face plastic. I had mentioned a fairly large and obvious one above the brake light, which seemed fine to him but there are more that he has noticed. I don't see them, and I want to be fair. He seems like a nice person and I do want to be fair to him and to myself as well. Would someone mind giving their 2 cents? I will happily refund the money if I am in the wrong. I've attached the pic first that I took, and pointed out the big black mark. The three pics after are the pics he took, including the marks which are problems. I sold the whole cluster, with working clock, and included a working tach as well. I charged $110 USD, including shipping. Thanks!

[jrhone]

Was it sold here on the FAQ? Was it an established member? I don’t think it’s about right or wrong. I think it’s about what you guys would consider fair. If he is unhappy with it and is willing to ship it back to you then I would refund the money. That’s what I would consider fair. I think you described it accurately but maybe when he got it it was worse than what he thought it would be and so he doesn’t feel he can use it. We are talking $100 here not $100,000. So for the sake of the fact that both of you are in this community and we are all here to make driving and restoring these cars possible and fun, I’d refund the money if he shipped it back.  

Edited August 31, 2022 by jrhone

[AlfaBMWGuy]

Agree with @jrhone.  That blemish next to the trip odometer reset is about as bad as the one you pointed out to him above the brake warning light.  I don't see any other blemishes though in the pics he sent you so really that looks like the only oversight.

 

That said though, $110 with shipping is a huge bargain if all those gauges work properly including the speedometer and odometer you didn't explicitly mention in terms of function (and of course the diff ratio for those being what the buyer needs).  A working tach as well to swap out with the clock at the buyer's discretion is a major plus.  I'd say that's more than a fair price regardless of the condition of the gauge surround.  But, obviously he cares a lot about the condition of the surround as much or more than the gauges.

 

I've recently bought some used clusters to try to fix speedo/odo issues.  I'd say an actual market price for all of those gauges, if working well, and then a non-blemished surround would be about $200.  So you've more than compensated for the blemishes with your pricing.  Again though, the buyer isn't happy so offering to refund the $110 if he pays for return shipping seems like the right thing to do.

 

-Gary

[AlfaBMWGuy]

As an aside, if he's concerned about that face plate for the temp/fuel gauge being upside down, that's easily swapped after removing the gauge from the cluster.  Never seen anyone put it in upside down and then actually mount the gauge back in the cluster.  Maybe that's what he was having an issue with in the first pic he sent back to you.

[brbrian73]

I agree with the comments above. Also, if he pays for the return shipping and you refund his money, you may well be able to sell the gauges for more, with full disclosure, despite the blemishes. Everyone wins. Good luck. 

[Rodolfo Lasparri]

I'd agree with all of the above. $110 shipped is a very fair (good deal) price in my opinion for a complete cluster with functional gauges; even with cosmetic blemishes. To me it'd be about what images were presented to him originally - if it's just the one above, more images would have been better initially to alleviate any questions on condition. I certainly wouldn't discount the price any further if it was me. I would allow him to return them with his paying the shipping back and issue a refund as a good faith offer as others have noted.

[Vartan Gharpetian]

Hello everyone, and thank you for your constructive comments and suggestions. I am the one who purchased the cluster. First I'd like to thank the seller for his post in this site. The reason I purchased the cluster was not just the price, it was because the seller was very honest and upfront which that is very important in any transaction.  FYI, the condition of the gages are unknown until I install and connect the cluster. Hopefully they are all in working condition, other wise to calibrate the speedometer will cost $325 and the tachometer $275. My concern was not the small black spots on the face of the cluster , but the area that was touched up and painted in solid color on the lower left side below the temperature gage. I respect the opinion of the members of this helpful/resourceful 2002FAQ Group. If the cluster looks good/descent to the FAQ community, I will go with it. Once again I like to mention that the seller is an honest Gentlemen and he did not even realize that there was a part of the cluster that was painted.

As always, it is a pleasure to be part of 2002FAQ community and your advise will be much appreciated.

[resra]

@stu_mitch, not trying to be a hero here but I have a very nice gauge cluster housing from the same vintage as yours in question without any marks or damage. It's just the housing though. No gauges. 1974-1976. Free if you like. I can mail it to you or the buyer of yours. Let me know. Just pay shipping cost and I will put it in the mail for you. 

 

 

[jrhone]

3 minutes ago, resra said:

@stu_mitch, not trying to be a hero here but I have a very nice gauge cluster housing from the same vintage as yours in question without any marks or damage. It's just the housing though. No gauges. 1974-1976. Free if you like. I can mail it to you or the buyer of yours. Let me know. Just pay shipping cost and I will put it in the mail for you. 

 

 

THIS is why this place is special.  This is common.  Post a want or need and you have a community looking to help!!   

[AlfaBMWGuy]

Very generous offer @resra.

 

Vartan, by far the hardest part to find are properly functioning gauges, not a decent quality housing or surround.  I'd get the cluster you were sent in your car to verify function of the gauges to figure out whether all you need is this housing.  If so, swapping the gauges into a different housing is very easy and you already need to flip the face plate on the temp/fuel gauge anyway.

Edited August 31, 2022 by AlfaBMWGuy

[Vartan Gharpetian]

Resra, indeed it is very generous offer. I will be more than happy to pay the shipping cost for your cluster housing. Please let me know how do I go about it.

[resra]

@Vartan Gharpetian, ok. If you want to PayPal $14

I can pack it in a narrow box to send the housing to you USPS within the USA.
 

Pm me and I will send you PayPal info. 

[brbrian73]

Go team! 2002FAQ to the rescue!

[Vartan Gharpetian]

Thank you so much everyone.

[stu_mitch]

Thanks so much, everyone! I really appreciate the open and honest dialog. If only our country leaders approached issues the same way ? 

Just a little aside... If anyone is in the area of Langley, BC in June and want to be part of what I hope will be a group of '02's in an excellent car show at my school, let me know! I'll attach a link to the show, which does feature all sorts of hot rods but also has a huge showing of European cars. I think it would be excellent to get a showing of our 02's!

Thanks again to everyone for your thoughtful and honest input.

-Stu

 

Home - Stay Gold Custom Car Show

WWW.STAYGOLDCUSTOMCARSHOW.COM

---

Presenting the 5th annual