Recently I posted a 'Want to Buy' ad for a latch for my Saratoga top. Another member here replied that he had a pair for sale but then he went silent. I tried to PM him with no response so I went looking for other contact information by looking at his previous posts.

I found a post from November where he had a set of Saratoga latches for sale for $79 and another post for the same latches in March for $89. I tried to PM him again after responding to both of those threads.

He finally answered me and said that the latches were now $299 since I needed them. I showed him the two previous posts where he was asking less than a third of the price for the same exact set that he was offering me. He claimed that those posts were made in error and that they were 'draft posts' that accidentally got published.

I offered to meet him somewhere in the middle since I need one latch. He became belligerent and now refuses to sell them to me at all. I have all of our interactions and his posts documented and saved on my computer. I want others to be aware that this guy is untrustworthy.

The very idea that he wants to raise his price 300% beyond his ask simply because I posted a WTB goes against the spirit of what I think these boards are supposed to be about.

My original WTB post:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=345642

His post in November asking $79:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=341965

His post this March asking $89:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=344051

Just a friendly warning to anyone who thinks they can deal fairly with this guy.

Best,
-Mike

Due I'll check, I may still have one.

I get he may not want to separate them, perhaps there is something else going on?

Either way I'll check back Monday with you.

I don’t think you were scammed. You couldn’t agree on price and you don’t like his selling methods but he didn’t do anything that caused you loss. I don’t think what you said he did is kosher since I think of other 914world members as friends but it’s his part to do with it as he sees fit. Untrustworthy- nope - you never had a deal to begin with.

You say " Scammed by another 914 World seller"...how many times have you been scammed by 914world sellers (with only 5 posts here)?

Having dealt with the seller over the years, seemed like a straight shooter .....

Your only scammed when you paid and never received the product....
Like it or not Seller sets the rules.

For as often as the seller is posting in the Classifieds I find his excuse for the 2 "accidential" postings weak.

Did someone realize the true value of the parts and raise the price? Looks like it to me.

Thanks Mikey914, that would be awesome. Just looking for 1 latch but was prepared to buy both from the last seller.

Sorry, should have said scammed by another 914 World member. I am a member and he is another member. First time this has happened to me.

He listed a part for sale at a price. When a buyer agreed to the asking price he raised it 3.5X. That is bait and switch and if it’s kosher here than no one is to be trusted. I think this is the exception and not the rule, but I’m willing to be educated otherwise.

Yeah, that's BS, if you agree to the seller's price he should uphold it, or decline to sell if he thinks he messed up, but tripling the price just because he thinks you need it is not cool. It's like when someone see's my list of engine's and their original engine is on it, does the price go up, nope.

Thanks Adam, you’re one of the good guys. I’m on the Early S Registry too and if someone tried that over there you wouldn’t see any defenders of his actions.

I smell a rat ...no then its BS ,not a scam as you didn't pay that money so that give you no claim to ownership unlike the guy that owns them and changed his price.
OK not a fair thing but hardly a scam.

All I can say is that I hope it never happens to you. It’s easy to brush things like this off when you’re not the one being taken advantage of. The very idea that he says his previous posts were ‘accidental’ should be a clear indication that this individual takes a loose view of the truth and honesty.

I lay no claim to his latches. I’m posting here simply to warn others of his methods.

I think the seller should explain the ridiculous price raise now that so many are questioning the ethics of it. Sure he can decide to not sell or raise the price if he wants to, but it seems very uncool. I hope he responds here, otherwise it remains questionably shady.

Cool of @Mikey914 to offer another source.

This is kind of like another old trick guys do on forums like this, they put a part out at a low price, are "surprised" by the reaction and turn it into a little auction. This guy did that but it was an auction of one, the old "oh, you need it, well I got it". So yes people like this should be called out so others can know who to avoid.

It’s not the first time somebody realized it was worth more money and either raised the price or pulled the ad. Yes it’s tacky, but you don’t have to buy it.
Saratoga tops are rare and are very expensive. I bought a used 914rubber WAS top. I was able to get stock latches to work with it as well as stock rubber. I am very happy with it.

Sounds like this is a isolated incident

Everything ive ever bought here was in amazing
Condition for a really good price

It's a 5 month old add with no hits until now. If it was a screaming deal someone would have grabbed it before now. I call BS. Maybe you shouldnt have an early 911 as your avatar pic $$$. Lol

Does the seller post in the discussion forums or only in the classifieds?
If the former, he should attempt to defend his unscrupulous behavior publicly.
If the latter, people who have purchased from him in the past should post about their experience with this seller.

Yea, I don't know about scammed, but that's not right in my book either... I think the seller should chime in here. This community 99% great so it's unfortunate to hear about this sort of problem. "Buyer beware" has no exception.

Move forward and take Mark up on his offer. The seller is prob stuck with the latches now. A buyer that only wants the front latches and not a complete top is a rare bird. Devoting 5 months to this? Wow.

The price bump alone would have had me looking for the exit.

So now you are stalking all the guys classifieds ads. After joining this group with a total of five posts. Who’s the scammer now?

Was thinking along the same lines. Guy raised his price....big f’ing deal. Move on. You don’t have to buy and he can ask what he wants.

Before you know it someone is going to pull up an old 914-6 ad from several years ago and want the car at the “old” price.

This is a smelly topic... Not judging, but it seems the OP is just a bit frustrated.

I've been a member here for 9 years, even bought a 914 tub from a fellow member. Perhaps I don't have the thousands of posts that you do, but then again I'm not the one making a living off members here. If I want to warn others about what I think is unfair treatment by a seller, who are you to tell me I can't?

It's unfortunate for you because I was thinking about your low cost sport muffler for my Raby powered '72. Perhaps a little more empathy would serve you and your business well when a fellow board member is having an issue with another member.

Jeez.

His ad was from 3 months ago, and the prior ad from 6 months. When I asked (politely) if we could perhaps find a middle ground between $89 and $299 he told me he wouldn't sell to me no matter what. I would be happy to publish all of our private messages here so that everyone can see that I was respectful to him and trying to find a middle ground, even after he basically told me to f#ck off.

All I'm trying to do is warn others about what happened to me. There's a lot of people jumping to his defense even though I tried to handle this in a way that I think anyone experiencing such outright untruths from a seller would. Does anyone actually believe him when he says that his two previous posts were 'accidents'?

Listen, I know you are ticked off because someone did not sell you the parts at the price you wanted. I understand and I would be aggravated as well.

But, you are coming across as someone who is taking this personally and a bit over the top. You were NOT scammed. I can’t imagine how bad you would take it if you had been scammed!

It looks like someone has offered a potential solution. Take it and move on.

Thanks @billh1963 but I think perhaps you're missing the point. It's not that I wanted to pay a certain price, it's that he increased his ask when he saw that I posted a WTB ad. Prior to that the part had been languishing in the FS section for months at a much lower price. These aren't different latches. These are the same parts that he decided to jack up the price on to me alone, while still maintaining his current for sale threads.

I've decided to re-title this post "Mistreated by a 914 World member" as it seems that many find it offensive that I used the term scammed. I still maintain that asking one price publicly and then refusing to sell a part for less than 3.5x that price privately is a scam, but that term seems to have ruffled some feathers.

Please keep in mind that it is the principle behind his actions that I object to. Had he been asking $299 in the first place then I would have had to evaluate whether or not the latches were worth it to me at that price.

Would it be fair for a seller to raise the price on a part when they found out a buyer had a 914-6 instead of a 914-4?

The seller has an ad for the item at the price the buyer is willing to pay. I think you're defending the wrong guy.

Not defending the seller at all. Raising the price was an a$$hole move.

Just saying the OP is not out any money. So, he wasn't scammed. Should he be pissed? Absolutely! But, he didn't lose money so he's fortunate compared to many who have been scammed out of big bucks. Just offering advice that he should take a deep breath, count his blessings and carry on. He'll find his part and all will be well.

And all this time I believed a mans word is his bond and should be beyond reproach. Take Mark up on his offer. Besides, that guys prices are higher than a Cat's ass at a Dog Show.
At least you weren't out any money to learn of this persons character. Better luck in the future.

Sorry, misunderstood your post.

A while back I had posted a WTB, got a response from the member of topic, but felt that the items were way overpriced. Got another response from a different member, very reasonably priced and excellent examples. (Thanks John)

While we’re all bound by a common interest, we’re not bound to the same behavior; there’s a bunch of guys/gals that go out of their way to keep the spirit alive and these cars on the road. Y’all know who they are, if not, you’ll find out soon enough.

Best to alll

As of now, you are a user from what I see, please contribute to this site and then you can call yourself a MEMBER. My 2 cents...

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act...&CODE=index



Oscar

(I've added the bold)

Seems to me that the seller ignoring your inquiries into his two previous ads, then raising his price to an unreasonable amount, then saying he wouldn't sell to you no matter what and basically telling you to f#ck off are signs that there is more to this story than just a rude seller (although that could certainly be one of the factors).

This was not a scam.
We are done here.
Zach