Is this real?

[UTn_boy]

Get a load of this fella and his prices.

Stan, any knowledge about this seller? 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-FUEL-DISTRIBUTOR-ORIGINAL-W116-W123-280-E-CE-SE-VERY-RARE-PART-M110-6-CYL-/222138362867?hash=item33b87a6bf3:g:yK0AAOSwm8VUzd4b&vxp=mtr

[daantjie]

I guess they think seeing as they're in Beverly Hills they can charge exorbitant prices

[rumb]

or you can rs rebuilt for $700 and it will look just like that!

[Harv]

Mercedes still showing this part as available to buy. List price of $1,740

[UTn_boy]

Well, the seller did throw the word "rare" in there.  Now, we all know a fuel distributor for an M110 engine is far from rare.  So I'm not sure what this seller is smoking, but these prices are way out in left field.  Maybe the seller is from 100 years in the future, and this is what they cost 100 years from now. 

[rumb]

I assume most prices on ebay are bloated.  at least 50% of the items can be purchased for less, and often from the dealer.

[UTn_boy]

I think the percentage of inflation on ebay is more like 90%.  Sometimes I message a seller directly.  He'll have a part listed for $500, but full retail is only $150.  (Wholesale even less)  So I message them telling them that this part is still readily available from Mercedes for $150 retail, would you accept an offer of $150?  Most of the time the messages go ignored, but sometimes they agree to my offer.  The ones that do respond without agreeing to an offer are always appalled and tell me that their price is so much lower than retail. 

Perfect example, I found a brand new instrument cluster housing for a R107/W116 chassis on ebay.  At the time, my wholesale cost for a new one from Mercedes was $190.  His advertised "buy it now" price was $800, and he claimed that this piece was no longer available, and that only the front half of the cluster was available.......(this is obviously not true, as the two halves were not ever available separately).  So, I messaged the seller with an offer of $200, and further explained to him about the pricing and availability of the part......with an attached copy of an invoice from where I had just bought one from Mercedes that showed current pricing.  His response was that he'd have to check with the classic center on this matter.  I never heard back from him, even after two more emails sent to him.  I can only assume that he found out the truth, or he fell victim to the outrageous mark up the classic center employs on  parts they sell.....Maybe both.   

Just be careful out there, and don't let yourselves get ripped off.  We're all gullible to a degree, and then there are some who literally have no clue.  Those are the ones that get taken advantage of the most, and that infuriates me to no end.   When I was younger, certain people watched out for me so i wouldn't be robbed, and now it's my turn to return the favor to society.  The scam artists and "mark up 1000% artists" hate me with every bone in their bodies, but all the friends I've made over the years far outweigh those idiots ten fold.