Buying used parts from the USA - no "payment on hold"

[mrbig]

Good Afternoon All,

After a bit of advice/guidance please... I am hoping to purchase a rear brake disc kit for my beetle from a seller in Kansas. Price/shipping all ok and arranged... but seller doesn't want to use "payment on hold" and is asking for friends and family paypal.

I'm not familiar with this term but I assume it means the seller doesn't want his money held by paypal until the parts land with me (I have had this happen a couple of times before, possibly because the sellers paypal account is a business one)?

Seller also tells me he has Zelle, but this seems to offer me no protection either. We are talking about $400 here which is not an amount of money I can afford to lose. I'm far too risk-averse to buying without protection, so does anyone have any ideas please? I've all but talked myself out of this now, but figured it can't hurt to ask.

Thanks,
Craig.

[Soopahfly]

I'd be suspicious if the seller doesn't want to use a method with protection. If you use Friends and Family on paypal, you have no comeback. It doesn't take a cut of your money like regular paypal, but it also doesn't cover you for anything when the seller doesn't actually have/send the item you ordered and they disappear.

Shop somewhere else. I wouldn't take that risk either.

[Rich]

Sept 20, 2021 14:46:28 GMT Soopahfly said:

I'd be suspicious if the seller doesn't want to use a method with protection. If you use Friends and Family on paypal, you have no comeback. It doesn't take a cut of your money like regular paypal, but it also doesn't cover you for anything when the seller doesn't actually have/send the item you ordered and they disappear.

Shop somewhere else. I wouldn't take that risk either.

Often when people ask for 'F&F' payment I use a PayPal costs calculator to just add the amount on I need to overpay by and then pay as goods and services so I'm covered in the event of loss or scam. The additional amount is usually paltry.

[Paul Y]

As Rich said.

The differance is paltry.

Unless he doesn't what you saying that the goods were never received/damaged etc and you out a claim in. Works both ways.

As an aside I didn't think eBay were using PayPal anymore as they have their own payment product??

P.

[mikehamid]

Is this not something that can be sourced closer to home perhaps, as this sounds risky?

Even ordering from the EU currently works fine if you find a good courier that knows the system. I got a fair few Trabi parts without tariffs a couple of months ago, albeit with a larger than normal delivery fee.

[mrbounce]

Whenever anyone I buy stuff from asks for Friends and Family on Paypal I always refuse. I do what Rich says or not at all. If they're insisting on it, I would shop elsewhere. If it's too good to be true, it generally is.

[droopsnoot]

On balance, I think a lot of sellers asking for you to use PayPal "Friends and Family" are only doing so to make sure that you pay any fee and they get all their asking price from PP, rather than specifically with the thought of removing your protection. It's just a quicker way to say it - but you can check with them on that score, and if they insist on F&F even after you ensuring they'll get all the money, that might be a warning.

I seem to recall it's specifically against the PayPal terms and conditions for a seller to request that method, maybe only business sellers. There's definitely something about it that can come back to bite you if a seller does it a lot.

[mrbig]

Thanks all. I have left it for now. Sadly its parts which are not available in the UK for some reason. All beetle stuff; cast rear caliper mounts and rear discs drilled to 5x114.3. Not exactly golden unicorn eggs, but not easily sourced outside of the US. I guess I will have to customise some existing bits instead.

[SamJ]

Can you not get blank rear discs, and just drill them to the PCD you need? The CSP kits always get good reviews, available from M7 in the UK.

[16grit]

Sept 22, 2021 9:47:47 GMT mrbig said:

Thanks all. I have left it for now. Sadly its parts which are not available in the UK for some reason. All beetle stuff; cast rear caliper mounts and rear discs drilled to 5x114.3. Not exactly golden unicorn eggs, but not easily sourced outside of the US. I guess I will have to customise some existing bits instead.

I was in the market for a pair of the cast type caliper mounts a while back before switching hub types on my project. All of the EMPI stuff is pricey even before you add shipping and taxes. Most of the big US vendors on ebay also have bricks and mortar / net based businesses outside ebay too, so an order with one of them might be worthwhile, although the auto shipping calculators for these throw up some scary prices so it might require a phone order or quote first.

I would contact a few of the big specialists here that sell other EMPI disc kits etc and ask if they would consider sourcing the specific items you need. I've spoken to a few of them and some talk a good game in terms of wanting to help out.

Otherwise, it might be worth tracking down some of the 'Formula Vee' race car runners in the UK (the 1970s single-seater formula kinda based around Beetle mechanicals) - via forums or f+++B+++ etc, as I have seen some of these cars fitted with versions of both the cast and machined, 'flat plate' type caliper carriers and you might possibly be able to source something second hand.

Third option might be to consider making some caliper mounts yourself, the hub/bearing gasket design give you the mount hole spacing etc., from memories of burrowing on the net I think the EMPI rear kits use a VW passat or similar caliper...the National disc catalogue is a great resource for finding potential disc candidates for modification..

good luck

[mrbig]

Sept 25, 2021 1:23:08 GMT SamJ said:

Can you not get blank rear discs, and just drill them to the PCD you need? The CSP kits always get good reviews, available from M7 in the UK.

Yes it’s an option, but this was a chance to source the discs, a pair or calipers and the mounts I wanted and then sell my current parts to cover most of the cost.

[mrbig]

Sept 25, 2021 5:10:27 GMT 16grit said:

Sept 22, 2021 9:47:47 GMT mrbig said:

Thanks all. I have left it for now. Sadly its parts which are not available in the UK for some reason. All beetle stuff; cast rear caliper mounts and rear discs drilled to 5x114.3. Not exactly golden unicorn eggs, but not easily sourced outside of the US. I guess I will have to customise some existing bits instead.

I was in the market for a pair of the cast type caliper mounts a while back before switching hub types on my project. All of the EMPI stuff is pricey even before you add shipping and taxes. Most of the big US vendors on ebay also have bricks and mortar / net based businesses outside ebay too, so an order with one of them might be worthwhile, although the auto shipping calculators for these throw up some scary prices so it might require a phone order or quote first.

I would contact a few of the big specialists here that sell other EMPI disc kits etc and ask if they would consider sourcing the specific items you need. I've spoken to a few of them and some talk a good game in terms of wanting to help out.

Otherwise, it might be worth tracking down some of the 'Formula Vee' race car runners in the UK (the 1970s single-seater formula kinda based around Beetle mechanicals) - via forums or f+++B+++ etc, as I have seen some of these cars fitted with versions of both the cast and machined, 'flat plate' type caliper carriers and you might possibly be able to source something second hand.

Third option might be to consider making some caliper mounts yourself, the hub/bearing gasket design give you the mount hole spacing etc., from memories of burrowing on the net I think the EMPI rear kits use a VW passat or similar caliper...the National disc catalogue is a great resource for finding potential disc candidates for modification..

good luck

I’ll talk to M7 and heritage, thanks. I may just go with my original plan of putting some gussets into my existing mounts.

[metalshapes]

$400 for a used set seems steep, when you get a new set for about the same money.

Chirco is local to me, and I believe they sell mailorder too.

Maybe worth to check...

www.chirco.com/product/disc-brake-kit-rear-4-lug-irs-73-later-w-e-brake/

[Paul Y]

Sept 25, 2021 21:36:00 GMT metalshapes said:

$400 for a used set seems steep, when you get a new set for about the same money.

Chirco is local to me, and I believe they sell mailorder too.

Maybe worth to check...

www.chirco.com/product/disc-brake-kit-rear-4-lug-irs-73-later-w-e-brake/

Looks like Mr Metalshapes has resolved your issue!

P.

[mrbig]

Sept 25, 2021 21:36:00 GMT metalshapes said:

$400 for a used set seems steep, when you get a new set for about the same money.

Chirco is local to me, and I believe they sell mailorder too.

Maybe worth to check...

www.chirco.com/product/disc-brake-kit-rear-4-lug-irs-73-later-w-e-brake/

Appreciate your reply, but I need a specific PCD on the discs, and I'm trying to get the cast caliper brackets instead of the stamped ones. Both of which make it much more difficult to source parts.