I buy and sell all the time on ebay, tractors, trucks, ATV's, parts. Never been taken yet, most sellers are like most buyers, honest people. There are a few but thats the price of doing business. Only 2 tractors I ever got hurt on were local and I knew the sellers well, looked over them top to bottom. Still wound up losing about $5000 on each. Sent a cashiers check to a guy in Florida for an ATV, had my driver pick it up a month later, and it was better than represented. Just my experience. As far as freight, it isnt cheap. I cant send a $35,000 truck trailer combo, with either me or a driver and a helper (say $35 an hour for labor for the 2), $2.10 a gallon diesel, and oil changes and repairs for nothing. Costs me over a $1.20 a loaded mile easy. Big trucking companies have the same kinds of costs. Customer wanted a Farmall cylinder head sent to Texas. I get $100 for it, right off the tractor, trucking company wants $271 to take it there. Its high but thats the way it is. Frieght cost drives ag prices. I can buy better hay in SD for 50 cents a bale than I can grow. My sale price is driven by the price of trucking that hay into here.
|