( 
)This
guide is not meant to be an endorsement of any particular product.....
it is only meant to provide a guide for selection of a proper quality
body kit, as well as to inform the consumer of what to expect once you
receive it.
Sections
1. Evaluate the sellers credibility - feedback ratings are our friends!!!!
2. a note on shipping costs - gouging or realistic
3. shipping - cut em a little slack!!!
4. Inspection of your kit upon delivery
5. Installation - NO KIT IS PERFECT!!!
6. Why Paypal is your best friend
7. Last but not least: READ THE TERMS
EVALUATE THE SELLERS CREDIBILITY
FEEDBACK is your friend!!!! Get used to taking a peek at sellers feedback - believe me, you will benefit from it. Keep in mind that with body kits, people are gonna complain about delivery times, shipping costs AND the fact that the kit did not fit perfectly right out of the box. Expect a feedback rating of around 89-94% for sellers of body kits. THAT SAID, most complaints arise from the fact that PEOPLE DO NOT READ ALL THE TERMS!!! FACT - most body kits on the market are produced by a small handful of shops. If you are looking at kits that are well known (ie the black widow series) odds are they are all made at the same place. Therefore, the deciding factor should be 1.) Does the seller appear to be reputable and 2.) Which one is the cheapest (be sure to add price AND shipping)
A NOTE ON SHIPPING
While it is true that sellers do sometimes offer a lower price on an item by jacking up the shipping costs (an eBay violation), body kits are large, and therefore do cost a lot of $$ to ship. Typical shipping costs for a hood, for example, can range from $85-$120, depending on where it is shipped to and from. On an item this size, WEIGHT DOES NOT AFFECT THE COST that much; it is more the size!!
SHIPPING TIMES
AS a result of competition, sellers will usually seek out the cheapest way to ship; this is done to 1) be competitive in the market and 2) save you $$$. However, this usually involves using a smaller freight company and thus means it will take longer to receive. SO CUT EM A LITTLE SLACK!!! They are only trying to save you money!!!
INSPECTION OF YOUR KIT UPON DELIVERY
I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!!! While the delivery guy is present, open up your kit and inspect it for damage!!!! Once he walks away, YOU OWN IT!!! There WILL BE small imperfections, and maybe a couple spider cracks on harder, thinner surfaces, but your installer is used to dealing with these issues. HOWEVER, if it is beat up or severely cracked, you may want to file a claim with the shipper IMMEDIATELY!!
INSTALLATION
This is where a lot of people have issues. If you have no experience with auto assembly/dissasembly, let the shop do it.
DO NOT list your stock parts on eBay UNTIL you have the kit installed; some kits require yo to use stock fasteners to fasten the bumpers etc. to your car. This is particularly true of the rear bumper. If someone bids on your part, then you have to use brackets off the item, you have a real problem on your hands!!!
EXPECT to have to make some minor modifications to the kit to get it on the car and lined up. This is particularly true of the edges that line up with the rest of the body. You will also need a LOT of sandpaper - all that gelcoat on the parts needs to be sanded, first with 200 grit sandpaper, then follow up with 600 grit, followed by 1200 grit. This is the most crucial step - any imperfections will show up after you paint the kit.
After you install and paint the kit, IT WILL SHIFT for a few weeks - this is normal as the parts settle, so watch the seams between the doors and fenders, as well as between the fender and the hood!!! A little watchdogging can save you a follow up trip to the paint booth!!!
ONCE THIS IS DONE, DRIVE IT LIKE YA STOLE IT, AND WATCH THE LOOKS YA GET AS YOU DRIVE BY!!!
WHY PAYPAL IS YOUR FRIEND
Paypal has a bad reputation due to issues of the past - Issues that arose BEFORE being purchased by eBay - As an online business owner ( I do business on eBay as well as my own website, and I use paypal for all my online payment processing) I can assure you that Paypal is now the safest way to do business online!!!!! Many of those sites you do business with use Paypal - They pay extra fees to hide who they use!!! I have used them for two years, and I can assure you of two facts: 1) I have over 10,000 transactions with em, and have NEVER had a security issue. 2) Paypal is ABSOLUTELY on the buyers side. IF SELLERS DO NOT SHIP IN 7 DAYS, and IF THEY CANNOT PROVE IT WAS DELIVERED, you WILL get your MONEY BACK!!!! All you have to do is go into their dispute resolution section and file a claim if you do not receive it, or if the item is not as described. (incidentally, this is why most sellers will not ship to APO's - due to 9/11 regulations, sellers CANNOT confirm delivery was made to any address on military property)
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: READ THE TERMS!!!!!!!!
Most reputable sellers will include sections in ALL their listings pertaining to shipping costs, delivery methods, where they will ship, how long it might take, condition of product, just to name a few. If it is in the listing and you do not read it, you may get a product much different than you expect. While eBay and PAYPAL will protect you against fraud, if the seller has it in the listing, and you did not read it, you own it!!!
BOTTOM LINE
if you do your homework, both on the product and the seller, you will become an eBay ADDICT, I guarantee it!!!
BaltimoreStreetMods
We do not sell body kits: We have provided this guide because we are car nuts, and we are supporters of eBay. Without eBay, we would not be in business.
This guide is solely for your benefit, no part of this guide is a guarantee or an endorsement of any company or product
Sections
1. Evaluate the sellers credibility - feedback ratings are our friends!!!!
2. a note on shipping costs - gouging or realistic
3. shipping - cut em a little slack!!!
4. Inspection of your kit upon delivery
5. Installation - NO KIT IS PERFECT!!!
6. Why Paypal is your best friend
7. Last but not least: READ THE TERMS
EVALUATE THE SELLERS CREDIBILITY
FEEDBACK is your friend!!!! Get used to taking a peek at sellers feedback - believe me, you will benefit from it. Keep in mind that with body kits, people are gonna complain about delivery times, shipping costs AND the fact that the kit did not fit perfectly right out of the box. Expect a feedback rating of around 89-94% for sellers of body kits. THAT SAID, most complaints arise from the fact that PEOPLE DO NOT READ ALL THE TERMS!!! FACT - most body kits on the market are produced by a small handful of shops. If you are looking at kits that are well known (ie the black widow series) odds are they are all made at the same place. Therefore, the deciding factor should be 1.) Does the seller appear to be reputable and 2.) Which one is the cheapest (be sure to add price AND shipping)
A NOTE ON SHIPPING
While it is true that sellers do sometimes offer a lower price on an item by jacking up the shipping costs (an eBay violation), body kits are large, and therefore do cost a lot of $$ to ship. Typical shipping costs for a hood, for example, can range from $85-$120, depending on where it is shipped to and from. On an item this size, WEIGHT DOES NOT AFFECT THE COST that much; it is more the size!!
SHIPPING TIMES
AS a result of competition, sellers will usually seek out the cheapest way to ship; this is done to 1) be competitive in the market and 2) save you $$$. However, this usually involves using a smaller freight company and thus means it will take longer to receive. SO CUT EM A LITTLE SLACK!!! They are only trying to save you money!!!
INSPECTION OF YOUR KIT UPON DELIVERY
I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!!! While the delivery guy is present, open up your kit and inspect it for damage!!!! Once he walks away, YOU OWN IT!!! There WILL BE small imperfections, and maybe a couple spider cracks on harder, thinner surfaces, but your installer is used to dealing with these issues. HOWEVER, if it is beat up or severely cracked, you may want to file a claim with the shipper IMMEDIATELY!!
INSTALLATION
This is where a lot of people have issues. If you have no experience with auto assembly/dissasembly, let the shop do it.
DO NOT list your stock parts on eBay UNTIL you have the kit installed; some kits require yo to use stock fasteners to fasten the bumpers etc. to your car. This is particularly true of the rear bumper. If someone bids on your part, then you have to use brackets off the item, you have a real problem on your hands!!!
EXPECT to have to make some minor modifications to the kit to get it on the car and lined up. This is particularly true of the edges that line up with the rest of the body. You will also need a LOT of sandpaper - all that gelcoat on the parts needs to be sanded, first with 200 grit sandpaper, then follow up with 600 grit, followed by 1200 grit. This is the most crucial step - any imperfections will show up after you paint the kit.
After you install and paint the kit, IT WILL SHIFT for a few weeks - this is normal as the parts settle, so watch the seams between the doors and fenders, as well as between the fender and the hood!!! A little watchdogging can save you a follow up trip to the paint booth!!!
ONCE THIS IS DONE, DRIVE IT LIKE YA STOLE IT, AND WATCH THE LOOKS YA GET AS YOU DRIVE BY!!!
WHY PAYPAL IS YOUR FRIEND
Paypal has a bad reputation due to issues of the past - Issues that arose BEFORE being purchased by eBay - As an online business owner ( I do business on eBay as well as my own website, and I use paypal for all my online payment processing) I can assure you that Paypal is now the safest way to do business online!!!!! Many of those sites you do business with use Paypal - They pay extra fees to hide who they use!!! I have used them for two years, and I can assure you of two facts: 1) I have over 10,000 transactions with em, and have NEVER had a security issue. 2) Paypal is ABSOLUTELY on the buyers side. IF SELLERS DO NOT SHIP IN 7 DAYS, and IF THEY CANNOT PROVE IT WAS DELIVERED, you WILL get your MONEY BACK!!!! All you have to do is go into their dispute resolution section and file a claim if you do not receive it, or if the item is not as described. (incidentally, this is why most sellers will not ship to APO's - due to 9/11 regulations, sellers CANNOT confirm delivery was made to any address on military property)
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: READ THE TERMS!!!!!!!!
Most reputable sellers will include sections in ALL their listings pertaining to shipping costs, delivery methods, where they will ship, how long it might take, condition of product, just to name a few. If it is in the listing and you do not read it, you may get a product much different than you expect. While eBay and PAYPAL will protect you against fraud, if the seller has it in the listing, and you did not read it, you own it!!!
BOTTOM LINE
if you do your homework, both on the product and the seller, you will become an eBay ADDICT, I guarantee it!!!
BaltimoreStreetMods
We do not sell body kits: We have provided this guide because we are car nuts, and we are supporters of eBay. Without eBay, we would not be in business.
This guide is solely for your benefit, no part of this guide is a guarantee or an endorsement of any company or product
Guide created: 11/29/05 (updated 02/27/09)
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