Looking for
PRICE
QUALITY
free or reasonable shipping
I live in NY also and always looking for better prices because I have a small repair business and pay retail to keep away from the taxes. If you buy retail it's not going to happen for price or reasonable shipping. Quality buy from a dealer. That being said some parts like bearing and seals with numbers you can't beat E-Bay prices. Also in NY we have some very good mower salvage yards that have some good quality used and new aftermarket parts at lower prices. If you buy a lot of parts like I do I have some local dealers that give me a small break on prices but it is small and a long way from wholesale. If you plan to buy a lot of parts and run a business get yourself a sales tax number and you will do a lot better on prices. If you are just a homeowner you will have to be like all the rest of us and bite the high price bullet for parts.
True. With my sales tax license, it opens a door to wholesale prices, however, the large volume dealers on EBay do offer some great deals in some cases. Much of the profit margin in small-engine repair is being able to buy parts reasonable enough to still make a small profit on them. In many cases, it means buying 12 carburetors, instead of 1. That way I can divide my shipping by 12. Adds a lot less to the price of parts. Being a PROFITABLE small-engine repair shop is not easy. People gripe about what it costs to get something repaired, but forget that many of us are PROFESSIONALS. How many people would trust a brain surgeon who charged $20 an hour for his services?
For the DIY'er, I don't think you can be EBay.