are cheap parts off ebay a ripoff??

are these cheap parts off ebay a ripoff or should i invest b/c short throw shifters for 20 bucks sound too good to be true some1 told me they would last for maybe a year and then be garbage is this true b/c the parts are all brand new

99% of time yes

sometimes you can find a deal on there but most stuff is total crap and to be left alone.

Especially something like a short shifter. If it breaks off in your had while driving, you're screwed.

i got an ebay short throw been workin fine for about 1 yr and 9 months since ive had the car. Ive heard of them breaking (never seen it happen) i also bang gears quite a bit. Remember you do get what you pay for though i might just be lucky so far.

they do have some good stuff but it just depends what your buying and from what seller. like a turbo kit from ssautochrome or something is a total ripoff because their parts are crap. as for a short shifter, i would stay away from ebay brands unless its a true quality brand like skunk2 or something.

ebay car parts=shit

You get what you pay for. Heres a little scenario. Integra 1 buys all of his parts from Ebay and saves a ton of money. Integra 2 buys all of his brand name parts from stores for full price. They race. Integra 2 will always win because it has high quality, good fitting parts. Not only does Integra 2 win, but it lasts years longer, and sells for alot more money. Dont waste your money on crappy parts.

Integra 2 will always win because it has high quality, good fitting parts.
I disagree. Say both cars just get a CAI, header, and exhaust. There would be no clear winner just based on who has the "quality" parts. If there was any advantage, it'd be very minimal. And I'd buy a cheap E-bay intake over an expensive AEM intake anyday. With brand name parts; not only are you paying for their R&D, but you're also paying a lot for just the name too.

thats true. i would buy an ebay intake anyday over any other popular expensive brands. i have one and all that it is is just piping and it looks great and works great.

also ebay does sell name brand parts they just sell them for a lot cheaper than the manufacturer does i was also wondering with an exhaust since its just a bolt on and doesn't really make a dramatic difference is there even a point of putting on a name brand exhaust like skunk2 or hks.....and 1 more question flowmaster makes and exhaust for the integra...should i even consider buying it b/c althoughits cheaper my friend claims that there is no way flowmaster should go on an import

well exhaust is just a simple bolt on but the nonbrands off ebay might rust on you and the muffler internals might fall apart and cause problems. that kind of stuff woudlnt happen with name brand stuff. Flowmaster does make an exhaust system for our cars and it doesnt matter if they make exhausts for an import. its still piping and bending and muffler, they know what they're doing. ive heard a clip and it sound pretty good, if i remember correctly the muffler looks like the rsr

Spoon you are right. I kind of voiced my opinion wrong. what i meant was that most of the time you would be better off with good parts vs. gambling with ebay. to me, when someone says "ebay exhaust" i dont expect it to be an Apex exhaust. So to me, Ebay (insert part here) is crap.

I gotcha, and I completely agree with you on that. Especially something like an exhaust (or short shifter), it's much better to get something that is known to be good quality over some sketchy garbage.

I think as long as it's backed by a good company it doesn't matter where you buy it. ebay also offers APC and skunk2 short shifters, get one of them, i think you definatly pay a little more for a name brand but, I've seen, and unfortunatley purchased sokme very hairy stuff off of ebay that's just generic.

while on the topic of ebay intakes, those filters they come with, are they complete crap, or do they REALLY make a difference as opposed to a k&n?
because heres what im faced with:
no name cai with k&n= $81 total
no name cai without k&n on ebay = $31 total

I think a lot of people have several issues that are being confused.

E-Bay is almost the same as any other market place. Good feedback and good communication almost always equal a good buying experience.

I have purchased over $4500 worth of parts off E-Bay for my spyder over a period of 2 years, equalling over 70 transaction with different vendors; both OEM and aftermarket. Not a single bad experience yet, knock on wood.

Smooth communication is the key. If a seller doesn't reply to you e-mails, or is not willing to cooperate and give a sensible answer to your queries, it's your job to recognize that weakness and stay away from such sellers. Bad or little positive feedback is another big no-no.

Buying used items, they never come with a waranty and are almost always sold as-is. This is no surprise...ever had a garage sale with a "life-time guarantee or your money back!" sign? No. It's less of a gamble if the seller appears to be cooperating and is very good with communication. Even a phone call or two helps any unsettling issues.

For new parts, use your brain. How could one intake pipe be different from an other? A pipe is a pipe... whether its a GReddy pipe or an E-Bay pipe. An air intake filter? Now that's different technology all together...go with something that's trusted, like K&N. Gauges? My $15 boost guage has held up fine for over a year, though the lighting flickers sometimes. Rims? Just ask about any cracks. other than that, what you see is what you get...

So E-Bay is great for some things, and not-so-great for others. It's all about how you shop and what you are looking for. It's no different than a swap meet.

You should always use a high quality filter. K&N is really expensive, but they are designed to last for a long time. Those generic ones usually get holes and them and get all twisted up. plus they dont have a quality media and they let alot of small dirt and stuff in.