- When it comes down to coilovers
there are a whole bunch of brands
that we've talked about in the past.
We talked about brands like KW,
ST, Tein, BC Racing,
Fortune Auto, Air Lift, AcuAir,
and pretty much every other brand under the sun.
We've talked a whole lot of the brand history on them,
except for one.
And there's one that a lot of you buy
more than any out there.
And that would be
the Ebay Special.
Which isn't really a brand more than it is just a term
that we use.
Ebay coilovers is just the general term for coilovers
that people buy,
that really don't have a brand name to them.
But you stumble across them
because you're shopping around online,
and they're like $400
and you really just want to save some money
and you're thinking to yourself,
would anyone really care?
Would anyone really know,
if I snagged these up?
There's other brands like Raceland that are $400,
so would it really be that bad
if I just decided to run with the Ebay Special?
And then they'll just tell everyone the brand name
all confident-like,
so they think it's expensive and high-end
and they just haven't heard of it.
But we decided to dive in to a little bit
of the backstory and history
about the Ebay coilover.
Where they came from, why they exist,
where they're made, who they're made by,
and why they are so popular.
I'm Gels from Fitment Industries and before we go ahead
and get right into this video,
don't forget to Subscribe
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And if you're looking for some name brand
wheel tires or suspension,
don't forget to check out fitmentindustries.com
(claps) Anyway,
let's get into it.
Ebay coilovers are something that we have actually
touched on a little bit in the past.
And it's kind of like the entry level coilover thing.
Now, Ebay coilovers originally came from
original premise of what Ebay actually is.
Now, if you're not too familiar with Ebay
or don't really remember from back in the day,
Ebay used to be an absolutely massive powerhouse,
and it still is pretty much a massive powerhouse
to this day,
built around auction items that you could bid on
and purchase from other people.
Basically making a way to buy products
from an individual person,
without having to meet up face to face.
It's like the late 90s, early 2000s,
it's a whole new world.
And what ended up happening
is that people started to turn this into
more of an actual business over time,
creating an Ebay account, or profile,
built as an actual business account,
rather than just a personal account.
And what eventually ended up happening,
is that this opened up the doors
to people selling just about everything and anything
that they possibly could!
And that of course included
automotive parts.
And when you look back at it,
and break it down,
one of the biggest automotive parts really--
They didn't see it at the same time
as this whole e-commerce thing,
was coilovers.
Now, in 2005 a lot of things started switching
from just regular lowering springs
to coilover suspension.
And as a result, you had a lot of brands
started to pop up on Ebay.
But these were the real deal.
They were the big boys of the aftermarket suspension world.
The ones that already had
a name and reputation built for themselves.
For a little while.
And it worked!
For
a little while.
Just because there really wasn't another place
like Ebay at the time.
But eventually over time,
there were companies that just realized,
"Hey, this isn't really working out all
"that we sell $3,000 coilovers on Ebay.
"Wonder what would happen
"if we just lowered the price a bit."
But then the conversation happened
that was probably something really close to,
"Well, you know, if we lower the price,
"that would kinda like, hurt the brand a little bit,
"wouldn't it?"
And then it went something like this,
"Yeah, but hear me out, all right?
"What if we just didn't put a brand name
"on it?"
And the other guy is sitting there like,
"You know that just might,
"that just might work."
And that's what happened!
Or at least pretty damn close to what happened.
The dialogue was probably a little bit different,
probably not though.
But people ended up going into making coilovers
and decided, "What if we re-branded,
"or private labeled our coilovers,
"with cheaper parts and components?"
And then just sold them as a completely different name
on Ebay.
(eerie sounds)
And that's where a lot of these Ebay coilovers
truly started.
And these brands that really kind of came out of nowhere,
that have some of the most ridiculous names
that you've ever heard of,
started to gain popularity.
Ebay coilovers are pretty much meant to be,
were meant to hit one specific market.
And that is the entry level automotive consumer
that's looking for one thing only,
and that is something to lower their car,
that isn't going to break the bank.
With really no other focus
other than looks.
And obviously,
lo and behold it worked.
We're here talkin' about it, so yeah!
A lot of people do go out to Ebay
to pick up their first set of coilovers
because they really don't know where else to look.
And they haven't managed to stumble across a place
that sells after market wheels tires or suspension,
that creates educational and entertaining content
all about cars
and you know, wheels tires and suspension.
Spoiler alert, it's us.
Fitment Industry.
No.
They decided to type in old Google search bar,
"What coilovers for Acura TL?"
And they managed to hit Ebay.
Now Ebay coilovers are usually privately labeled
from other brands.
A lot of brands out in suspension
really do private label their own suspension components,
or at least outsource some of that product
using different materials
in a different factory for a cheaper cost.
And then turn around and sell it as a different brand.
But if you're looking for a cheap coilover,
does that mean that Ebay coilovers
are that bad?
Well, it all comes down to what you really care about,
and what you think is important
when you're buying a coilover.
Because if price is the only thing
that you're comparing it to,
then probably not.
But the thing that you have to remember
is that a lot of these are
rebranded private labeled suspension components.
Less than superior quality coilovers
and you're going to have to take a risk,
no matter what
with what you are buying.
There are actually a lot of videos out there
right now that have taken
an Ebay coilover, for instance,
and have broken it down,
taken the time to explain all of the parts individually,
the differences in quality,
compared to a name brand coilover,
and go over what to expect
if you are planning on picking up something like
an Ebay brand coilover.
Specifically for the reason so you don't go and buy them
and then get extremely disappointed
when you get them.
And what it really comes down to
is Ebay coilovers
are exactly what we think they are.
And you're never going to get something
that you don't expect.
Because unfortunately,
that's just not how the world works.
You're not going to be surprised with some crazy coilover
that has a bunch of adjustability
and has all these different things
that go into a quality piece of suspension.
You're going to be looking at something very generic.
Something very universal.
Because what it all comes down to,
is the price.
It's what coilover can be cheaper.
One of the things to keep in mind
is that Ebay coilovers are not going to go away
anytime soon.
The private labeling and all that stuff,
is also not going to go away anytime soon.
And I could probably give you a thousand and one reasons,
as to why you would want to stick with a name brand coilover
or any aftermarket part for that matter,
besides an Ebay coilover.
Well, let's be honest.
It all comes down to you and your concern.
But if you don't care about anything
that has to do with quality or adjustability,
your spring raise or anything that has to do with
what kind of material is being used to make your coilovers
then it's really not that bad of a thing
and if you're not spending a ton of money on a car
and you're just looking
for something to lower your car with,
then go crazy.
One of the big things to remember however,
like I said, don't be surprised with what shows up
in the box, on your doorstep a few days later.
But I would recommend
if you're looking for something to lower your car,
to keep some kind of performance and quality
in mind as well.
Because suspension is what connects you
and your car to you know,
the ground.
Pretty important component.
And if you cheap out on that,
you really risk making your car ride worse.
But, if you had some experience with Ebay coilovers,
let us know what you have found
down in the comment section below,
and let us know what your thoughts are as well.
But other that that,
thank you guys so much for watching.
If you're looking for wheels, tires or suspension,
don't forget to check out fitmentindustries.com
I'm Gels from Fitment Industries,
don't forget to subscribe.
We will see you later. Peace.