Community Feedback Requested Re: EuroConnex / Epoustouflant

[usdmej]

i get what you're saying and i'm not comparing his level of data collecting to the the tech giants

what i'm saying is to some people it's not worth creating an account with him just to inquire about pricing, getting it through PMs is a reasonable middle ground

[oceansize]

everybody makes a choice, this is a case where people are fighting for what that choice entails is it not?

it's reasonable to want to be a part of a group buy without becoming a tab in someone else's rolodex

Hmmmm... I know let us make some comparisons on choice. Now remember individuals on this thread declared signing up for an account was too much work or presented some danger to their personal data privacy or security.

1. IG or Euroconnex
2. Facebook or Euroconnex.
3. Twitter or Euroconnex
4. tik tok or Euroconnex
5. Snapchat or Euroconnex
6. Google Service of any Type or Euroconnex

If a person signed up for IG, FB, Twitter, tik tok, Google, or Snapchat but then thought signing up for Euroconnex was ill advised then that person made an illogical choice. Now that choice was theirs to make but it was illogical and that isn't subjective opinion.

[usdmej]

How do you participate in a group buy without providing basic information about who you are, where you live, how to reach out to you and the specifications of your car?

Your asks are fantasies.

i hate talking to salesmen

[usdmej]

The way you insist on simplifying something way more complex and belittle what I do is always baffling to me.

you don't need to constantly threaten to leave this forum just to prove your popularity here, i'm not trying to get you banned, i dont know how many times i have to repeat that people here appreciate the discounts you get. i just don't like the way you do business and nothing you do outside of fundamentally changing that will stop me from pointing that out to people

[Epoustouflant]

everybody makes a choice, this is a case where people are fighting for what that choice entails is it not?

it's reasonable to want to be a part of a group buy without becoming a tab in someone else's rolodex

How do you participate in a group buy without providing basic information about who you are, where you live, how to reach out to you and the specifications of your car?

Your asks are fantasies.

I’ll pretend you actually meant to “view pricing” instead.

We’re going back to MAP pricing agreements with certain brands I deal with, and are wanting to expand to. That’s a non negotiable aspect of dealing with these brands, and as such is non negotiable to deal with EuroConnex.

[usdmej]

people are complaining about data privacy while participating freely in social media

everybody makes a choice, this is a case where people are fighting for what that choice entails is it not?

it's reasonable to want to be a part of a group buy without becoming a tab in someone else's rolodex

[Epoustouflant]

your beef with society at large has little to do with what people are unhappy about in this thread. members of this community don't want to be a part of this guy's metrics when he tries to convince the next company to cut him a deal on parts. that is very much in their control

The way you insist on simplifying something way more complex and belittle what I do is always baffling to me.

My end game isn’t to get a deal on parts. Do you not read what I answer you?

It is these members prerogative to not participe, nothing is forced upon you, nor them - I’m pretty sure this forum always gives you the ability to mute my posts forever.

You can act like I don’t even exist, literally.

It’s becoming more obvious than ever with this thread that a limited few, with you as the usual vocal suspect, want to effectively end what I do on this forum with no regards to actual value that is generated for everyone involved.

The why has yet to be made clear - nor duly explained. It all seems to be an emotional, irrational thing.

The data angle is clutching pearls considering the actual data you communicate to me (your M chassis, planned budget, name and email) and the lack of actual privacy risks since I do not collect any valuable information (no CC information, Shopify doesn’t give me access to any passwords, etc.). It all becomes further moot in light of *actual* data leaks with confidential, valuable information that are happening elsewhere.

I’ll state it again to be clear, if a vocal few want to make me out as a pariah, I won’t fight it - it will have been you guys choice and I will leave.

I suggest Obioban runs a site wide poll.

If over 66% + of this forum supports what I do as it is currently being done, I will stay and put usdmej on my personal mute list.

[oceansize]

your beef with society at large has little to do with what people are unhappy about in this thread. members of this community don't want to be a part of this guy's metrics when he tries to convince the next company to cut him a deal on parts. that is very much in their control

My beef with society? LoL. People are complaining about data privacy while participating freely in social media and the larger internet itself. Beef, that is rich.

[usdmej]

I'm willing to bet those folks don't have a clue

your beef with society at large has little to do with what people are unhappy about in this thread. members of this community don't want to be a part of this guy's metrics when he tries to convince the next company to cut him a deal on parts. that is very much in their control

[Epoustouflant]

If you included the complete installation kit the price is higher than what you stated including shipping. It is less than what you listed for just the light install kit. Quite a bit less if just the trunk plus the twenty trunks are in stock and ready to ship. Schmeidmann is out of stock according to their website. I wouldn't say it is a bad deal at all.

Thanks for the clarifications - what you said is all very much true. The deal is about 5-7% off depending on options.

You'll be hard pressed to find anyone willing to discount Genuine CSL trunks considering their limited availability.

I'm happy Turner was willing to give up some margin to support the members.

[Epoustouflant]

Holly shit.

It sad to see how little people care about thier personal data just to see a price.

let stop twisting words around trying to justify this bs.

He is vendor and should be charged fees to post his so called "group buys".

i do not want to see anyone of stuff in any specific chassis forum.

Mods should charge him and give him his own section under classifieds.

This is clutching pearls. I can feel the vitriol from your post seeping through my screen.

There's no word twisting. Read up on MAP.

If a fee is charged, I will leave this forum.

The alternative is staying on this forum and adjusting prices to reflect the increase cost basis of offering group buys for E46 M3 owners.

Who wins?

Seems very odd to me that someone would repeatedly run a ‘group buy’ for a car model they don’t own, or a part that isn’t applicable to their own car. To me that’s more akin to a business sourcing/selling a product or service for a limited time only.

Someone COULD be an enthusiast for another M car, and it COULD be that they figured out a great group buy for their own car that they are enthusiastic about and the company selling the product also said “hey, we also have some E46M stuff” then maybe I could see that once or twice. But there IS a point where an enthusiast can see an opportunity and turn it into a business.

Dictionary definitions for group buy, enthusiast, vendor, community, etc don’t fit the reality or nuance of what’s going on here.

Ultimately, to me, looks and sounds like a vendor to me. Maybe not at first, but definitely at this point. If vendor status is assigned, then I couldn’t care less about marketing methodology or hidden pricing and data collection since you expect that in today’s online commercial marketplace. That’s just my 2 cents.

The overwhelming majority of BMW M owners of any chassis who understand what I do and participate in a Connex ask for further offers to be sourced. Furthermore, close to 50% of EuroConnex members have participated in 2x or more offers.

Have you considered a sizeable portion of BMW M owner own more than one M chassis?
Have you considered that BMW M owners may also often change chassis between generations?
Have you considered that the majority of BMW M owners own another BMW AG vehicle?

My goal is to benefit the entire M community. I do not partake in the inter-chassis social warfare & snobbery that is prevalent mostly on anonymous, username based social platforms.

Some of you act like someone else would pick up the slack. GB organization is the land of dirty work, deceptions and fly by night one man shows slinging one out for a free part and leaving. Your last GB guy was a fraud, but hey he owned an E46 M3!

You got lubed and duped.

I seek to do something different, organized and that will scale to benefit all M owners. I am attempting to solve a problem that is perceived by both M owners and brands operating in this industry - while providing transparency on the process with all parties involved.

If you dislike it, don't participate.
If you want to drive me away, charge a fee.
If you don't understand what I do, read up on it.

If you like saving money on parts, having brands rekindle with generations of yesteryears, and soon enough, save on everything you'll ever need for your BMW M car of any generation - keep supporting me.

[oceansize]

"the world is bad, how dare you not like how the world is bad"

There has been quite a few posts talking about data privacy and yet........ I'm willing to bet those folks don't have a clue about how any of the innumerable pieces of tech they use every single day track them or to the extent therein. It isn't a question of "liking" it. If people really care about data privacy get off the internet, or "trust" a VPN and everything that comes with that, because one of the biggest offenders is your ISP whether home or mobile. I bet there are people complaining about creating an account when they have IG, FB, Google, tik tok, etc. Everyone one of those platforms is a huge collector of data. Google is freaking terrible. But somehow people think tiny euroconnex is out to get them or is going to do some irreparable harm? I'm going to say no, the small business owner isn't out to get you.

[m3nt0s]

Seems very odd to me that someone would repeatedly run a ‘group buy’ for a car model they don’t own, or a part that isn’t applicable to their own car. To me that’s more akin to a business sourcing/selling a product or service for a limited time only.

Someone COULD be an enthusiast for another M car, and it COULD be that they figured out a great group buy for their own car that they are enthusiastic about and the company selling the product also said “hey, we also have some E46M stuff” then maybe I could see that once or twice. But there IS a point where an enthusiast can see an opportunity and turn it into a business.

Dictionary definitions for group buy, enthusiast, vendor, community, etc don’t fit the reality or nuance of what’s going on here.

Ultimately, to me, looks and sounds like a vendor to me. Maybe not at first, but definitely at this point. If vendor status is assigned, then I couldn’t care less about marketing methodology or hidden pricing and data collection since you expect that in today’s online commercial marketplace. That’s just my 2 cents.

[Lip]

Holly shit.

It sad to see how little people care about thier personal data just to see a price.

let stop twisting words around trying to justify this bs.

He is vendor and should be charged fees to post his so called "group buys".

i do not want to see anyone of stuff in any specific chassis forum.

Mods should charge him and give him his own section under classifieds.

Holy shit, it’s sad to see how much people don’t understand how the internet works. If you’re on the internet, your data is already everywhere.

Fact is your data has been leaked. Just today, twitch data has been leaked. Selectively deciding which website to give your data is not a valid strategy to protect it.

On euroconnex, there’s a long survey about your build which you can lie about. Other than that, you give your full name, email address, and password. If you’re so worried about your data, use a fake name, a privacy-focused or “burner” email, and a unique password.

Are you using gmail, yahoo, or similar? How about chrome or Firefox? Do you have extensions installed? Do you use social logins like Google or Facebook? Not using a VPN or secured DNS? Do you use a password on 2 or more websites/apps? Do you use 2FA? How about a security key?

People talk about personal data as if they’re doing everything to protect it. But if you actually were, you’d know how to sign up for a website like euroconnex without sharing any personal details.

Also, you can check if your email or phone number have been leaked using https://haveibeenpwned.com

[usdmej]

Do you work in tech, or just talking like you actually know what you are talking about?

"the world is bad, how dare you not like how the world is bad"