eBay/Craigslist wow- ****** out there

[weesa20]

If a buyer low-balled me but was otherwise pleasant, I'd just pleasantly decline the offer ... Why get all bothered by it? After all, it was just an offer. And why hang up on him - You probably just burned a bridge. That guy might have wised up & come back to buy at your price after learning more, or changing his mind, or whatever. Once you hang up him, you've increased the chance that he won't come back just because he knows he ticked you off.

That's just the thing- this guy wasn't pleasant...if he did come back with a better offer, I was prepared to tell him that he couldn't buy it from me for any price- I wouldn't sell it to him purely out of principle- Like I said, I don't need to sell it and as others have pointed out, as long as I'm not using it, it isn't costing me anything except storage space.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

An offer like Ebota described above does not offend me, and I will tell the offeror that his offer does not offend me, but that I'm not ready to take the low offer.

 

[EE_Bota]

An offer like Ebota described above does not offend me, and I will tell the offeror that his offer does not offend me, but that I'm not ready to take the low offer.

Thanks, and I'm glad. It is only a bird in the hand. There are hopefully better offers in the bush, and they should be taken when received.

 

[ultrarunner]

I grew up in around the car business, my Grandfather started back in the 1920's and opened his own place in 1942... it is still there today.

Every car has a price clearly marked that can be read from the highway.

I asked him once why he puts prices on it when everyone offers less. He said you have to start somewhere.

Many times, I heard him say he appreciated their interest and taking the time to come up with an offer... and then say he would be happy to call them should something in their price range come in. when the offer was too low.

Nothing to be gained by alienating people.

Sometimes the most difficult initial customers turned out to be the most loyal... he had sold some families 4 generations worth of cars...

When folks were trading, he would often tell them they could do better if they were willing to sell private party...

I've done that myself with several of the Antique Cars I bought... most think the old Model A in Dad's garage is worth a fortune... I look it over, point out any problems and make my offer accordingly... onetime, it was almost a year later when I got a call saying the car is mine if my offer still stands...

 

[aczlan]

Forgot to mention another reason I like phone #'s better
When buying something, I like to search all of c-list for that #. It gives me a better Idea of what kind of stuff the person is selling. Who knows, maybe I may be interested in other things and I can kill two birds with one stone.

When selling, I do not put a phone umber in the ad because I dont want someone to call me at an odd hour of the night. Instead, I will give my Google Voice number to those who I want to contact and have them call that. It is a local number and if someone starts bugging me, I can send calls from them directly to voicemail.

I also use that number when responding to an ad for the same reason.

Speaking of annoying CL buyers, I had someone who told me that if I put new tires on the CubCadet LT1050 I have for sale they would buy it on Mon. They said that on Sat. I got tires Sat nite and put them on. They didn't show up on Mon, so I checked to see what was up and was told that "they fixed the old one, so are going to stay with that one".

Aaron Z

 

[troutsqueezer]

My take on selling items whether it be thru CL or wherever is a bit unusual. To start with, when I buy something I figure the money is gone and make no plans to ever get it back. If the time comes when I don't need it anymore then I will sell it but first I'll look around and see what others are asking for the same product and undercut that price by a substantial amount since I see it as free money anyway. No price haggling involved, everything sells almost instantly and then I'm done with it but now have a few bucks in my pocket that I never counted on having in the first place.

This is not to say that I don't care about money but when I made the purchase I planned on doing without that particular wad of cash. I realize that I'm fortunate to be in a positon where I don't need every dollar I can extract from a sale so wouldn't expect a lot of folks to follow my philosophy.

 

[Jay4200]

Anyway, sorry for the rant, he just really p*ssed me off!

I don't think he was an a-hole. You just paid too much and you're trying to pass your mistake down to the next guy.

When I bought my tractor, the seller bought it used a year earlier, but paid way too much. I gave him my offer, which about $5k less than he was asking. I told him that I felt bad that he overpaid (he paid $7k more than I offered), but value is value, and my offer was reasonable and firm. He took my offer.

JayC

 

[jimgerken]

Wow, the stories! I understand there are a bunch of low-balling idiots out there, but I have had really good luck selling on CL. I have found that most of the people reading the ads are actually interested in buying. Sure, a few guys called and tested me, but in the end I sold all the items (a utility trailer, a mobilehome, and a sport ATV) for the asking price, within a reasonable amount of time. Maybe I am not asking enough money for my stuff.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Anyone who dislikes buyers who try to bargain, especially those buyers who are looking for a bargain, please post your phone #'s now, so I can scratch them off my list.

"cause I'm gonna throw a price at you that'll curl your hair.

I go to buy something, ANYTHING, I couldn't possibly care any less what the seller thinks it's worth. All that matters to me is getting a price I think is fair (to me). There are bargains to be had., so I refuse to pay top dollar for anything, ESPECIALLY something used. I'm not the only one out there that does business that way.

I'd bet 99% of those who buy a NEW tractor try hard to bargain with the dealer to get the best deal they can get, yet we have a post about getting bent out of shape when that tractor goes on the USED market.

I'm astounded at just how thin skinned people can be sometimes.

All's fair in love and war......and buying/selling tractors......!

 

[xtn]

I understand both sides of the coin.

A buyer might be hoping and keeping his eye out for that amazingly good deal, and so prods sellers from time to time with low-ball offers. Most sellers are probably not interested and feel it's wasting their time.

What I don't get is how can an offer - of any kind low or high - be considered offensive? Calling your mother an old ***** is offensive. Shooting you an offer to buy - even if it is way too low - is not something that is a personal offense.

xtn

 

[Grateful11]

Craigslist buyers are some of the worst. I've heard it all and then some with
stuff we've tried to sell on there. "Oh I'm on the way now be there in a few"
never show up. Try and sell something that's 30 years old and when they get
here they're expecting something new.

 

[dfeck]

I've purchased and sold many things on CL. I never get offended by an offer. I figured they're somewhat interested if they responded with an offer. I've got 3 choices, sell at the price offered, counter at a higher price or say no! I also come across many people that want more than top dollar for their stuff. I find it's usually old timers with old stuff that feel they should get close to new prices. In these cases I might offer a low offer (sellers opinion) because that's what I feel it's worth. If I get a response from my offer the seller feels is "offensive" and responds to it in a negative or demeaning way I usually will NEVER buy it and walk away.

I remember once I was interested in a camper on CL. The price was good but was over my original budget. I offered $500 less than his listing price which was over 10K. He went ballistic because he was offended. I walked away due to his reaction. Come to find out he was losing a ton of money on it due to the economy and couldn't sell it. He kept lowering the price to the point it was killing him. So, he felt I was taking advantage of him by offering him a lower price. I was willing to buy it at his price but due to his initial reaction I walked away. In this example, if he only countered at his asking price it would have been a done deal. I felt his reaction showed his true character and thought can I trust this guy.

Doug

 

[ajmbonaire]

Yep, it ain't like it used to be. A lot of them are looking for somebody that's desperate that they can take advantage of.

Yep, it's true!
But, I also got lucky when I sold my JD 850. Buyer took one look at it, started it up then turned it off and said OK. Gave me my asking price- no arguement.

 

[jonyyuma]

Yep, it ain't like it used to be. A lot of them are looking for somebody that's desperate that they can take advantage of.

Yep, it's true!
But, I also got lucky when I sold my JD 850. Buyer took one look at it, started it up then turned it off and said OK. Gave me my asking price- no arguement.

I've dealt with both types, sometimes you can see it on their face, when they walk up on you...Sometimes it make me very uneasy, but I never make an outragious cut to a man's price. If it is way too high, i just shrug and wallk off....no need to insult a guy...

 

[shane]

I've always had really good experiences with CL, buying or selling. Purchased an ATV, tools, etc.

Twice now I've listed items at lunch time on a Saturday and they were gone that afternoon.
One was a go cart, the other was children's loft bed I had made.

About a month ago I sold a Delta Unisaw I had purchase for $1,700 new. I used it in my shop for 13 years. Sold it for $1,400. The real kick to that was the guy came out and gave me the cash and said he'd be back in a week to pick it up.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've purchased and sold many things on CL. I never get offended by an offer. I figured they're somewhat interested if they responded with an offer. I've got 3 choices, sell at the price offered, counter at a higher price or say no! I also come across many people that want more than top dollar for their stuff. I find it's usually old timers with old stuff that feel they should get close to new prices. In these cases I might offer a low offer (sellers opinion) because that's what I feel it's worth. If I get a response from my offer the seller feels is "offensive" and responds to it in a negative or demeaning way I usually will NEVER buy it and walk away.

I remember once I was interested in a camper on CL. The price was good but was over my original budget. I offered $500 less than his listing price which was over 10K. He went ballistic because he was offended. I walked away due to his reaction. Come to find out he was losing a ton of money on it due to the economy and couldn't sell it. He kept lowering the price to the point it was killing him. So, he felt I was taking advantage of him by offering him a lower price. I was willing to buy it at his price but due to his initial reaction I walked away. In this example, if he only countered at his asking price it would have been a done deal. I felt his reaction showed his true character and thought can I trust this guy.

Doug

Brother's neighbor has a Class A motorhome complete with fireplace... very posh... well, not posh enough because in 2007 he bought a new one for several hundred thousand dollars... had is old one sold and took the check to the bank... check bounced while the new owner was on a 3 week, 7,500 mile vacation...

He got it back and I sent someone to look at it... he made an offer that was 25k more than the guy will take now... he has been actively marketing it for the last 4 years and keeps dropping the price... like I said, he could have sold it for cash for much more than he's asking now...

Sometimes, holding out for the highest price is a self defeating proposition... he's retired and made this his life's work...

 

[moontree]

i had a 1990 jeep grand wagoneer for sale on CL all rusted out. we called it the heap-O- jeep. i was asking $2000. caller lowballs me at $500. then gets pushy. caller has only seen pics on net. when they asked me again on price i responded " I am more than willing to take more" after a small laugh they low ball me again (some nerve) so i told them i would now need $3000. they stammered then hung up : )

 

[RollingsFarms]

I lowball car salesman all the time just because I know they're trying to stick it to me

 

[MasseyWV]

I lowball car salesman all the time just because I know they're trying to stick it to me

Same here. Salesmen rue the day when I negotiate with them. :laughing:

 

[joshuabardwell]

And since we are kinda on the topic of c-list,

A few things that I HATE when people do on c-list:

And then there have been the really good deals on something that I have been looking for, for awhile. E-mail only. I will e-mail within 5-minutes of the ad becomming live (I browse c-list often on my days off). No reply until 8 hours later to tell me the item has sole That has happened to me several times."

I usually try to respond to my ads quickly, but sometimes I can't. Usually, if I was the seller and I did this to you, it means you were not the first response, and someone who responded before you got the item. In other words, the fact that you didn't get a response until 8 hours later doesn't mean that there was 8 hours for other people to get in and buy it out from under you. It means that the guy who responded one minute faster than you ended up buying it, and I didn't get around to letting you know for 8 hours--which, still, I admit, is frustrating, and I try not to do it, but it happens. Sometimes, I'll delay responding because I would rather say, "Yes, come get it," or, "No, it sold," rather than, "You are 3rd in line and I will let you know."

I'll tell you what I hate about CL: When we agree on a price on the phone, or the ad clearly says, "FIRM," and somebody says they're going to buy it, so I stop responding to other offers, and then they show up and try to haggle. If you didn't want to pay the asking price, I could have sold it to a bunch of other people before you even got here, but I held it for you, and I expect you to pay what we agreed.

It'd be one thing if this was a car or something, where you always expect a little haggling based on condition, and you'd never agree to a price sight-unseen, but for smaller items, where the condition is as described, it's just infuriating.

I also hate it when people claim they don't have the money, like, you've agreed on $55 for something and they pull five $10 bills out and say, "Well, I've got $50--will you take that?" And then if you say no, they have the gall to pull another $5 out of their pocket which they had the whole time. The first time this happened, I was so stunned I didn't say anything, but the next time, I swear I'm going to tell them to take a hike.

Also, if you're buying something on CL, please for goodness's sake, assume it's a cash transaction. If you want to pay by check, ask before-hand. Don't show up and pull out your checkbook and only THEN ask, "Will you take a check," because if the seller is anything like me, you're going to be doing a trip to an ATM. And that's especially awkward if we have already loaded my lambs into the back of your truck.