What is it with Craigslist "buyers"?

[STINEY]

Seriously........is there a handbook that states to always start with "do you still have it?"

Trust me. If the ad is up and it was just posted 5 minutes ago, I still have it. To avoid the idiot texts and calls, I take my ads down within nanoseconds of cash hitting my hand.

If there is a handbook, does it also state to ALWAYS ask "what's your best price" or "what's your bottom dollar"?

Look doofus, I'll make this very clear. Me seller, you buyer. Me set price, you make offer. Me take offer, counter offer, or tell you good day and thanks anyways. Afraid your offer would be too low? Best work that one out internally with yourself Jack, before voicing it. I can't do the selling and buying too.

The excuse that you don't want to make an offer because you don't want to make me mad? Really? If it's that damn low, then you'd best keep it to yourself. If you think it is potentially offensive, then yeah, it very well may be. Best have a point that is relavent to the vehicle for lowballing. That doesn't include your sad sack stories about your personal life or how much you will have to dump into it to make it a Barrett Jackson winner. Relavent point for lowballing is something like "it's missing an engine that was showing in the ad" or such.

And I don't care how far you have to drive to take it home. If it's such a big deal, look closer to home. Better yet, look more in your price range. Not my problem dude.

And getting miffed when I say no to your rediculous offer? Not a good plan. You really don't want to go there. Keep it civil snowflake, or you'll find out how the world deals with entitled whiners.


You know, I vent about all this, but I know all along that there will sooner or later be a real human who actually has cash will come along and be tickled pink with the vehicle. And they will get that "deal" because they didn't act like a pawn star hero. That's just the way it is, courtesy begets courtesy.

And those transactions make it all worthwhile.

[squirrel]

I sold 4 cars via CL in the past month or two. It does work. The one that had the most crank calls and lookey loos was the Ford pickup. Everyone wants a work truck...no one wants to pay for it, or have to fix anything on it. Hey, it's almost 40 years old, yeah, the odometer has spun over at least once!

[Beagle]

I don't see this having changed a lot since the days of scouring the classifieds... it's just happening so much faster than it used to. The last car I put in the paper (Yep, that's about how long it's been since I actually sold something) I had to disconnect the phone for a week after selling it and pulling the ad. Even back then, in the stone age, I didn't have time for no shows, and the "let's make a deal" over the phone before even seeing the vehicle calls were comical.

Then again, I've been given random lowball offers to my face on something I JUST SAID wasn't for sale. Offers so bad I wanted to punch somebody. Is that grounds for a physical response? You probably don't want me on that jury if you were the one who got slugged. I'm not real sympathetic to people who get clocked for telling somebody their baby is ugly.

I've read a couple of ads where the seller seems to think a lot like I do, and it looks like Stiney is on the same page. "The price is not a suggestion." I respect that.

[JamesMayberryIII]

Love how people are using a FREE AD SERVICE.. then "RANTING" about people questions on it..
or, that they are doing their best to score a great deal.. Same reason you used this craigs list and not a paper as that cost money and craigs list is a better Deal /score
I don't know about you, but when I am in the other shoes, as a buyer I try to get the best deal I can..
And So does everyone else..

Asking do you still have it.. is needed.. as it lets the buyer know if there is someone else that said they are on their way.. Not everyone takes down the ad's ASAP..
And nothing blows more than driving out to get something only for the seller to say, oh, that sold days ago..

[STINEY]

Same reason you used this craigs list and not a paper as that cost money and craigs list is a better Deal /score.

Wrong-O. Cost to advertise has nothing to do with it for me. That was a bad assumption on your part.

If the majority of potential buyers are looking at the bulletin board at the local general store, then that is where you post your for-sale ads. Not on the telephone pole at the end of your driveway. Selling 101. Be seen.

I suppose I need to learn how Face-crap-book works for selling stuff. Probably more real buyer traffic on there now, Facebook has turned into the internet for most, it seems.

[squirrel]

Doesn't matter what ad medium you use, it's the same folks reading them.

[JOES66FURY]

Effing HATE selling on CL. Around here I get message after message in Spanish, I get low ball offers for items sight unseen, and I've had people jerk me around for weeks at a time over an item. I have so much crap laying around since I moved that I need to unload it. Some got donated to a free "thrift store" on base some went to Big Bros & Sisters...some I sold on Facebook. It worked well for me, people messaged me, I responded and I dropped off or they picked up cash in hand. Now, for one item I literally had 100 messages by morning. I deleted all the Spanish and low ballers and then started at the top and went down the list until someone was serious about buying it right now, not next week or pay day.

You can be a sarcastic codger if you like but the fact is if you sell regularly on CL it is a pain in the ass because if you list an item for $2000 the first 10 offers are gonna be for $500. If I wanted 500 I would have listed it for 700, I do put in haggle room in my prices but undercutting me by 50 to 75% right off the bat? no, no...go f-k yourself...

[Dan Barlow]

I generally call and say " I'm calling about ...." half the time I get, it's sold .
I don't negotiate over the phone . You come look at it , then we'll dicker. I'm not much of a seller . Generally when I'm done with something , it's done .

[silver_bullet]

Agreed...

[milner351]

For me, Craigslist seems to be sinusoidal - all or nothing, and it either sells NOW, or sits FOREVER. I finally gave all the fox mustang 4 lug wheels I had to a friends son because I knew he needed them, it was better than scrapping them. I've had some great things happen on CL, and I've had some not so great things.

Anybody remember our 54 belair? I had a guy look the car over, took he and his dad for a test drive, then he offered 1/4 of my asking price!
1/4!!!!!

I told him he'd better get going before I did something we'd both regret - he even had the nerve to show me the $2500 like it was some kind of kryptonite, I'm asking $10k dude, it's not a project heap, it's a shiny running driving car! It took a while but a guy from California paid us $9k for it, without seeing it!

I can usually tell pretty quickly from the emails or texts or phone calls if someone is going to be able to make the deal happen or we are on different planets.
I've told people (after specifically stating in the ad, NO TRADES, I'll trade for a stack of $100 bills! It's amazing how hard some folks will try to make your deal, their deal)

Keep the faith Stiney - I'm afraid the facebook selling deal will in fact have the same shortcomings!

[Deaf Bob]

64 Galaxie came yp on a CL ad 3-4 hours frm me, responded, 2nd guy to respond.. Told me the other guy was coming that weekend..
Monday morning, get the message from him that the buyer flaked, was I still interested? Yes, tomorrow at noon? Since it was already 3 pm by then and I had to get the cash nd trailer.. "you know it has no motor and trans, right. And 3 flats ". "That's fine, not a problem "
Next morning while the truck is warming, call to confirm, "I'm at work and do not get off until 8 tonite then I'm leaving for a week vacation". Crickets...

[SuperBuickGuy]

I love lowballers - and I have a special place for them. The best thing CL ever did was making the response to ads go through their server - which makes the response anonymous - thus, I can do all manner of mean things to them. They feel all safe posting up a lowball offer online, so I tell them I'll meet them in front of a store in either S.Seattle or Tacoma. I tell them that if they bring cash, I'll be there I'm quite sure they don't feel safe if they show up... I wouldn't know.

Some say gangs are a problem, I don't, I think they're really good at solving lowballers

[STINEY]

Oh SBG.............you just inspired me. This is going to be so much fun now. Merry Christmas man!

[yellomalibu]

Eh, I'm with the group who say it's the same as it's ever been, just faster than the newspaper used to be. Some people ONLY offer lowball offers because they ... well, who knows why? Doesn't matter. I simply say no. If you let them offend you about it, that's your fault. It is kinda fun to bitch about what buyers (or sellers) on Craigslist do, though. I bet we could have a section (or at least a thread) with nothing but Craigslist experiences.
"It's got a couple scratches on it..." Yep, that's why it's ONLY $2000 instead of the $5000 a really nice one would cost.

I've been sort of checking CL periodically for 14" ranger wheels for my trailer, since the wagon wheels are looking pretty bad. I saw an ad earlier this week for a set of 4 14" aluminum Ranger wheels - the older ones with the round holes. Guy wanted $100 bucks for the set. I emailed him immediately, asking if they were still available, and that I'd like to take a look at them. A day later, I get an email back, saying he was sick yesterday, but he still has them; he included his phone number and I called him. I told him I get off work around 4, and will come after work to see them around 5. After work, I called him after I gassed up the truck and pulled the $100 out of the bank. He said "are you the guy who's supposed to be here in 10 minutes?" No, I'm the guy you talked to this morning who had to work until 4... Oh, well let me call that other guy and see if he's still coming. *ring ring* Hello? Yes, that other guy is here with cash in hand... would you be too upset if I sold them? ... Nah, go ahead. First come first served. Take care.
I thought about offering him more money, because they are worth more than 100 for the set... but he seemed like a good ol guy and I didn't want to stress him out about it... and frankly, I'd rather not risk some bozo stealing the rims off the trailer because they are aluminum. Regular old 14" steel Ranger wheels will be just fine, with rings and caps preferably.

[Barry Donovan]

I sold 4 cars via CL in the past month or two. It does work. The one that had the most crank calls and lookey loos was the Ford pickup. Everyone wants a work truck...no one wants to pay for it, or have to fix anything on it. Hey, it's almost 40 years old, yeah, the odometer has spun over at least once!

to think supercar pursuits or pretending euro is american fast had the most fairytalers..
the pickup crowd has the dumbest.

my locale really needs the trucks, I have not met a bad seller. I like dealers now, but I remember everything I pursued.

people like to throw their own loss at you.
happened to me everywhere, every vehicle.
I built all of them...never lost once.

I'd like to know how to sell without a b-1 pilots foriegn language at the helm. It's like I get excited about what is done, can't get through the encyclopedia long list compiled in my head.