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Is this item still available?

Joe Nerve

Joe Nerve

Oct 7, 2000
18,619
38,939
New York City
www.joenerve.com
Disclosures
Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
#1
Why does it still piss the living crap out of me when I get these responses from things I have up for sale on craigslist. Rather than simply dismiss it, I take it as though someone just took a swing at me, and missed. And it makes me mad.

I know. I'll respond for you. "That's why I don't use craigslist." :scowl:
 
#7
CL is ok at times but you can't find real serious people with $$$ just when you need to sell something. I hate the ones that email me , won't call after I list my cell # and if they do call want to knock my price down without coming over to look at something. The better the item the more morons respond. I can go on and on. Right now my place is filled with stuff to sell. I can sell here at this Forum but don't want to ship out, only local sales. So for cheap stuff (under $200) I might take a CL chance but picture the morons bothering me if I tried to sell say one of my nice basses. Like asking price for a 4003 Ric $1500, "dude, would you take $50 ???............or meet me at Burger King , so I can look at it......Finally the best business I did on CL was a person who turned out to be a Talk-Bass member, brought over $$$ and was a pleasure to deal with...Oh well, I'll figure out something sooner or later.......By the way that was a great YouTube clip !!!! Your band sounded great .....:cool:
 
#8
waleross said:
CL is ok at times but you can't find real serious people with $$$ just when you need to sell something. I hate the ones that email me , won't call after I list my cell # and if they do call want to knock my price down without coming over to look at something. The better the item the more morons respond. I can go on and on. Right now my place is filled with stuff to sell. I can sell here at this Forum but don't want to ship out, only local sales. So for cheap stuff (under $200) I might take a CL chance but picture the morons bothering me if I tried to sell say one of my nice basses. Like asking price for a 4003 Ric $1500, "dude, would you take $50 ???............or meet me at Burger King , so I can look at it......Finally the best business I did on CL was a person who turned out to be a Talk-Bass member, brought over $$$ and was a pleasure to deal with...Oh well, I'll figure out something sooner or later.......By the way that was a great YouTube clip !!!! Your band sounded great .....:cool:
Click to expand...

Honestly, I've always preferred those that lay out their purchase price before they waste my time on the phone or in person. Nothing is more annoying to me than someone who wastes hours of my time meeting and trying out my gear, only to lowball me on price. Itls also been my experience that those who refuse any means of written communication usually have something to hide.
 
#9
When I post ads on CL I choose the option where there is no email reply and I provide my google voice number that people can either call me or text me.

There's flakey buyers and sellers on CL. When I answer an ad I always include my number, if I that person replies with an email, the odds are very likely they're not serious about selling.
 
#11
I get those "is the item still available?" emails. I respond sometimes with "are you referring to the Basset Hound or the Mink Coat?"


This just in...


Hello, would you be available to show this anytime this week or early next week?? Here is a number you can reach me on in case that is needed 302-319-3397 (I'm hearing impaired though) so email preferred, always with my computer. Email back. Thanks.

Lisa
(302) 319-3397

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa Harris, MBA, CPA Candidate
G.E.R.T
Green Energy Research Team.
... Independent Accounting Professional ...
302-319-3397
 
#14
guy n. cognito said:
Honestly, I've always preferred those that lay out their purchase price before they waste my time on the phone or in person.
Click to expand...

No way I'm offering on something without seeing it first.

True story- I was looking for a Camaro, and I found one on CL. 79 Z/28, no engine or transmission, asking $1350. Couple pics on the ad, looked ok so I called and arranged to meet the seller and check out the car. Go to look at it, find out the cowl induction hood in the pic wasn't coming with the car, the Hurst Quarter Stick shifter that was clearly visible in the pics wasn't included and the windshield was cracked. After looking at the rest of the car (which was remarkably solid for a 30 year old F body) I tell the kid I'd give him $1000 for it. I had the cash in hand and brought my trailer with me.

The kid's father blows a gasket on me. He screams at me about wasting his and the kid's time with a lowball offer, tells me I saw the pictures and price on CL, and should have negotiated price before coming over. I kindly tell him the car was falsely advertised, no mention on the phone about the now not included items and/or the windshield being cracked. I thanked them for their time and left.
 
#15
Mike N said:
No way I'm offering on something without seeing it first.

True story- I was looking for a Camaro, and I found one on CL. 79 Z/28, no engine or transmission, asking $1350. Couple pics on the ad, looked ok so I called and arranged to meet the seller and check out the car. Go to look at it, find out the cowl induction hood in the pic wasn't coming with the car, the Hurst Quarter Stick shifter that was clearly visible in the pics wasn't included and the windshield was cracked. After looking at the rest of the car (which was remarkably solid for a 30 year old F body) I tell the kid I'd give him $1000 for it. I had the cash in hand and brought my trailer with me.

The kid's father blows a gasket on me. He screams at me about wasting his and the kid's time with a lowball offer, tells me I saw the pictures and price on CL, and should have negotiated price before coming over. I kindly tell him the car was falsely advertised, no mention on the phone about the now not included items and/or the windshield being cracked. I thanked them for their time and left.
Click to expand...

You were intentionally misled, and you made a lower offer based on the true condition. That's a different circumstance that just making a lowball offer because you never intended to pay the asking price in the first place.

When I buy something on CL, I'm always sure to let the seller know if I intend to offer him something less than his price. I don't want to waste his time if he's firm. I do that by email before either he or I waste hours of our lives getting together for a personal inspection.
 
#16
I've sold a couple of things on CL. In every ad I've posted, I have stated "price is firm", or "price is not negotiable." And yet, without fail, I receive a string of emails asking if the price was firm.
 
#18
I usually respond to those "is item still available" e-mail with some language that you'll never hear on network TV. It can be kinda fun but opens me up for more spam since they get my "real" e-mail address. Yesterday I got a notice (in broken English) from the IRS saying I owe them $10,000 because I didn't file before January 31st.

I have made a few good sales from craigslist, even found a really cool roommate a few years back.
 
#19
Just for clarification, in my experience the, "is your item still available" has always been the start of a scam. As mentioned, the "item" part is what curls my blood and lets me know it's bull. Other than having to ignore the lowlives, I've otherwise had great success selling, and buying on craigslist. I bought my current car about 5 years ago off craigslist. It was a mint condition Hyundai Tiburon, fully loaded, with 54000 miles that I got for $5000 cash. Sweet deal.

As for selling I'm incredibly clear in my ads and responses to any inquieries. Price is firm, and I make sure that's clear so my time and theirs isn't wasted. I assure them I'm not in any hurry to sell. I must talk with them, and have their phone number. And most of the time they must come to me. After talking with some of them I'll sometimes agree to meet them. With all the above in place I've never yet had any problems, and usually meet really cool people. To me it's lots easier than selling anywhere else. So long as I don't let the crap, as in my OP, get to me.

I still don't understand why these guys aren't getting locked up. They have law enforcement chasing so much other harder to catch harmless garbage around, but these people seem almost allowed to make a business out of scamming. And they succeed more often than people think. For thousands of dollars. What would it take to drop a GPS in an envelope and track down these emmer effers? Not much, me thinks.
 

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