My New Zero Tolerance Craigslist Attitude.

[Killed_by_Death]

Some view it as the price of 'peace of mind', because after you make that deal, that merchandise will NEVER be your problem under ANY circumstances.

True!
GC or SA isn't going to call or message a day later or a week later with a silly issue.

Come on, it’s not that bad...unless you’ve got stories?

My stories aren't that bad, mostly just flaky people, making appointments they have no intention of upholding.
Worst was driving 20 miles to meet a guy half-way & he had lied about the item he had intended to trade. Yes, I asked directly, & it required a Yes or No response.
That's the other thing, if they're not flakes they're liars. OTOH the decline of Western civilization just confirms my strong misanthropy.

 

[Jim Carr]

Last week, a guy drove up from about an hour + away to check out my bass. I had it listed for $650.00 which I could have gotten all day. But I made a mistake and was thinking of another bass and told the guy six hundred instead of $650 and even though I made a mistake, that I would still honor $600 because I said it, even mistakenly.

On the drive up the guy texted me this:

Buyer: "Would you consider $550? Haha thinking about turning around this traffic is horrible."

Me: Turn around then. You responded at full price, and then because of my mistake which I honored, you would have gotten $50 off the price, which you agreed to and now you're trying to squeeze me for more?

Buyer: Forget I said anything, I'm almost there. I'll give you $600.

Me: No thanks. I don't want to sell it to you anymore.

Buyer: Mother******.

Me: Go **** yourself.

Feels DAMN GOOD.

If you're going to play the game, be prepared to also lose.

Seeking reassurance?
I haven't read the whole thread. When a simple polite "No" will suffice, adding anger simply diminishes you, him, and all of us in the long run. Why make the world a coarser place? Even if the customer was being a knee-jerk jerk, does it make life better to act as you did? If it felt so "DAMN GOOD," I wonder what drove you to post about it? IMHO, you know the answer.

 

[redwingxix]

You want to compare haggling to beating your wife? Or denying the right to vote? Or genicide? You really want to make that comparison?

C'mon, of course I'm being facetious. But saying that something such as haggling is a time honored tradition so we should just keep doing it is not proper reasoning.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

The customer got things off on the wrong foot, and the seller kept things on the same foot, the result being one big NO SALE.

Which is perfectly fine, there are other buyers, there are other basses out there.

 

[MegaSwing]

Which is perfectly fine, there are other buyers, there are other basses out there.

And a whole lot of new ill will as well.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

I learned a long time ago to just do it quick.
if I have a $1000 item for sale, I list it for $800.
someone sees it, calls
"sounds like a good deal!"
"Yes, it is a good deal, can you come over now?"
"sure, I'll be there in an hour"
"Great! you get a deal!"

if they show up and offer less, I tell them no, because I have 5 others who want the same deal.
then they pony up the cash and everyone leaves happy.

 

[singlemalt]

I love swap meets. I put em on my calendar. I get there early, because sometimes there’s stuff that needs to be snapped up right away. True deals. No reason to do anything but hand over the cash.

And sometimes, I’ll make an offer. Meet with refusal. Walk away.

And in the last hour, when stuff needs to be packed up and carried away unsold, find the seller one last time. Maybe that offer sounds good now.

As a seller I can tell you it works both ways. I actually enjoy the game. If my customer walks away with the gear I want gone, and they like the deal, and I’ve got cash, and THE GEAR IS GONE, we’re both winners.

Meanwhile I drink a lot of coffee, shoot the breeze with folks and generally have a nice morning. It’s a game. Stuff comes and goes. I put on the smile and talk to everybody that comes by.

 

[MegaSwing]

I learned a long time ago to just do it quick.
if I have a $1000 item for sale, I list it for $800.
someone sees it, calls
"sounds like a good deal!"
"Yes, it is a good deal, can you come over now?"
"sure, I'll be there in an hour"
"Great! you get a deal!"

if they show up and offer less, I tell them no, because I have 5 others who want the same deal.
then they pony up the cash and everyone leaves happy.

A good salesman (or business) makes it easy for a customer to spend his/her money.

 

[WardEarth]

C'mon, of course I'm being facetious. But saying that something such as haggling is a time honored tradition so we should just keep doing it is not proper reasoning.

I don’t know if it’s tradition but I really don’t see it going anywhere. Since the time when man climbed out of the cave to form civilization, ppl been wheeling and dealin.

 

[QORC]

they will always offer less. so you simply say, no, this is the lowest I'm going - take it or leave it. And don't worry about it

 

[PaulCISSA]

Buyer: Forget I said anything, I'm almost there. I'll give you $600.

Me: No thanks. I don't want to sell it to you anymore.

Buyer: Mother******.

Me: Go **** yourself.

Feels DAMN GOOD.

If you're going to play the game, be prepared to also lose.

You're my hero!

 

[WardEarth]

True!
GC or SA isn't going to call or message a day later or a week later with a silly issue.

My stories aren't that bad, mostly just flaky people, making appointments they have no intention of upholding.
Worst was driving 20 miles to meet a guy half-way & he had lied about the item he had intended to trade. Yes, I asked directly, & it required a Yes or No response.
That's the other thing, if they're not flakes they're liars. OTOH the decline of Western civilization just confirms my strong misanthropy.

It’s not that hard to tell someone what’s going on with whatever issue they have. Or if the deal wasn’t a big deal to you, just give them their money back.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Hopefully there are some things we all can agree upon:

1- Don’t buy a brand new car.
2- Don’t buy whole life insurance.
3- Don’t buy a time-share.

No amount of haggling in the world can save you on those... whoops, I mean negotiating...

 

[lfmn16]

C'mon, of course I'm being facetious. But saying that something such as haggling is a time honored tradition so we should just keep doing it is not proper reasoning.

hmmmm, I'll have to think about that. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm not saying you're right, I'm just saying.

 

[Vooter]

Last week, a guy drove up from about an hour + away to check out my bass. I had it listed for $650.00 which I could have gotten all day. But I made a mistake and was thinking of another bass and told the guy six hundred instead of $650 and even though I made a mistake, that I would still honor $600 because I said it, even mistakenly.

On the drive up the guy texted me this:

Buyer: "Would you consider $550? Haha thinking about turning around this traffic is horrible."

Me: Turn around then. You responded at full price, and then because of my mistake which I honored, you would have gotten $50 off the price, which you agreed to and now you're trying to squeeze me for more?

Buyer: Forget I said anything, I'm almost there. I'll give you $600.

Me: No thanks. I don't want to sell it to you anymore.

Buyer: Mother******.

Me: Go **** yourself.

Feels DAMN GOOD.

If you're going to play the game, be prepared to also lose.

Sounds to me like the guy was actually stuck in traffic and frustrated. Now, that doesn't mean that he should have continued to haggle (which I agree would have been annoying), but I would have probably just rolled my eyes, said "Nope, sorry," and then waited for my $600 to be delivered. I'm usually WAY more interested in just finishing the deal than I am in playing the nickel-and-dime game, which is probably why I haven't had many, if any, bad experiences with Craigslist buyers...

 

[ashtray]

Two short stories to relate, as a buyer:

Went to buy a tube amp. Drove an hour, got there, didn’t work right. Drove home. 15 minutes in got a call from seller who called a shop 20 min from his place who said it was likely just a tube and to meet him there. So 35 min later I was at the shop - when the seller decided he no longer wanted to sell the amp. Now I had an hour 20 min drive home. That’s 3 1/2 hours of just drive time, to get home with no amp. Infuriating.

Second story: I went to buy a couple guitars for big $$. Seller emailed and said before I make the long drive, the price was firm. He lived 90 minutes away. I said “ok, but without seeing the instruments in person, I’d not be able to determine their value.” I followed that up with “at worst, I take a long drive for nothing”. When I got there, the instruments were as described, and I presented him with a lot more cash than I felt comfortable ever carrying. Then things got relaxed. He invited me in and we chatted and he showed me other guitars for the next hour+.

Bonus stories: As a seller, I’ve had buyers not show up. Or they text they are on their way or running late and then an hour later another text saying something came up. Or just a complete no show.

I’ve met buyers at public spots half way. That can be tricky in LA traffic with each person driving an hour, hoping the other party is on time and shows up at all. (hint: choose a place where there is stuff to do while waiting, so if you have to wait an hour or the guy doesn’t show, at least you got to do something interesting.)

I had one time selling something when I was supposed to meet the buyer halfway, but fell ill before leaving the house. The buyer was on his way to the meeting point. I texted him I was very sorry and couldn’t meet him there, but if he wanted he could drive to my house and I would take $50 off the price. He agreed. He got a very good deal, and I didn’t have to spend the next day cleaning out human waste from my car’s interior. Win-win.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It’s not that hard to tell someone what’s going on with whatever issue they have. Or if the deal wasn’t a big deal to you, just give them their money back.

The issue is usually buyer's remorse. I'm not their troubleshooter.
I'm also not keen on taking something back just to start the process of listing it & dealing with "customers" all over again.

More power to you if you have the patience to try & troubleshoot their issues over the phone or have to meet them again to solve it.
If someone is expecting that sort of "service" from me, I am not their huckleberry.

 

[lfmn16]

Worst was driving 20 miles to meet a guy half-way & he had lied about the item he had intended to trade. Yes, I asked directly, & it required a Yes or No response.

I had that happen, although not 20 miles. I was looking at a fretless jazz bass. I thought the price sounded low, but not ridiculous, so I said, "Now this is made in USA, right, because I'm not interest in the made in Mexico ones." He says, "Yes, this is made in America" so I go over. I pull it out of the case and it says "Made in Mexico." I looked at him and said, "What the hell did you lie for?" He just shrugged his shoulders so I left. What a Richard Cranium.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Same thing for me, but it was Korea vs. Indonesia. The guy can't read, is just plain dumb, or a liar. Any of those counts me out of the deal.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I’m surprised that some of my CL sales get sold without asking me to lower the price.

The only time that has happened to me is when the price was ridiculously low & never with music gear.
Last time that I can remember was when I was just disgusted by how child-like Stephen King must think his readers are, after trying to read Dark Tower.

I sold those all for $5 & the dude gave me a tenner w/o asking for change.