My New Zero Tolerance Craigslist Attitude.

[WardEarth]

What do you think the breakdown in percentages is on TB threads, where something both original, and helpful is discussed after reply #200?

I’m going with 3%

Is this a 3%’er?

 

[40Hz]

I think that where we're differing is just one point..


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

That, to me. Is the buyer intentionally tossing in that not showing up is well within the realm of possibility. Which, when added to asking for another discount, is shady and underhanded.

The price of the bass and the amount of traffic are not connected. They have nothing to do with one another. Which is why I view that as the buyer trying to wedge themselves an extra discount.
It doesnt cost you money to sit in traffic so its not like the buyer incurred an unexpected cost and wants the seller to split the difference.

Fair enough. But either way, the buyer said to forget what he just said. He’d be there shortly and pay the previously agreed price of $600.

Why did the seller cancel the sale at that point?

Answer - because he could.

Which makes it “personal” rather than “business.”

 

[gln1955]

I haven’t read the whole thread but was there a gig bag or anything included with that bass?

What's more amazing is 400 posts and no one has asked about the weight? The buyer could have reopened negotiations based on that alone.

 

[Altitude]

I like @MordBass approach.
$550? OK, we're back to haggling. $650.

Because raising your price in the middle of a negotiation works every time. All that leverage you've got.

 

[BadSanta1281]

When both parties are slinging the F-bomb at each other nobody's winning.

 

[jnuts1]

I think that where we're differing is just one point..


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

That, to me. Is the buyer intentionally tossing in that not showing up is well within the realm of possibility. Which, when added to asking for another discount, is shady and underhanded.

The price of the bass and the amount of traffic are not connected. They have nothing to do with one another. Which is why I view that as the buyer trying to wedge themselves an extra discount.
It doesnt cost you money to sit in traffic so its not like the buyer incurred an unexpected cost and wants the seller to split the difference.

wedging yourself into a better deal is the entire point of craigslist. do you really think the buyer drove an hour with the intention of not actually showing up if he didn't get it for 550? you have to really read into this and assume the buyer is super shady come to that conclusion. dude threw out a feeler and quickly took it back. the dude was clearly going to show up with 600 bucks.

 

[bolophonic]

I would have not been pleased to get a text haggling about the price again, but on the other hand, I don’t feel like every time I sell something it has to end with the buyer vanquished... most of the time, I just want the thing to MOVE.

 

[MordBass]

Fair enough. But either way, the buyer said to forget what he just said. He’d be there shortly and pay the previously agreed price of $600.

Why did the seller cancel the sale at that point?

Answer - because he could.

Which makes it “personal” rather than “business.”

yes, that might show some personal but its also good business to cut a transaction while you can still get out with no loss. The fact that the buyer wanted to strong arm him after agreeing wasn't a good sign that it'll be a smooth sale.

I had a guy on ebay once asking me about a bass I was selling. Had just listed it earlier that day for $400 which was crazy low but I wanted to get some bidding attention.

Guy - Can you give me more pictures of the fretboard?

Me - (sends 4 pics)

Guy - I want to see the control cavity

Me - (sends pic)

Guy - Cant you get any closer?

Me - (sends pic)

Guy - What about the action? I want a pic of a ruler showing the gap at the 12th fret

Me - (4hrs later, sends pic)

Guy - can you put a straight edge on the neck?

Me - Dude, at this point I am not willing to sell you the bass. Too many red flags here. Im sorry but any bids you make will be cancelled.

Guy - What the ****!!?!?!? You cant do that you piece of ****!!!! Ill sue you!!! Ebay will cancel your account!!!!

Me - Thank you for letting me know that I made the right choice.



I reported it to ebay and they suspended his account.

 

[WardEarth]

Hear ya too.

But here’s the thing with me. A renegotiation is only possible if both parties agree to go back to the table. So if one side wants to parlay and the other doesn’t, there’s nothing further to negotiate.

Had the buyer tried to renegotiate as a condition of going through with the sale after agreeing on a price, then the buyer would be 100% in the wrong in my book.

But that’s not what happened.

Whether it was some harmless pre-F2F banter (as I think it was), or an attempt to revisit the sales price (as many here believe) is immaterial in the wake of what followed.

From the original post:



So ok. The seller is saying there’s no further negotiation. The price stands or the deal is off. Kinda an over the top way to say it considering the classic line: “Sorry but I can’t do it for that” would have been sufficient. (If someone reacted like the OP did with me I’d be a little taken aback.) But it is what it is.

So regardless of the intent of the buyer saying what he said, the seller is in complete and undisputed control of the deal at this point.

So the buyer tries to square things:



Wait…what???

Why?

Only conclusion that can be drawn, based on the exchange as shown, is the seller got pissed off the guy had (whether in fact or in jest) asked if the seller would consider $550. And the seller, not the buyer as some here seem to want to believe, called off the sale in the wake of that - and that alone.

That’s all I’m saying.

40hz I admire your stamina, how the hell have you written 5 essays in this thread? All I do all day atm is sit around and I couldn’t even put close to what you’ve put in

 

[MordBass]

Because raising your price in the middle of a negotiation works every time. All that leverage you've got.

Exactly. I dont care who buys from me. Guy, chick, tall, short... whatevs. But if we're talking numbers... they want what I've got.

 

[FingerDub]

Well, let's just say there aren't any mile long threads discussing my choices.

It's guys like me not afraid to put stuff out there so that guys like you have something to talk about.

No one's perfect, and I'm sorry I disappointed you. So what are you going to do burn me at the stake?

 

[MordBass]

wedging yourself into a better deal is the entire point of craigslist. do you really think the buyer drove an hour with the intention of not actually showing up if he didn't get it for 550? you have to really read into this and assume the buyer is super shady come to that conclusion. dude threw out a feeler and quickly took it back. the dude was clearly going to show up with 600 bucks.

Didn't you just enter the conversation at about the 400th post with "and the dude's talking about morals/right thing to do you really need to get over yourselves. the righteous indignation on this site is nauseating." ?
I already answered that question. Read the thread.

 

[FingerDub]

I haven’t read the whole thread but was there a gig bag or anything included with that bass?

Yes. Road Runner bag.

 

[WardEarth]

The repeated mention of the "threat" by the OP and a few others is amazingly hilarious.

I've sold a bunch on craigslist but never bought anything. if you don't want anyone haggling before during or after don't sell on craigslist. everyone wants to haggle used gear. get over it. he could have been joking he may not have been you don't know. but you sure read into it what you wanted.

and the dude's talking about morals/right thing to do you really need to get over yourselves. the righteous indignation on this site is nauseating.

Excellent
I believe we’ve broken into the 3% threshold

 

[jnuts1]

Didn't you just enter the conversation at about the 400th post with "and the dude's talking about morals/right thing to do you really need to get over yourselves. the righteous indignation on this site is nauseating." ?
I already answered that question. Read the thread.

that wasn't directed at you just in general. and what does being #400 have anything to do with anything?

 

[MordBass]

that wasn't directed at you just in general. and what does being #400 have anything to do with anything?

I wasn't assuming it was directed at me, I was just commenting as to the nature of your post. Also, the number of posts has to do with the amount of conversation that you've skipped before asking things that were already mentioned.

 

[petrus61]

If this makes 30 pages, I’m quitting TB for a year.

 

[31HZ]

"Would you consider XXXX?"

<"zero tolerance" meltdown>

 

[BadSanta1281]

It's guys like me not afraid to put stuff out there so that guys like you have something to talk about.

No one's perfect, and I'm sorry I disappointed you. So what are you going to do burn me at the stake?

Although I didn't agree with how you handled your original situation I admire your ability to keep your cool with all the comments firing at you here. Life's too short to get mad about stuff.

 

[40Hz]

yes, that might show some personal but its also good business to cut a transaction while you can still get out with no loss. The fact that the buyer wanted to strong arm him after agreeing wasn't a good sign that it'll be a smooth sale.

I had a guy on ebay once asking me about a bass I was selling. Had just listed it earlier that day for $400 which was crazy low but I wanted to get some bidding attention.

Guy - Can you give me more pictures of the fretboard?

Me - (sends 4 pics)

Guy - I want to see the control cavity

Me - (sends pic)

Guy - Cant you get any closer?

Me - (sends pic)

Guy - What about the action? I want a pic of a ruler showing the gap at the 12th fret

Me - (4hrs later, sends pic)

Guy - can you put a straight edge on the neck?

Me - Dude, at this point I am not willing to sell you the bass. Too many red flags here. Im sorry but any bids you make will be cancelled.

Guy - What the F*&&!!?!?!? You cant do that you piece of $H^%!!!! Ill sue you!!! Ebay will cancel your account!!!!

Me - Thank you for letting me know that I made the right choice.



I reported it to ebay and they suspended his account.

You make good points. But I’ve found “preemptive strikes” in a business situation far more often tend to be rationalized after the fact than justified. You can cite a real counter example or a hypothetical to make a good case for taking a different approach. But if you confine the assessment to the actual case the OP presented here, I think the conclusion about who’s more in the right is pretty inescapable.