My New Zero Tolerance Craigslist Attitude.

[lfmn16]

Seems a little whiney but ok.

I totally disagree. I seems A LOT whiney.

Some people seem to have a vastly inflated sense of this situation. This is buying a bass on Craigslist, not negotiating an international trade agreement.

 

[ChrisWright]

It’s called negotiating. It’s what happens when someone wants to sell something and someone wants to buy something and each tries to get the best deal.

… And certainly the dude showing up late, etc. give you no incentive to want to get him a further break. I totally get that.

 

[gsking1]

Buyers mistake was lying about traffic. Lying is never acceptable.

 

[Low Main]

Ever have someone on CL try to pay for stuff you're selling with sheets of postage stamps? It happens.

I buy more than I sell on CL. As a buyer, one of the first things I tell sellers is: "I'm one of the normal people". You can hear them exhale a sigh of relief. I just reaffirmed to them what we both know - that there are lots of head cases on CL. At least 12 CL head cases exist for every single head case that Mesa Boogie has ever produced.

Of course, I'm not sure what "normal" is, and I wouldn't ever swear to anyone that I meet the criteria, but I basically just want sellers to know that I'm not going to play games and jerk them around. I may buy, I may not, but I'll be up front and straightforward about it.

I like it when I can check out gear on the main floor of an abode. If a seller says he's got the stuff down in the basement with a little white dog in a well and there are large moths hanging out in the kitchen, I'm not going down there without my night vision goggles and service revolver.

 

[ChrisWright]

It's called assumption, when one doesn't know the background of the person he is trying to school. 25 years of commissioned sales experience and being the son of parents who are commissioned sales people. Just the dinner conversations about their deals was a course on sales tactics and strategies. It's no wonder I'm in this field.

I wasn't going for the best deal on my end, otherwise I would be holding out for the $200-225 that it usually sells for. I was going for a relatively quick and easy sale, as mentioned in the post.



Yep. If you can't haggle and negotiate respectfully, I'm done.
I deal with poor negotiators all day at work and make the best of it, but when it's on my free time, especially when it's being wasted away, no.

It's called assumption, when one doesn't know the background of the person he is trying to school. 25 years of commissioned sales experience and being the son of parents who are commissioned sales people. Just the dinner conversations about their deals was a course on sales tactics and strategies. It's no wonder I'm in this field.

I wasn't going for the best deal on my end, otherwise I would be holding out for the $200-225 that it usually sells for. I was going for a relatively quick and easy sale, as mentioned in the post.



Yep. If you can't haggle and negotiate respectfully, I'm done.
I deal with poor negotiators all day at work and make the best of it, but when it's on my free time, especially when it's being wasted away, no.

No assumption - just looked at the story as conveyed by the OP. If it were an 'assumption', it would be that the seller had very little sales acumen, reducing his leverage by loading the vehicle and driving (free shipping and delivery) without the certainty of payment. Hopefully future dinner conversations will discuss "leverage".
The seller's admitted "best deal" was a quick sale. The best deal doesn't always have to be low price. In fact, in business, price is only one element of many, which has value (I teach my sales guys that). Bottom line: anticipate that people will do what people do (fail to adhere to our own set of values or standards) and be prepared to respond TO WIN - not go home and cancel the deal - especially after that effort.

 

[ChrisWright]

+1. Rationalization. “It’s just business” when someone else gets the shaft. I’ve heard people use “buyer beware” in the same manner.

That's not what "buyer beware" means though.

 

[evlwevl]

That is also my new attitude as well. If I’ve sold 10 things on Craigslist, I’ve dealt with 9 no shows and then usually a lower offer after my original offer was agreed to. I made the mistake of selling an amp I paid $100 for by hauling said guitar amp 4 hours north to SF Bay Area during a family trip to some guy that I accepted an offer for $60. This guy proceeds to make a new offer for $50 even though I saved him a drive and shipping. I was stupid enough to take his lousy cash offer on an already lousy transaction. I don’t mess with CL anymore. Too many flakey people and you never know who’s looking to buy or looking to see where you live hoping you have tons of other gear.

 

[BadSanta1281]

I've had great luck both buying and selling on CL.

Sometimes people inquire and never follow up... who cares? Someone else will buy it.
Sometimes they throw out a low-ball offer... who cares? Say no thanks.
Nothing is a done deal until the money changes hands.

I go to the seller when I'm buying.
I reserve the right to re-negotiate once I see the item in person.

I make the buyer come to me when I'm selling... actually a neutral location close to my house.
I don't get mad if they offer less but sometimes say no thanks. Sometimes say okay.
I do ask a bit more than I'm willing to take... sometimes they pay asking price. Bonus.

Negotiation is just a part of life... not only when you're buying and selling.
You negotiate with your spouse, your kids, your friends, your co-workers every day.
What's the big deal?

 

[Gwyn ap Nudd]

I understand. After he was told he would no longer be sold an item at the agreed upon price. I’d be pissed too. Show one person on TB that wouldn’t be.

Would that be after you tried to get him to knock another $50 off by threatening to turn around because of "traffic"?

 

[Bass Viking]

i'll share my last craigslist experience which was a great one.
I saw an ad for an Ampeg 810 AND carvin bx1500 for $400. I messaged the seller asking if it was $400 total for both and they responded yes. I would have been there that afternoon, but it was about an hour and half away from where i live, without traffic. I drug my feet trying to find a good day to get out there. A week goes by and they message me asking if i'm still interested because they had interest from other buyers and they feel since we had first correspondence they'd at least give me the courtesy of letting me know if i didn't commit, they would sell it. Well, i set a solid date with them and hurried up there.
Amp and cab were exactly as described. I felt like i was stealing it for $400, even with the drive. I happily paid them and the seller thanked me for not trying to haggle the price, like other possible buyers. I thought to myself, "how can you try to haggle a price like this???"
I've been more than satisfied with the amp since buying it. Best buy of my musician career by far.

You did exactly the right thing. Don't try to fix what isn't broken, just pay the guy and get the hell out of there!

 

[Bass Viking]

I was once at a flea market and there was a table there with a big sign that said "everything here, 10 cents." Someone browsing picked up an item and said to the person, "would you take a nickel for this?" I exploded in laughter. Some people just can't help themselves .

Literally nickeling and diming!

 

[trickyric]

I’m sorry, that is still negotiation. Until the item has transferred hands everything is a negotiation. Actually the fact that you have driven that far and loaded it in your truck, etc. gives the buyer some additional level of leverage (doesn’t seem fair, but it’s true - you incurred additional reasons to sell it). I know we don’t like this, but that’s just how it goes everywhere in the world. It’s business. You certainly reserve the right to decline any counter offer he makes.
“Thems that don’t ask, don’t get.”

You are making my point that it was dirty dealing.
At best low integrity on the buyers part.
A "strategy" if you will.
If we negotiated in good faith and at the point of delivery you did this, it is not in good faith anymore.
Deal just got blown up.
Not sure how you come around to this being acceptable for the buyer, but not acceptable for the seller to bail?
Once you make the seller drive to meet you and commit their time based on your word you have essentially completed the deal phase.
Delivery is after the deal is done.
Your word is your bond. It's called integrity.
FWIW,
In real business (not a CS listing) if you called say, a fish distributor and ordered 100 lbs of Tuna to be delivered to your market and then upon delivery tried to renegotiate you would be open to a lawsuit.
The order you placed and the price you agreed upon would be considered a verbal contract.

 

[trickyric]

But it rolls both ways. A SELLER walking away from a deal they’ve become uncomfortable with (for reasons such as some cited herein) is also ‘just business’.

Truth!

 

[MordBass]

You are making my point that it was dirty dealing.
At best low integrity on the buyers part.
A "strategy" if you will.
If we negotiated in good faith and at the point of delivery you did this, it is not in good faith anymore.
Deal just got blown up.
Not sure how you come around to this being acceptable for the buyer, but not acceptable for the seller to bail?
Once you make the seller drive to meet you and commit their time based on your word you have essentially completed the deal phase.
Delivery is after the deal is done.
Your word is your bond. It's called integrity.
FWIW,
In real business (not a CS listing) if you called say, a fish distributor and ordered 100 lbs of Tuna to be delivered to your market and then upon delivery tried to renegotiate you would be open to a lawsuit.
The order you placed and the price you agreed upon would be considered a verbal contract.

Thank you for wording this so well since I've been trying to say it since the OP posted lol.
I've also worked in sales and the moment both parties agreed to a price, they became invested in the deal. The buyer because he left his home and started to incur travel expenses, and the seller because he closed off any offers or communication from other potential buyers.
The buyer then used this as leverage to try to get another discount out of the seller.

Whats funny to me is that if the opposite occurred.... this thread wouldve blown up with people attacking the OP. Could you imagine if the OP waited until the guy had already driven all the way to him and said "now that you're all the way here on your own dime, the price has gone up by $50." How much of a douche move would that have been?
Yet thats pretty much what the buyer did and people dont seem to understand how shady that is. Negotiating is closed once a price is agreed upon.... unless the item is not as described once both parties meet.

I've only had that happen once and its because I was buying a road case that held a guitar head and 6sp rack. I asked the seller if it was one of the 5/8 or 3/4 builds or if it was a 1/4. He assured me the former... it was the latter. His dad was really mad when they pulled it out of the truck after a 45min drive and I said no way. We had agreed on a price of $250, I told him I wasnt willing to pay more than $50 for that. Its the rack version of selling a gibson and showing up with an epiphone. Thankfully we were at my garage so I was able to show the dad my other guitarists rig that was 10 feet away. I told him "this is what your son said he had. They go for around $800 new, $250-300 used. What your son has, is flimsy garbage that he is trying to sell for more than he paid". The dad apologized, and left. No harm, no foul.

 

[pappabass]

Well, I am not bill gates, I live on a tight budget. Sometimes i ask if the seller would consider $xxxx. Many times when asked the same on items I am selling, I will come off my price a little. Just reciprocating life.

 

[brbadg]

Right off the bat -
"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?"

I mean,all you had to say was $600.Sounds like you were having a bad day.

 

[Gorn]

Whoever is right or wrong, I'd want to be cordial with someone I don't know who's on their way to my house.

 

[Bass Viking]

I'm going to side with the seller (although I might have kept a cooler head). The buyer revealed himself to be the sort of person I wouldn't want in my house.

And texting while driving?!! I don't care if it's illegal or not where you live, it's dangerous!

 

[Cliff Colton]

The only thing the seller did wrong here was to not get out front with the profanity. Had he said I don’t want to sell it to you anymore M’erF’er, that would have been better because saving the profanity until the final message seems like sour grapes.

 

[Steve-D]

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.

Amen to that!!!