quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
fuck fb marketplace buyers.

last week i posted a 17yr old troybilt bronco riding mower. i said everything works except the brake so you need to slow down and shut it off then coast to a stop. I listed it for free. Come and take it.

I got so many fakers asking if i would deliver. then i got people that said they wanted it but they would have to rent a trailer and if i could hold it for two weeks. i just did a mass response, whoever gets here tomorrow morning at 8am with a trailer can have it.

We learned our lesson last year with the whole "free come and get it" thing with an old DR table and chairs. Brought every scammer and weirdo out of the woodwork...can you deliver it? Can you hold it for a month until I can get out of this well I'm trapped in? How much is it?

Holy crap people! It's FREE! No, we aren't delivering a FREE item to you 50 friggen miles away.

We found out you list it for a few dollars and it will help weed out scammers and get rid of it faster.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
No Holding.. 1st customer with CASH in hand....

I generally agree to hold the item.

For instance a buyer from 6 hours away calls Thursday evening and after talking he wants to buy. He says he's off work Saturday and with an early start he can be at my house at noon. Unless I get a bad feeling talking with him on the phone I'll agree.

Or if I'm buying a motorcycle 4 hours away and can be there the next morning to pick it up, no way I'd agree to buy unless he agrees to hold it until 11am the next day. Hell if not I could have driven 3 1/2 hours and almost there and he could call saying "sorry someone from across town just came and bought it".

I've also got a motorcycle I'm going to list. Re the above I'll be specific: "First come, first served. I'll not hold it for anybody. No test rides unless I have your cash in hand. Otherwise I will let you follow me on the bike and demonstrate braking, acceleration, etc. Shipping is on your dime but I don't deliver."

Anything else?

I was finally contacted by a legitimate buyer.

On Sunday a lady on Facebook said they'd like to come look on Monday around noon if OK.

I said sure then did not reply to two more enquiries that came after.

About 11:30 her husband called saying he got tied up and he was leaving now but was an hour away.

I thanked him for the update and he arrived at 12:30, looked it over, handed me $2,800, and we loaded it in his truck.

I pulled the ad then thanked the other two telling them it sold to a person who responded before they had.

Some of those stories remind me of an HOA meeting. Strict rules about yard/garage sales were getting complained about. A couple of neighbors mentioned putting stuff out the curb with a "free" sign, and the stuff never moved. Another neighbor said, "Put a for sale sign on it, $50, and it'll be 'stolen' within the hour."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tonydec,

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:


3-4 offered between $14,000 and $15,000. These people supposedly were comfortable offering $15K w/o looking at the bike or even talking to me.

It's a huge red flag if the buyer is not willing to pick up a phone and call me with questions. If they try handling everything using a text message or email, I will tell them to pound sand.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

A buyer from Canada is supposedly coming to pick this one up Saturday.

I agree I want to actually talk to the potential buyer or seller. To be fair though the buyer from Canada arrived Sunday morning after texting it would be Sunday. We never spoke until he along with his son rolled in at 9am, everything was done through Marketplace then text.

You can learn a lot from a 5 minute phone conversation.

I had a young coworker agree to sell a bike to someone over 4 hours away. They made a deal and agreed to meet half way. Upon arrival, the buyer lowballed my young friend by $200. He ended up taking the lower price. He learned a valuable lesson that day.