Buy & Selling Timewasters?

[Ashley Burton]

@bR39Da I would let the guy make his own decisions

@James1979 I try to avoid payment via PayPal at all costs unless its gift payment

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I mean how do you respond to this? The item was only £38.

Tell him to try a CD that isn't scratched

 

[Ashley Burton]

@bR39Da Wouldn't be the first time I've heard such a story

 

[EddyP]

Difficult one as you weren't able to test it properly, you could offer him a 50% refund, or just say sold as seen.

I despise selling on eBay, not only are the fees ridiculous but it's full of people trying it on too. Prefer selling on places like here, unfortunately there aren't people on here that need the junk I want rid of though

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

If it's less than £50 then it goes to car boot...just not worth the hassle I think dealing with idiots.

Some items are like idiot magnets...alloy wheels are one for some reason.

I list most stuff these days as "spares repair"...

 

[Ashley Burton]

Seems I've found a sensible buyer, Collecting tomorrow, Bank Transfer on collection & good communication

Happy Days!

Should selling really be this much hard work?

 

[EddyP]

Maybe we should all list our tat on here first, anyone need a 1940s Motorola Valve car radio? Doesn't have bluetooth or Apple car play.

 

[Ashley Burton]

@EddyP One man's rubbish is another man's treasure!

Not feeling the Radio though

 

[sardine]

Anyone else question their sanity when dealing with some of these mindless people when selling stuff on online platforms?

Whenever I sell something I try to give as much information as possible & post pictures of equal quality

But when I get...

I can pay you cash & collect tonight
Can you hold onto it until tomorrow
Is that your best price
Will you take half the amount your asking

I think you get my drift...

This is why I despise selling anything!

Been selling on eBay and Gumtree regularly for years and you have to take the time wasters as a part of the job I'm afraid, over the years I've got to know all the tricks and scams so I can navigate round potential problems now, I know what to expect and there is a definite pattern of problems based on the ethnic origin of the buyer. I could list them but I'd probably get banned.

One ethnic group ( big caravaning fans ) I won't sell to under any circumstances.

 

[Ashley Burton]

@sardine Best one I've ever heard is a hire company having a rear axle swapped off their new van for an older model which funnily enough wasn't in great working condition like their original one

I say no more!

 

[northwest]

there is a definite pattern of problems based on the ethnic origin of the buyer.

This is just a fact. I can't see the problem, we (the PC brigade that is) need to get over ourselves. It is a fact of life that all nations/ethnic groups/peoples have different ways of doing business, I accommodate this on a day to day basis. I can usually guess how the negotiation is going to go as soon as they start talking. I do have certain limits though.

Edit: Sorry, forgot to add, there are certain groups of people I just don't do business with, it is not worth my time, effort or blood pressure.

 

[blackolive (Ste)]

I put a box of milling cutters on fb marketplace for £50

Got

Will you swap them for a vice?

No Id like cash please

Oh. Do you want any welding doing ?

No Ive got Mig ang Tig thanks

Oh. Cheeky but will you take £20


The next day, someone else

I live in Chorley can I come and have a look at them ?

Ive posted loads of pictures and the description is as seen, you can come and buy them if you like

Yes but I want to see if everything in the pictures is included

I took them back off sale at this point

 

[Ashley Burton]

@Blackolive It's hard work

I had a couple of questions like:
Any rust? Is it in working condition?
How's the brake pads & tyres?

It gets to the point of what do you expect from a secondhand item?!

One guy I told him 'I don't know what exactly your expecting?' + I also told him 'I have 100% feedback, I don't buy & sell poor quality items'

I think he got the message

 

[pedrobedro]

A friend of mine wants an iPhone 5se as he doesn't like large phones and he spotted a nice looking one on eBay, described as working and unlocked so he bought it. I arrived and he rang me asking if he could get into a phone with a 4 digit screeen code in any way. I said no and to contact the seller. He emailed through eBay and got a phone number and the nice Jamaican gentleman said he didn't know the code, or whether it was iCloud locked and find my phone disabled so my friend has done an eBay cashback and received his full costs. The phone was back on eBay with the same description.

 

[MCKDAVID]

You simply have to expect them....and then ignore them

to supplement the lull in the repair works, I've been buying a lot of strimmer, lawn tractors, chainsaws etc sold as broken or for parts recently off the french equivelent of gumtree. Buy them cheap, fix them up and resell them, does alright, won't make me a millionaire, but keeps the workshop turning over and money coming in. The result is that I spend a fair bit of time checking and listing adverts, and dealing with people. The majority are fairly hassle free and goes to plan. The most problematic ones, are those with the posted item sales, rarely had a problem face to face, but almost alway everytime with posted items. it's the anonymity of it, they feel protected by the distance, always more difficult to try a fast one face to face. To the point I rarely sell anything by post, just face to face now, fortunately in the majority of cases for my kit there's no choice, kinda difficult to send a chainsaw or a mower by post
TechnicAl is right, sad to say but it's part and parcel of the market, chancers I can deal with (I'm one as well), we're all looking for a deal, so aye that make sense to try it on, but the idiots I just ignore, however they seem in the majority. I rarely respond, if I do it's just to thank them for cheering me up with a laugh.

No point over thinking it, or getting wound up over it, just accept that it goes with the territory and move on. Sadly

 

[mechman]

When I put my Bonneville America up for sale (£4000) I was er taken aback by some of the Buyers/Time wasters Offers, A guy on the site where I live said his mate really wanted one. He photographed it asked if he could sit on it (keys in my pocket as you do)no problem. Any way a week later a bike dealer bought it full price (6year old 5000mls ) so I told the guy on site It was gone, His reply was that his mate (really wanted one) only had £500 I could have sold him the back wheel but I didn't really want to break a mint bike for parts

 

[EddyP]

I put a box of milling cutters on fb marketplace for £50

Got

Will you swap them for a vice?

No Id like cash please

Oh. Do you want any welding doing ?

No Ive got Mig ang Tig thanks

Oh. Cheeky but will you take £20


The next day, someone else

I live in Chorley can I come and have a look at them ?

Ive posted loads of pictures and the description is as seen, you can come and buy them if you like

Yes but I want to see if everything in the pictures is included

I took them back off sale at this point

Send me a link to them, I've just bought a mill so might be after some

 

[RichardM]

I always demonstrate it even if they say no when it's collected, then you and they know it is working as described at time of sale.

I don't mind "best offer", it doesn't worry me saying no to people and I don't mind haggling

 

[sardine]

Don't be tempted to post items paid via PayPal as its a common scam , they can cancel the payment after they get the goods. If they refuse bank transfer you know they were trying to scam you.