A funny call I just got.

[Richard]

I used to have a Miata. Getting up in miles, something like 130K?

Needed some odds/ends so I bought another car. put Miata on ebay with no reserve.

Had various emails about it... knew people were waiting until the end to snipe it.

Talked to one of the guys who emailed me. He wanted it for a parts car since he raced them. Asked if it was actually drivable (yes, I'd not hesitate taking a trip in it myself) so he said could he fly in from Baltimore, meet me at the airport, exchange cash and he drive back?

Yep

Gave it to him for $300. As stated way above, I simply wanted RID of it and had no concern over how much I was going to get. He seemed like a nice enough guy and it was nice helping him out.

Did the deal, met him at airport and he drove back that very night. Over the next couple weeks, I started seeing Miata parts on ebay, from Baltimore area where he was stripping it getting rid of parts he'd never use for racing and trying to recoup his $300 and plane ticket.

I'll bet he never believed I'd do it. (did so with both eyes open)

 

[ultrarunner]

Selling second hand items in a an ad is influenced by perception more than I realized...

I've sold more than my share of cars on Craigslist...

I used to use a local Penny-Saver ad paper that I had a lot of success with... Craigslist put them out of business.

Craigslist was very frustrating when I first started using it... I would get lots of responses and always posted pictures... people said they were on the way to take a look and NEVER show up????

I mentioned it to my Brothers and they said most people are not going to go to Oakland to see a car unless they already live there...

So I left the car at my Brother's home in Castro Valley... 7 minutes from my Oakland Home and the first person to look at it bought it and another drove up and said if the first guy doesn't want it... he will take it.

The second guy asked me if I had advertised the car last week in Oakland and I said yes... He said he emailed and was interested but didn't think buying a car in Oakland was a good idea????

Since then, I've also sold cars from my other brother's home in Pleasant Hill CA... same thing...

People's perception of Oakland was enough of a turn-off to kill any chance of a deal.

 

[Heavyduty]

This is funny. I ran an ad on CL for a young goat. He was a real nice looking animal and I was asking a premium price. Some idiot ran a counter ad, using my picture, basically telling me I was stupid for asking so much for the goat that he or she could get a better animal at the auction for a fraction of my price.
Of course, there was no way I could contact the idiot and even if I had I really don't know what I would have said.
End of story, I sold the goat for my price two days later.

One guy was asking for any unwanted farm animals to put on his farm beacause he was retired and always wanted animals. He even had a picture of his nice rolling pasture, giving everyone a nice warm feeling. Come to find out he was reselling them or butchering them if he couldn't get any $$$ for them. Sure won't old Mcdonalds farm.

 

[NuBota]

This is funny. I ran an ad on CL for a young goat. He was a real nice looking animal and I was asking a premium price. Some idiot ran a counter ad, using my picture, basically telling me I was stupid for asking so much for the goat that he or she could get a better animal at the auction for a fraction of my price.
Of course, there was no way I could contact the idiot and even if I had I really don't know what I would have said.
End of story, I sold the goat for my price two days later.

Kinda like Hollywood - any press is good press. Guy probably actually helped you by creating some controversy....

What a world.......

 

[Travelover]

I used to give stuff away on Craigslist by listing it under their "Free" section. It was stuff that I hated to see go to a dump, but that was not worth my while to actually sell.

It quickly became apparent that lots of people respond on every free offer with no intention of actually picking it up. The result was that I would end up holding it for a day or so until I offered it again to the next up response, who also may not show up.

Lately I have been listing the item under the category that it would normally sell under, but with an asking price of $1. That way I get people that really want the item and since they are paying a little something, they seem to take it more seriously. So far so good.

 

[tallyho8]

One of the things I hate the most when I list on Craiglist is that I get about 20 people email me to ask if I still have it. I reply yes, and never hear from them again.

 

[Bird]

I'm a big believer that it never hurts to ask. Obviously some people get offended by it, but sometimes my low ball offer is the only one they get. I've offered half of the asking price of things, including homes and land. In most cases, I never hear from them again. Sometimes I do.

Yep, some people will be offended by a low ball offer, but I think it depends on how you go about it. If you tell someone he's asking too much, that it isn't worth that much, he gets offended and defensive, so I never do that, even if I do think someone is asking way too high a price. Instead, I'll say something like "it may be (or it probably is) worth that much, but I just can't afford that" and tell them what I'm willing to pay.

But there's lots of different games both buyers and sellers play. When I sold my B2710 Kubota, the guy came to look at it, then said he'd talked to a dealer and he could buy a new one for the price I was asking, so I said, "Where is that dealer, because I"ll take 3 of them." He bought my used one.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I used to give stuff away on Craigslist by listing it under their "Free" section. It was stuff that I hated to see go to a dump, but that was not worth my while to actually sell.

It quickly became apparent that lots of people respond on every free offer with no intention of actually picking it up. The result was that I would end up holding it for a day or so until I offered it again to the next up response, who also may not show up.

Lately I have been listing the item under the category that it would normally sell under, but with an asking price of $1. That way I get people that really want the item and since they are paying a little something, they seem to take it more seriously. So far so good.

If you want to give something away and put it on the curb with a free sign on it, no one will take it. If you put a "FOR SALE" sign on it, someone will steal it.

 

[weldingisfun]

He didn't buy but he still got your goat EH!

Yes, I guess he did.

That wasn't you who did that, LBrown59, was it?

 

[farmboy12]

If you want to give something away and put it on the curb with a free sign on it, no one will take it. If you put a "FOR SALE" sign on it, someone will steal it.

That must be how it is in our state of MD. Because that's how we've gotten rid of some stuff.


Kyle