Craigslist reply - Helpful advice or smarta$$?

[California]

I have bought and sold a lot of stuff on CL. It surprises me how far away people will search and travel for some items.

True. For that little Yanmar I sold recently, I had driven all the way to Susanville (over the Sierras then 2~3 hours north, basically a day round trip). This because it was price half of the few others I had seen nearer. I paid the seller to deliver it down the mountain to the Central Valley, I didn't have tow capacity to handle mountaiin grades. (link w photos)

Then when I sold it (as described above) the two real offers I finally got were one local, one from some guy out in the middle of the Nevada desert at least an hour east of the California state line, maybe 8 hours (towing) from my orchard on the coast. We negotiated meeting in Stockton, about 1/4 of the way there, where he had a friend. But this seemed like a gamble to me, trailer the thing and use up most of a day whether he bought it on the spot or started games of 'take it now but pay you later', or something. The local interested party never let on whether he was serious but I called him back and told him about the Nevada guy. Local guy showed up next morning with cash.

You never know.

 

[Deere Dude]

I never bought anything that I can think off from CL but sold a lot.

Sometimes real hard negotiators turn me off and want the stuff for next to nothing. I had a front mount snowblower new at $2500+ and was in great shape. I asked 1200 if I recall and a guy calls and asks how low I would go. I told him 1100. He drove out from 50 miles away and looked and looked and pushed and pulled and really checked it over. He said he would give me 1000. After and hour I told him I would throw in a quart of JD yellow paint because I know how expensive JD paint is.

He declined and said he can get them all day long for a 1000, and I told him, not like this one. He left and I was glad I didn't sell it to him, because he was a very rude character.

An hour later he called back and asked again what I would take for it and I fudged a bit and told him 1075. He asked if I would put it on my tractor so he could watch it run. I told him it would be way to much trouble.

He said he would come out and pick it up for 1075. When he came out he was nice as gold to me. I think he talked to his kid, which was who he was buying it for and he told him not to screw this deal up. Then he asked for my yellow paint and I told him to forget it. That was on the 1100 deal.

People can be aggravating.

 

[tallyho8]

I hate to throw away things that other people may need. While clearing out my house for renovation in the last 3 months I have posted over 30 items on Craigslist for only $5 each when I know I could sell them on eBay for $15 or more each but the shipping is too much for me right now as busy as I am.

I really would not mind giving them away to someone but I absolutely refuse to place any more FREE ads. The free ads draw all the real weirdos who want not just something for nothing, they want everything for nothing. When I offer free pecan firewood they call me all day asking if I will deliver it and stack it in their back yard. Others want to meet me halfway across town and naturally about 9 at night. Others phone up and ask me how much I will pay them to haul it away.

 

[jack707]

I was selling a 10k trailer I got reply for a trailer with 2 3,500 axels! I told him you need to know the difference between the two.

 

[check]

I never bought anything that I can think off from CL but sold a lot. Sometimes real hard negotiators turn me off and want the stuff for next to nothing. I had a front mount snowblower new at $2500+ and was in great shape. I asked 1200 if I recall and a guy calls and asks how low I would go. I told him 1100. He drove out from 50 miles away and looked and looked and pushed and pulled and really checked it over. He said he would give me 1000. After and hour I told him I would throw in a quart of JD yellow paint because I know how expensive JD paint is. He declined and said he can get them all day long for a 1000, and I told him, not like this one. He left and I was glad I didn't sell it to him, because he was a very rude character. An hour later he called back and asked again what I would take for it and I fudged a bit and told him 1075. He asked if I would put it on my tractor so he could watch it run. I told him it would be way to much trouble. He said he would come out and pick it up for 1075. When he came out he was nice as gold to me. I think he talked to his kid, which was who he was buying it for and he told him not to screw this deal up. Then he asked for my yellow paint and I told him to forget it. That was on the 1100 deal. People can be aggravating.

That happens all too often. People come and piss you off so much, that you hold fast for another 25 bucks or so. It is really interesting to see this happen on a real estate deal, where people are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the deal falls apart at the end for a few hundred bucks. And all because the negotiation went on for so long, and became so intense, that it was like each side just had to win. Then, of course both sides end up shooting themselves in the foot! A strange sort of psychology develops in those types of situations.

I have been the victim of this type of thing myself, so now I just keep the negotiations as short as possible, make one time offers, say take it or leave it, that sort of thing.

For example, one time I was selling something very expensive, and the guy texted me and said call me back when you get down off of whatever drugs you are on. (He must've been referring to the baby aspirin that I take every night before I go to bed.). That was the end of that negotiation.

 

[jack707]

People on CL that want to buy can't grasp what things cost new for example the trailer cost me over 3k they think I should take a 700 dollar hit to sell forget that!!!!

 

[Deere Dude]

I had a car with a stick shift and tried selling it on my lawn listed for 7200. Worth $8200 according to a couple blue-book sites.

Time went on with a few tire kickers. Who knew nobody knows how to drive a stick shift?
Finally after a couple months I priced it at 5700. Motivated seller syndrome I guess. No nibbles.

Took to a consignment lot on the main drag in town and he could keep everything over 6000. Listed for 6700 No bites in two months.

Took home and cleaned it up and decided to keep it and run it.

After a month I took it to another consignment lot who sells a lot of stuff and he listed it for 7700 and he could keep everything over 6000. Again after a month dropped to 6700 and two months later we took it home again.

Put it on CL priced at 6900. A guy came out and liked it and asked what I could take and I told him 6500. He said he really only wanted to pay 6000 for a car, in other words he was a low-balling kind of guy. He started walking away and I told him, "I am taking a beating but you can have it for the 6000."

He wanted it as a tow vehicle for his camper.

It takes just the right guy sometimes to come by.

 

[Code54]

I sell a lot on Craigslist and mostly state the price is FIRM. This seems to help a little on the tire kickers. Still get some stupid low offers but wont even bother with them. Mostly when people come they like the item (mostly very good to perfect condition) so we don't haggle or a tiny little bit.
I bought a tiller recently and wanted in saw it and handed the guy the asking price. It was very fair and no reason to bother trying to get it lower as it was already a deal!

 

[tallyho8]

I had a really nice trailer but it was a little too short to hold my new lawn tractor so I bought a longer trailer and advertised the shorter one on Craigslist as being "like new" for $1400. I had 2 people come by to see it and bad mouth it saying it had a scratch here or there and they didn't like the brand of tires on it and it wasn't worth my asking price and asked what was the least I would take for it. I told them my price was firm and they left.

Another man came by and saw it and said "sir, your trailer is in excellent shape and is worth the price you are asking but I am so used to seeing junky trailers advertised as like new that I did not expect this one to be in such good shape and I only brought $1300 with me". I sold it to him.

 

[California]

...when I know I could sell them on eBay for $15 or more each but the shipping is too much for me right now as busy as I am.

Back when eBay was new, everyone was learning how to use it effectively, and there was an active Usenet discussion group for it. The consensus was to NEVER list anything for less than $20. Averaging the time you will invest per auction you lose money on anything you offer for less than that.

I've found sort of a workaround for low-value tools etc: simply gift a box of low-value items to a specialist ie a used tools or used computers store etc. They will treat you real well later if you bring in stuff worth a little more to barter for something you need. Example I've forgotten what I bartered but I needed several inexpensive pruning shears for guests to pick blackberries. Bartered some tools I would never use, just clutter, and came back with the pruners. Likewise a 30 inch extension for my socket/ratchet set. I didn't want to pay his price but he loved the stuff I brought in to barter. His 20 gallon tank off an old compressor for more of my junk. Etc etc. None of my junk would have been worth the hassle to sell on Ebay or especially CL.