Craig's List

[Jstpssng]

I get a kick out of some people. I once saw a good deal on a canoe with paddles and life jackets, the guy wasn't home and when I went back somebody was already talking to him. I heard the guy offer less and the owner said no, so they walked away. As soon as they got past me I walked up and handed the seller the $350 asking price, it was mine before the the first guy had left the driveway. I took it home, planning to sell the canoe for $100 more, keeping the nice wooden paddles and life jackets. My neighbor wanted it though so I sold the canoe for $350, the paddles to somebody else for $75, and still have the two Stearns life jackets. I don't believe the canoe had ever been in the water until after I sold it.

 

[jaxs]

Long before CraigsList I parked a motorcycle out front with $100 and my ph #. Guy called and offered $90. I said can't do it. Next day I had the seat rcovered and changed sign to $110. Same guy showed up with $100 in hand. Told him it was $110 now. He threw a fit and told me I couldn't raise the price after saying $100. I told him I could and just did because he didn't take it when offered. He got red faced,got in his truck and drove off. I had enough for the day and pulled the sign, brought the bike from the road and parked it in the yard. My brother that was visiting helping me drink beer was cracking up laughing when the guy drove back up and said he would pay the $110. Nope,I told you earlier you should strike when the iron is hot,I just brought it over here to put $125 on it. He paid $125,loaded it and said I was the hardest man he had ever dealt with. That happened in the mid 60s and my brother was still telling the story until he passed in 94.

 

[sandman2234]

If I am going to buy something from Craigslist, or anywhere like that, I make sure that I want it, I make sure the seller knows I am going to buy it, and I get the seller to agree to wait until a certain time before he sets up any other people to look at it. If I drive 500 miles to pick up something and you sold it to a local guy a couple hours earlier after agreeing to wait for me, there will probably be a few choice words spoken. A friend had a CL seller agree to wait 3 hours for him to get off work, get to the bank for the cash and drive 100 miles. As he is leaving the bank, the guy called and said somebody told him that the Harley part he had was worth 4 times that and that he would pay it if he held it till tomorrow. My friend was pissed, but luckily didn't have the 100 miles under his belt or things would have turned bad. The next day the other buyer didn't show, so the seller called my friend and said he could have it for 3 times what it was listed for, my buddy did the right thing and hung up. I would not have been that nice.
David from jax

 

[herm0016]

i sold a Mitchel fishing hut camper in about 2013. Every couple years i get a call about it. I have never been able to figure out where it is still posted.

 

[jaxs]

What you are saying make's sense sandman but the problem is that sellers have no way of knowing which are serious and which are playing games when they try to clinch the deal on the phone. There are both squirrely buyers and sellers.

 

[5030]

Used to sell hay on CL. No more. I list on Michigan Hay now. When I sell farm equipment it's always on tractor house. You pay for your ad up front and they do the pictures and listing. I've had 100% good luck with TH especially on expensive equipment.

Just sold a mint New Holland 575 square bailer on TH. was going to ask 10 grand and TH told me it was worth more so I listed it at their price. Sold it in 2 days for cash. First guy bought it and came 400 miles to get it. Paid me up front and picked it up 2 weeks later. Very seamless transaction. When dealing with farm equipment one, it's expensive and 2, most farmers know what they want so price haggling is basically non existent.

When I sold hay on CL, it was always too much or it wasn't quite right or they wanted to give me a check (I only take cash).. I'm all done with that. I have one customer now and he takes it all and has for 5 years now. We agree ahead of time on the per bale price and he picks it up in the field, I load his semi's and I get paid at the end of the year, just like clockwork.

If I had to deal with CL idiots, I'd be out of the hay business. I have no patience with idiots or tire kickers. I know exactly what it costs me to make and I watch market price constantly. Being a smart farmer has it's advantages as in I stay in the black, year after year.

 

[caver]

I recently sold an older Samsung phone at a fraction of what it was new. I had at least two potential buyers want ME to do the research on whether it would work on their phone plan. I cleary stated I used it on Cricket and would likely work on ATT since it was an ATT "branded" phone. One lady i think was almost upset with me. I said it's a $35 phone take it or leave it. Two interested buyers both lived about 50 miles away and asked if I could met them half way? Nope, I'm not in the delivery business. Finally some guy messaged me and offered $30 and could I meet him at the local cop shop. Done deal.

 

[Hay Dude]

Been my experience that CL is mostly tire kickers and low ballers. I use Tractor House to buy and sell equipment now.

Hooo boy you must be rolling in cash. Tractor House ad prices are insane.
Im still on CL, but I admit things move real slow there now.

Used to sell hay on CL, but stopped. I have had steady buyers for over 10 years. No need to advertise.

 

[Root Cause]

I have found that marketplace is also filled with scammers. I looked at a used a nice-looking Subaru a month ago with 120k miles on a used, small-town car lot. Carfax showed several inspections or sales that ran the odometer to over 300,000. I didn't know it was that easy to override the digital odometers. Now that Ida blew through, I just gave up looking at used vehicles.

 

[Bearsixty7]

... In front of the local police station Exchange Zone.

That's what I have done the last couple years. More police stations should have this.

 

[5030]

Hooo boy you must be rolling in cash. Tractor House ad prices are insane.
Im still on CL, but I admit things move real slow there now.

Used to sell hay on CL, but stopped. I have had steady buyers for over 10 years. No need to advertise.

I disagree that their prices are out of line, if they were their weekly sales flyer (I get one weekly as I'm a seller on there) aren't not out of line at all. I paid 250 bucks up front for the insertion which I got back (and then some) when I sold it for the price they suggested. All about seamless transactions. CL and to some extent Facebook Marketplace aren't. Don't do tire kickers well anyway.

Recent weekly ad flyer is over 100 pages thick btw. Everything from hay tools to huge tractors and combines and everything in between and I'm on the registered bidders list and have bid on various equipment in the past and will do so in the future but I set a limit far as what I'll pay and bid at my maximum and let TH incrementally increase my bid to my maximum. if it exceeds what I believe an item is worth, I never increase that bid.

Almost every equipment dealer advertises on TH as well as individuals. Unlimited color pictures included and assistance from them as far as pricing and which markets to target. They know what they are doing but like everything else in life, one has to pay to play. If you care to, look up Sandhills publishing on the net. You don't become a multi million dollar company by overcharging on sales. They have got it down to a science and are excellent at what they do.

The no cost platforms are purely a crapshoot. Besides, I don't like to barter with strangers or put up with low ballers and tire kickers. One, don't have the time and two don't have the patience.

My local Kubota dealer is also listing on TH now. He has a ton of used equipment to sell as well as new equipment and he's doing real well with TH plus on the big stuff that requires specialized hauling and permits, TH makes those arrangements too. Always only a positive arrangement for me and unlike you, I'm not rolling in cash but I don't like dealing with tire kickers and low ballers.

Finally, as a rule I don't buy used ag equipment unless I know exactly what I'm buying, case in point, last spring I bought a used but well cared for Kuhn Masterdrive rake from a somewhat local seller on TH and I inspected the equipment before I even placed a bid on it. I don't buy sight unseen and most times I buy new. The Kuhn was in mint condition so I bid on it and got it for what I was willing to pay.

I've learned that buying used equipment most times is buying something with issues and I don't do issues very well. One, I don't have the time and two I don't have the patience for repairing equipment. that I bought that needs repaired. I do that plenty as it is. I always have at least one loader or mini-ex to work on in the yard. I repair and refurbish loader buckets and excavator buckets and rebush pivots but I get paid for doing it and it's all heavy work.

 

[Hay Dude]

I disagree that their prices are out of line, if they were their weekly sales flyer (I get one weekly as I'm a seller on there) aren't not out of line at all. I paid 250 bucks up front for the insertion which I got back (and then some) when I sold it for the price they suggested. All about seamless transactions. CL and to some extent Facebook Marketplace aren't. Don't do tire kickers well anyway.

Recent weekly ad flyer is over 100 pages thick btw. Everything from hay tools to huge tractors and combines and everything in between and I'm on the registered bidders list and have bid on various equipment in the past and will do so in the future but I set a limit far as what I'll pay and bid at my maximum and let TH incrementally increase my bid to my maximum. if it exceeds what I believe an item is worth, I never increase that bid.

Almost every equipment dealer advertises on TH as well as individuals. Unlimited color pictures included and assistance from them as far as pricing and which markets to target. They know what they are doing but like everything else in life, one has to pay to play. If you care to, look up Sandhills publishing on the net. You don't become a multi million dollar company by overcharging on sales. They have got it down to a science and are excellent at what they do.

The no cost platforms are purely a crapshoot. Besides, I don't like to barter with strangers or put up with low ballers and tire kickers. One, don't have the time and two don't have the patience.

My local Kubota dealer is also listing on TH now. He has a ton of used equipment to sell as well as new equipment and he's doing real well with TH plus on the big stuff that requires specialized hauling and permits, TH makes those arrangements too. Always only a positive arrangement for me and unlike you, I'm not rolling in cash but I don't like dealing with tire kickers and low ballers.

Whats your opinion on tire kickers?

 

[5030]

My shop rate for bucket rebuilds and hardfacing as well as rebushing trunnion's is 100 bucks an hour and I have a very steady flow of customers and turn away a lot of work because what I do is a hard to find thing and it takes heavy equipment and machines to do it. Right now I have 2 Komatsu mini ex's and one articulated loader bucket sitting to be worked on. Both Komatsu's need serious bucket work, new grouser teeth and the pivots rebushed plus one needs a hydraulic grapple fitted to the stick and the articulated bucket needs a side sheet completely replaced plus it needs the 'smile' taken out of the cutting lip. All heavy fabrication work.

Like doing it, makes me some good jack but buying used and someone else's issues to fix, I don't play that well.

 

[5030]

Whats your opinion on tire kickers?

You....lol

 

[Jstpssng]

Whats your opinion on tire kickers?

Don’t ask don’t tell?

 

[MarkF48]

I've sold on CL in the past, but it continually got worse for scammers and tire kickers, so I gave the Marketplace a try which was better as most times I could find the member and get an idea of who I might be dealing with. Lately however there seems to be a new trick where the 'potential' buyer appears to create a 'group' that hides the person behind a seemingly false name such as 'Sandy Koufax' (baseball legend) as one response I got on an item I had for sale. I had another similar one that the person I found on FB was a couple states away and from a few of the pics he posted might have more than a few friends 'in the hood' so to speak. I couldn't see him wanting a fruit press.
I do use a local police station internet sales parking area when I can and it's worked well.

 

[Hay Dude]

My shop rate for bucket rebuilds and hardfacing as well as rebushing trunnion's is 100 bucks an hour and I have a very steady flow of customers and turn away a lot of work because what I do is a hard to find thing and it takes heavy equipment and machines to do it. Right now I have 2 Komatsu mini ex's and one articulated loader bucket sitting to be worked on. Both Komatsu's need serious bucket work, new grouser teeth and the pivots rebushed plus one needs a hydraulic grapple fitted to the stick and the articulated bucket needs a side sheet completely replaced plus it needs the 'smile' taken out of the cutting lip. All heavy fabrication work.

Like doing it, makes me some good jack but buying used and someone else's issues to fix, I don't play that well.

Well, you aint making hardly nothing farming hay, so you have to supplement. Even good hay dont pay squat.
Thats why I still do large area mowing and throw up a house, garage or barn here & there and I'll do 900-1000 ton this year.
Plus I married a woman who makes some coin. Smartest thing I ever did.

Far as CL goes, its still working. In fact, I think its making a bit of a comeback. Lots of people think FB is a crap hole, like me and they dont want to even be associated with it.

 

[5030]

Don't do either and I to am married to a gal that made big jack and she happens to be a Ransome E. Olds great grandaughter to boot. Family has more money than sense.

Hay is strictly a hobby write off. I don't ever want the farm to do anything but break even, which it does, by a hair. The shop is a nice, steady income and I suck with wood, unlike metal, heck I cannot even make square shelves out of wood.

Nothing used here. Everything bought new. I hate field breakdowns break even on my rentals too.. Have 3 single family homes, all in the country, all on land and all rented and I farm the land.

Only thing getting older is the tractors but you already know how I feel about T4 junk.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Don't do either and I to am married to a gal that made big jack and she happens to be a Ransome E. Olds great grandaughter to boot. Family has more money than sense.

Hay is strictly a hobby write off. I don't ever want the farm to do anything but break even, which it does, by a hair. The shop is a nice, steady income and I suck with wood, unlike metal, heck I cannot even make square shelves out of wood.

Nothing used here. Everything bought new. I hate field breakdowns break even on my rentals too.. Have 3 single family homes, all in the country, all on land and all rented and I farm the land.

Only thing getting older is the tractors but you already know how I feel about T4 junk.

does your wife have any rich .....i mean single...... sisters, maybe with a hurst olds or 442?

 

[jmc]

Back in the newspaper ad days, I had a wheeler/dealer coworker who liked to mess with people. He told the story of an "entitled" customer who got a little abusive when he found out "his" item had already been sold. When the customer finally asked what the item sold for, the seller lied; telling him a sales price much lower, just to make that customer feel extra bad.

Coworker's other needling trick was buying an item at the full asking price rather than negotiating, if the price was reasonable. Coworker said the money he may have left on the table was worth making the seller wonder if he had asked too little.

What a world...