Classified ads etiquette, tips and tricks

[WAYNO]

I get that for sure . But it wasnt ten guys it was one , I listed as local and the guy said he would take it said that if I was there where he was . Then he said I could send it to him . It interested me . I figured if I couldn't sell local then it might be an option . I should have just said thanks but no because somewhere in there he thought the shipping part was a good enough substitute for local pick up that I was somehow committed to sell it and ship it to him . All that and I never said anywhere I wanted to ship it . It was an option , it interested me .
But yeah if I had a bunch of maybe people wanting to see something and a guy standing there with money , I would go with the guy standing there with money . But this was not that .

Oh it's not always so simple. Ten guys was only an example. I'll change the example. One guy says he's interested and would like to look, but the next guy says I'll take it. I'll take it is the winner, if there are no contingencies. By contingencies, I mean the buyer wants it shipped, or held for wife's approval, or when he happens to be in your town 200 miles away, or when he gets paid in two weeks. Those "I'll take it" offers are only legitimate if you agree to the contingencies. So if you do agree, then it's a contract, and the item should be no longer for sale.

We can say what if? forever, and maybe still not cover every one of possibly thousands of scenarios, and even then, we wont have total agreement.

Bottom line, if a guy says he'll take it, and it's a clean and simple deal, then the contract is done. If he says he'll take it but you've gotta hold it til he gets his tax refund, then it's only a contract if you agree to his terms. And...I've missed sales this way. A guy says I'll take it but I've gotta hold it a month til he has the money, and I'm feeling good enough about the sale that I agree to the offer, I mark the ad as sold, and not open for further replies, only to have the buyer go silent. That's the chance we take by being a nice guy. Did I say there are a lot of flakes on this and every other forum? If I didn't, I'll say it now.

Nothing says I'm the authority on this topic, but these are the self imposed guidelines I use.

Fairly recently I sold an item that received many replies. One of the earliest replies was, "I'm interested". There were immediately 6 other "I'll take it" offers that followed. These offers all flaked out, or otherwise changed their mind, and after I weeded thru the offers to buy, I ended up selling to the guy that was "interested". He could have made his life simpler if he'd posted "I'll take it", as even then, a feller does have the opportunity to do an inspection before the deal is final.




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[titsonritz]

You can also do local sales only and make the buyer drive to you or if your a nice guy meet them half way.

True story, I've been party to all three and then some.

 

[Reacher120]

Feedback scores help when buying or selling. I have had sellers agree to wait a specified period of time until I could meet FTF or even next Paycheck. I've done the same in return. Most sellers realize not everyone can drop everything and drive immediately to the seller the moment they see an ad. There are times when circumstances, ( or the next bright shiny object you just have to buy), require a quick sale. Either way, I've found sellers and buyers on this forum to be a very accommodating, and a great resource.

 

[afsgtpapa]

First, since I am new to ya'll's forum and have some things to sell, how about the basic DON'Ts or CANNOT DOs on selling firearms over the web or across a state line. Second, any chance of setting up a state-by-state section. I have jumped on an item for sell only to discover I'm in Texas and the seller is in Washington state. Third, separate firearms from ammo from accessories.

 

[284guy]

I thing I dislike is the seller that wants to make extra cash at your expense ie: U ask what would shipping be for what ever item it is your wanting to buy . and you get say 25.00 and the song and dance is well tape and bubble wrap isn't free but you can get free boxes from the post office so now you get to pay him for tape and bubble wrap .
Then they call you out as being cheap when the offer was $$$ shipped if that's all it takes to queer the deal you didn't really want to sell it . The rule is everywhere in life buyer always try's to get a better deal if you don't like that don't agree to the deal and then change it when it comes to shipping . just put no shipping in your in your ad U R the cheap ars when you think you need compensation to ship

As usual, you're being disingenuous. You never made an offer. You asked how much to ship, and I told you $25, which is reasonable. Just because you want it to ship usps flat rate medium doesn't mean that's how I ship. I run a legitimate business and my time and materials are worth something. Please don't play victim. Nothing was changed, the ad didn't say OBO, or free shipping. Nobody ships a gun for under $25.00. By your logic I should just sell everything at cost, and do transfers for $10. If nine dollars and change queers a gun deal, you were never a serious buyer, and history shows that's normal with you.

 

[afsgtpapa]

What are you talking about??????

 

[The Heretic]

So I guess I violated etiquette.

In a recent ad for a rifle, I gushed about the rifle for sale, that it was a good price for the rifle, and that this type of rifle is a good rifle, and added a bit about the history of the type of rifle. Yeah, I was a little verbose - a few short paragraphs or so worth of text.

Others had a few short comments along the same lines.

Apparently the seller didn't appreciate us talking about how he had a good deal and the quality of the item for sale. He closed the ad and called us a bunch of "hackers", then opened another ad for the same item.

Ok. My bad. I will try to not do that again.

Too bad - I was thinking about buying the item, but I don't appreciate being called a "hacker" so I'll pass.

GLWS.

 

[Ops]

I get people saying they want it and I wait than at the last moment fail to follow through.

I was raised by your word but I guess that's not the way the world is now

I also used the contact us form a while ago but I guess no one knows how to respond to that

 

[RVTECH]

Ok. My bad. I will try to not do that again.

Heck I don't see it as necessarily bad - I would appreciate it if someone commented on my FS item - I know people are looking!

 

[808hondacrguy]

Heck I don't see it as necessarily bad - I would appreciate it if someone commented on my FS item - I know people are looking!

Agreed, I also appreciate people gushing over my stuff, makes prospective buyers think they better take it before someone else does

 

[gmerkt]

Just my personal view. I feel that the for sale areas should be for the business at hand only, not editorial content about the merits of what is for sale. So long as the items concerned aren't completely ridiculous. For a couple of reasons. 1. Extraneous comment just clutters up the thread. 2. Seen it many times, some joker has to throw mud on an item just because he finds an opportunity to do so.

 

[draza]

I used to say firm all the time but i've decided to stop personally.
Even though, imho the prices I set right off the bat are good and really fair. But I feel like saying firm is scaring people off considering the things i'm selling. I wouldn't say there isn't anything that you should set as firm but what I am selling, esp. accessories there is no need.
Chances are likely the offer i'm going to get is not something i'm willing to take right away but depending on what i'm selling I eventually am willing to drop the price. I just wish people didn't sit there and wait for me to drop the price off something that is already priced well..

Moral of the story: be willing to lose some money and more than you might think.
If you buy something, make sure you WANT it because selling guns is a pain imo.

 

[arakboss]

How would you recommend I approach somebody in a convo whose asking price is much higher than the retail price. For example Taurus revolver seller is asking $450 for preowned but new in box revolver, no warranty since Taurus lifetime warranty is for original owner only. New shipped price with lifetime warranty is $361.49

I would expect to pay less than retail since I would be giving up the warranty but how much less? And how can I make the offer without insulting the seller?

 

[Camelfilter]

How would you recommend I approach somebody in a convo whose asking price is much higher than the retail price. For example Taurus revolver seller is asking $450 for preowned but new in box revolver, no warranty since Taurus lifetime warranty is for original owner only. New shipped price with lifetime warranty is $361.49

I would expect to pay less than retail since I would be giving up the warranty but how much less? And how can I make the offer without insulting the seller?

Mayhaps: "Hi there, what makes your used XYZ worth more than a brand spanking new XYZ I can get from abc? Thanks"

You never know, could be their XYZ is in fact a different model than what you were thinking on....

 

[arakboss]

Mayhaps: "Hi there, what makes your used XYZ worth more than a brand spanking new XYZ I can get from abc? Thanks"

You never know, could be their XYZ is in fact a different model than what you were thinking on....

Assuming it's the same model, what do feel is a fair discount to retail price given that I wouldn't get warranty with preowned model? Even one trip to a gunsmith isn't cheap these days.

 

[Lazyfaire]

How would you recommend I approach somebody in a convo whose asking price is much higher than the retail price. For example Taurus revolver seller is asking $450 for preowned but new in box revolver, no warranty since Taurus lifetime warranty is for original owner only. New shipped price with lifetime warranty is $361.49

I would expect to pay less than retail since I would be giving up the warranty but how much less? And how can I make the offer without insulting the seller?

If it were me and I was looking for that certain model I might PM the OP and tell him that it is over-priced compared to the market. I wouldn't try to get him to lower his price so I could get a better deal for me, as I just think that is bad form on my part. If the OP goes and lowers his price on his ad then I would by it from him. I am not a fan of people who bad mouth someone product or price.

I would be PMing him so as not to embarrass the OP. No need to brace him before the whole forum. My 2 cents

 

[The Heretic]

I ignore ads with prices the same or more than retail on almost any item unless it is rare and hard to get - which is usually not the case as those items are usually not available in retail. I ignore some ads that are close to retail - especially for ammo/etc. - because it is worth it to me to have it delivered to my house rather than drive some distance to pick it up.

I figure that after months of their ads sitting there with no interest they will either figure it out or give up.

What I don't do is point it out in their ad thread.

I have noticed that there are a few people who consistently ask for retail or more than retail for their items. Occasionally they sell some of their stuff and I have to wonder if the buyers actually are aware of the retail price.

It used to be different when private transfers did not require BGCs and FFLs - people would pay retail or more for an in demand item to make sure that the gov didn't know what they had or were buying.

 

[arakboss]

If it were me and I was looking for that certain model I might PM the OP and tell him that it is over-priced compared to the market. I wouldn't try to get him to lower his price so I could get a better deal for me, as I just think that is bad form on my part. If the OP goes and lowers his price on his ad then I would by it from him. I am not a fan of people who bad mouth someone product or price.

I would be PMing him so as not to embarrass the OP. No need to brace him before the whole forum. My 2 cents

I was planning on making my offer in PM. I was not going to crap in his thread. Trying to figure out what the warranty is worth is my problem now, any suggestions?

 

[The Heretic]

I was planning on making my offer in PM. I was not going to crap in his thread. Trying to figure out what the warranty is worth is my problem now, any suggestions?

That pretty much depends on what the warranty is worth to you and that will vary by person and item.

If the item were a car, then a warranty would be worth a significant amount as automobiles break with usage. If you plan to shoot a gun quite a bit, then the warranty would be worth more than if you are like me and shoot any given gun maybe once or twice a year. Also depends on the make and model - some guns, if I were to buy them, I would definitely want a warranty on - especially if they were a new model that had not been on the market long.

YMMV

 

[Lazyfaire]

I was planning on making my offer in PM. I was not going to crap in his thread. Trying to figure out what the warranty is worth is my problem now, any suggestions?

I would ask why you wouldn't just want to buy new? Full lifetime warranty and its cheaper than his price. I see no benefit to buying an overpriced used gun when a brand new one is less expensive. Even a Taurus.