Ghosting in Classifieds

[Ben B.]

My favorite was a PM exchange about something I had priced to sell quick at $200:

Moron: What's your bottom dollar on this item?

Me: $210

Moron: Yer funny

Me: I'm serious.

 

[64MercurysRule]

My favorite was a PM exchange about something I had priced to sell quick at $200:

Moron: What's your bottom dollar on this item?

Me: $210

Moron: Yer funny

Me: I'm serious.

Now it's 220 .......

 

[Ben B.]

The thing is, lowball offers do work sometimes. There's no point getting angry over it. If it is irritating, just have fun phuqqing with them.

IMHO, a good addition to a listing is:

Lowball offers will be cheerfully ignored.

 

[64MercurysRule]

In a soft market sometimes the lowest offer is the best offer to be had towards a sale .

 

[Stonewall1]

The thing is, lowball offers do work sometimes. There's no point getting angry over it. If it is irritating, just have fun phuqqing with them.

IMHO, a good addition to a listing is:

Lowball offers will be cheerfully ignored.

Exactly! If the ad does NOT say "no trades, prices firm" etc, i might try. maybe im not at fault for trying, maybe its the lazy OP....

 

[1911Fanatic]

Just a random opinion - lots of people seem to not want to sell their stuff because an awful lot of I see is way overpriced when I can get a new one for barely much more.


You can post it and wait or you can price it low and sell it same day or anywhere in the middle.

This is true. I won't name names but someone is selling a Glock 22 cal for about 20 bucks more than a new one from a local subsidiary of BiMart. Add in the transfer and having to drive to get it, it just isn't worth it to me, and likely most folks. I am not even going to bring it to his attention because I am not interested. But we see a lot of that here.

If you have something for sale, and it hasn't sold within a couple of weeks, it's likely because it is priced too high.

 

[1911Fanatic]

Some people have a lot of stuff to go through when they "check" for you...

This is true. I made a deal with someone today for next month and I am going to try to find the original grips, but he doesn't know it yet and will be happy with the G-10's on it if I can't.

I have so many boxes of parts from the last thirty years that I've been going through for months now. I now have four small boxes that are labeled and that I ACTUALLY know what's in them.

 

[1911Fanatic]

Some people leave you with cliff hangers, you think they ghosted, you move on, then they come back 5 days later, like sorry, I went on vacation, you didn't wait for me?

I had to back out of a deal, that wasn't finalized because my Mom wound up in the hospital and I had to buy her meds. I wound up staying with her for six weeks at her house when she was discharged. The guy totally understood. Then he offered the items to me again in and I still wasn't able to do it just a few weeks ago.

I hope he sold his item. I am going to offer him an item for the price of shipping that I will put in the pay it forward thread if he doesn't want it. I just feel so bad about having to not go through with it. Sometimes things just don't work out.

 

[Richo877]

I had to back out of a deal, that wasn't finalized because my Mom wound up in the hospital and I had to buy her meds. I wound up staying with her for six weeks at her house when she was discharged. The guy totally understood. Then he offered the items to me again in and I still wasn't able to do it just a few weeks ago.

I hope he sold his item. I am going to offer him an item for the price of shipping that I will put in the pay it forward thread if he doesn't want it. I just feel so bad about having to not go through with it. Sometimes things just don't work out.

Totally understandable. People back out of deals all the time. Change your mind for whatever reason you want, just communicate. I hate being asked to hold and wait, then being ghosted because they didn't want to tell you they changed their mind or something came up, so now I mostly operate on a first come, first served cash basis, but with some exceptions. I've asked people to hold things for me because of a current situation or upcoming travel plan, but I always offer to pay ahead and/or pay shipping to make sure the seller doesn't have to sit and wait, wondering if they've lost opportunities along the wait. A deal's always open to change until it's done, and I get that, but clear and open communication is vital. Some people just don't have that courtesy.

 

[GrayGoose]

Yep some people suck, and some others suck even more.

 

[64MercurysRule]

 

[Cavedweller]

I've never been ghosted by a seller, but I don't try to haggle if I think an advertized price is unreasonable. I just pass. But I've been ghosted 2 or 3 times by wannabe buyers who said "I'll take it," and then disappeared, without any communication whatsoever. In such cases, when they've left me hanging and passing on other potential buyers because I thought I had a commitment, I don't leave negative feedback, but I don't mind sending them a PM telling them exactly what I think.

 

[CountryGent]

One the more amusing retractions I received in recent memory: Timestamped about a quarter to three in the AM, I get an "I'll take it!" Followed by another message closer to ten in the morning with an "Um, eh, vague excuse, I have to retract that". He was kind enough to let me know, and I thanked him for that, so no harm, no foul. However, I was reminded of the wise words of Jimmy Breslin — "Don't trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover."

 

[64MercurysRule]

However, I was reminded of the wise words of Jimmy Breslin — "Don't trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover."

Or if one survives the " Here .....hold my beer "

 

[1911Fanatic]

A guy is making me a deal next month. I told him I was interested but didn't know if I could come up with the full amount. I mean I could, but it would be
tight.

So, when the guy offered to hold it for me for two weeks and pay the shipping to my FFL as long as I was 100% sure I could do it, I said thank you and made the promise that I would. And I will.

I am buying the gun for my son for Christmas. I have his PayPal and I will send him the money as soon as it's in my bank account. I will do this even if my fall back plan needs to be put in place for the rest of the month next month.

He made the offer and I actually did accept. So the deal is sealed. I would like to keep a good reputation in my feedback here.

The guy is even selling me some extra mags and is going to throw in a couple of holsters if he can find them. I don't want to jinx the deal, but it is for a pair of guns that are no longer made, that you can't get anything for. Just a nostalgia trip for my son and I.

I am also going to make a deal possibly next month with a friend to trade him one of my guns for one of his plus cash. But he hasn't said it's yes for sure, so if it works out great, and if not that's great too.