Still Available?

[teflon6string]

Gotta share my online buy/sell story. Selling a beater truck on CL, I had a guy at my house closing a deal, swapping papers and handing off cash.

Counting out $800 on the kitchen table in my nice SW Portland home, he mentioned "I don't normally flash this kind of cash around strangers," he patted the front of his jacket and added... "Glock."

I tapped my right hip and said "Smith... sign right here."

 

[teflon6string]

It's not awful to ask on an old ad. Might still be sitting there waiting for a buyer. I just know that I never heard boo after that when I used to respond to everything.

 

[IronMonster]

Gotta share my online buy/sell story. Selling a beater truck on CL, I had a guy at my house closing a deal, swapping papers and handing off cash.

Counting out $800 on the kitchen table in my nice SW Portland home, he mentioned "I don't normally flash this kind of cash around strangers," he patted the front of his jacket and added... "Glock."

I tapped my right hip and said "Smith... sign right here."

$800 bucks is "that kind of cash"? I took $11,000 dollars to the bank today and had a $50 gold piece in my front pocket (it showed up in the mail today) and did not feel the need to tell anyone I had a gun

 

[IronMonster]

I almost always comment in the thread if I am sending a person a private message. I don't think I have ever ask "still available?" unless there is obviously some confusion about if it is in fact available. I assume that if the listing is active it is and if I want it I will say something about sending a message.

I think its one of those "don't attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity" situations

 

[teflon6string]

$800 bucks is "that kind of cash"? I took $11,000 dollars to the bank today and had a $50 gold piece in my front pocket (it showed up in the mail today) and did not feel the need to tell anyone I had a gun

That's what was funny about it to me. I cough up $6000 property taxes to Moldnomah County every year to rob guys in my kitchen.

Just not the same as that shjtty stormy midnight in a Hillsboro strip joint parking lot when I paid $40 for half a dozen wall mount guitar hooks.

 

[jbett98]

I see it as a way of saying "Is it almost free, since you haven't sold it yet!"

 

[WAYNO]

I see it as a way of saying "Is it almost free, since you haven't sold it yet!"

And if that's what they're really asking, then so be it. But to ask if it's still available, and I say yes, but then never hear another word, I don't think they had any intention of buying, at any price.
Even I might inquire about an old ad, but only if I was interested in buying, in which case I would follow up after the reply.

 

[Crohnos01]

I guess I don't normally post a "still available?", but send a PM instead, especially on old moldy ads. It's been surprising how many times the answer is "nope, sold it", but the thread is still open on the classifieds.

 

[notazombie]

If the ad is really recent I might just say "PM sent" or something along those lines and go to private message. Kind of an informal "dibs" to let the seller know I'm in line. If I run across an old ad I'll just PM. No need to bump the ad and unnecessarily bring the attention of other potential buyers. That's not necessarily a bargaining strategy but more so I can have less stress working out a meet-up rather than drop everything so I can be the first one to the prize. I'm not really a haggler by nature. If I don't like an asking price I'll just move on. Conversely, when I sell something I put a price I think is fair and stick pretty firm.

 

[Flymph]

$800 bucks is "that kind of cash"? I took $11,000 dollars to the bank today and had a $50 gold piece in my front pocket (it showed up in the mail today) and did not feel the need to tell anyone I had a gun

You probably didn't show anyone you had money until you told the teller to make your deposit tho. LoL

 

[JRuby]

Then the individual who opens an ad but doesn't close needs to be hammered when th e item is gone.

 

[11Charlie]

Then the individual who opens an ad but doesn't close needs to be hammered when th e item is gone.

If I am not mistaken the average joe can not remove or delete a thread. They would need to notify a mod to do so or they could edit it and take out the context and just say SOLD.

 

[etrain16]

If I am not mistaken the average joe can not remove or delete a thread. They would need to notify a mod to do so or they could edit it and take out the context and just say SOLD.

Last I checked, any member can mark their classified ad "closed" when the item sells, in fact, I believe that is expected. Supporting members have the added option of deleting their ad altogether - though they can't delete other threads.

I usually leave my ads but mark them clearly (in bold red type) as "sold", then I lock the thread. Not hard to do, but far too many don't bother, which kind of wastes time for folks looking through the ads only to find out an item actually is no longer available.

 

[11Charlie]

Last I checked, any member can mark their classified ad "closed" when the item sells, in fact, I believe that is expected. Supporting members have the added option of deleting their ad altogether - though they can't delete other threads.

I usually leave my ads but mark them clearly (in bold red type) as "sold", then I lock the thread. Not hard to do, but far too many don't bother, which kind of wastes time for folks looking through the ads only to find out an item actually is no longer available.

It's true you do learn something new everyday I knew I could delete my ads being a supporting member but wasn't sure about those who are not.

 

[JRuby]

If I am not mistaken the average joe can not remove or delete a thread. They would need to notify a mod to do so or they could edit it and take out the context and just say SOLD.

They can update the thread indicating that the item is no longer available.

 

[teflon6string]

$800 bucks is "that kind of cash"? I took $11,000 dollars to the bank today and had a $50 gold piece in my front pocket (it showed up in the mail today) and did not feel the need to tell anyone I had a gun

Which sorta makes sense in a bank.

 

[IronMonster]

True, I was thinking more along the lines of before I made it to the bank

 

[Flymph]

My GF's grandfather was the kind of guy to carry 10k at all times and show it off. He would claim, "just try to take it from me!"... followed by what I assume was maniacal laughter. Never had any trouble he couldn't handle. All this was back in the 70's and 80's, so I assume that it's more like 30k in modern value.

Hopefully some of the folks posting in the ads read this thread to learn proper etiquette.

 

[P7M13]

True, I was thinking more along the lines of before I made it to the bank

Not that you would, but someone walking around in public saying, "I have $11,000 in cash and gold on me" would be a special kind of stupid. Still, to the schmo thinking that $800 was a lot of cash, or that bringing it out to close a deal -- he was a few bricks short of a full hod. I've never had more than $10K in cash in my hand, but in my business, have walked into the bank with checks for $230K and $544K. You think those are big numbers, then you realize the work that either went into it or has to go into it.

As far as ads, I think PM'ing is better. Some people don't get notifications when someone posts to their ad, and they simply forget about them.
To those who post, "is it still available?" and then never come back, it's similar to ding-dong-ditch. Unless, of course, they are equally forgetful.

 

[IronMonster]

Not that you would, but someone walking around in public saying, "I have $11,000 in cash and gold on me" would be a special kind of stupid. Still, to the schmo thinking that $800 was a lot of cash, or that bringing it out to close a deal -- he was a few bricks short of a full hod. I've never had more than $10K in cash in my hand, but in my business, have walked into the bank with checks for $230K and $544K. You think those are big numbers, then you realize the work that either went into it or has to go into it.

As far as ads, I think PM'ing is better. Some people don't get notifications when someone posts to their ad, and they simply forget about them.

I have been around folks with money and often buy and sell things that are cash deals. Most cash I have held in my hands was $250,000. I helped count it. That experience was enough to show what a pain it is to deal in large amounts of cash.

Biggest check I have ever held was $24.5 million. My wife had just wrote it while I was visiting her at work (she worked for a big fuel company and it was to pay for a tanker ship full of fuel)

I knew an old guy who kept his whole life's savings in cash and gold, several million dollars. Never hand any problems until he got sick and the people who were suppose to be helping him robbed him blind.

I am in a middle category when it comes to money and cash. I write around a half million dollars worth of checks a year and I get probably a dozen checks a year that are $20-$50k

I got a good friend who is a machinery dealer, he handles around a half million a month and makes what I do seem piddly.

Then I have a friend who runs a sanitation company in a fair sized city, He is turning a day what I do a year.

It's all relative and once you get past the pay check to pay check level it doesn't much seem to matter how many zeros there are, you still always feel broke.