Wednesday, November 10, 2010

How NOT to Inquire about a Craigslist Ad. Status: Denied

Today I received an inquiry about the Vitra Verner Panton "S" chairs that I have available on my Craigslist ads. I found these chairs a few weeks ago on Craigslist somewhat under priced. I usually wait a little longer than a month to re-list an item. What follows is why.



Email received today @ 12:56 am.

damn, man... you just got those off craigs list last month for like $20... I missed em... sent the pic to my wife told her I wanted em and bam... they were gone...
let me know if you will sell 2
k****


Reply today @ 1:02 am.

Early bird gets the worm! Actually they were $25 each AND I paid an additional $25 to expedite the transaction. Can't sell a pair. All or nothing.

Thanks for checking out the ad. Check out my Blog if you are into this stuff and you've got a minute.

http://mistermodtomic.blogspot.com

Chris.

Email received today @ 1:27 am.

nice attitude... I cant afford your ridiculous price on a graphic designers salary... my wife and I are trying to furnish our first house... you paid 125 and are trying to sell them for 3 times that... if you decide to let a couple go at a reasonable price... let me know... maybe make a friend in the process instead of an enemy... arent you a salesman?
kb

Reply today @ 1:40 am.

Huh?

2nd Reply today @ 1:51 am.

Gotta tell ya, I don't know if maybe you misunderstood my e-mail or what, but after reading your little diatribe I wouldn't sell them to you at 3 TIMES my asking. Get some negotiating skills.

Chris.

Email received today @ 2:02 am.

no worries... I'll keep that post (this guy had Posted a Rant on the St. Louis Craigslist about how I rip people off. It has since been either taken down or flagged off. - Chris) up until the end of time
u do have some nice stuff though... checked out the blog... i'm quite jealous... and very tired
kb


I'm having a WTF moment. What do You think.

14 comments:

  1. I left another comment, must have been on the wrong post, looking for your post on cl for the desk and the chairs and can't find

    Went looking quick like (cuz I gotta get outta the house) and that guy has dissed you 2 times on cl....check it out

    This comment sounds ridiculous, but it is 6 a.m.

    Sue
    sue

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  2. ok I really must be tired. checked again and saw that the second post was from you...sorry

    question: can't seem to get a guy to call me back, want to purchase a mid century/retro table & chairs for my daughter, he said he had moved and had to set up a time for his old neighbor to meet me and he never called back. I've called him several times and nothing. I don't think the table has sold, it was up for at least a month. I offered lower than he was asking, but jeez, can't he just tell me no and that he wants more. Any ideas, my daughter really likes the table.
    Thanks.....Sue

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  3. Seems as though everyone thinks that because something is being sold on Craigslist it must be cheap and the seller shouldn't make any kind of profit. In reality, it's no different than any resale shop, antique mall, or ebay seller: they have all purchased their items at a fair price, and are trying to turn a profit, and they ALL buy and resell items from Craigslist too! Somehow people seem to be ok with this, though.

    So, if you miss a buy the first time, tough luck - wait for something better to show up. Better yet, negotiate a fair price from the seller and enjoy the bargain and time saved.

    Keep up the good work. Your prices are fair, and still less of a mark-up than new furniture! You can't feel bad about making a profit. I just sold some items on Craigslist for 15 TIMES what I paid.

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  4. Wow. WTF indeed.
    I had a similar bout of negotiation with a drunk at a garage sale I held last summer. The item? A $300 watch he wanted to pay $3 for. As the previous commenter said, It's a garage sale, it must be cheap right? It's amazing how people get so pissed when you won't cut them a special deal. And then they flip you the attitude: "I'm doing you a favor, wanting this in the first place." People, get over yourselves. That is a bullying negotiating tactic and no one is falling for it.
    Anyone who is a serious collector knows that sometimes you get steals, sometimes you get deals, and sometimes you have to bite the bullet and pay a fair price for something you really, really want.

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  5. Hi Sue, I know we've already conversed via e-mail but I wanted to also address your questions here. To find my ads just look on the right side of my blog here for the link under "Some Places To Check Out". It's the first link, titled "My Craigslist Ads - Where all the goodies can be had..."

    As far as the seller of the table not getting back to you, well just like the rest of life Craigslist is as full of flaky people as anywhere else. Kim and Hannah know all about this. Kim told me a story about a seller flaking out on her and Hannah for like a month and then getting back with them on an item. It worked out well for them as I recall but Kim could do so much better a job telling the story. Maybe she'll read this and take a moment to share.

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  6. Here's what confuses me; in the last response he lets me know that he is going to "keep that post up until the end of time". I really had no idea what he was talking about. It took about an hour for me to see that he had posted a missive on Craigslist about how I'm ripping people off by asking 3 times what I paid for items. Then in the same e-mail he compliments me and acts somewhat conciliatory. So he "slams" me on Craigslist and trys to warn buyers off me, yet writes "u do have some nice stuff though... checked out the blog... i'm quite jealous".

    Hence the WTF moment. You know, I can deal with Craigs-jerks. I also post in Chicago, KC, Indy, Memphis and Nashville and get flagged by the "regulars" there daily. It doesn't hurt my feelings or get me worked up (anymore!) it just makes me shake my head and roll my eyes feeling kinda sorry for those people. I just have a problem with the mixed messages!

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  7. People can be ridiculous.....and bitter.....and so full of hate. This is exactly why I hardly sell on Craigslist anymore. Since when does Craigslist = dirt cheap prices? It's a platform to sell things people! That doesn't mean you will get things for nothing! Ugh!! I hate to categorize everyone as bad, because they aren't, I've met great people on Craigslist. My message to this guy - you lost the chairs, get over it, they are worth what Mr. Mod is selling them for so if you can't afford them move on! And since when do you get to berate a stranger because you lost out on some chairs? Childish!!

    Like you said Mr. Mod, roll your eyes and move on!!

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  8. Not to Drag this out even more but I just realized that I DON'T have these Re-Listed on the St. Louis Criagslist! This guy, who in his first e-mail provided me with a 314 (Missouri area code) phone number, Inquired about an ad I have posted to the Indianapolis Craigslist. So he knew about the chairs as originally listed on the St. Louis Craigslist but is answering an Indy ad to try to buy them. Sounds fishy to me.

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  9. What a nutjob! I had a similar run-in with a woman recently on the Dallas Craigslist. She contacted me after a $25 transaction, claimed the item was damaged and accused me of lying about the condition, which I hadn't. I sent her a refund by PayPal and told her I didn't need money badly enough to lie...but apparently she did, so I was giving hers back. I also suggested she learn to act like she had some class. It was worth it to refund that small amount and be able to call her out. I'm not so sure I would have cared as much about making a point if it had been a bigger sale. :)

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  10. I never wrote to this guy EXACTLY what I was thinking about him. I try to stay above all that. Plus, I wouldn't want it to come back and bite me in the butt. He might have done what I did and Post the entire E-mail conversation on Craigslist for everyone else to judge for themselves.

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  11. so, you paid $125 right?... then posted them on the Indianapolis craigslist for 375?... why not St Louis??? Because you found them on St louis craigslist and those checking the postings in St Louis would know you were trying to mark them up by 300%??? Then they would wonder... is he marking ALL his stuff up so much???... hmmmm... fishy indeed

    moral of the story folks... keep looking, you will find it cheaper elsewhere

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  12. All the stuff I sell was bought cheaper, duh. I BUY AT THE GOODWILL!!! I mark it for what I feel I can get for it. Sometimes I have to go with an offer. I almost sold them HERE in St. Louis the other day for an offer. But not to some jerk who thinks they can insult me and threaten me.

    I'm guessing you must buy all your groceries directly from the Farm, right? What, "No"? But you have to pay a MARKUP at the Grocery Store. Do you walk around the Grocery Store telling everyone that they are getting ripped off 'cuz they are paying a 3 times what it would cost if they bought it from the farmer? No, you'd sound like an idiot. Wouldn't you.

    The reason I don't re-list directly on StL C-list is to not be Rude to the SELLER. I don't think there is a good chance that they might be perusing the Indy C-list (or Memphis, or KC, or Chicago, or Knoxville...where I also have them listed), so I have no problem listing them there.

    And yes, this stuff can be found cheaper, duh. I buy it cheaper. You just have to buy it before I do. If not, well...that's life. Call your therapist. I don't think anyone looking at my ads is thinking "Bargain!" Maybe "Score!" if they find something they really like though. Plus I think I DO sell cheaper than some of the other places around town you might buy some of these type items. You MIGHT get things like these cheaper on Ebay but you can't come over and look at them, and you have to deal with shipping.

    Thanks for visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alright, alright... the more I check out ur blog the harder it is to hate you. crap... I hate this part... you are right... and ... sorry for acting a fool... hope you find/found a good home for the S chairs

    I think it was something about the "early bird" cliche and the cut and dry "all or nothing" that got me riled

    anywhoo... keep up the good work... really some very impressive finds on here
    kb

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  14. Wow, really! Great!

    It's not like I'm Hoarding all the good stuff. I do try to let people know where they can find this stuff too. I also give away some little secrets like making the seller a better offer than their asking price.

    The S chairs are gone and unfortunately I disappointed another buyer with them. To make a long story short they went to the first person with cash in hand and a no haggle attitude even though another potential buyer in Chicago (who had asked about a discount) inquired about them first. I did make my apologies and offered him the Pagholz at a discount, but he declined.

    We do the best we can.

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