Out of the last Four Kirkwood Mo. craigslist posters I've replied to only two have gotten back to me...and one took 4 DAYS to do so! How "F"ing RUDE are Kirkwood residence? See the chairs in the picture above? I e-mailed the seller yesterday an Hour and Fourteen Minutes after the they placed the ad. I offered them a full 25% more than they were asking. Never heard back.
I sent another e-mail 8 hours later wondering if maybe my earlier note had maybe hit their
spam file. Nothing. Rude. I even sent another e-mail today wondering if they were sold or
if the "seller" just didn't want to sell the set to ME! They FINALLY deleted their ad this
evening. Well, I can at least feel better knowing that they likely didn't get the $1000-$1200
these chairs are worth to someone who knows that they are Kai Kristiansen Scandinavian
dining chairs. I know, I know...sad, petty. It's not like I would have told them if I'd have
gotten them.
But at least I offered more than their (uneducated) $100 asking price. I'm more pissed
that they didn't reply than I am that someone else got them! I can easily live without them.
I'm finding things like this all the time these days it seems! And another thing...Don't Put
An Ad On Craigslist At 9pm On A Weekend Night If You Don't Want People Coming
Over At 9pm On A Weekend Night!!! Save it for the morning...and answer your d*mn
e-mail! I wish I could make all the rules.
I replied to a posting for a Cement Bird Bath that was posted Aug 28th, sent 1 inquiry than a 2nd inquiry Sept 13th. They replied last night "Yes it is for sale, not until Oct 3rd". What the "F" is right, I feel your pain man.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's bad etiquette, but when I post a craigslist ad, I reply to the first (viable) email and work with them. If they fall through, then I email the second (viable) email and so on. I don't reply to everyone though because some sort of paranoia makes me worry about additional people having my email address . . . but I guess a quick email that says "I got your email, someone else is already coming by and I'll let you know if it doesn't work out" kind of thing might be appropriate?
ReplyDeleteMy personal way of dealing on CL is phone calls only. I won't respond to e-mails. Too many scammers. And yes, I answer my phone! I wish everyone would include a phone number.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any consolation, I responded to the posting for those chairs in Kirkwood, too. I responded even sooner than you, and I sent another inquiry last night, offering a little more money. I am still waiting for their response. I'm not holding my breath. My guess is that they got a ton of responses which made them realize they had something more than just some game room chairs. Either that, or someone else offered them a lot more money. That's how craigslist goes sometimes. Frustrating, yes.
ReplyDeleteCL is frustrating. Sometimes I've emailed a question, maybe asking for measurements of something because they've failed to put them in their ad. Sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I don't. Who knows....
ReplyDeleteStop offering more than sellers ask, it's unfair to others who may have sent an email before you and you likely come off as a scammer.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing unfair about it. Nothing about CL says that a seller has any obligation to use order received to determine who to sell to. It is the seller's prerogative to sell to whoever they want to for whatever reason they want. It isn't fair, but it isn't about fairness. CL is a venue that does not impose such rules. Deal or don't shop there. It might sound harsh, but most people aren't busy thinking about whether or not they hurt the feelings of their potential buyers.
DeleteIt annoys me for people to ignore emails too, but it annoys me more for them to agree to sell something to me and then email me back reneging on the deal because they found out it was worth more than they were asking. People should research their items BEFORE they list them, and once they've agreed to sell for the price they asked, they should honor their agreement.
ReplyDeleteI agree. CL is not an auction site and if you post something for a price you should honor. Especially if you have already committed to the buyer. Do your homework before listing and don't use your ad as a sounding board for an appraisal!
DeleteThere is nothing unfair about it. Nothing about CL says that a seller has any obligation to not reneg on the deal because they found out it was worth more than they were asking. It is the seller's prerogative to sell to whoever they want to for whatever reason they want. It isn't fair, but it isn't about fairness. CL is a venue that does not impose such rules. Deal or don't shop there. It might sound harsh, but most people aren't busy thinking about whether or not they hurt the feelings of their potential buyers.
Deleteyou have to roll with it you win some you loss some, after all you personally in your case are reselling it anyway (mostly) ,so to you its about the money lose ,or the prestige as a seller perhaps. it seems that to 'you' its about status "fail or succeed" ,scored ,top dog , 'i have a right to the piece offered and I dare things did not go my way' ,
ReplyDeletewe get elated when we find that 'item' pinch ourselves lucky me,but someone else on the other had miss out on getting it ,oh well there will be another one maybe! but oh well ,every thing one day is going away anyway ,thus ;
"dont sweat the small stuff ,its all small stuff" perspective enough
Well said!
DeleteMODTOMIC ACTS LIKE A SPOILED BRAT, IF IT DON'T GO HIS WAY 'THE RETRO ATOMIC BOMB OF THE st louis METROPOLITAN AREA ,TAKE COVER buyers and sellers.
ReplyDeleteevery things is win or lose to him his daily 'fail or lose' status
its all about you?
take him behind the retro shack for a talkin to or,,
Wait... what? This doesn't even make any sense.
DeleteOnly one of those chairs actually SOLD on ebay and it only went for $172. And with much nicer fabric (black vinyl/leather) Seems like the $1K-2K prices are ridiculously inflated.
ReplyDeletePointing out that the sellers listed for an "uneducated" price seems awfully petty on your part. Really does make me think twice about buying anything from you. You win some, you lose some. And from reading your blog you win alot more than you use lose, so suck it up and move on.
Craigslist can seriously be a huge pain in the rear. I'd even go as far as to say that MOST Craigslist transactions go wrong, with a good number of sellers failing to reply, changing prices, failing to show up, etc. It's maddening. Things would be so much simpler if people actually did their research and were reliable. I've met quite a few nice, honest, and reasonable people through sales, but a good portion seem to think that anonymous online selling gives them a license to act like a prick.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, so does anonymous online commenting...
DeleteI'm one of those buyers who does not leave a number. My worst was seeing a set of 9 Eames plywood chairs for $150 each. I emailed and emailed and emailed and heard nothing back. I sell too but I reply to every email and check my spam folder for the ones that slip through.
ReplyDelete