Mr. Foxen Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I've got bunches of stuff that I'm not really using but don't mind around the place so I respond to wanted ads fairly often, with a 'make a sensible offer'. Theme is people without much by way of other posts aside from the wanted ad take that as 'make a ridiculous lowball offer'. I just block them, no point in dealing with people like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I totally sympathise with you. People like that suck. If I negotiate a price with someone its because I intend to buy it. I guess, as well, this gives an insight into why so many guitar shops are crap when it comes to service---many of them will have a never ending stream of people who come in, try out loads of stuff, then piss off and buy it cheaper somewhere else (or not at all!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1337431325' post='1659815'] That Purple Chili cab you're selling is an amazing bargain. As already mentioned, it must be the lack of a courier option that's stopping it being sold. [/quote] I know. It's so difficult for me to post anything though. I don't have a box big enough to pack it in securely, and I'd have to take a day off work for collection. Besides that, I've had a couple of PITA's on here actually have something couriered at great inconvenience to me, change their mind and send it back, also at great inconvenience. My stuff is priced so well that it's worth the journey from within 200 miles easily to come collect it IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 [quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1337413103' post='1659426'] Never been lowballed here but plenty times on ebay. But local Gumtree is the worst! More low-ballers and time-wasters on there, clowns who say they'll be at your house at x-time and then don't show, don't answer mail. [/quote] big chunky taxi driver who lives in livingston per chance? will stick it up on ebay the next day with £300 added to whatever you sell it to him for? [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1337426851' post='1659726'] I'm utterly despondent at the moment. The guy who is kindly holding an amp for me has given me two weeks, which in an ideal world would be plenty of time. But I just can't shift the items I'm selling, even at these ridiculously cheap prices! They're on here, ebay, gumtree, the works, and nothing but a bunch of lowballs and no-show-ers. [/quote] they are good prices, well the basses anyway. But if they are pickup only you narrow down your options. [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1337428460' post='1659761'] As explained in the listing, the neck hasn't budged in the two years that I've owned it. However, I understand why it could put folks off, which is why I've priced it so low. It really is priced to sell and is a wonderful bass. [/quote] People steer way clear of problems like this. Look at stackers Rick he was practically giving away- and part of it was that it needed a refret. Back when I was (daftly) trying to sell my streamer and was honest about fret wear people ran for the hills. Truss rod I would be even more cautious of that frets. At the price you have it listed for, spend the £30 to get it fixed and add £30 to the price. I was going to suggest advertising it on the warwick forums too but since the euro is weakening that may not be as great idea as used to be [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1337431395' post='1659818'] I've got bunches of stuff that I'm not really using but don't mind around the place so I respond to wanted ads fairly often, with a 'make a sensible offer'. Theme is people without much by way of other posts aside from the wanted ad take that as 'make a ridiculous lowball offer'. I just block them, no point in dealing with people like that. [/quote] I get slightly annoyed with the- "I want a stingray and only have £350 pounds anyone want to move theirs on for that much" type adds. If you want something that people will have spare then it's good to get a wanted ad up. If you want something specific and have the money then it's good to get an ad up. If you want something hopelessly rare then it's good. If you want to mug someone for cash- I don't see the point- like if I reply to a wanted ad I will know the value of my item, I don't need to sell (otherwise I would have advertised it myself) and I'm not an idiot, why treat me and others like I am one? Having said that if I were invited to make an offer I would tend to go low and go up if needed. I have a general rule with sellers that I won't try and haggle them down without reason- if they want £500 for it and I want it and it's not a bad price and I have the money I see little respect in trying to talk them down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) just a thought Evil Undead... How much would it be extra to send it via one of those shops that you can courier boxes from? It wouldn't be interparcel type prices but if the buyer would cover it you could pop it in on a sat and it would be far easier for you. EDIT: and as for boxes... bike shops or electrical shops, just ask and then parcel tape. Or for basses music shops will sometimes have spare bass boxes that they get stuff sent to them in Edited May 19, 2012 by LukeFRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanbean502 Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 I have had this a few times,however recently I offered someone the asking price I didn't even haggle and then they said they were going to keep it! Really annoyed me as I had just sold my Kubicki to pay for it which they were aware of. Very unhappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1337432187' post='1659837'] I know. It's so difficult for me to post anything though. I don't have a box big enough to pack it in securely, and I'd have to take a day off work for collection. [/quote] Get it collected from your work? Or a mates/family members house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 [quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1337447580' post='1660256'] Get it collected from your work? Or a mates/family members house? [/quote] No can do, on either count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 If people low-ball and then sell on at a mark-up...that is tacky as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 People offering low-ball offers and even people "agreeing " to buy your amp /guitar seems to be commonplace now ,even in the hallowed halls of Basschat . An agreement by e-mail does get your hopes up , but it is meaningless until the money is in the bank and the buyer has the bass or amp in his hands . If the offer comes from a well established Basschatter , you are onto a good thing , but you can normally get a feeling from the profile of the prospective customer as to whether they are serious or not . As an internet forum , the net is cast very wide over a huge bass-playing audience , and some of them may take "window shopping " a bit too far by agreeing to buy the item without having the intention or the money to pay for it ( happens on e-bay all the time ) The clues tend to be in the language/content /attitude in the PM's sent from the prospective buyer . Sometimes other things can happen , I was set on buying a cab , until I had a accident in the kitchen where I severely burnt my hand . so I could not drive / work /play bass for weeks ,but obviously let the seller know what had happened . Playing Devils Advocate , perhaps we should all agree that to buy something we should have the funds available there and then and not rely upon the sale of our own goods to fund this purchase . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I recently posted a thread on how a continental BC'er wanted to buy a bass of mine. I grudgingly agreed to take it apart to show date stamps etc (which I am very unhappy about doing as I am no luthier), sent photos etc only for the guy - at the last minute - to check the Euro/sterling exchange rate and say "isn't it high, it wasn't this high when I last looked a few months ago, can't afford your bass" (or words to that effect). Was mightily p*ssed off, having spent an hour or two disaasembling, photographing and re-assembling bass with the risk that the bits didn't fit together perfectly afterwards. At no point, it appears, could he afford my bass yet he led me a merry dance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 My take is the odds of hassle increase as the size of the community increases....people feel less committed if they are not often "in conversation" with a bunch of people /avatars they recognise. Most of use will value our reputation, and try to behave as we do in the real world......and some will act like knobs and treat potential transactions as ebay gaming...and not care about the other party. And some people are just knobs in the real world too. Look for the clues, ask for feedback here or elsewhere etc (although some people apparantly find this offensive!) and if you're not comfortable...move away. Use the feedback on here, it could save hassle for another member..even if its no help to you after the event. I get bugged when people don't reply to messages, or decide against buying things after being very keen etc etc but its just part of life on the inter web. I've still had many successful deals, and got some great stuff I would never have found any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Jeebers Evil, it's a good job I REALLY want that Warwick off you. Not that I show interest in products I am not serious about buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 [quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1337613401' post='1662778'] Jeebers Evil, it's a good job I REALLY want that Warwick off you. Not that I show interest in products I am not serious about buying. [/quote] Ha! Not on about you mate no trouble with you! However the guy that just offered me £200 for the Warwick on gumtree can jog on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 [quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1337584957' post='1662179'] People offering low-ball offers and even people "agreeing " to buy your amp /guitar seems to be commonplace now ,even in the hallowed halls of Basschat . An agreement by e-mail does get your hopes up , but it is meaningless until the money is in the bank and the buyer has the bass or amp in his hands . [/quote] A dude messaged a bunch of times sniffing about an amp I had on ebay, citing various 'flaws' in the amp that were already in the description and considered in the asking price to try and get the price down, then eventually agreed to buy off ebay. I said I wasn't going to pull the auction until I saw the money, since I'd have to pay to relist, and he told me I was wasting his time. Blocked him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooks79 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Tonight has taught me not to be so agreeable as to say I will do an 80 mile round trip and sit for an hour whilst someone tries an amp out, on one of my very few nights off work, for very minimal petrol costs! Polite head still on /end vent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Sorry to hear of your problems. i agree, if someone makes an offer they should be prepared to back it up with cash. Otherwise what on earth are they playing at ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooks79 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 In my instance it was my own doing I guess, and I wouldn't expect anyone to part with cash for an amp that wasn't for them, I'm not gonna tar the person with the timewaster brush necessarily, just a bit miffed that my time was most definitely wasted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 [quote name='3below' timestamp='1337380497' post='1659260'] Sadly it is a sign of the times (recession but government would say otherwise). [i]Money is too tight to mention[/i]... [/quote] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrUB0g8Vjgg&ob=av2e Well, you get what you pay for; and this is free. Also, let's face it, we're not infallible - people do make mistakes. I was recently talking to a Basschat'er about picking his bass up, and we'd merrily gone through the hoops before we realised we were at other ends of the country, and I was proven wrong in assuming that bass came only in Black. Sigh. I apologised; we learnt; we moved on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 [quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1337802355' post='1665783'] In my instance it was my own doing I guess, and I wouldn't expect anyone to part with cash for an amp that wasn't for them, I'm not gonna tar the person with the timewaster brush necessarily, just a bit miffed that my time was most definitely wasted... [/quote] If I'm buying, I always make sure that I work to the seller's convenience just in case that happens. Like you say though, it's not specifically the "buyer's" fault. I've had some bad experiences on here. Be thankful it's just your time that was wasted. I'm down over £150 after buying a bass with a bad neck from another basschatter. Even the £50 we agreed on for him to pay me back never showed up, then he had the nerve to claim I was trying to charge him for an overpriced set up (after he'd seen the reciepts from the luthier). Another one I spent about 2 weeks trying to sort meeting up with someone for a trade (including telling others that the bass was already reserved) only for him to pull out because he wanted to keep his bass, then put up a "for sale/trade" ad the next day. I've also been offered £400 for my GK "big rig" (2001RB-II and two 410RBH) when I tried to sell that briefly. People will always try it on, basschat is a free service with no background checks before trading, with that it has it's risks. If you don't like it, there's nothing forcing you to use it. I still trade on it, I always leave honest feedback and thankfully most of that has been good. Just don't get your hopes up until you've got cash/gear in hand and you'll feel much more relaxed about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1337432187' post='1659837'] My stuff is priced so well that it's worth the journey from within 200 miles easily to come collect it IMHO. [/quote] I can sympathise with you totally as its really hard to move things on at the moment, but you really aren't doing yourself any favours. There's loads of options for couriering, including the network of local shops that will take in parcels (as mentioned by another BC'er above) - I can't remember the name of the service off the top of my head but the Londis near us does it. There's always the Post Office too - you've ruled out asking friends/family or a collection from your workplace already. The thing is, in this climate when spare money is thin on the ground for everyone, how is it any easier or more acceptable (practically or financially) for somebody to travel 200 miles to you for the item? I've got to agree with other posters that you're really limiting your target audience and that as the seller you've got to bend a bit if you want the best chances to shift your stuff. I had an SVT-3 listed on here for ages with no bites, stuck it on my local Gumtree and got a response from a fella in Australia of all places. I was a bit sceptical but he seemed genuine and happy to arrange and pay for his own courier. Had it collected from me at work and it was as easy and hassle free as any deal I've had on BC, certainly made me more open to the idea. I know many of us have had a bad experience of some kind, but nobody really starts threads to say "I sold something and it was simple and uneventful". A cursory glance through the Feedback forum shows that people are constantly having that experience on here. Food for thought? Either way, good luck with the sales, its some lovely gear so it'll be perfect for somebody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 [quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1337585300' post='1662181'] I recently posted a thread on how a continental BC'er wanted to buy a bass of mine. I grudgingly agreed to take it apart to show date stamps etc (which I am very unhappy about doing as I am no luthier), sent photos etc only for the guy - at the last minute - to check the Euro/sterling exchange rate and say "isn't it high, it wasn't this high when I last looked a few months ago, can't afford your bass" (or words to that effect). Was mightily p*ssed off, having spent an hour or two disaasembling, photographing and re-assembling bass with the risk that the bits didn't fit together perfectly afterwards. At no point, it appears, could he afford my bass yet he led me a merry dance [/quote][quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1337585300' post='1662181'] I recently posted a thread on how a continental BC'er wanted to buy a bass of mine. I grudgingly agreed to take it apart to show date stamps etc (which I am very unhappy about doing as I am no luthier), sent photos etc only for the guy - at the last minute - to check the Euro/sterling exchange rate and say "isn't it high, it wasn't this high when I last looked a few months ago, can't afford your bass" (or words to that effect). Was mightily p*ssed off, having spent an hour or two disaasembling, photographing and re-assembling bass with the risk that the bits didn't fit together perfectly afterwards. At no point, it appears, could he afford my bass yet he led me a merry dance [/quote] to be fair, and playing devils advocate, the euro has plummeted recently so it could b a genuine reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottle Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I can sympathise. I've had some stuff for sale here for months, and nothings really moving. Had a couple of newbies PM me regarding some bits and bobs and then radio silence from them. TBH if I see someone has only just joined I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but I'm always wary. Having said that, I was a newbie once and didn't get the hang of buying and selling straight away, and learning to use the Feedback forum. In fact I only joined the forum to buy a five-string Ibanez from a guy in London I've generally had good experiences dealing with fellow basschatters, both when buying and selling. I wouldn't let a few bad apples spoil the rest of the community. There you go Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Well I've made my first attempt at a sale on here recently and although there are no takers it's going quite well. I've had advice on pricing without drama, i've found out some more about my bass and some very friendly discussions with interested parties. Absolutely no low-ball offers even though i've been trying to encourage it. What's going on?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottle Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1337852639' post='1666289'] Well I've made my first attempt at a sale on here recently and although there are no takers it's going quite well. I've had advice on pricing without drama, i've found out some more about my bass and some very friendly discussions with interested parties. Absolutely no low-ball offers even though i've been trying to encourage it. What's going on?!? [/quote] Just a matter of TIM and you'll get them flooding in....... (ducks, grabs coat and heads for the exit, stage left ) Good luck with the sale, Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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