Another Craigslist Rant

Hyde

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I know this subject has been posted about a thousand times, but I just need a place to vent.

Basically, I saw a cheap NeoGeo machine on the local craigslist. (I've been looking for a NeoGeo as well, so this seemed perfect.) So I called up the seller and arranged a time to come pick it up. Just before I was going to leave to pick the game up, I called the seller to make sure we were going through with the deal.

Then he told me that a number of people offered more money for the game than I did. If I still wanted the game, I would have to increase the price.

That really pisses me off. After we had already agreed on a price and time to pick the game up, the guy has the nerve to entertain other offers. Plus, the other buyers who offered to buy it even after arrangements were made are even worse. I'm no tool and I'm not going to play this stupid bidding war.

Anyways, sorry about the rant. It really is true that you can never get too excited about a new game until it is in your truck and the cash has been handed over. How often do you guys have to deal with situations like this?
 
I saw that ad. Wasn't it converted to a Street Fighter II? I assumed it had been JAMMA'd and all the NEO GEO Stuff was missing.
 
I saw that ad. Wasn't it converted to a Street Fighter II? I assumed it had been JAMMA'd and all the NEO GEO Stuff was missing.

It was a converted Street Fighter II, but the NEO GEO stuff was definitely still in there. I was running Metal Slug (you could see it from the picture in the ad). I don't really mind converted games because they are cheaper! :D I try to stick to my $100 budget per game rule, which includes all restoration.

I only offered $50 for it (which I understand is lowballing), but you would think that the seller would go through with it after agreeing upon a price and time to pick it up.
 
I've only had it happen to me once (that I remember anyway).
Kinda pissed me off, but I paid the extra $20 (or $25) as it was
still a good deal...

/Tim
 
I had one the other day for an asteroids.. Called the guy and chatted him up. He said that I was one of 14 people to call about the game and that instead of the 200 it was listed for.. its now whomever offers him the most. He suggested I arrange a time to stop by and look at it. I kinda flipped out on the guy. I said " so you want me to drive over an hour just to look at the game on the off chance that I might be the person who offers you the most! This isnt an auction. I'm not going to play your game." and hung up..

Yesterday a guy down in south jersey has a non working defender and non working asteroids up for auction. I called him up and offered him a working trade but he didnt go for it. He figured the two broken machines would net $600 to $700 easily. I told him he'd be lucky if he got $200.

Basically the public sucks. expecially this time of year when everyone wants cash for the holidays. I cant sorta understand it it but its a lot nicer buying from another KLOV'r then CL or ebay.
 
I know its not the right thing to do but you should have offered more and told him you would be there in an hour or so. That will give him time to tell the others that he had a better offer and then you just never show up. Teach dirt bags like that a lesson.
 
I know its not the right thing to do but you should have offered more and told him you would be there in an hour or so. That will give him time to tell the others that he had a better offer and then you just never show up. Teach dirt bags like that a lesson.

no way dude, beat the best offer by $100 and but ask that the machine be held for day and then never show up.

I sold a neo geo for $200 and had guys lined up to get it. I then took what sounded like the most serious guy and let him come see it one night. He flaked so it went to the next guy. I just didn't want a bunch of guys to travel and then come to my house and possibly get angry.

The sword cuts both ways. He should realize that when he gives out his address it's in his best interest to not be a douche bag. Someone might just mess w/ his house and or family.
 
Yeah thay really sucks! Same thing happened to me a Tron popped up locally in my area for $400 on CL Emailed the lady and we talked on the phone for a while and agreed for me to pick up the machine first thing in the morning since it was late that evening to pick up, well she called me in the morning and left a message and said that a freind called her and said that she was asking too little for the game(YOU THINK??) but I was mad that we both agreed with the price and pickup but changed her mind damm lady!!!!
 
Someone posted a free 1 slot Neo Geo on here this morning, might want to look into that if it's still available. I can't remember where it was at though.

Edit: Most, not all, CL and Ebay people are cunts and assholes. Unless they're KLOV associates :D
 
no way dude, beat the best offer by $100 and but ask that the machine be held for day and then never show up.

I sold a neo geo for $200 and had guys lined up to get it. I then took what sounded like the most serious guy and let him come see it one night. He flaked so it went to the next guy. I just didn't want a bunch of guys to travel and then come to my house and possibly get angry.

The sword cuts both ways. He should realize that when he gives out his address it's in his best interest to not be a douche bag. Someone might just mess w/ his house and or family.

I've tag-teamed a-holes like that. I have my buddy call on the ad and offer $100 than the highest price the seller told me. My buddy arranges a date & time, then doesn't show up. 1 hour later, I send a casual email asking reminding the seller that if it's still available, I'd be willing to move up in my price a bit. Clearly frustrated, the seller gives in and lets me have it for a song. I show up, fork over my initial offer, and drive away with the cab. I've snagged 2 cabs that way.

Two can play this game.
 
I know its not the right thing to do but you should have offered more and told him you would be there in an hour or so. That will give him time to tell the others that he had a better offer and then you just never show up. Teach dirt bags like that a lesson.

Nice! I may actually have to try that next time something like this happens.

What really ticked me off is that the seller did not even bother calling me back to tell me that someone else had offered higher. If I would not have called to confirm, I would have ended up wasting an hour driving.
 
I've tag-teamed a-holes like that. I have my buddy call on the ad and offer $100 than the highest price the seller told me. My buddy arranges a date & time, then doesn't show up. 1 hour later, I send a casual email asking reminding the seller that if it's still available, I'd be willing to move up in my price a bit. Clearly frustrated, the seller gives in and lets me have it for a song. I show up, fork over my initial offer, and drive away with the cab. I've snagged 2 cabs that way.

Two can play this game.

Nice trick. The one I like to use is to offer more than I'm willing to spend, to beat out the other bidders and "secure" the deal with the seller (only for non-collector CL sellers). Then I show up (fast!) with the exact amount of cash I'm willing to spend. I make some comments about the game's condition and flash my cash. Never had a problem with a seller backing out of a deal while they were on the spot. Saved $500 on my DOT that way.

When I first started in this hobby someone told me that money doesn't just talk, sometimes it yells and interrupts. I have found a great deal of truth in that statement.
 
Personally I don't play any of the games people try. A few weeks ago I bought one, the guy emails me just as I'm about to leave that others are offering him more, blah blah blah he just wants to be fair to everybody. I called him and told him that if he wants to be fair, he needs to complete the deal he agreed on with me, and he actually stood behind what he told me and I picked it up.

Once they start bidding on it, I just walk away. I've never paid more for a game than what somebody originally asked for it, and never will.
 
I know this subject has been posted about a thousand times, but I just need a place to vent.

Basically, I saw a cheap NeoGeo machine on the local craigslist. (I've been looking for a NeoGeo as well, so this seemed perfect.) So I called up the seller and arranged a time to come pick it up. Just before I was going to leave to pick the game up, I called the seller to make sure we were going through with the deal.

Then he told me that a number of people offered more money for the game than I did. If I still wanted the game, I would have to increase the price.

That really pisses me off. After we had already agreed on a price and time to pick the game up, the guy has the nerve to entertain other offers. Plus, the other buyers who offered to buy it even after arrangements were made are even worse. I'm no tool and I'm not going to play this stupid bidding war.

Anyways, sorry about the rant. It really is true that you can never get too excited about a new game until it is in your truck and the cash has been handed over. How often do you guys have to deal with situations like this?

I can't stand it when people do that i would'nt buy anything from a person like that and i would pay extra money to buy from someone else.BTW i do have a Neo that i am giving away for free check out the pics in arcade for sale or trade thread
 
Hey there Hyde,

As you can tell, you're not alone... I've had a similar experience with a CL seller. Mine was a longer distance deal so to lock it in, I paypal'd the scumbag 100.00 to lock in the deal. The next day I call to verify I'm coming to pick it up, I was told that 'things' have changed. Instead of selling it to me, he traded it for another game he was looking for - this was a pinball deal. WTF!!?? That's why I sent you $$'s so this wouldn't happen.

Anyway, he refunded my deposit about 5 minutes later.

This leads me to a follow up story about this deal I'll post in a new thread today.

Tom

I know this subject has been posted about a thousand times, but I just need a place to vent.

Basically, I saw a cheap NeoGeo machine on the local craigslist. (I've been looking for a NeoGeo as well, so this seemed perfect.) So I called up the seller and arranged a time to come pick it up. Just before I was going to leave to pick the game up, I called the seller to make sure we were going through with the deal.

Then he told me that a number of people offered more money for the game than I did. If I still wanted the game, I would have to increase the price.

That really pisses me off. After we had already agreed on a price and time to pick the game up, the guy has the nerve to entertain other offers. Plus, the other buyers who offered to buy it even after arrangements were made are even worse. I'm no tool and I'm not going to play this stupid bidding war.

Anyways, sorry about the rant. It really is true that you can never get too excited about a new game until it is in your truck and the cash has been handed over. How often do you guys have to deal with situations like this?
 
Basically, I saw a cheap NeoGeo machine on the local craigslist. (I've been looking for a NeoGeo as well, so this seemed perfect.) So I called up the seller and arranged a time to come pick it up. Just before I was going to leave to pick the game up, I called the seller to make sure we were going through with the deal.

Then he told me that a number of people offered more money for the game than I did. If I still wanted the game, I would have to increase the price.

I don't know how far away the sellers place was , but if you already had the address, time and the place was relatively close, I wouldve drove there and shown up 30 min early just to catch him from possibly bailing out. Then let him tell you to your face about breaking his agreement instead of being a coward behind a phone line. If he still broke his word, I wouldve chewed his ass out Sgt. Hartman style until he was small enough to fit under my shoe, and perhaps he'd have a change of heart.
 
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Bottom line is this: as an individual, YOU are the only one who has to live with whatever choices you make when you're completing a deal on Craigslist. If you get the feeling that the seller is beginning to jack with you, then all's fair in love, war, and Craigslist. Do whatever you must to rescue that vid from the clutches of some money grubbing jerk who should have just listed it on eBay to begin with.

I have no love for those who play games like this. But I also approach each sale opportunity with no expectations any more, either. I learned THAT lesson one day while 30 miles into a trip to pick up an LCD TV. I got the same call from the seller: "I just sold the TV...you don't need to come." Whoa was I pissed. Not only had I just driven 30 miles for no good reason, but I'd also cleared my schedule for a few hours, lined up child care for the trip, and gotten wife approval. I was STEAMED.

Now I approach each opportunity with the ferocity of a shrewd businessman on his last dime of hope. Pay no more than 1 penny more than the seller will take. Haggle, negotiate, fact find, point out problems, be prepared to walk away. All are tactics that I've used when standing in front of the machine. All while I'm holding money in my hand. Watch their eyes - they follow the cash in your hand while you talk.

Has my cheap ass tactics pissed off a seller before? Yes. But not because the game was a good deal. Usually a busted deal was the result of the seller holding personal investment and nostalgia in an item. Those things don't mean jack squat to me. I'm sorry, but to me, your broken ass Pac Man is not worth $500. To me, it's wood and electronics and wires and dust until I own it. Then it's a different story.

The seller can always say no. Once you get the nod, load it and get the hell out of there, before his phone rings again.
 
I don't know how far away the sellers place was , but if you already had the address, time and the place was relatively close, I wouldve drove there and shown up 30 min early just to catch him from possibly bailing out. Then let him tell you to your face about breaking his agreement instead of being a coward behind a phone line. If he still broke his word, I wouldve chewed his ass out Sgt. Hartman style until he was small enough to fit under my shoe, and perhaps he'd have a change of heart.

It was a little bit more complicated than that. Basically, the seller had the game at a storage facility about 30-40 minutes away from where I live. He said to show up at the storage place at 6:00. Since it was already about 5:20, I hurried up and prepared the van and left. About 5 minutes in, I get a call from the seller. He said that he "needs to go to the shop" for a couple hours and that I should leave my place at 8:00 instead so that I would arrive at around 8:30.

Well, 8:00 comes along so I decide to call the seller to confirm the deal. No one picks up the phone. So I call again at 8:30, and the guy casually mentions that someone else offerered higher for the game, and that if I still wanted it I would have to top the best offer. I respectfully declined and said that I would be firm with my current offer, and then I hung up.
 
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