Do you chastize craigs list posters for their stupidity?

straws

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Do you chastize craigs list posters for their stupidity?

I get so frustrated with the stupid posters on CL, that I feelI have to send them an email telling them how stupid they are. Somethimes they have a DK for $1000, other times they advertise for $100, but when you read the ads they want much more.

What do you all do? Ignore, make comments, or shine them on?
 
Most of the time, I don't do anything.

But sometimes, if I am bored and I have time and if it is something that intrigues me, I will play along, even if I have no interest in buying it.

I ask for more pics, what condition the game is in, does it even work, (a lot of times these morons post very little if any info about the game's condition), ask what other games they got, try to get a dialoge going... what is the history of the game, try to find out how they arived at the asking price.

I usually end up politely declining to buy anything, as I can tell they won't come down off their price enough to make it worth my while.

For example, one time I saw this post for a project cocktail for $350 with working monitor, no board, new JAMMA harness and controls. So the poster and I email back and forth. I ask him for pics, turns out it is a beat up Nintendo or Taito style cocktail, the monitor is a 17" computer monitor he just dropped in there, the back of the monitor is sticking out the bottom of the cocktail... and keep emailing him, turns out the joker is 3 hours away... he offers to meet me half way.
I end up telling him lookie here home-skillet, I have been in this hobby for years, and I know what the parts are worth, any you don't have $350 worth in parts there, you got less than $100 on a good day, and I am not driving 1.5 hours to meet you and give you money for that when I have 4 cocktail projects in my garage already that demand my attention...
Needless to say, I did not hear back from the guy after that.

On another occasion, I saw an Asteroids Deluxe for $4000. Now I was looking for one at the time, so I email the poster. She says it was her husband's who bought it from some specialty antiques shop in California and had it shipped to Georgia. They paid $5000 plus shipping for it so she wanted $4000 firm now that her husband had passed away and she did not want to keep it.
Anyway, I send my condolences, along with some links of BIN ebay auctions to show her that the market price for an AD is nowhere near what she is asking, and I even send her a link to an AD on the Chattanooga Pinball website, which list for less than half of what she is asking. I even told her that KLOV member Jim from Newnan had a completely restored AD, new sideart I am talking a perfect example, and he was only asking like $1000 for his.

Anyway, I tell her my best offer would be $650 sight unseen, which was generous compared to the fair market value at the time. I told her I know most of the collectors around the area and they would not give her even that much for it.

Anyway a few months pass by, and I get another email from her, she now wants $1500 for hers. I tell her my offer still stands at $650, even though I had already acquired one for $400, I would still buy hers for $650 because hers was in better condition. Haven't heard from her since...
 
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Chastizing is a foolish way to buy games unless you are the very last person in line. Let the game sit, let them get browbeat for a while and when it gets re-listed at a lower price, make your move. By this time they're so tired of fielding calls, they just wanna be done with the whole thing. Be nice, sincere and have your cash/vehicle ready. The tightwad klov price police method rarely works and guys like me end up with your machine.
 
I've found that alot of these adds are from people that look at ebay too much or they bought them from a high price retailer and paid way too much to begin with. You see adds like that in kansas city alot claiming to have bought from Amini's Gallery. Places like this add about 30% onto full retail prices and take advantage of people that don't know how to find games like the rest of us do.
 
about 5 months ago someone about an hour from me had 2 games for sale, a golf game and a Lethal Enforcer. Golf worked good, Lethal had a (1) bad gun, asking 400 for the pair. I figured that the golf was the more valuable of the two, I offered 150 for the enforcer. Got a reply back "200". I ingored it

a month later they relisted them, asking 350. I again offered 150 for the enforcer, reply came back "175". The following month they lowered the price to 300 for the pair, by this time I had lost interest in either one.

I mention this because I found the enforcer (I recognize it from the pic) listed on CL in a town about 100 miles away for $250:D
 
My favorite adds are when their camera is broke and the game only needs a little TLC. You take the time to look and the game is more like POS.
 
I get so frustrated with the stupid posters on CL, that I feelI have to send them an email telling them how stupid they are. Somethimes they have a DK for $1000, other times they advertise for $100, but when you read the ads they want much more.

What do you all do? Ignore, make comments, or shine them on?
I use to, until I realized that these are just people trying to sell stupid games for whatever money they think they may be worth.

Most of the time my comments were more helpful, I think anyway, although they may not of taken them that way...I mean it isn't like I called them dinkwads or anything.

-Tim
 
My favorite one's are the idiots trying to sell the fake Jap Slot machines. You can buy these stupid fake toys at Target for $149 . Only an Idiot with no brains would get tricked into paying $400-500 for one of these pieces of junk. And only a complete fool would buy one for $149.
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1351880903.html

Glennon
 
If you want to save time, compliment the smart ones instead of berating the dumb ones.
You'll spend less than 5 seconds per month on this project.
 
When posting ads, I don't even respond to any replies unless they use some basic form of structure and etiquette.

I get so many emails that read like this.

subject said:
(note that they never tell me what game they might be talking about).
body said:
 
My favorite one's are the idiots trying to sell the fake Jap Slot machines. You can buy these stupid fake toys at Target for $149 . Only an Idiot with no brains would get tricked into paying $400-500 for one of these pieces of junk. And only a complete fool would buy one for $149.
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1351880903.html

Glennon

I dont know about these days, but a few years back I would hit up the super auctions frequently, and those slots were always a dime a dozen there. I just dont get the appeal. But yeah, the sellers definitely smoking crack.
 
Most of the time, I don't do anything.

But sometimes, if I am bored and I have time and if it is something that intrigues me, I will play along, even if I have no interest in buying it.

I ask for more pics, what condition the game is in, does it even work, (a lot of times these morons post very little if any info about the game's condition), ask what other games they got, try to get a dialoge going... what is the history of the game, try to find out how they arived at the asking price.

I usually end up politely declining to buy anything, as I can tell they won't come down off their price enough to make it worth my while.

For example, one time I saw this post for a project cocktail for $350 with working monitor, no board, new JAMMA harness and controls. So the poster and I email back and forth. I ask him for pics, turns out it is a beat up Nintendo or Taito style cocktail, the monitor is a 17" computer monitor he just dropped in there, the back of the monitor is sticking out the bottom of the cocktail... and keep emailing him, turns out the joker is 3 hours away... he offers to meet me half way.
I end up telling him lookie here home-skillet, I have been in this hobby for years, and I know what the parts are worth, any you don't have $350 worth in parts there, you got less than $100 on a good day, and I am not driving 1.5 hours to meet you and give you money for that when I have 4 cocktail projects in my garage already that demand my attention...
Needless to say, I did not hear back from the guy after that.

On another occasion, I saw an Asteroids Deluxe for $4000. Now I was looking for one at the time, so I email the poster. She says it was her husband's who bought it from some specialty antiques shop in California and had it shipped to Georgia. They paid $5000 plus shipping for it so she wanted $4000 firm now that her husband had passed away and she did not want to keep it.
Anyway, I send my condolences, along with some links of BIN ebay auctions to show her that the market price for an AD is nowhere near what she is asking, and I even send her a link to an AD on the Chattanooga Pinball website, which list for less than half of what she is asking. I even told her that KLOV member Jim from Newnan had a completely restored AD, new sideart I am talking a perfect example, and he was only asking like $1000 for his.

Anyway, I tell her my best offer would be $650 sight unseen, which was generous compared to the fair market value at the time. I told her I know most of the collectors around the area and they would not give her even that much for it.

Anyway a few months pass by, and I get another email from her, she now wants $1500 for hers. I tell her my offer still stands at $650, even though I had already acquired one for $400, I would still buy hers for $650 because hers was in better condition. Haven't heard from her since...

hey Art how was your weekend here. Sorry I missed you. Come see me and buy me lunch.
 
My favorite one's are the idiots trying to sell the fake Jap Slot machines. You can buy these stupid fake toys at Target for $149 . Only an Idiot with no brains would get tricked into paying $400-500 for one of these pieces of junk. And only a complete fool would buy one for $149.
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/1351880903.html

Glennon

FYI... That's a REAL Japanese slot machine. They are called Pachislo or Skill Stop Slot machines, because it takes skill to get the 777 on it and not just luck.

The one in the photo is a Thunder VII and it IS NOT one that they sell in Target. Thunder VII has an LCD screen that runs animations and storyline during the game.

I guess I am a complete fool then, because I have 2 of these machines. I paid $200+ for each of them, they both have 17" LCD screens over the reels and they are badass. (Beast Sapp, Sinbad Adventure).

In fact there are so many of us fools that there is an entire forum dedicated to these and that other stupid FAKE pinball called Pachinko. http://www.pachi-talk.com
 
When posting ads, I don't even respond to any replies unless they use some basic form of structure and etiquette.

I get so many emails that read like this.

(note that they never tell me what game they might be talking about).

God, I know.

It's bad enough that nobody seems to know how to spell anymore (either that, or they just can't be bothered to read over what they type and fix any errors), but the lack of proper sentences and good manners just makes it all the more worse.

Not only is this a problem from the selling end (I had this earlier today: "is gmae list still.."), but from the buying end as well:

(SUBJECT) standup arcade game $1200

(BODY) have standup arcade for sell. Great conditions like new. goes for $15,000 on ebay im selling for 1200.

Not only will they NOT have any pictures in the ad (and really, in 2009, is it THAT difficult to take a goddamn picture?), but they'll also omit the NAME OF THE GAME.
 
hey Art how was your weekend here. Sorry I missed you. Come see me and buy me lunch.

Dale, had an awesome weekend in Chattanooga. Did the whole tour, Rock City, The Aquarium, the Riverfront, Ruby Falls, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Sticky Fingers Sunday buffet special $7.99 all you can eat BBQ....

but missed the coolest attraction of them all... Dale's Amusement Park (aka Chattanooga Pinball ... ;)

I will plan to make another trip up there real soon. It will be a hoot!!!

How was the weekend getaway with the family?
 
i think there are to many people here with way to much time on their hands.
wtf makes anyone think they have the right to bitch about what someone is trying to sell somthing for ,christ mind your own biz

so someone wants to try and sell their ass hair for 2000000$ so what there may be some rich ass that is lacking said ass hair and would be willing to pay that

the only thing on cl that gets me is the 1 dollar postings then the item is listed for 2000$


its kind of like relvin here ,yea his games are expensive and none of the tight wad guys here would pay most of his listing price(i myself am a cheap bastard as well)
but if he can (and does) sell games for his high asking price more power to him


if you want a game listed and its to high . make your offer and leave it at that
you really have to be a lonley looser to start bitching at people thru email about an item that they have price at what they would like to get (the seller will learn fast that his price is to high or end up sitting on it for ever)

with the way most of you are price policing our econmeny will never get a boost and one day our treasured games will end up in a dump rotting instead of someone taking the trouble to try and sell them
 
It's bad enough that nobody seems to know how to spell anymore (either that, or they just can't be bothered to read over what they type and fix any errors), but the lack of proper sentences and good manners just makes it all the more worse..................


I know, and what kills me is that most web browsers have a built in spelling correction. So there really is no excuse. I know that Firefox, underlines in red when there is a misspelled word and gives you the correct choices when you right click on the underlined word. Yet a lot of people don't even bother.

And I suppose it's one thing if you misspell a few here and there in an email. But when you are trying to sell something, it's just crazy.

Could you imagine if Staples, Best Buy etc... just up and suddenly didn't care about spelling on everything...all the time? (not that they don't from time to time, but they aren't trying to be lazy) If that ever happened, what would it say about the quality of the merchandise that they sell?

Same thing goes for the misspellings on CL. If a person can't be bothered to check his/her spelling, just how good is the product they are selling?



;



;
 
Dale, had an awesome weekend in Chattanooga. Did the whole tour, Rock City, The Aquarium, the Riverfront, Ruby Falls, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Sticky Fingers Sunday buffet special $7.99 all you can eat BBQ....

but missed the coolest attraction of them all... Dale's Amusement Park (aka Chattanooga Pinball ... ;)

I will plan to make another trip up there real soon. It will be a hoot!!!

How was the weekend getaway with the family?

next time here you ahve to try the BBQ nachos it is the bomb.
 
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