What is up with Ebay and Craigslist?

67Chevelle2

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Are ebay sellers and craiglist users douchebags? I made a commitment to buy a Ms. Pac Man for $500, originally $800 and the guy agreed to $500 cash. Was going to drive to Wisconsin tommorrow on a 5 hour round trip from my house in Illinois. I give the guy my phone # and he never calls. I told my wife today, this douche was going to stiff me. I get home and get an email- sorry, sold. Guys like that piss me off. Between pinballs and arcade machines, it has happened alot.
 
Its called morals. A lot of people nowadays don't have them. He wanted to sell it for $800, but finally accepted your offer for $500 and made a deal. Then someone else comes in after you, offers more money and he takes it.
 
This is why I will never make any kind of lengthy drive (more than an hour)to get a game on CL.That extra time gives these douchebags more time to get more e-mails from other potential buyers and more time for them to reneg on your offer.Honesly just try to buy one on ebay or better yet from someone on here and save yourself the headache.
 
I got a tip last summer from a fellow KLOVer about a game in MN, 6hrs 1 way for me. It was a CL ad. I e-mailed the guy and asked for pics. He sent them and we worked out a deal. I went a month later to get it. This guy was a class act.

So it just depends on who you get. I have gotten a pretty good feel via e-mails, texts, and calls as to who is a stand up guy and who is not.
 
I've heard about these terrible deals on CL and Ebay - but (knocking on wood) it hasn't happened to me yet. Made 2 10 hour round trips - 1 for a CL ad and 1 for an ebay auction score. Called both before I left to confirm, and told them I'd be driving a very long way. I think maybe that's the key. Remind them you are driving a long way - and maybe tell them you want to confirm so you don't waste time and gas. Also might help to tell them you are a ninja and you'll be bringing your partner, a pit bull with rabies.
 
Are ebay sellers and craiglist users douchebags? I made a commitment to buy a Ms. Pac Man for $500, originally $800 and the guy agreed to $500 cash. Was going to drive to Wisconsin tommorrow on a 5 hour round trip from my house in Illinois. I give the guy my phone # and he never calls. I told my wife today, this douche was going to stiff me. I get home and get an email- sorry, sold. Guys like that piss me off. Between pinballs and arcade machines, it has happened alot.

In this day and age greed simply wins over honor. Its pretty sad but it goes on all the time. I try to avoid CL because of these sorts of things unless the deal is really close (less then an hour) or I know the seller/buyer personally.

Matt
 
In most cases it is "first come first served." Again, the flake to buyer ratio of craigslist is pretty incredible. Anybody willing to hold an item without a deposit is setting themselves up for turning away potential real buyers.

Maybe some of you haven't sold much on craigslist. If you have, and never gotten bullshitted by "buyers" that never show up, you've been incredibly lucky.

In situations where I know someone is driving from more than an hour away, I'll agree to hold an item, but generally under circumstances like - call me when you're ready to make the trip, and I will hold it for a reasonable amount of time for them to make the trip.

For example, if you call me at 4PM and say you're on the way from 2 hours away, I'll gladly hold the item for the rest of that day so you can rest assured it won't be sold out from under you and waste your time/gas.

If someone agrees to sell to you at a certain price and then sells it to someone else that made a higher offer, then yes, I agree totally: that is greed. But that's also human nature, you won't change it, and complaining about it accomplishes zip. Be the guy on the spot with the cash FIRST. That's life.

EDIT - By the way, the subject included eBay though your example just noted a craigslist deal. If someone pulls this shit on you with eBay, you have recourse for it - neg the hell out of them so others will know what to expect. That's why feedback is there.

Richard

It kinda goes both ways, sometimes as a seller you get people saying "I'll take it!!" and never show up!!
 
Happens man!!!!!! I have had way more good deals on craigslist than bad. You have to take the good with the bad. Good luck on the next deal you come across.
 
I appreciate all the comments, guys. It was on ebay. It was one of those best offer deals. He had it at $800 or best offer. I submitted an offer of $500, he came back at $600. I said a Ms. Pac man was worth $500 to me. He agreed to the $500 as long as I was paying cash so he could avoid the ebay fees. Not a problem to me. He sent me an email Friday night- sorry, sold. I sent him an email ripping him a new one. His response was the deal was only good if I picked it up Thursday night, never originally stated that. There was no way I could of picked up Thursday night, we were corresponding late Thursday afternoon and it was a 5 hour round trip for me. I have to get up Friday at 4:35 am to go to work. I dont know if craigslist or ebay is worse. I have seen many of the machines I am looking for on the KLOV, just way too far for me. I will just keep lookin.
 
Just FYI, you saved yourself a lot of money. That's waaayyy too much for a Ms. Pac, unless it was mint... ;)
 
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