Never Respond To An Online For Sale Ad By Saying This

[mike1117]

I go in for my surgery Wednesday at 5AM, have a list of prep work from the doctor I need to do Monday and Tuesday. So just trying to kill some time the next few days so here goes, sorry if this does not interest a lot of you. I feel that if you see an online ad for something for sale you are very interested in on sites like this, Craigslist, Facebook, your first/initial response to the seller you do not know can be critical especially for an item you feel is priced to sell quickly. There was a recent post on the STUFF ON OTHER SITES forum about a nice Mead Ranger that someone may have missed out on. I replied to that post saying, "Sometimes you just need to be lucky. Whether you are searching on Craigslist, Facebook, or here, a minute or two can make the difference between adding a bike you may have been searching for many years, or losing out to someone who may have seen the post a minute, or seconds before you. Same goes for swap meets where being at the right place at the right time is the key. It is luck, combined with how hard you look. Some people must check online every hour or less, just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into finding these bikes and parts that come up for sale. At swaps I try to increase my chances for a good score by hanging around at the swap meet entrance and try to catch stuff early, used to do this at the Simonian Farms Fresno annual meets. Gates for sellers would not open until the specified time so I would try to be one of the first vehicles in sellers line before gates opened. Then just wait for the next in line to come/check out what they have, start a conversation with the seller, then wait for the next vehicle, and do this until the gates opened for sellers. I am looking at many bikes right now I got in that line at Simonian Farms 30 some years ago. You can still see me lurking around the entrance to swaps in this area, but then while you are at the entry someone might be unloading a pile of treasures inside the meet so luck comes into play as well. Better yet, contact friends the week before that you know that will be selling at the meet and ask them what they might be bringing to sell.
There are also many different approaches on how to respond to a seller online keeping in mind a poster may post an item, then not go and check responses for a while at which time they are reading many times all the responses before responding, I am sure everyone has their own way of doing so. Keep your initial response to the item for sale simple I always think is best, asking a person to send more photos in your initial response may be the difference between the seller responding to the person who wants more photos, or the person with a simple response to the post."

It all got me to thinking what to say or not say when responding to a post online for an item for sale. I understand if anyone does not want to divulge any secrets you may have, guess it all depends on how you look at things, no big deal. My advise for what it is worth is to be polite of course and maybe be more careful in what you do ask for on that first response. What I would never say in an initial response to an item I am very interested in is,
I need more photos
Would you take a trade
Price is to high
Would you take X amount for it

Now those are all possibly good questions, but maybe not the best on a first response, especially on an item you feel will sell quickly. I could go on with more, but does anyone else have any suggestions on how to reply to an online for sale ad that has just been posted of an item you really want and feel that there will be many other responses to the same ad. And instead of possibly hijacking the other post, thought I would start this one if anyone is interested in this topic.

 

[Chadillac]

Something I really want and think it will sell quick- Trust my best judgement on what I can see in the add and if my gut says jump, I jump on it, don't think twice. No time to waste bantering. If I overpay, I'll make it up on something else down the road. I'd just rather not miss out. Of course I've been burned. I tell myself I was just paying for my education to be better at making those quick decisions. I learn when I do bad, and celebrate when I do good. I think it is working for me.

I wish you good fortune with your upcoming surgery. I know a couple people dealing with that right now.

 

[AS-1]

I go in for my surgery Wednesday at 5AM, have a list of prep work from the doctor I need to do Monday and Tuesday. So just trying to kill some time the next few days so here goes, sorry if this does not interest a lot of you. I feel that if you see an online ad for something for sale you are very interested in on sites like this, Craigslist, Facebook, your first/initial response to the seller you do not know can be critical especially for an item you feel is priced to sell quickly. There was a recent post on the STUFF ON OTHER SITES forum about a nice Mead Ranger that someone may have missed out on. I replied to that post saying, "Sometimes you just need to be lucky. Whether you are searching on Craigslist, Facebook, or here, a minute or two can make the difference between adding a bike you may have been searching for many years, or losing out to someone who may have seen the post a minute, or seconds before you. Same goes for swap meets where being at the right place at the right time is the key. It is luck, combined with how hard you look. Some people must check online every hour or less, just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into finding these bikes and parts that come up for sale. At swaps I try to increase my chances for a good score by hanging around at the swap meet entrance and try to catch stuff early, used to do this at the Simonian Farms Fresno annual meets. Gates for sellers would not open until the specified time so I would try to be one of the first vehicles in sellers line before gates opened. Then just wait for the next in line to come/check out what they have, start a conversation with the seller, then wait for the next vehicle, and do this until the gates opened for sellers. I am looking at many bikes right now I got in that line at Simonian Farms 30 some years ago. You can still see me lurking around the entrance to swaps in this area, but then while you are at the entry someone might be unloading a pile of treasures inside the meet so luck comes into play as well. Better yet, contact friends the week before that you know that will be selling at the meet and ask them what they might be bringing to sell.
There are also many different approaches on how to respond to a seller online keeping in mind a poster may post an item, then not go and check responses for a while at which time they are reading many times all the responses before responding, I am sure everyone has their own way of doing so. Keep your initial response to the item for sale simple I always think is best, asking a person to send more photos in your initial response may be the difference between the seller responding to the person who wants more photos, or the person with a simple response to the post."

It all got me to thinking what to say or not say when responding to a post online for an item for sale. I understand if anyone does not want to divulge any secrets you may have, guess it all depends on how you look at things, no big deal. My advise for what it is worth is to be polite of course and maybe be more careful in what you do ask for on that first response. What I would never say in an initial response to an item I am very interested in is,
I need more photos
Would you take a trade
Price is to high
Would you take X amount for it

Now those are all possibly good questions, but maybe not the best on a first response, especially on an item you feel will sell quickly. I could go on with more, but does anyone else have any suggestions on how to reply to an online for sale ad that has just been posted of an item you really want and feel that there will be many other responses to the same ad. And instead of possibly hijacking the other post, thought I would start this one if anyone is interested in this topic.

Regarding ads on CL, Marketplace, or local ads, one way to determine if the seller is real is to simply ask, "What's your address and when can I come and see it?"

Best of luck tomorrow!

 

[Robert Troub]

I go in for my surgery Wednesday at 5AM, have a list of prep work from the doctor I need to do Monday and Tuesday. So just trying to kill some time the next few days so here goes, sorry if this does not interest a lot of you. I feel that if you see an online ad for something for sale you are very interested in on sites like this, Craigslist, Facebook, your first/initial response to the seller you do not know can be critical especially for an item you feel is priced to sell quickly. There was a recent post on the STUFF ON OTHER SITES forum about a nice Mead Ranger that someone may have missed out on. I replied to that post saying, "Sometimes you just need to be lucky. Whether you are searching on Craigslist, Facebook, or here, a minute or two can make the difference between adding a bike you may have been searching for many years, or losing out to someone who may have seen the post a minute, or seconds before you. Same goes for swap meets where being at the right place at the right time is the key. It is luck, combined with how hard you look. Some people must check online every hour or less, just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into finding these bikes and parts that come up for sale. At swaps I try to increase my chances for a good score by hanging around at the swap meet entrance and try to catch stuff early, used to do this at the Simonian Farms Fresno annual meets. Gates for sellers would not open until the specified time so I would try to be one of the first vehicles in sellers line before gates opened. Then just wait for the next in line to come/check out what they have, start a conversation with the seller, then wait for the next vehicle, and do this until the gates opened for sellers. I am looking at many bikes right now I got in that line at Simonian Farms 30 some years ago. You can still see me lurking around the entrance to swaps in this area, but then while you are at the entry someone might be unloading a pile of treasures inside the meet so luck comes into play as well. Better yet, contact friends the week before that you know that will be selling at the meet and ask them what they might be bringing to sell.
There are also many different approaches on how to respond to a seller online keeping in mind a poster may post an item, then not go and check responses for a while at which time they are reading many times all the responses before responding, I am sure everyone has their own way of doing so. Keep your initial response to the item for sale simple I always think is best, asking a person to send more photos in your initial response may be the difference between the seller responding to the person who wants more photos, or the person with a simple response to the post."

It all got me to thinking what to say or not say when responding to a post online for an item for sale. I understand if anyone does not want to divulge any secrets you may have, guess it all depends on how you look at things, no big deal. My advise for what it is worth is to be polite of course and maybe be more careful in what you do ask for on that first response. What I would never say in an initial response to an item I am very interested in is,
I need more photos
Would you take a trade
Price is to high
Would you take X amount for it

Now those are all possibly good questions, but maybe not the best on a first response, especially on an item you feel will sell quickly. I could go on with more, but does anyone else have any suggestions on how to reply to an online for sale ad that has just been posted of an item you really want and feel that there will be many other responses to the same ad. And instead of possibly hijacking the other post, thought I would start this one if anyone is interested in this top

 

[mike1117]

Regarding ads on CL, Marketplace, or local ads, one way to determine if the seller is real is to simply ask, "What's your address and when can I come and see it?"

Best of luck tomorrow!

Thanks for the responses, if it works for you great, but kind of a little off point as to what I was asking or trying to ask anyway which may very well be my fault. Maybe I should re phrase the question better. For example what to do when you see an ad that was just posted within minutes or very recently of you seeing it, for an item for sale that by the photos and description you know it is something you really want, and is very well priced in your opinion, and you think that may also the case with a lot of people that are looking at the same item just as you are. Keep in mind that sellers sometimes wait either intentionally or unintentionally an hour or so after posting an item to check to see if they had any responses. Knowing this how would you respond to the ad to set your response apart from the others in a good way that would give you a better chance of a response from the seller than over the other responses they are reading. I know some sellers say they just go in the order of response as to who they reply to, but I think they are going to read all responses, and if the first response is a bit off in some way they will not reply at least right away. I have listed many items for sale on craigslist, facebook, etc and if I put up an item for sale and receive a response that just asks "What's your address and when can I come and see it?", I may very well not reply to the response as it could very well be someone fishing around that knows absolutely nothing about what I am selling and may have something in mind that would not be beneficial to me. I am not saying it is a bad way to respond, just might not be the best way in my opinion with a lot of people being vary wary now days with scams and people looking for personal info. Before I as a seller give my address to someone I might want a little more dialogue to see if they are a legit buyer. If I knew there were going to be a lot of interest in the item very quickly, I would respond in a different way. This is my opinion only and I may very well be way off base. Maybe instead of saying what is your address, I would say I am interested, how would I go about viewing and purchasing this item and let them respond. I don't know, just rambling on again. And thanks again for all those wishing me luck this coming week.

 

[COB]

I normally just tell them that I will meet them with the item at the local police department. If they are legit, they have no problem with that and it makes both the buyer and the seller feel better.

 

[FICHT 150]

Best of luck on your surgery, Mike.

That first.

To me, this is a hobby. I won’t lose sleep over a missed score, or paying a few bucks too much. If I want something, I buy it. If I’m messing around with best offers on the ‘bay, I don’t truly need or have to have it.

Thats all I got.

Ted

 

[AS-1]

Thanks for the responses, if it works for you great, but kind of a little off point as to what I was asking or trying to ask anyway which may very well be my fault. Maybe I should re phrase the question better. For example what to do when you see an ad that was just posted within minutes or very recently of you seeing it, for an item for sale that by the photos and description you know it is something you really want, and is very well priced in your opinion, and you think that may also the case with a lot of people that are looking at the same item just as you are. Keep in mind that sellers sometimes wait either intentionally or unintentionally an hour or so after posting an item to check to see if they had any responses. Knowing this how would you respond to the ad to set your response apart from the others in a good way that would give you a better chance of a response from the seller than over the other responses they are reading. I know some sellers say they just go in the order of response as to who they reply to, but I think they are going to read all responses, and if the first response is a bit off in some way they will not reply at least right away. I have listed many items for sale on craigslist, facebook, etc and if I put up an item for sale and receive a response that just asks "What's your address and when can I come and see it?", I may very well not reply to the response as it could very well be someone fishing around that knows absolutely nothing about what I am selling and may have something in mind that would not be beneficial to me. I am not saying it is a bad way to respond, just might not be the best way in my opinion with a lot of people being vary wary now days with scams and people looking for personal info. Before I as a seller give my address to someone I might want a little more dialogue to see if they are a legit buyer. If I knew there were going to be a lot of interest in the item very quickly, I would respond in a different way. This is my opinion only and I may very well be way off base. Maybe instead of saying what is your address, I would say I am interested, how would I go about viewing and purchasing this item and let them respond. I don't know, just rambling on again. And thanks again for all those wishing me luck this coming week.

What you say makes a LOT of sense. I'm more likely to be a buyer than a seller and that kind of changes my perspective a little. There are a lot of scammers on both sides of these transactions so what I do is just toss it out there and if the seller responds then I proceed. At some point the two parties are going to have to face each other or the buyer will have to trust that the seller will actually ship the part (or bike, etc.) and that it will be as described. I just bought a C&O RPO car in the old colors(rare) from a guy in California. Even the detailed photos in his listing were very convincing and his description was glorious. When I got it, most of the clear window glass was rattling around inside the car. He did not accept returns. It took a while, but he accepted the return and I sent it back. I still have not gotten my refund. For a hard-headed axxhole such as myself, the whole experience just really made me angry. I hate it when a guy misrepresents himself in any way. If he says he'll do something and then weasels out of it, he's just another common scumbag. But that's just what life has turned into here in the Good Ol' USA. I do everything I can to buy from people who have a reliable, trustworthy track record, but nowadays even some of them will lie to you. I have finally (I'm 78) had to accept that people are going to be people and that it's just not good for my blood pressure to expect them all to do the right thing. In conclusion, some guy might have a very hard-to-find thing, like a special Schwinn Dealer Catalog or an early JNP Wedge with leather grip that you want in a bad way. But if they weasel out, it's really no big deal. Like Granpap used to say, "One monkey don't stop no show." There's another one out there that will be a lot better than the one the weasel had.

So, if you want to, tell me about your prep. Did they give you any of that weird soap that you better not get in your eyes or your groin area? Is the procedure stereoscopic or traditional major surgery. Do they know what they are going in for? Will you be in the hospital for a week? If you want to spill, then let it out. Most of us have been there and done that. We'll pull you through this if you want.

 

[mike1117]

What you say makes a LOT of sense. I'm more likely to be a buyer than a seller and that kind of changes my perspective a little. There are a lot of scammers on both sides of these transactions so what I do is just toss it out there and if the seller responds then I proceed. At some point the two parties are going to have to face each other or the buyer will have to trust that the seller will actually ship the part (or bike, etc.) and that it will be as described. I just bought a C&O RPO car in the old colors(rare) from a guy in California. Even the detailed photos in his listing were very convincing and his description was glorious. When I got it, most of the clear window glass was rattling around inside the car. He did not accept returns. It took a while, but he accepted the return and I sent it back. I still have not gotten my refund. For a hard-headed axxhole such as myself, the whole experience just really made me angry. I hate it when a guy misrepresents himself in any way. If he says he'll do something and then weasels out of it, he's just another common scumbag. But that's just what life has turned into here in the Good Ol' USA. I do everything I can to buy from people who have a reliable, trustworthy track record, but nowadays even some of them will lie to you. I have finally (I'm 78) had to accept that people are going to be people and that it's just not good for my blood pressure to expect them all to do the right thing. In conclusion, some guy might have a very hard-to-find thing, like a special Schwinn Dealer Catalog or an early JNP Wedge with leather grip that you want in a bad way. But if they weasel out, it's really no big deal. Like Granpap used to say, "One monkey don't stop no show." There's another one out there that will be a lot better than the one the weasel had.

So, if you want to, tell me about your prep. Did they give you any of that weird soap that you better not get in your eyes or your groin area? Is the procedure stereoscopic or traditional major surgery. Do they know what they are going in for? Will you be in the hospital for a week? If you want to spill, then let it out. Most of us have been there and done that. We'll pull you through this if you want.

Picked up a kit Friday from the hospital, some type of soap in there I think, need to use it Tuesday the day before surgery. They say 2-4 days in hospital if all goes well which is what I hope. Lathroscopic is what they told me, but several incisions. thanks for the best wishes. Mike.

 

[AS-1]

Picked up a kit Friday from the hospital, some type of soap in there I think, need to use it Tuesday the day before surgery. They say 2-4 days in hospital if all goes well which is what I hope. Lathroscopic is what they told me, but several incisions. thanks for the best wishes. Mike.

There you go! Laparoscopic. Everything is going to be just fine. My colon was a mess. They started out with 7 incisions. When they got to looking around they realized they had to open me up. They cut me from just below my sternum all the way down to just above Big Jim and The Twins. I was in for most of 7 days ( all of a sudden I can't remember exactly, maybe 6, maybe 8) and they sent me home with enough staples in me to activate the metal detector. You'll be just as good as new in no time at all.

Seriously, I'll be pulling for you. Take care and stay in touch. Best regards, Kit