Ziinda
Active Member
I'm sure everyone has considered selling off a bunch of old stuff that's just collecting dust. To go from thinking to actually selling it seems like a simple step until you get some interested buyers. You notice buyers are not always knowledgeable in what they're looking at, that is of course, if they even show up!
So many messages, half saying they want it and expect you to hold it for them (not gonna happen) or they say "I'll come tomorrow" (also not gonna happen) even though I have the odds figured to be 1 in 200 that they will show up. I base this on Offer-Up sales and hearing the future buyers messaging me 4 to 8 times a day for 3 years comes out to about 5000+ times and I counted a total of 31 sales from those future buyers. In the last year it has slowed down due to OU app changes, banned users, loss of interest, app malfunctions and lack of money, but the no show issue remains.
But that's not the really frustrating part, the fact that you post a price based on a bunch of factors and you know its worth what you're asking or you wouldn't be getting any messages in the first place. Then after taking time setting stuff up, they don't show or they are hours late and you're probably not even at home. For those rare few that do show up, the chances of them knowing what they are buying is slim. You can tell the instant you let them take over the controls and they grab the treble knob and bass knob and max them!
Then while looking at a vintage $60 Rotel receiver that you used for years and know it has exceptional sound and works flawlessly but has a few dings and some of the tiny button pieces are gone (which is why you priced it as such) but then you hear the buyer say "Rotel? Are they any good? I never heard of them before?" Then they go on and on about their current receiver that has a problem and how awesome it was, just to hear it is an old Technics or JVC or Kenwood POS. Then start to pick apart the missing tiny buttons that were clearly shown in the pictures. Their next move is to offer you half of asking price, repeating that they never heard of Rotel once more. After some time passes and they have you swapping out speakers while they're fixated on pushing buttons that serve no purpose as it's being used, commenting that those buttons don't even work, no mater how many times you explain it to them that those buttons aren't used while CD input is active since half of them are for tuner and the rest apply to phono (except their favorite loudness button that must always be engaged) they simply cannot stop repeating the same actions and comments on each piece they see.
Then it's the same questions, how many watts, this comes right after you turn it up to 1/3rd volume and the walls are shaking, my reply is always the same, what is the difference between me saying it's 40 watts or it's 100watts? Does it go loud enough and sound good? But for some reason hearing that number is vastly important to their purchase. So you show them some cheap 100W receivers and they're delighted! Then you hear about their old broken one again and then the bass and treble get maxed and it starts all over. It's at this point that you have grown tried of this buyer who has no real intention of buying anything since he's basing everything against some broken thing he bought for $15 at a thrift store that lasted a month before it fried.
You try to end the session and put stuff away only to hear him ask if he can see the first one again! Then everything is repeated again, you just want it to end, then they need to see another just to compare. At this moment it's hard to be nice and explaining the same thing again and they still don't get it, the frustration builds up. Then they say they for sure what this one but are interested in some speakers too.
Now what are the chances they're going to know anything about speakers? You ask what exactly they are looking for? Big, small, higher quality, size of drivers, if condition of cabinets or grills matter, etc..
Then you find out they're looking to spend about $40 but expect to see speakers that they'll never see priced under $500! Plus they need to be perfect. So you tell them you have already shown them what's in that range and they go back to the receiver and start all over!
If they end up buying it you know already to expect to hear back from them that they cant get it working now and want to bring it back! You start thinking to yourself, you should have ended it right away and is selling anything worth the trouble for those few $?
But while the rookie is there looking, you get a serious buyer who wants to come and buy something, the guy shows up in minutes, hears the receiver playing, tries all knobs for noise and buys it without saying anything but "looks good" then pays you and leaves. Sometimes it all comes down to timing, the rookie just lost his chance to buy something nice for cheap but insisted on wasting your time for just long enough to lose out on that item. Then he wants to buy something right away, that's when you have to tell him you have no more time to be digging out more stuff. He wants to come back tommorow!
The worst thing is he actually does come back and repeats the same thing only to end up buying the cheapest piece you have or in his case nothing at all!
I have so much to sell that I'm rethinking even bothering you post anything after that reminder of what I'm in for.
So many messages, half saying they want it and expect you to hold it for them (not gonna happen) or they say "I'll come tomorrow" (also not gonna happen) even though I have the odds figured to be 1 in 200 that they will show up. I base this on Offer-Up sales and hearing the future buyers messaging me 4 to 8 times a day for 3 years comes out to about 5000+ times and I counted a total of 31 sales from those future buyers. In the last year it has slowed down due to OU app changes, banned users, loss of interest, app malfunctions and lack of money, but the no show issue remains.
But that's not the really frustrating part, the fact that you post a price based on a bunch of factors and you know its worth what you're asking or you wouldn't be getting any messages in the first place. Then after taking time setting stuff up, they don't show or they are hours late and you're probably not even at home. For those rare few that do show up, the chances of them knowing what they are buying is slim. You can tell the instant you let them take over the controls and they grab the treble knob and bass knob and max them!
Then while looking at a vintage $60 Rotel receiver that you used for years and know it has exceptional sound and works flawlessly but has a few dings and some of the tiny button pieces are gone (which is why you priced it as such) but then you hear the buyer say "Rotel? Are they any good? I never heard of them before?" Then they go on and on about their current receiver that has a problem and how awesome it was, just to hear it is an old Technics or JVC or Kenwood POS. Then start to pick apart the missing tiny buttons that were clearly shown in the pictures. Their next move is to offer you half of asking price, repeating that they never heard of Rotel once more. After some time passes and they have you swapping out speakers while they're fixated on pushing buttons that serve no purpose as it's being used, commenting that those buttons don't even work, no mater how many times you explain it to them that those buttons aren't used while CD input is active since half of them are for tuner and the rest apply to phono (except their favorite loudness button that must always be engaged) they simply cannot stop repeating the same actions and comments on each piece they see.
Then it's the same questions, how many watts, this comes right after you turn it up to 1/3rd volume and the walls are shaking, my reply is always the same, what is the difference between me saying it's 40 watts or it's 100watts? Does it go loud enough and sound good? But for some reason hearing that number is vastly important to their purchase. So you show them some cheap 100W receivers and they're delighted! Then you hear about their old broken one again and then the bass and treble get maxed and it starts all over. It's at this point that you have grown tried of this buyer who has no real intention of buying anything since he's basing everything against some broken thing he bought for $15 at a thrift store that lasted a month before it fried.
You try to end the session and put stuff away only to hear him ask if he can see the first one again! Then everything is repeated again, you just want it to end, then they need to see another just to compare. At this moment it's hard to be nice and explaining the same thing again and they still don't get it, the frustration builds up. Then they say they for sure what this one but are interested in some speakers too.
Now what are the chances they're going to know anything about speakers? You ask what exactly they are looking for? Big, small, higher quality, size of drivers, if condition of cabinets or grills matter, etc..
Then you find out they're looking to spend about $40 but expect to see speakers that they'll never see priced under $500! Plus they need to be perfect. So you tell them you have already shown them what's in that range and they go back to the receiver and start all over!
If they end up buying it you know already to expect to hear back from them that they cant get it working now and want to bring it back! You start thinking to yourself, you should have ended it right away and is selling anything worth the trouble for those few $?
But while the rookie is there looking, you get a serious buyer who wants to come and buy something, the guy shows up in minutes, hears the receiver playing, tries all knobs for noise and buys it without saying anything but "looks good" then pays you and leaves. Sometimes it all comes down to timing, the rookie just lost his chance to buy something nice for cheap but insisted on wasting your time for just long enough to lose out on that item. Then he wants to buy something right away, that's when you have to tell him you have no more time to be digging out more stuff. He wants to come back tommorow!
The worst thing is he actually does come back and repeats the same thing only to end up buying the cheapest piece you have or in his case nothing at all!
I have so much to sell that I'm rethinking even bothering you post anything after that reminder of what I'm in for.
