Guidelines for selling or giving items away

Starting a new topic rather than running this one further from the OP.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/possible-scam-used-car-check/184287/page1/
 

I'm curious if anyone has a tried and true method to avoid the scenario described below... what do you write in your ad to support the suggestion of "impose it and stick to it"?

As a seller (or giver of free stuff with several things listed at the same time) I don't want to have to keep track of multiple interested parties, giving updates.. 

How do you do it?

AAZCD (Forum Supporter) said:

JThw8 said:

OHSCrifle said:

There needs to be a "Item will be sold to the first to show up with cash in hand" convention - something akin to Robert's Rules of Order.

There is, you just have to impose it and stick to it.   The only way I hold a sale for anyone is with a non-refundable deposit.  $500 gets you 5 days.   I once sold a CHEAP honda, within 10 minutes of listing it I had 20 people "on their way" to see it.  First guy starts nit picking details (on a $200 running civic) next guy walks up and shoves $200 in my hand while the first guy is still poking around.  Guess who got the car.

I'm the guy who was "on the way" and drove two hours from home with a trailer to buy a CHEAP honda. It was being towed away by another buyer as I arrived. The seller didn't even have the decency to let me know anyone else was looking at it.

"Listen, I know my price is a great bargain. I understand that you are interested, but I WILL be selling to the first person who hands me cash. I understand you are not local, or unable to come for a little while, but I CANNOT hold it. I have several people interested. If you are not able to come quickly, I recommend you pass."

Its easy to transfer money electronically. If someone want to give me a deposit, I will hold for them (for a specific amount of tine). Other than that, I'm not their Momma. I'm sorry.

I actually sold something to the wrong buyer once. My wife and I got the interested parties confused, and I sold to one guy when another was on his way, who arrived later. I'm sorry. Them's the breaks.

Yeah, it's important not to confuse the buyer's problems with your problems. Drove two hours but missed it by 10 minutes? Oh well, sounds like the seller solved their problem 10 minutes early. 

Honest communication is the way to go, and sometimes, like the time I sold a running, titled, street-legal Honda dirt bike for $1000, that communication says "It has a Honda logo and you can ride it home. First person to pay me takes it, period. I have somebody coming at 8am if you don't buy it first." 

If I'm selling something that isn't as great of a deal, I'll be more flexible and offer holds with a deposit.

Rather than try to create a virtual line, a really good way to manage demand is to price things high and slowly lower the price until someone bites. By eventually finding the sweet spot on the demand curve, you shouldn't have 10 people trying to buy something at once. 

Oh, and when I give items away, I literally put them on the curb. Then post online with "spotted in trash near [address that isn't quite mine] while driving by." That way there are no questions, and people race to be the first to pick it up. Somehow this works even if it isn't trash day. Until I arrived at this method, people would ask for holds or even free delivery on the free item. 

From the sellers side, nothing. I've found the large portion of folks are unable or unwilling to read what you post. To expect them to abide be something they probably did not even read is kinda silly. 
That being said, as a seller, I will not sell you anything, or negotiate, until you have looked at the item in person. If I tell you I will hold it, my word is good. A deposit like that is not need by me, and not legally binding anyway. If someone offers to buy it right now, I will contact you, and see where that goes. There will be no surprises if the situation works out that I can not hold it as long as you need. 

Yup. If a potential buyer wants you to hold an item, they should ask first. You are free to say 'no'.

Only time it's a dick move as a seller is if you told someone you'd hold it, and then you didn't hold up your bargain.

As a buyer, if you tell me you will hold it till I get there, and I travel with a trailer to see it leaving your yard, I WILL tell you what I think of your ethics, and you may not like what I say, but, as long as you allow it to end there, I leave and never do business with you. The end. 

Beer Baron said:

Yup. If a potential buyer wants you to hold an item, they should ask first. You are free to say 'no'.

Only time it's a dick move as a seller is if you told someone you'd hold it, and then you didn't hold up your bargain.

I also am not going to travel, unless I am comfortable you are an honest person. If I do take a chance, it either works, or doesn't. No big deal. 

I recently bought a riding mower on FB Market. The seller had me call and talk to make sure I was real. He told me that there was already a buyer coming at 1 pm and he'd let me know if it didn't sell. At 1:15 pm he called and said the other buyer didn't show. I could have it if I brought cash and was there by 2:30. 

I mowed my lawn with it at 4 pm.

In regard to the original quoted post, I had talked with the seller on the phone before leaving home. He knew where I was coming from. He didn't let me know that anyone else was coming to see it, but didn't say the magic words, "I'm holding it for you.". He could have called me at any time before I arrived. He sold the car, got his cash, and was in no way hindered by the fact that I wasted half a day and a tank of gas.

I learned from that. As a seller, I'll say, "The first person to arrive with cash gets it." or I will make the sale 'pending' if I have a buyer who is traveling, once he confirms that he is on the way.

As a buyer, I will not travel unless I know that the seller has agreed to wait for an agreed time before letting it go to someone else.

Tom Suddard said:

Oh, and when I give items away, I literally put them on the curb. Then post online with "spotted in trash near [address that isn't quite mine] while driving by." That way there are no questions, and people race to be the first to pick it up. Somehow this works even if it isn't trash day. Until I arrived at this method, people would ask for holds or even free delivery on the free item. 

This is quality advice. We recently cleaned out the garage (and basement) and I posted a lot of "free" stuff on Nextdoor. Nearly Everyone that contacted me asked me to hold it.. so I used the "find it at the end of the driveway" and "I'll remove the ad if the item is gone". 

Pictures. Lots of them. They are electrons and don't cost a dime. Load up your ad with as many as you can.  Why waste your time and a buyer's, when a photo could have answered everything. On the other hand,  if you see something your interested in, don't you feel better about the item AND the seller when there are pics from every possible angle? I do.

I bought my schrick vgi, which is an extremely rare item off Craigslist.

The seller requested I call him and I did immediately.  He said I was the first person to call, even tho he's gotten a lot of interest in it.

bottom line is I got it and nobody else did

I give a landmark near my house so they can gauge time and tell them I will give the address when they contact me again ready to go.  I hold the item from that point until one hour beyond the time they tell me they will arrive.  This method requires at least two communications.  If someone can't be that responsive or waits six hours to tell me they're ready then it's still up for grabs.  

Tom Suddard said:

Oh, and when I give items away, I literally put them on the curb. Then post online with "spotted in trash near [address that isn't quite mine] while driving by." That way there are no questions, and people race to be the first to pick it up. Somehow this works even if it isn't trash day. Until I arrived at this method, people would ask for holds or even free delivery on the free item. 

Genius.  No wonder you get the big bucks!

I've also, at the very end of of an ad said something to the effect of, "If you've read all off this, and are still interested,  put BANANA in the reply"

I ignored all non-banana.  If you are immediately responding without even reading a simple paragraph,  I don't think I'll enjoy doing business with you.

Appleseed said:

I've also, at the very end of of an ad said something to the effect of, "If you've read all off this, and are still interested,  put BANANA in the reply"

I ignored all non-banana.  If you are immediately responding without even reading a simple paragraph,  I don't think I'll enjoy doing business with you.

I've threatened to do this with our installation instructions. "The password is banana". Then when someone calls for tech help, you ask for the password. If they say "what?" you reply "go read the instructions". 

Seriously, 80% of problems with our clutches are caused by people who know too much to read instructions. 

As for selling stuff - first one with money gets it. If you give me a deposit I'll hold it but that's a down payment. Never had anyone fail to come get something. 

I never give anything away but I offer a lot of stuff on Facebook for beer. For some reason people will buy a 35 dollar box of beer (I know but I'm Canadian) but will not buy the item if it's listed with an equivalent price. And with me and three teens we always need beer.

Seeing this in an ad just now reminded me of an important point: Most people don't read the words.

Tom Suddard said:

Oh, and when I give items away, I literally put them on the curb. Then post online with "spotted in trash near [address that isn't quite mine] while driving by." That way there are no questions, and people race to be the first to pick it up. Somehow this works even if it isn't trash day. Until I arrived at this method, people would ask for holds or even free delivery on the free item. 

And don't put any contact info when you do this.  Just post it, take it down when its gone.

Post curb items?  I've never had anything stay on the curb longer than 24 hours. Just put it out there and it magically disappears. 

Put items on the curb? I just leave them on the front seats of my car with the doors unlocked overnight and they'll be gone by morning. Most of the time the windows won't be broken, in spite of the door having been left unlocked. 

In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :

Can't do that with a 150lb 32" CRT TV.  That lasted 48 hours on the curb until the guy that took the 75lb 27" right away came back with a buddy and a pickup truck.

I've held things a few times with the understanding that, "This is a non-refundable deposit. If I haven't received full payment in X amount of time, I'm keeping your money and putting Y back up for sale. Period."