Annoyed with selling online

[bryanchurch06]

Every time I post an item online for sale, it doesn't seem to matter what I say in the body of the ad, price firm, no low ball offers, no payments, etc. I think people just see the title and start throwing out questions and offers. I posted my navi on Facebook marketplace last night for sale locally and not one response I've had followed the info in the ad. Is it just me or does this happen to you as well? Are you polite about it or not?

 

[dmonkey]

It varies greatly by platform. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are the wild west for listing a vehicle online. You can expect to receive SPAM responses as well as unsolicited comments on the vehicle from folks not even interested in purchasing it. Forums are better but often still some yahoos, if you can direct people to deal with you through DMs that is best. Don't ever post your email or phone number on the board itself. Auction sites are usually the best seller experience, which you pay a little bit for, but the reach is much more limited than Facebook Marketplace which has really surpassed everything else in popularity in recent years. If you are selling something very niche, you will find that listing it through a forum for that niche, or an auction site, is almost always going to result in a more curated audience and selling experience. IMO a Honda Navi is niche. At $2k it will attract a lot of interest from people who don't know what it is, resulting in lots of questions and metaphorical tire kicking from those curious or insulted by its existence as a street legal pocket bike.

I don't try to be polite or rude, I just make a judgement of if it's worth my time to respond at all, and then respond as straightforward as possible. E.g. "Price is firm as listed. See description and photos for condition and let me know if you have any specific questions."

 

[bryanchurch06]

I've noticed it more with selling vehicles but it happens across the board, does not matter what you're selling I think people assume that if you're selling something you must need the money and are therefore willing to barter, just my experience from online selling. I had a custom leather shop for years and sold online almost exclusively, curiously no one overseas ever bartered they just payed the stated amount. Oh well not much you can do about it anyway and I usually do try to be polite. Thanks for your reply

 

[Cpd419]

I have bought and sold a lot on CL. I can spot a scammer a mile away.

 

[Kev250R]

I'm a CL addict. Mostly buying but I've sold on it as well. I've been lucky though, I've never had to deal with flakes or people not showing-up when they say they will. For people who want to lowball me I generally just ignore them. It's rare that I have an item listed for more then a week before it sells.

Navi's are cool and dmonkey said, try listing it on a forum for Navi's and I bet it sells quickly.

 

[G19Tony]

Reading comprehension seems to be lower. I usually respond with, "All information is in the ad." Thank you.

 

[TrailBoss]

I've sold a few big ticket items on Craigslist, with good success. Big tip - put in the listing that any inquiries MUST include a phone number in order to receive a response. That filters out many of the scammers or folks who are just tire kicking. If I get somebody who doesn't include their phone number, I don't reply, period.

 

[bryanchurch06]

I've sold a few big ticket items on Craigslist, with good success. Big tip - put in the listing that any inquiries MUST include a phone number in order to receive a response. That filters out many of the scammers or folks who are just tire kicking. If I get somebody who doesn't include their phone number, I don't reply, period.

The only time I was ever rude was when someone kept offering me a ridiculous low price and telling me why the bike I was selling was not worth what I was asking for it, a 2014 klr650 btw. I was asking 4000 at the time, after several emails back and forth with his latest offer being 2500 I counter offer 4800. He emailed back I was only asking 4000 I couldn't raise the price like that, I stated ok I will meet you at 4000, never heard from him again.

 

[m in sc]

I blame shows like pawn stars and American pickers. everytime somebody is buying, they offer half. when they want to sell, they jack the price 30%.

I dont barter, bargain, or dicker much if at all. I will make 1 offer if i'm buying, if they say no, I walk away. I also price anything I sell fairly, and most of it is very niche stuff. if i don't get what i ask, i keep it. Usually it will sell because somebody else saw it for sale then ponied up.
The last vehicle i sold in an auction on e-bay (because i needed a bigger audience) netted me almost 3k more than I expected. (ducati sport classic).

Have you considered letting the dealer sell if for you on consignment? local place here charges i think 8-10%, fair price to not have to deal with the public IMHO. .02 also, its new enough its relevant to their cliental. anything that new being sold privately usually implies (incorrectly) 'somethings wrong with it' or 'it sucks' or they can't make the payments'. .02

 

[bryanchurch06]

I blame shows like pawn stars and American pickers. everytime somebody is buying, they offer half. when they want to sell, they jack the price 30%.

I dont barter, bargain, or dicker much if at all. I will make 1 offer if i'm buying, if they say no, I walk away. I also price anything I sell fairly, and most of it is very niche stuff. if i don't get what i ask, i keep it. Usually it will sell because somebody else saw it for sale then ponied up.
The last vehicle i sold in an auction on e-bay (because i needed a bigger audience) netted me almost 3k more than I expected. (ducati sport classic).

Have you considered letting the dealer sell if for you on consignment? local place here charges i think 8-10%, fair price to not have to deal with the public IMHO. .02 also, its new enough its relevant to their cliental. anything that new being sold privately usually implies (incorrectly) 'somethings wrong with it' or 'it sucks' or they can't make the payments'. .02

I think the biggest issue I will face is the riding season is about over for most in SD, so most people with an extra 2 grand laying around know the bike is going to stay garaged for the next 6 months, either way I am not in a hurry, always easier to sell locally if I can, face to face no shipping.

 

[Kev250R]

I think the biggest issue I will face is the riding season is about over for most in SD, so most people with an extra 2 grand laying around know the bike is going to stay garaged for the next 6 months, either way I am not in a hurry, always easier to sell locally if I can, face to face no shipping.

Don't be afraid of shipping, it may be a way to get some extra money, especially if you can get the buyer to pay a 'handling' charge. Plus it opens you up to a lot bigger market (like the Southwest) where riding season can be year-round.

A few years ago I was selling a VW Dune Buggy. I had planned on a local sale (street legal Manx-type Buggies are very popular in my area). Long story short, I ended-up selling it to a guy in France for a lot more $$ then I would have gotten locally.

It works the other way too. Last spring I bought a '63 Datsun P/U from a guy in Kansas. The second that truck arrived here in So.Cal. it's value went-up since classic cars are in high-demand here.

Dealing with shipping (on either transaction) wasn't bad. Both times shipping was arranged through a Broker. Quick, easy, painless.

YMMV

 

[bigcanoe]

I miss CL. I find FB has taken away much of the listings on CL and is way harder to search and has an equal amount of scammers anyway. EBay, I also have problems finding what I want there. Cycle Trader is good but I dont get as many hits. I also like Motohunt but all it does is crawl dealer websites I think.