Is There Such a Thing as Time Wasting Sellers on Gumtree or is it Just Difficult Buyers?

cheepo on 02/08/2017 - 14:18
Last edited 02/08/2017 - 15:19 by 1 other user

There are plenty of stories of low ball/time-wasting buyers on both Gumtree and Ebay but I am curious to know if anybody has experienced the opposite with sellers?

I've previously stayed clear of Gumtree and I've been mainly buying on Ebay due to the convenience and protection I have as a buyer. In last 3 months, I thought I would try Gumtree again to see if there were any bargains and to my surprise, there was. I've since purchased a few small value items that were selling below market value but also have missed out on some genuine bargains due to what appears to be difficult sellers. These are some of the memorable encounters I've had in the last few months:

Call buyer directly to inquiry on condition of item. Seems very friendly and we have a lengthy conversation on the history of the item and even asks if I would be interested in similar items he intends to sell in the future (from his collection). We agree on a price and I ask him if I can pick it up the following day (Saturday) as it is too late in the day and I am travelling far to collect it. Seller agrees and advises me they will message me the address in the morning. No communication in the morning from seller so I send a message to ask for the address as I am about to leave home. I receive a reply telling me the item has since been sold!
Find item on search within a few minutes of being listed (in the evening). The item I am after is in a bulk lot but all items are sold separately and individual prices are listed. Some items in the lot are asking for a much higher price compared to averages on Ebay and Gumtree. I contact the buyer and offer their asking price for the single item I am wanting and request an adequate time to pickup. I receive no reply that evening so I re-send the message the following morning. Seller replies to tell me that ALL ITEMS are now sold. If somebody bought all the items in a bulk lot and at the price listed or similar - then they certainly did not get a good deal!
Contact seller to ask what repairs he has done on the item. I could only message this seller (no other option available) and we exchange a few messages but as price is listed as firm, I do not attempt to negotiate. I ask when pickup is available and he provides me a 1 hour window late in the evening during the week. I ask if anytime on the weekend would suit and receive a reply advising me that he will let me know. No reply that weekend but receive a message on the Monday following to tell me they were busy all weekend and had no spare time. Not a problem….I ask if they could do the following weekend - providing item is not sold earlier. Seller agrees but again no communication regarding pickup on the 2nd weekend. Check my messages and seller has deleted our conversation. Assuming they've done so by accident or sold the item, I do a quick search but still find the item listed! Send another message advising I am still wanting to buy item but then also deletes that conversation. Finally give up!

I am sure there are number of different reasons why these sales fell through but really would like to hear the experiences others have had with difficult or time-wasting sellers on Gumtree? Does such as thing exist or does the fault fall on the buyer if a sale falls through? As a buyer, what methods have you used to secure an item you've wanted (other then offer more money and use manners/etiquette)?

General Discussion

Related Stores

Gumtree

Comments

Axelstrife on 02/08/2017 - 15:22

+4

yep lots of problem with sellers either
1. Never respond
2. respond once and then never respond <This pisses me off the most.
3. take extremely long to reply (days) between messages.

facebook market place is so much better to buy and sell.
tsunamisurfer on 02/08/2017 - 15:25

+5

Gumtree is beset with time wasters and tyre kickers.

Expect low response rates, no shows and mind changers.
dylanando on 02/08/2017 - 15:37

Yeah, Gumtree is fked.
When buying No one ever replies or they do initially then they dont.
Im selling a few high priced items on there now and obviously get low balled to the max but most people organise to pick it up then last minute say there not interested or just plain dont turn up, slightly confused on this.
However I made a friend out of an exchange on gumtree :P
- cheepo on 02/08/2017 - 15:43
  
  +1
  
  A friend hey..sounds like an interesting story?
  - dylanando on 02/08/2017 - 16:05
    
    haha, he rocked up in the same car I owned and we just hit it off! To bad it wasnt a lady :P
    - cheepo on 02/08/2017 - 16:41
      
      +1
      
      Glad you have a new friend! I've met some great people and how more often then not, the item they are selling leads to a great conversation or story. It gets a little scary when you find they have similar interests as you and they portray alot of your own characteristics/traits.
Fergy1987 on 02/08/2017 - 15:44

I mean….I used it once to sell a Lounge and it was picked up and taken away in 15 minutes….Granted the price was FREE and I just wanted it out of my house.

But have put things on there before for like $50 and been offered $5.

Some people are just jerks
vinni9284 on 02/08/2017 - 15:49

The one thing I hate the most as a buyer is that you agree on the price and you make arrangements of time and an address for pick up.

Then when you are on your way (if not even half way) they text you that they got a better offer.

Don't make a deal if you are going to change your mind over a better offer.

I believe a deal is a deal!

If you want the best price for your item, then Auction it on eBay!! Simple as that!! or stick to your asking price after the agreement!!

And .. yes .. when I have made a deal and sold an item, I have at times received better offers when the prospective buyer is on their way and I replied to the higher bidder that it is SOLD pending pickup.

If it falls through then I will let them know.
Rumbaar on 02/08/2017 - 15:49

I had no end of trouble getting people to come to pick up free items, would say coming and hold and all that stuff but never come. So would go first come first get, I'd even get abuse for not holding free stuff for them.

Gumtree I find is only useful for offloading free stuff you don't want to have to dispose of yourself.
bobbified on 02/08/2017 - 15:53

+3

Sometimes, we need to step in to the other person's shoes to understand.

In your first example:
As a seller, you take the quickest and easiest sale. If it's a Monday or Tuesday and someone says "I'm going to come collect it on the weekend with cash" without leaving a sizeable deposit, there's no guarantees that they will even show up. So if a guaranteed opportunity to sell it earlier comes along, you can't blame the seller for wanting to get rid of it earlier.

Second example:

then they certainly did not get a good deal!

The buyer may have negotiated a good deal to buy all of it in bulk. Or the buyer wanted it quickly and was willing to pay. Or the buyer simply hasn't seen it elsewhere cheaper. Why did you contact the seller again if it was cheaper elsewhere?
It's possible that the seller had received a few offers around the same but didn't want to reject any offers until he knew whether or not the best offer is definitely going to go through. If he rejected everyone except one and that one doesn't go through, then he's left with nothing else on the table. In this case, it seemed to have gone through and he was courteous enough to reply to let you know it's all gone.

Third example:
Some sellers are just plain lazy and don't really care or aren't really in a hurry to sell.

And finally, as a buyer: If I want something, I do what I can to get the transaction sorted as quickly as possible. Say I see something in the morning and it's around within my capital city, then I'll make the effort to offer to go and pick it up that afternoon/night. The seller needs to know that you're serious in buying whatever you're selling and not just fluffing around (there's plenty those types of buyers and low-ballers around).
Having said that, for me, it's usually always cash on the spot at the time I check the product and pickup. I will not EFT anything over $100 because that's the amount I'm willing to lose if it turns out to be a dodgy seller (that's for interstate sellers. No EFT for "local" sellers).
- cheepo on 02/08/2017 - 16:26
  
  +1
  
  Why did you contact the seller again if it was cheaper elsewhere?
  
  "Some items in the lot are asking for a much higher price compared to averages on Ebay and Gumtree. I contact the buyer and offer their asking price for the single item I am wanting…." I had no intention of purchasing it as a lot and the ad stated that items would be separated if individual asking price was met.
  
  Say I see something in the morning and it's around within my capital city, then I'll make the effort to offer to go and pick it up that afternoon/night. The seller needs to know that you're serious in buying whatever you're selling and not just fluffing around (there's plenty those types of buyers and low-ballers around).
  
  I have also found this is the best approach but sometimes the descriptions are brief, photos aren't great and sometimes, sellers are knowingly dishonest. As a buyer you should ask questions if in doubt. I certainly won't commit to a sale if I think the condition of the item is different from what is being advertised.
  
  Had something I was interested in not long ago being sold as "untested but 100% working last time it was used". It was only after asking a ton of questions that the buyer admitted to it to being faulty. Then asked if I was still interested in the item if they lowered the price! I refused and they continued to list the item at the same price using the same description.
- MelbEng on 02/08/2017 - 16:38
  
  +2
  
  I think you have hit the nail on the head with your comments. With my experience of selling on Gumtree, I never assumed an item is sold until I have the money in my hand. Several times in the past I have I have had someone say yes they will buy an item but cannot get there until later in the week. In the meantime, more enquiries come in and I have told them, sorry the item is sold. Then when the time comes later in the week, the first buyer either pulls out or is never heard from again. So after doing what was the right thing for other people I have decided that I need to do the right thing by me. So from now own, the successful buyer is the one who turns up at my door first with cash in hand.
Almost Banned on 02/08/2017 - 16:26

+7

Don't make any promises - don't accept any promises.
The first rule of Gumtree is - the first person to come and collect it with the requested money, gets it.
That's it.
Everything else is just noise and frustration.
I've gotten too sick of low-ballers and people who want me to hold stuff for them.
KitchenSink on 02/08/2017 - 17:39

When I sell on gumtree I ignore the low balling ones and only reply to the ones who are at least interested with a reasonable offer. But I have been put off from it lately as its just full of scammers and low ballers.
Mattycee on 02/08/2017 - 18:05

+1

I sell all the time on Gumtree and always treat people with respect, even the low ballers. It is funny the amount of low ballers I have sold to at my asking price after messaging them back nicely and not abusing them or ignoring them.

blaircam is right, the item is only sold once it has been picked up as there are many people who just want something cheap and then go cold on it before grabbing the item.

I had a guy who obviously didn't read my last Gumtree ad (Last Sunday) and was in SA and I am in Sydney! He asked why I didn't tell him I was in Sydney, as he was on his way and couldn't find the address in his GPS. I am pretty sure the ad states where it is!
Thankfully the item sold the next day anyway.

I am pretty sure there could be a million stories of funny things happening on Gumtree.
- peteru on 06/08/2017 - 01:49
  
  I had a guy who obviously didn't read my last Gumtree ad (Last Sunday) and was in SA and I am in Sydney! He asked why I didn't tell him I was in Sydney, as he was on his way and couldn't find the address in his GPS.
  
  LOLZor!
  
  Is there a (profanity) emoticon you could have send him? (Free of charge of course!)
- Slippery Fish on 13/08/2017 - 10:12
  
  That's a gumtree fault, I've had it happen to me. If your near "Woodgate" in qld and someone lists their location as "woodgate" in WA it will still show them the add and it doesn't say Woodgate wa
Euphemistic on 02/08/2017 - 18:08

There are time wasters in all walks of life. Gumtree is nOT a primary source of income for most users,so normal business rules don't apply.
citygal on 02/08/2017 - 18:13

As a seller on Gumtree over years, I can say that don't take things seriously is the best. I used to wait for a buyer to show up and he or she never showed up and would just have his phone turned off and not answering the phone. Also, many people said that they will buy the stuff but then changes their mind in the last minute. I actually block time off to be at the meeting spot so it's really annoying. Eventually I will just sell to whoever pays the money first. Will charge for transport cost if they want to meet further. My experience is that most genuine buyers contact via phone rather than Gumtree messages.
sparkles on 02/08/2017 - 18:22

I've sold on Gumtree, once. It was quick, same day, and it went well, someone drove quite a way to come get the item. I made it clear price was firm, no haggles, and that was fine, but I do price fairly or bargain-y for the other party. It was a $600 item for $250.

Buying, on the other hand, is painful. Probably, 50% of the time you won't get a response at all to your inquiry. So, as a result, I don't inquire a lot, although I would persevere if I really needed a particular item.

Selling on eBay can be quite amusing. You can have something listed sitting idle for months, it will sell, and all of a sudden all these other people want it and message you. I do think people, if they watch something long enough, are lulled into a false sense of security that can buy it any old time they want.
hell0 on 02/08/2017 - 19:17

The first two seem to be simply that the item was sold before you got there. The third sounds like you were probably a bit too chatty and seller assumed it wasn't worth bothering as he sensed it was going to be never-ending drama.

As harsh as it sounds, out of 3 items you purchased 0, so you would have been the time waster in all these examples.
- cheepo on 02/08/2017 - 20:35
  
  out of 3 items you purchased 0, so you would have been the time waster in all these examples.
  
  That makes perfect sense! I didn't think that asking any questions before a sale or trying to arrange for a convenient time that would suit the seller so I can pick up the item be classified as "time-wasting". Figured I needed to reach a few more steps before acquiring that label.
KaTst3R on 02/08/2017 - 19:28

+5

I once sold a lounge chair through gumtree. When the buyer contacted me and I gave her my address, I heard a knock on my door almost immediately. It was my neighbour!
- ihbh on 13/08/2017 - 07:45
  
  I hope you helped carry the lounge chair over to the neighbour's place. :)
altomic on 02/08/2017 - 21:50

dude was supposed to rock up at 6pm this evening to buy my washing machine……still waiting.
- NotAMoodle on 14/08/2017 - 13:25
  
  Sorry mate, never made it due to work commitments. Is it still available? Cheers
Sweet3st on 02/08/2017 - 23:24

+1

Honestly I haven't found Gumtree too bad, but I'm in Sydney inner east. Really like the cash in hand!
2ndeffort on 03/08/2017 - 10:10

I literally had somebody come around, take my car for a test drive, gush over how much they loved it. Haggled a price, shook hands and they signed forms. When i asked for a deposit to hold the car until their $$ came through they asked if they could nip down to the ATM to get $200 out. Given i had written up a sales agreement and just needed the cash deposit i said sure, I'll wait here. They jumped in the car they arrived in (not the car I was selling) with their +1 to duck down to the ATM and never came back. Stopped answering all calls and texts too.
eXo on 03/08/2017 - 11:23

I've caught out low ballers before, I too tried to sell a high priced item only to entertain some lowballers. I decided to bite and keep playing with them by dropping the price only to drop a line right at the end of the conversation about them already pitching offers without even seeing the item… they then go quite.

I then notice a few days later someone else decides to throw an offer that's exactly the lowest price I played around with the guy above, I reject it and they get angry saying that I offered to their friend for the same price.

That is then I learnt that some low ballers are like fake bidders on ebay, trying to push the price down (instead of up like ebay)
minniethemoocher on 03/08/2017 - 12:39

Item 3 is probably sold and the seller is too slack to remove the ad. Happens all the time.
kwijybo on 03/08/2017 - 19:00

How many transactions have you successfully had? I'm personally probably at a 90% strike rate with items I've wanted from sellers. Only get issues when I'm asking for one or two individual items and they've obviously had an offer for the lot.

As a seller, at least half of the enquiries I get are "is this still available?" then I never hear from them again. Good chunk of buyers organise a time then don't show up either.
- cheepo on 03/08/2017 - 20:11
  
  Good question. I would say that I've been successful more around 70%+ of the time. By that I mean actually having the item in my hand….so not too bad.
  
  Communication or lack thereof seems to be the really big problem amongst other things with sellers. A feedback/review system would be helpful but I can see how difficult that would be to co-ordinate on the site.
  
  I only ask if the item is still if it has been listed for a while or if the asking price seems to good to be true. I don't make any plans for pickup unless I'm confident I can follow through and that usually means the weekend. I've obviously missed a few items because of it.
  - kwijybo on 03/08/2017 - 22:04
    
    Can definitely see why that'd be frustrating then. Their new campaign about 24 hour support leaves me a bit puzzled when a feedback system even at it's most basic would be very handy.
    
    I don't mind questions about whether items are still available, but once 4 or 5 people have messaged asking if the same item is still available then never replied after that…
    
    I find myself using Facebook marketplace more than Gumtree now.
    - cheepo on 03/08/2017 - 22:58
      
      Wasn't even aware they had a support line and I would be all for feedback system - for both sellers and buyers.
      
      Somebody else suggested the Facebook marketplace above and my partner introduced it to me for the first time a few weeks ago. I think I may need to use that as an additional avenue going forward. Cheers.
peteru on 06/08/2017 - 01:42

+1

You sound like a "high-maintenance" girlfriend/buyer. :-P

But seriously, Gumtree is all about offloading stuff you don't need with minimum amount of effort. Any buyer that needs to communicate more than about 4 or 5 times before they turn up with cash will fall squarely in the "too hard basket". Once you know what you are buying and roughly the condition it is in, you turn up with cash. You inspect the item and if you don't think it's worth the price, you try your luck negotiating at that point,

If you expect to get guarantees or seal the deal before you leave the house, you'd better stick to eBay and leave classified/Gumtree alone. Different place, different customs.
- Ughhh on 13/08/2017 - 17:29
  
  This.
  
  If seller has many interested buyers, the least high maintenance and the one who doesn't ask silly questions like "is it still available" when the item was only listed 2mins ago, gets the sellers attention.
  
  I think some buyers forget that most private sellers are only selling 1 of each item. Seller doesn't need to please everyone, they only need 1 genuine buyer.
mini2 on 10/08/2017 - 15:41

Nothing quite like a seller trying to run their sale like an auction, then I've reluctantly agreed to a higher price than what was advertised then the fkhead bumped the price up by a $100 because he doesn't want to be ripped off. Hey idiot, you're the one who set the price, bumped it up not once but twice and still felt ripped off. Not buying from that seller purely on principle.
ihbh on 13/08/2017 - 08:05

My experience buying a biggish item last week.

Wife mentioned it and I thought it was a good idea, but we don't need it new as second hand is 1/3 the new price and in similar condition and we're trying to be as sustainable as possible. I jumped on Gumtree and saw an ad, messaged seller but she had a buyer and said would let me know if it fell through. She recommended buying the item based on the value she got from it.

Saved the search and checked every couple of days. 1.5 months later found an ad that went up previous night. Price was firm and very good and it was located in a relatively affluent area. I messaged seller asking if I could pick it up that day; we agreed next day (and she told me she took the ad down) then later on found out her husband couldn't make it so she offered to leave it in front of house and asked me to leave money in letter box. I suggested next day as it was probably not safe doing what she suggested, and I turned up the next day and the transaction went smoothly.

My keenness to buy item, pre-work doing research, and flexibility, and the seller's Golden Rule attitude (treat others like how you liked to be treated) made this a seamless transaction.
raywhoo on 20/08/2017 - 20:49

-2

I went searching for a Gumtree Forum so as to share my experiences. I buy, sell on Gumtree. It is obvious to me that Gumtree has changed the attitude of people or people who try try to do business. About 90% of the people selling have NO CONCEPT of doing business ! They rarely reply to simple questions and when do they do act like a prospective buyer is doing them a BIG FAVOUR ! I tried being patient and flexible but now if they don't reply I report them immediately as being non responsive. I am also amused by 'NO OFFERS' when they list the items as negotiable not to mention 'no silly offers' etc when the only thing silly is the ridiculous price they are expecting. On more that occasion I have found items misrepresented so I now assume that there are 'surprises' and offer accordingly.
When I sell I always price keenly and am prepared to negotiate for a fast settlement as this is normal business practice. I would never put anything on hold or such for anyone. I also make a time to pick things up and confirm prior to leaving as I have found most sellers are simply hopeless.
I am a semi retired business man and have had to 'adapt' to Gumtree business ways.
Ray
typhoonadventure on 22/08/2017 - 11:26

Biggest thing that pisses me off on gumtree.

"no calls please"
"Please no phone calls, just text or email".

300 phone calls later…

"NO CALLS."
"NO CALLS PLEASE - I'm a nightshift worker in emergency services and partner is a nurse, this is why I can only do texts or emails as calls really inconvenience us."

Still get a ton of phone calls.

Remove the phone number and all of a sudden you watch your clearance rate of items falls as people seem to think if there is only gumtree message avaliable its a scam.

I have a friend who has severe social anxiety and she uses gumtree to sell things, you'd think people would understand, she tells people text or email, she doesnt like talking on the phone as it gives her panic attacks. People still call.

She has cameras at her house and her preferred method of dealing with people is to leave the item out front after agreeing on a price, she tells people this and she's had panic attacks from working herself up to sell an item only to get some pushy person that pressures her into lowering her price or arriving with far too little money.

So she tells people it's out the front hidden under something, there is a camera there to A) make sure the item is secure, B) she has anxiety so doesnt like to deal with these situations, C) she can see the money has been left (it also captures number plates incase the person nicks it).

Still gets people banging on the door… she's even gotten people who have grabbed the item and left, and she's assumed they've stolen it and they give her some story about how they want to meet up as they didn't feel comfortable leaving the money under the door…

You get some weird as people on there but the worst of all…

This applies to facebook too :
Here is my item with great detail and clear pictures.
Here is my price.
here is a list of details that answer your questions.

Flood of messages :
I want better pictures of your item.
I want details you've already put up.
I want to ask you questions that arent relevant or questions you've already covered
But worst of the worst….
HOW MUCH IZ UR ITEM?
Euphemistic on 22/08/2017 - 15:21

I got stung last week. Organised to pick up an item at midday. Drove about 30mins, knocked on the door. Say 'g'day Fred here to pick up the thing. he looks at me funny, I repeat, he then apologises having already sold the item to someone else ten minutes earlier. Guy knocked at his door asking for the thing. He says, 'you fred?' Guy says yep, purchases and takes off. The sellers address was in the ad, so this guy has walked in off the street just before I arrived. Item had been on gumtree for about 5days and I hadn't had a chance to get thre yet. Leaves me 1hr drive out of my day with nothing to show for it. Bummer.
ian1095 on 23/08/2017 - 19:40
I posted that on another post..

Time wasters are the worst, once I formatted my laptop, reinstall the os, took like 1 hour. And the buyer just didn't turn up…

Read about this service called Pay 'n' Hold here (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/325554) where you request a deposit from the buyer before meeting up.

The seller does not receive the deposit unless the buyer release the deposit via a verification code.

Also the site will not allow seller to request from multiple person for the same item, so it reduces scam.

Link is: https://paynhold.com

Scenario where I am the buyer:
I will ask the seller to use that service if I am buying something, as I know the seller won't get the deposit transferred to their account, unless I release it.

Is There Such a Thing as Time Wasting Sellers on Gumtree or is it Just Difficult Buyers?

Related Stores

Comments

New Forum Topics