Im trying to sell a dryer on FB marketplace, there would always be someone who would message me and lowball me by 1/10 the item value and mention cash. e.g. $50 cash. Like do they assume I have offers other than cash? Do they assume FB marketplace is a bartering system where currency docent exist?
Sometime I mention I already have a better offer and they'll say something like but I'm paying cash, like do you think the other offer is not in cash?
Sorry Rant over.
I actually haven't had anything progress from "is this available?" I say yes. No response. Every single time.
Similar questions where they've constructed the question themselves often do.
I go with something like can I buy this if it's still available or would you sell it for x price? Sometimes they aren't still available but it saves time if it is, cutting to the chase.
Nice, next time an idiot GT/FB lowballer messages I can just point them to this thread.
We get rid of a bunch of perfectly good things on 'buy nothing' groups, usually small things not worth the hassle of trying to sell but good enough that someone might want it. It is staggering how often someone will say they want it and say they will come and get it only to never come and then ghost you on marketplace.
I'm just happy to know its not just me battling the goblin hordes on the marketplace, everyone suffers equally.
I live in a suburb where majority of the people are hagglers… You list something to the lowest possible amount, they're still ask you for a discount and sometimes funnily enough justifies it such as 'what's taking $50 off the item.. it's nothing to me and that's all they got in their wallet/purses etc…
There was once this bloke that kept haggling so much but finally agreed to a price and showed up, and then he handed me lower than what we agreed. I asked him, didn't we agree on X amount. He said but that's all he had in hand. I calmly said, well may be come back when you got the rest of it. The fellow walks back to his car, comes back with balance and says he happened to have it in the glove box or so… pff
From my experience, you'd know when the right buyer messages you. They ask you the right and genuine questions about the item listed, straight to the point and pleasant to deal with.
Yeah this has happened to me. Told them cough up or go away. They will cough up as they know they are taking a final punt.
Waste everyone time and sour the transaction.
The other tactic is to cry poor and say things like oh please can you do it for this price as it's all I can afford.
Had some dude agree on a price for a boxing stand. Then at the last minute wanted $10 off. Declined and thought he agreed. After they left, checked the notes and he folded $60 to look like $70. Rare, but there are dodgy people around.
The comment about cash always amuses me too. I really don't care if you give me cash or you transfer funds into my account, you are not getting the item until either my hand or my bank account has the money in it. I just don't reply to the low ball offers, someone offering 50% below asking is never going to come close to a price you would consider accepting so don't waste your time replying. For any offers close to my asking I just reply "no offers".
How would you deal with bank reversal scams?
payid
Cleared funds and move them to another account before handing the item over.
They're almost non-existent. They're all tracked in the Banks ledger and as long as you have evidence you can have the charge back overturned and then the person who did then initial charge back usually cops a disciplinary warning for fraudulent activity. Counterfeit cash is more popular as it's less easily traced than something on the internet. If bank reversal scams were popular as people seem to imagine they are we'd literally all be using crypto right now, the risk is insignificant.
more fun to reply to the lowball offers "sure thing". Take them out for a nice seafood dinner and then never call them again.
id rather take the item to the tip or put it on the street than sell it to someone on market place if the value is under $100
I e bought and sold many things over the years on FB and Gumtree. I always spend time putting lots of info in the ad so questions should be limited or zero. I don't respond to questions from people who haven't read it. I think every kid needs a class at school on how to write an ad!
I also list at a fair price for buyers compared to market rates.
My experiences have normally been of meeting decent people, having a chat and receiving cash. It seems that's no longer the norm.
I eventually get to that point where a genuine motivated buyer arrives, but not before a load of idiots try it on. Like you I always provide plenty of info and try to price fairly based on what similar items go for.
They try to create urgency. Classic low baller tactic. "I pay cash and can come now."
There appears to be a whole group of people that spend all their time on marketplace trying this crap (really annoying when looking for a genuine buyer) and I assume then try to sell on at a higher price if they have any success.
As I rarely use cash these days I don't really want it. If its a significant amount its a PITA to then have to go and deposit in the bank.
Ohhhhhh, look who likes seeing their imaginary electronic balance digits increase
It is just too many scammers with payid and PayPal nowadays.
With everything I've sold now everyone has just paid cash, so I'm not sure why they think they're special. I had an item that was in high demand partly because I priced it a bit low. But I changed the item name to sold pending pick up and people still asked if it was available. I have a listing with multiple items being sold separately and people send me a message asking is this available. I say yes (I've removed the items no longer available) and never hear from them again. Not sure if there are people just looking for unavailable things or something, but they're definitely not interested if it is actually available.
Blame good guys, pay less pay cash. If you know you know
I had someone try buy a car in 8K cash,I'm not going to aus post to pay for a cheque to deposit it when bank transfer/payid is essentially unflawed in these instances. If they were it'd be common scamming practice (which it isn't).
I'm not paying tax on personal shit I sell and cash is inconvenient AF nowadays when businesses are starting to prefer numbers on the screen.
I'm < 30 so to me, cash has only been good for one thing in the majority of my lifetime and with how easy it is to get a cannabis prescription I can now just pay by card at the chemist.
Also with the incidents of robberies with cash, I would only ever transact Inside a police station where possible
Just imagining the cops when OP hauls a dryer inside the cop shop (I assume you mean just the money portion and load the dryer in the car park, as who would rip someone off inside a cop shop, but it still amused me).
yes the money part, theres always opportunities for buyers or sellers to be bad actors here in the FBMP, FB/Meta do not care about regulation so its the Wild West .Theres enough examples on there for you to lose faith in all of humanity. anything above $200 you need to do it in a very public place.
Is this item available?
is this still available?
Why do they do it? They're idiots. If they offer me less, say $50 for a $70 item, I counter offer with $100.
I assume because sometimes it works.
Unless it is a heat pump dryer, it is probably worth $50.
I can barely give any of my household items away these days.
"can you deliver to [insert outer suburb]"
Now I am embarrassed. I asked exactly that on a ladder I was interested in.
Don't be - it's a reasonable thought as an honest buyer. But as anyone who uses marketplace regularly as a seller knows, you have to assume buyers are going to take you for a ride if given the chance (eg transaction reversals, fake cash, asking for a discount when you deliver the item to them (because of course you won't want to go home without selling the pesky item you just spent 30 mins driving across town!)
some times, if it is a small item I ask if they work in the CBD, as that is where I work. so to save me time going to the opposite side of town then I try to find a mutually beneficial spot to meet.
that , though, backfired for me when I was selling a snowboard and the buyer said " yeah meet in the city". I got in to the city -carrying a snowboard on the train- and the buyer was like, "sorry I found another one near my house ".
the other one is sellers saying "can deliver", but then they want a delivery fee lol
what % of australia has an addiction to "products" they need to buy with cash
dealing with tradies.
Why do people hate the 'is this still available?' question so much. Half the things I'm interested in are never available and haven't been marked as sold so that is why I ask if they are available… it's the start to a conversation which either leads to a positive answer or disappointment. I too sell things, and when people ask me if they are available, I respond with 'yes' and go from there. If they don't reply, I don't really care.