What I learned on Craigslist today

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I have a short story to tell you guys today.

I wake up in the morning and noticed I have too many non-rat bikes that I don't need. So I put up this one on Craigslist for $10.

huffy3.jpg


Then a couple hours later, I get an email, all it said was. "Phone number? Thanks" .... hmmm. So I tell the dude my phone number and then he calls me and asks a bunch of questions. He says, "My brother needs a bike but he's really low on money at the moment." Okay think about that, he's going to buy a bike from me to resell to his brother, makes perfect sense. :roll: Anyways, I was being nice and said he could have it for $7, sounds like it's a done deal right? WRONG. I tell him my address and he tells me he'll be there in an hour, I could already tell by his cussing and tone of voice that he was an old grump.

Then he comes in my driveway, honking his horn when he first pulls in, and then whines to me about "The directions you gave me were horrible"... even though I told him to go on mapquest and put my address in there. He was a mid 50 year old low life. I show him the bike and point out the minor issues like I did on the Craigslist ad. I showed him that the rear brake cable was frozen, and the rear brake won't depress all the way.

He acted like a jerk, even though that $10 was a very good deal on this bike, I'm generous enough to let it slide for $7... but since he noticed I was a kid, he thought he could chew me down more by saying, "Would you take 5 for it?" I said no, then he said, "What?!, how about 6?" I said no, then he said, "Come on man! I have a lot of work to do on this!!" I kind of laughed to myself, if he thinks fixing a brake cable is hard work, then he must not have a job. He finally gave me the $7.

The guy was a jerk, I hope that Huffy breaks down so he can eat some cement, too bad the bike I sold him wasn't a guys bike because then he'd be hurting before he hits the cement... hehehehe :mrgreen:

The point on this story... if you post an ad on Craigslist and receive a non educated, lazy, vague email, such as, "Phone number? Thanks", don't even reply to the email, because the chances of them being an old grump is high. Oh yea, when the guy was about to leave I couldn't help but to get a picture of him so I could print it out and shoot him with my BB gun later.

noob1.jpg



A closer look...
noob2.jpg


Hehehehe, I know, I'm weird, watch'cha gonna do! :D
 
Ok...ive had many guys like this before
but what i seriously do is get some of my older bikes out and my bike stand and put a frame on it...make me look busy, like i sell bikes for a living...which, well...basically is what i do
they usually say "wow, you look busy!" and dont try and chew me down on the price...I usually tend to give the smaller guys the eye...im a pretty big guy for my age(or so im told) so it scares em
 
I've ran out of patience with guys like that, at a giveaway price like that, when he said will you take $5.00, I would have told him, Nope $10.00 or I'll keep it
 
I once had an industrial tricycle that was used by city workers to clean the sidewalks and such in the sixties. I fully restored it and after using it a few years I decided that I needed the space more than the bike. I was selling it for $60 at my annual garage sale for a fast sale. Some guy shows up and looks at it seriously for 20 minutes. He then comes to me with a fake look of "not really interested" and this is how the conversation went:
Guy-"How much?"
Me- "$60"
Guy- "I'll give you 20"
Me- "$70"
Guy- "Come on, 30"
Me-"$80"
Guy- "Ok, 50"
Me- "$90"
Guy- "I'll come back at the end of the day and I'll give you $20 'cause it won't be sold"
Me- "Whatever"
I sold the bike $60 25 minutes later to a man who bought it for his kid. I saw the kid the next couple of years hauling his lawnmower around town mowing lawns. The guy did come back at the end of the day and it was my pleasure to tell him that I sold it for $60. :mrgreen:

I actually found a picture of it, sorry for the quality. It predates my digital years. :)
Trike002.jpg
 
yeah buddy... Those guys blow. I quit posting stuff that was less than about $100 on craigslist just cuz it was more work dealing with all the deadbeats and wacko's that come out of the woodwork that it was worth for a $20 dollar gizzy. I also almost always bump the price just a bit when I post it and say or best offer because if you put what you really want as a price people seem to think your a hard ... when you wont come down a few bucks. It sounds to me you where a heck of a guy for not flat out telling him to kick rocks!! I mean really?? It probably cost the guy more to drive over there in gas than what he paid you for the bike!
 
im suprised the guy didn't ask to have it for free. good grief!!... like $10 isnt cheap enough. what a cheapskate!! :x

that's a great story Gerry. i love your bargaining strategy... the more you low ball, the higher the price goes. 8)
 
I like the haggle. But not the unreasonable ones. I want them to feel like they did something. So they feel good. They don't need to know that some bikes I sell I only pay a buck or two for and sell for near 50 to 100. I just smile and say thanks, enjoy it. They seem happy and Im way happy..
 
schwinnmesa said:
I don't mind that the guy bartered with me, I just don't like it when I give a good deal to some grumpy, disrespectful old man.

Think of it this way and maybe deals like this will make you smile a little...the old fart used his gas to get to your house and back. Tell him the price, be prepared to drop it a little as always (not on a $10 bike though, should have started a little higher then maybe take $10 for it) then tell him what your firm price is and if no deal you would gladly cut it up and throw it away. Either way, he is still out the gas and time to look at it...his money down the toilet :lol: so don't sweat the small stuff
 
I start taking off parts when somebody is being obnocious about haggling. You can have it for $7 with no seat or front wheel!

Next time, wear an eyepatch, hook hand and big rubber apron, be hosing out a woodchipper when they show up and ask if they know of "anything that gets blood out of these dern things..." Maybe that's just my idea of funny. Eh.

:lol:
 
This all reminds me of a good friend of mine, when I met him he happened to have a 69 442 conv and I was driving a 72 Buick GS Stage 1 and I happened to have my T shirt that had a picture of my car with a logo that said "I eat 442" needless to say we got into conversation. Now this was the eighties, and my friend turned out to have about 15 musclecars at the time he was single like me at the time made good money at ups but he gave being thrifty a new name such as keeping his old Burger King cup and taking it in for refills. He taught me alot about haggling, I just cant hold my ground like he can, he once haggled for 45 minutes over 50 dollars buying a 67 Buick GS Conv that was selling for $3.000 at the time he got it for $2.450 (ah the eighties) his reasoning for less than an hour of time working 50 bucks is 50 bucks.He still haggles but now its buying properity for rentals and he got rid of all the musclecars...cept one 69 Shelby GT 500 . I guess if ya have to own a Ford :lol:
 
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