To sell a camera on OfferUp...

[Sleepy Capybara]

I was trying to sell Sony A7 III on OfferUp (A buy-sell app quite popular in USA). My asking price was $1670.
Madness ensued -

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I didn't quite understand how the place where you live has any effect on your ability to comprehend, but okay:

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Dude needs prime lens for a trip:

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Almost a day passes:

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This is getting frustrating now:

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An hour passed and he does not respond. In the meanwhile I got another offer from a guy who seems serious and ready to buy immediately, so I ask if:

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Since he bought the camera, I confirmed with the other guy and then:

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I am the flake now for assuming "just bought a a7riv" actually means "I want your camera":

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Yup. I cant interpret simple things:

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Increased his offer to 1600 when we agreed on 1585:

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And now he does not want my camera. Damn. I am crestfallen:

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[demiro]

The only thing worse than those messages is you sharing them with us...

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

Alright:

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[PakkyT]

I found the exchange entertaining.

 

[NIlaga]

Pretty much the same thing using Kijiji (Canada). When I try to sell something locally, I add the following in my post; saves a ton of headache:

If ad is up, items are still available unless otherwise noted.
Please read ad before making an inquiry
Serious inquiries only
Pick up only, no delivery available
Lowball offers will be ignored
Due to consistent no-shows, no reservations. Item goes to first person with cash in hand
No trades, exchanges or swaps
Any inquiry already answered above or in the ad itself will be ignored

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

I am moving out of country and selling a TON of house-hold stuff. There have been occasions where I felt I should just give away stuff for free and not argue with people :|
I guessed a hot cake item like Sony A7 III would sell in matter of hours but nope! No matter how reasonable your price is, people hassle. I am okay to a certain extent but this was getting ridiculous by the end of it, so I shared.
Thankfully, someone just came and bought it straight away.

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

Pretty much the same thing using Kijiji (Canada). When I try to sell something locally, I add the following in my post; saves a ton of headache:

If ad is up, items are still available unless otherwise noted.
Please read ad before making an inquiry
Serious inquiries only
Pick up only, no delivery available
Lowball offers will be ignored
Due to consistent no-shows, no reservations. Item goes to first person with cash in hand
No trades, exchanges or swaps
Any inquiry already answered above or in the ad itself will be ignored

I have a hunch. A lot of people do NOT read anything in the ad. In the title I put "0 shutter count, USA model". There were at least 3 inquiries like "what is the shutter count on the body?" and one asking, is it grey market import?

 

[Macroramphosis]

Only 10% of normal people are intelligent enough to do on-line deals. The other 90% are stupid and simply don't bother reading through anything thoroughly.






Is it still for sale?

 

[PakkyT]

When I try to sell something locally, I add the following in my post; saves a ton of headache:

Judging from all the posts like this one on Reddit's "Choosing Beggars" sub, you should add to your list:

* If it is available cheaper elsewhere then go buy it there.
* I don't care if you "don't really need it", the price is the price.
* How much I paid for it doesn't matter.
* I don't care if you are a single mom.
* I don't believe you that this is for your child who has cancer.
* If you show up and purposely brought less than the agreed amount, the price will be raised 10%.

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

If you show up and purposely brought less than the agreed amount, the price will be raised 10%.

A variation of this and it has happened with me - when the price was $45, 75 and people would just turn up with 5 bills of $10 would say sorry I don't have change would you take 40? A few times I did accept lesser than agreed amount and then just started carrying smaller bills with me in case someone tries to pull that trick again.
A very smart play, relying on the fact that sellers would rather accept less than agreed upon price at the last moment than scramble for change.

 

[Mike Peters]

At this point, I just trade them in and take the loss. Going through this stuff is so painful and time consuming, it's just not worth a few extra bucks.

 

[Brownie]

I would never engage someone with that attitude. He would've been cut off at the knees as soon as I saw "They're on eBay for..."

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[994]

I enjoyed it until the end. IMO you should NOT have tried to go back to that particular well of crazy. That buyer is a deadend/blackhole.

 

[demiro]

At this point, I just trade them in and take the loss. Going through this stuff is so painful and time consuming, it's just not worth a few extra bucks.

If you sell on here or FM you can price aggressively, screen and get a buyer who is not a flake, and still do way better than selling to a retailer.

 

[demiro]

I found the exchange entertaining.

the bar is low for you

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

^^ How hard would it be to just click here?

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Answer: harder than controlling urge to comment everywhere, regardless.

 

[Mike Peters]

If you sell on here or FM you can price aggressively, screen and get a buyer who is not a flake, and still do way better than selling to a retailer.

Yes, but only if what you're selling is something someone wants to buy. I've posted here, items didn't sell, and wound up just trading them in. I do try here when I can, but often I don't have days or weeks to wait.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I found the whole thing hard to read, but I can relate. I’ve sold stuff on eBay to just as much frustration. One was a Mac where the buyer claimed it didn’t work because it didn’t automatically pair his Bluetooth keyboard. Another time was a guy who failed to check if his system supported ECC RAM. He kept telling me I sold him a defective product, even after I sent him a link from Intel showing how his i7 clearly didn’t support it. I mentioned it was ECC RAM like 4 times in the listing. He opened a case on me and got a refund anyway.

You dodge a bullet when you don’t sell to someone who is that clueless—it will probably bite you somehow.

 

[demiro]

Yes, but only if what you're selling is something someone wants to buy. I've posted here, items didn't sell, and wound up just trading them in. I do try here when I can, but often I don't have days or weeks to wait.

Not sure if all retailers are the same, but I think mpb requires you to send in item, they evaluate, then pay within 4-5 days or something. So maybe a week to get cash? If you post on here or FM, at the price mpb offers, I think you'd have money in your PayPal account in <24 hours.

My experience is that you have to balance your level of patience with how much cash you're willing to accept. People generally understand used gear prices. If you go a few bucks below the low end of market pricing people usually pounce. And that price will still be above what you get from mpb or others.

 

[Mike Peters]

Not sure if all retailers are the same, but I think mpb requires you to send in item, they evaluate, then pay within 4-5 days or something. So maybe a week to get cash? If you post on here or FM, at the price mpb offers, I think you'd have money in your PayPal account in <24 hours.

My experience is that you have to balance your level of patience with how much cash you're willing to accept. People generally understand used gear prices. If you go a few bucks below the low end of market pricing people usually pounce. And that price will still be above what you get from mpb or others.

Been at this for 45 years, I know the drill. But I have a few retailers that I can walk into, B&H, Adorama (who usually gives the best prices) and Unique Photo. Bing, bang, done. I get what I need and am on my way. I have little patience most of the time, or I just need something quickly for a job. And sometimes my time is worth more than a few extra bucks. I shoot full time for a University for whom I do around 400 assignments a year, and I freelance, so I'm busy. And I like to upgrade my gear frequently, and when something new comes out, few people seem interested in yesterday's gear.