time wasters on forum when selling

Anything about use of this forum : NOT about cycling
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col30564
Posts: 60
Joined: 12 Jul 2017, 9:17pm

time wasters on forum when selling

Post by col30564 »

can any expain why you get people saying yes i will buy it and collect it on a certain date etc,ps not every one is like this but theres certainley alot
is it because they get a thrill of people going to the trouble of email pics to them so they can fantasise
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by alexnharvey »

Setting a date and then not coming send to be increasingly common in selling these days often without notice. Tempting to take a deposit. Not as bad as buying houses theses days though.

On the other hand, there are many bikes I'm interested in buying and the financial controller says no. I suppose being interested in buying and being able to do so are quite different matters. Especially if distances are great, pragmatism trumps desire. It's no excuse for not letting the seller know though.

Asking for pictures on the other hand seems quite reasonable, I'm not sure there's a valid complaint there. In fact is strange how many people advertise without any picture. Surely you're more likely to sell with good pictures in the ad.
PH
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by PH »

What is it you're selling?
I thought there might be a clue there, but I couldn't find anything you have for sale. A bit odd.
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Sale threads are deleted after a while
Otherwise these fora would be a bit clogged up with old ads which are of little interest (?)

+1 for pictures
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col30564
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Joined: 12 Jul 2017, 9:17pm

Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by col30564 »

i took my adds off as i were fed up with time wasters,
random37
Posts: 1952
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by random37 »

col30564 wrote:i took my adds off as i were fed up with time wasters,


I seem to remember trying to sell you a touring bike on this very forum, about five or six years ago when I still lived in Derby.

You were two hours late even though I told you I had somewhere else to be. You insisted on a half hour test ride, then you said you wanted the bike but weren't prepared to pay the asking price.

I said "Sorry you drove from Sheffield!", and let you out of the gates. You were surprised, I think.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Last edited by random37 on 17 Aug 2018, 9:20am, edited 2 times in total.
resus1uk
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by resus1uk »

Posting pictures on the forum isn't easy as some computer knowledge is needed to reduce the file size to under the limit. Off-putting for some seniors.
I tried four times in the last year with one bike. Sold easily elsewhere . Blunt "reminders " about posting pictures, then no further interest. Silly offers to take it off my hands and wanting reduction based on travel costs to see the bike or funding changes in components the buyer wanted to make to bring the bike to their taste.
I'm unlikely to use this website to sell again. Fortunately my family suddenly needed my spare classic bike after their's was stolen. Ad now dropped off the board
random37
Posts: 1952
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by random37 »

I noticed after a few years away that there is the same cast of characters buying and selling bikes. And I know full well that if I were to sell something at a low price on here, it would be bought to be resold with a markup.

There's too many people trying to make money from what is essentially old junk. You can't blame them, of course. It's hard to make money.

I don't think it is worth selling old bikes. I would rather give them away to people who would genuinely use them and enjoy them, or perhaps to bike recycling charities. That's what I did with my last three bikes (a fifties club bike, a Brompton, and a tourer). I make more money working than I would trying to get the last bit of value from something I've owned and enjoyed.
PH
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by PH »

random37 wrote:I noticed after a few years away that there is the same cast of characters buying and selling bikes. And I know full well that if I were to sell something at a low price on here, it would be bought to be resold with a markup.

Would that matter to you? When I've sold something, it's gone, no longer mine, I have no interest in what the new owner does with it, if they sell it on and make a profit, good luck to them.
I've bought and sold a fair bit on this forum over the years, about 50/50, bikes, frames, wheels, tools, lights, components and books, never had a problem with any buyer or seller. I've had offers I've rejected and made offers that weren't accepted, won some and lost some, I haven't considered any of it time wasting. I'm sure that it happens and it's a shame when it does, my experience is that it isn't common and that most people buying and selling here are genuine.
random37
Posts: 1952
Joined: 19 Sep 2008, 4:41pm

Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by random37 »

PH wrote:Would that matter to you? When I've sold something, it's gone, no longer mine, I have no interest in what the new owner does with it, if they sell it on and make a profit, good luck to them.


I'm not sure. I agree with you, but then I don't like the idea that, say, my old bike will be broken up for parts. I'd like them to be used.

And yes, the majority of transactions have been nice, and the people I've met have been nice too.

I still go with what I said. It is not worth my time to sell my old bikes. I've been happier giving them away.
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horizon
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by horizon »

resus1uk wrote:Posting pictures on the forum isn't easy as some computer knowledge is needed to reduce the file size to under the limit. Off-putting for some seniors.


One way is to request to email the pctures to someone who can resize them (it's quite simple to do) and then post them here for you. That seems to have happened a few times. It's also a good excuse for someone to see the photos even if they know they won't be buying!

One other point: I would say that if you have to travel to see a bike it probably won't be worth your while. Today's technology can provide amazing photos and all the other "seller clues" are there to be had. So, take a risk and save the cost of travel. And correspondingly, if the seller cannot post it may be harder to sell.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
resus1uk
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by resus1uk »

Other forums reduce the file size automatically. Also using an Android device can occasionally fail. There are Android phone apps that can reduce file sizes. I used this last time. But it is still all clunky even after 40 years of using computers.
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admin
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Re: time wasters on forum when selling

Post by admin »

It's odd that phpBB doesn't have a feature to resize large images on upload. However I think I might have found a patch that would do it...
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