Rev Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Why do people come here to sell stuff and feel compelled to give the reason why they are selling there stuff? People on ebay don't give reasons like 'fridge fund' 'kid's bicycle' 'car repairs' and so on...... And yes...i have too much free time to come up with threads like this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevincal Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Selling on forums like this is a more personal affair. More like friends doing a deal. ebay is cold hearted business and not much more! Though it must be said, way too many people flake on deals made on game message boards. Atleast with ebay people feel more compelled to actually pay for what they promised to buy because they are bound by contract. Also I think some people feel they will get sympathy buys if they put a story behind what they are selling. 2-3 years ago my mom was suffering with cancer and out of work so I decided to sell my collection to help her with money. I said so in my for sale thread because I just felt like telling the truth. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagitekAngel Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Doesn't bother me nearly as much as straight-up panhandling, but maybe that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskyriver Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Wife needs a fridge...simple as that And I will continue to post it on every new item I sell until I get to my goal. If that really rubs you the wrong way, maybe you do have too much free time on your hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I just skip the sob story and look for references. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I would divulge more details about my secret illegal reasons for selling stuff.... oh crap I shouldn't have said who's sales oh crap I shouldn't have said secret OH CRAP I DEFINITELY SHOULDN'T have said illegal it's too hot today 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmdof Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 as long as i don't see "ive got a baby on the way and need to make room" I don't care. But if i do see that i get pissed. I have a shit ton of video game stuff, and if i was dumb enough to have a kid, I'd still have plenty of room. They might as well just have sais "I shouldn't have gotten married, but im and idiot, and now have a kid on the way, now my bitch wife is forcing me to bail collection, and 'grow up'" and that is my too much free time as well. Watchin 2 hours of storage wars. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGQuarterly Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I don't care why people are selling stuff, but sometimes I see people asking, so maybe some sellers feel compelled. Especially if someone is selling a LOT of stuff, people do ask why they are doing so. For those around here who are professional eBay resellers, I don't know why they bother posting why. They do it because they are professional eBay resellers. What more reason do you need? Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskyriver Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Picture of the fridge...Samsung RF4287HARS $2999.00 28 cu. ft. Total Capacity FlexZone Drawer ENERGY STAR® Compliant French Door And yes...having been married for 10 years...I have admitted defeat and have submitted to my wife's will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGQuarterly Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 What's a FlexZone drawer? That sounds neat... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD8mzZun5wo&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskyriver Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 What's a FlexZone drawer? That sounds neat... Chris According to the Samsung website (see the Specs tab) the Flex Zone Drawer has 4 temp zones: Meat/Fish 29°F Cold Drinks 33°F Deli/Snack 37°F Wine/Party Dish 42°F For truly frozen goods, you'll want 0°F, so this drawer seems to be only for fresh food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Well, if people have a good reason to sell, some motivation, it helps to resolve the "why sell it otherwise?" question. If there is no real good answer to that, maybe the item is crap, or the person selling is just selling because they can sell, or they really need to sell. Knowing those things helps a buyer get a read on the purchase. When doing business of any kind, information is power. The more you have, the more it's worth. I never, ever turn down information, and in fact, will often work to get more, if I see something that does not add up on a very basic level. Saved my ass any number of times. Want to sell? Probably a good item, but also not worth taking a big loss, or underselling. Good deal, solid price most of the time. Need to sell? Well, deal hard! There is a chance at a great deal, low price, because their position is far weaker. On buying, works the same way. If you have to buy, you are gonna pay the max. If you want to buy, you pay what you think something is worth. If the seller knows that, they've got power, and this is what that means: The last time I bought a new car? Saved me nearly $15K. Kicked the shit out of the dealer, because I did my homework on the worth of the car, knew their costs, and waited until they needed the deal. Divide that sum by the hours invested, and I probably paid myself close to 1K / hour for sitting on my ass doing research, and asking a few questions. Recommended. I've had people pay me $1000 to buy them a car, because doing that isn't easy, and when you do it the way I did, the savings are significant, but the purchase isn't easy. Like doing battle. Why pay $1000? Well, if I save the person 10K, no brainer. That's a 9K return, easy money. For me, $40 hour or so side money, for having a bit of fun! The last deal I closed was the same way. Got top margin, simply because I had the information necessary to show very high value for the product. Where that's the case, why not pay the solid price? The value is high, the return is there, so it's a no-brainer. (I don't do deals often, because I'm technical, but if I have to, I'll go close it old school, good margin.) If you don't do that gathering of information and managing your position, then it's down to who will or can sell for the lowest, or it's the highest cost you can bear. That's a race to the bottom, and not good for anybody in the end. Finally, on my services, same thing. Do the work, show the value, charge the higher rate, make the solid margin, earning the most per year, per hour of labor. Given these things, any seller who is a bit chatty is worth some attention. You might learn something, and what you learn may well pay off very significantly. Any buyer would be wise to manage what they let the seller know, and be careful to buy from a solid position, meaning you are able to walk from a deal that's not what you want. It's a given the seller is managing what they know, unless it's personal and casual, which is one of the attractions here, BTW. This works like the lotto. You can't win, if you don't play. Edited February 24, 2011 by potatohead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Side note: If you are looking to save money on a appliance... Right now, the no brainer is a stand-alone freezer. Get a big one, no features but a simple temp control. I've got mine set at -20 to -10, and I stuff it with longer term meats and foods. When there is a good deal, I buy the max I can afford, and eat on it during lean times, or expensive times. That thing probably saves me $2k / year, if not more. Paid $500. Easy cheezy. Meat is the worst right now where I live. It goes up and down, and when there are deals to be had, I buy big, because it's hard to just buy regularly. (not that getting wifey a good fridge isn't a fine idea. It is, but consider that freezer and put it in the garage, or something. You will be glad you did, particularly if you've got teens, who eat a ton!) Food and gas is on the rise. Two things: Oil is spiking again, and we transport a lot of our food. That gets passed right to us. Expect a gas and food price spike. The other is speculation. It's currently going on with both food and oil. Again, expect some spikes as the speculators gouge when they have position. The politics of that are another discussion. I'm just stating realities for the next year or two, because I don't know anybody that has money to blow right now. And, if you save a bit of money? Hobby time! :D Edited February 24, 2011 by potatohead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toraborakid Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Why do people come here to sell stuff and feel compelled to give the reason why they are selling there stuff? People on ebay don't give reasons like 'fridge fund' 'kid's bicycle' 'car repairs' and so on...... And yes...i have too much free time to come up with threads like this... To be honest i don't really give a fuck what his story is, im a buyer looking for what i need and a good deal to boot.. most of these story's are more like listening to a prisoner telling you there innocent. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 "Why" people are selling stuff is of relatively little value. I used to buy and sell cars frequently, years ago. I used to love it when some dude would look me right in the eye and ask me point blank why I'm selling it. They'd frequently seem to think they were so clever, and going to stump me with that impossible question. Answer: "It's surplus to my needs." That's actually a boiler plate answer for why anything is for sale. Did the prospective buyer think - if the engine or transmission was going out - that I'd undergo catharsis at that moment, break down and reveal the dastardly truth? HA HA HA. (There really was nothing going out). If someone's selling something, it's surplus to their needs. Any deeper digging is likely to be bull, and worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatohead Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Ahh, but what is their position? So, there is need to sell the car because that's the job, and there is need to sell the car because I've not made quota. Two entirely different things. In the first scenario, the seller can walk from the deal, if the margin isn't good, because they can afford the opportunity costs involved with doing that. In the second scenario, those opportunity costs are considerably higher, meaning they can't always walk, or will at the least need to show serious cause for walking, and less than optimal margin isn't generally associated with serious cause in that case. For somebody who knows that, there is a lot of money on the table. The scale is different for this stuff, but the dynamics of doing business are unchanged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thegoldenband Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 As others have said, it's information, though how you choose to use it depends on your personality. If someone's selling an item that's a prized part of their collection because they need to raise cash for some specific expense, it sends a very different message from someone who says "I just want this stuff out of my way". On a practical level, I tend to avoid haggling with "need to raise money" sellers, and am more likely to take their asking prices at face value (which can mean that I don't make any offer at all). Maybe I'm letting myself be manipulated, but I'd rather assume that the person's need is authentic. To my mind, if the person really needs to sell, then they'll lower the price on their own if no one grabs it. Others might take the opposite approach and say that if the person is desperate, it's an opportunity to push a hard bargain, but that's just not my style. So I welcome the "why", because it tells me what to expect. If a seller needs to raise money, they'll take one approach; if they just want to get rid of extra stuff with a minimum of fuss, they'll take a different approach; and if they have "surplus" that they want to sell but aren't in a hurry, they'll take a third approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raskar42 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 it's called human interaction. maybe you heard of it.. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thanatos Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 3 grand seems kind of ridiculous for a fridge, at least for one that's not a custom fit kitchen job. I thought our $1500 one was a bit excessive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 People on ebay don't give reasons like 'fridge fund' 'kid's bicycle' 'car repairs' and so on...... LOL! I wonder who that could be! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ciJRFMBEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElzxMFmxlo4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1-BpHXFvI0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQRcm-JXOsA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskyriver Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 3 grand seems kind of ridiculous for a fridge, at least for one that's not a custom fit kitchen job. I thought our $1500 one was a bit excessive. You are absolutely right. That's the MSRP off of Samsung's website. we've found it a bit cheaper elsewhere...$2299.00. Still expensive but what the hell, go big or go home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Leach Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 gotta update my for sale thread to meet demands now....thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I'm ashamed to say I watched all 4 of those videos ^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toiletunes Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Is it neccessary? No. Does it hurt anything? No. Does it get annoying? Only if you're trying to buy a bicycle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.