Marketplace Responses - First Come First Serve?

[Tense]

I would like to add that though I am under the impression that you can sell to whomever you desire... I would, MYSELF, give priority to first PM. If someone wants something but doesn't have access to their PAYPAL till later, as mentioned above, I feel they should PM anyway and state such. I think most of us are pretty nice and "humanly" (Not real word) type people and would understand such things.

 

But, ultimately if someone wants to entice with more than asking... I would feel no guilt in accepting such. And as stated prior, I would not encourage bidding wars. I am not a fan of those myself.

[FireTiger]

Well depends on IF I'm willing to do business with some that's trying to cheat the system: (I'm not)

EX1: "Selling River Patrol Atari 2600 cart, working - I have videos including a newspaper with date, and full pictures one of each of the 6 sides and a long shot) I know it's worth right now between X00-Y80 according to the last 3 years on E-pay...
I want Z00.00 + shipping + insurance to anywhere in the world.

Fisrt: Well I want your game but I want to pay Q0.00 total that's what I think it's worth.

Second: I'll pay for this cart by your conditions, I'm at zipcode 11111- please send an invoice for the total to Myemailaddress@domaine.com.

Third: I'll pay X00 for the cart but you'll need to eat the shipping and insurance or whatever that more then you wanted but I must have this cart.

--------------------------

Now what?

Replay to First: I have offers at and above asking price, sorry... I don't have time to haggle when I priced this cart fairly, that was a lowball offer. I will not continue with you on this.

Reply to 2nd: You are the first ligitament offer on this- can I see your Atari Age or Digital press feedback, will you be paying by balance transfer or CC in PP?

Replay to third: Right now you have the third response, If your offer stands I'll contact you if the other offers fall through.

Edited July 3, 2014 by FireTiger

[Crazy Climber]

If 3 people PM me at the same time I sell it to the person I like the best

[Austin]

If 3 people PM me at the same time I sell it to the person I like the best

 

 

I actually do this--I prefer dealing with users I've given stuff to in the past versus newcomers with no posts. Both parties know what they are getting into in that situation. Plus, I feel like I'm catering more to the community and not a fly-by poster that barely interacts with this forum.

 

I am wary of new users (I've seen countless individuals get screwed on both this forum and other forums), but I will still deal with them if they go by my terms. For instance, if a user doesn't have any feedback here, I require a family/friends payment via PayPal. Many newcomers don't like this, but the trade-off is that I start a feedback thread for them so they can "get their foot in the door" at this forum, so to say.

 

I typically answer messages and reserve items on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, I do prioritize familiar users (i.e., peace of mind) and I may prioritize larger orders as well. When I list stuff for sale, I'm not doing so as a full-time business--usually I'm just selling stuff I don't really want to in order to pay down some bills. That said, I'll take shipping two or three larger packages over ten or twelve tiny ones any day.

[+FujiSkunk]

I think a common theme across all answers is that people's guidelines are exactly that: guidelines, not rules.

 

Generally speaking, I think setting prices ahead of time and then dealing with offers to buy on a first-come, first-served basis is best. I can think of plenty of exceptions, both academically and in my own dealings, so I don't pretend this is a hard-and-fast rule, but I do try to make sure there is a good reason when I deviate. Perhaps I genuinely don't know the value of something, and the Internet isn't helping, so I ask for offers. And as others have suggested, maybe a second or third response is from someone more accommodating.

 

Ultimately it boils down to, I try to be fair, as much to myself as to others, and I try not to be a dick. If everyone followed that advice, I think we'd be okay.

[+wood_jl]

I like the practice of the BUYER leaving a message in the for sale thread, with "PM SENT" which establishes (for all to see) the order of who inquired first. Then they send me a PM (if I'm selling).

 

Then I reply with shipping charges, and if they decide to pay then they get it. If not, then to the 2nd PM SENT, and so on.

 

But I like the "PM SENT" in the thread because it helps to maintain order. If there are multiple items in the thread, I like when the buyer says "PM SENT about joystick, pitfall cartridge, and dust cover" or something like that - IN THE THREAD so that others can see that these items *may* be spoken for, and avoid unnecessary PMs and replies about items that are likely gone, although of course they're free to express interest in the event that the first guy backs out.

[+save2600]

Really tough to police behaviors such as PM'ing in the thread to see who posted first. Amibay does that and as you can plainly see for yourself, just junks a thread up with all sorts of half-hearted time-wasting flakes that seem to have amnesia when it comes to how much things cost to ship.

 

Buying/selling/trading anymore *anywhere* has become such a hassle and coin toss, that what Crazy Climber said about preferential treatment is about the size of it today!

 

These days, I'm happy just dealing with someone that comprehends the black and white text they have in front of them, knows how to accurately and honestly describe their wares AND does not ignore your common sense packaging requests. Oh and what's with the "can I wait to pay you" or "I can't ship until next week" BS? If you're not able to pay the second you've blasted off an inquiry or you've got some kind of "special" excuse as to why you can't ship within a normal (within a day or two) or reasonable time frame… well, lets just say I sure do miss the days when adults ruled the world.

[+FujiSkunk]

Eh, things come up, both on the buyer's and seller's side. I know in this day and age sometimes you don't quite have disposable income right when you want to. I've been asked before to wait a day or two until the buyer's next paycheck came in, and I've been okay with that. I'd be less okay with being asked to wait a couple of weeks or more, but a couple of days isn't going to kill me. On the flip side, emergencies and other things do come up and sometimes a seller needs a little extra time to get something out the door. Granted we've seen this taken to ridiculous extremes in a couple of cases, but barring those examples, again, a couple of days isn't going to kill me.

[+save2600]

^ right and exactly.

 

I'm talking about the cases where you're asked to wait more than a day or two (c'mon, let's be realistic here… even if you're away on an "emergency", you can still pay someone via your smartphone/laptop/work computer or throw something in a box and stop at the post office) and then more than a few days go by - which usually ends up being the case before they conveniently "forget" all about the transaction.

 

All I'm saying is that while we all experience real life emergencies from time to time, if you're *that* stretched for disposable income (and especially when considering gaming), maybe - just maybe - it's time to reevaluate your priorities. Goofy priorities or not, way too many people today use lame ass excuses for this and that. Really silly stuff, beyond the "my kid needs a bike for her birfday" thing.

[eightbit]

I have always been a "first come, first serve" seller/trader, however things do get tricky in this area. A good example is a recent listing I had. I nice guy PM'ed me and said he was interested, but needed to see pictures first. Another nice guy PM'd literally a second after and said "I'll take it". I saw this as the first person was interested but did not make a purchasing commitment (yet) and may or may not purchase it when he sees it. The second person was willing to buy it sight unseen and made the commitment to buy it so I went with that person.

 

I think I could have avoided a lot of this with pictures in the sale thread, but I couldn't find my battery charger for my camera at the time...doh! In any case, the person who said he'd take it has not taken it yet, and the person who was interested is no longer interested.

 

It is certainly a tricky situation, and I think next time more communication could help to fix issues such as this. What I should have done was to tell the second "I'll take it" person that someone was interested before him, and then communicate to the first person that someone else wants it and he has x amount of time to make a decision.

 

There's no "rule book" to selling or trading, but common sense goes a long way and learning from mistakes can and will make you a better seller/trader/person

Edited July 8, 2014 by eightbit

[Bodyshots]

I've found that the majority of my problems come from being a buyer. It's so easy to click a couple of buttons and purchase something. While I do sell items from time to time, I really hate taking the time to post things. That part I don't enjoy. Once the item is listed, I'm having fun at that point, but not prior.

 

I've found in my experience that sellers really do screw up a lot. I realize we take for granted a smooth transaction. We obviously only remember the bad experiences.

I'm trying to bite my tongue and not vent too much. This past month alone I had to file 3 disputes on ebay and possibly another one tomorrow. It's been 2 weeks and no shipment yet from a seller on ebay. I tried making a couple inquiries last week to get his attention. Then as a courtesy I warned him that I was going to file a dispute on monday. He finally responded and told me he was on holidays, why so much drama, and that he sells as a hobby. Up yers! My hobby is purchasing and getting the item shipped out in a reasonable time. He even tried to upsell me on other items for 2 days after I paid. Im glad I paid you in under 24 hours so you could go on that holiday while I sit and wait for an item I wanted last week.

 

Time and time again, its situations like this that always seem to happen to me. Non-selling sellers too. Also, I've been waiting for an item I purchased here on Atariage too for a month now (I hope - The details I won't get into)

 

The ones who comment here for the most part are the good ones, but for any seller or buyer here that is reading these posts and not participating in the discussion, all I can say is take care of your business and do it fairly and properly. And if you are at fault, man up (or woman up?) and explain the situation. Most times the other party will be understanding and it will create a lot less headaches. Don't try to deflect any of your wrongdoings either.

 

Ahhhh, I feel better now getting that off my chest.

 

Oh, and one other observation I had. Under 10 percent of my transactions range from bad, to me not getting the item at all. 95 percent of the bad transactions seem to revolve around Video games or video game consoles. And one other personal statistic is 90 percent of these people are from Wisconsin. Coincidence?

[amiman99]

...If there are multiple items in the thread, I like when the buyer says "PM SENT about joystick, pitfall cartridge, and dust cover" or something like that - IN THE THREAD so that others can see that these items *may* be spoken for, and avoid unnecessary PMs and replies about items that are likely gone...

 

I usually do that and I like that.

 

[+save2600]

95 percent of the bad transactions seem to revolve around Video games or video game consoles. And one other personal statistic is 90 percent of these people are from Wisconsin. Coincidence?

 

Yeah, Wi is somewhat of a dimwit and confused state - but we're working on that. Still, lot's of goofballs here. Strong uneducated, low information or downright uninformed base that votes and conducts themselves heavily via emotion vs. using reason, doing research, knowing history or otherwise digesting facts. Too much dope, heroin, beer, cheese and sports fans up here I guess.

 

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience or three from here. Not a WI native, so no rose colored (emotional, illogical or denial) glasses here. CA is EASILY the state I have the most problems with (although WA ranks way up there too). More flakes propagate there than probably anywhere else on the planet. In fact, songs have been written about it. These days, pretty much qualify the shit out of anyone from there. And MANY of them still do_not_get_it - despite crystal clear instructions and verbiage. Total and utter lack of common sense. Little wonder. Different part of the world that state of CA is!

[Cebus Capucinis]

PM sent!

[tregare]

not here om AA but i'm still annoyed about getting poached out from under. i replied to a classified ad about some atari stuff, and the person sent me contact info (i told em if they still had it i would buy it) contacted them shortly after recieving their info and they informed me that they had just sold it. it's annoying as heck as i dont have a lot of disposable $ so i buy fairly carefully. i'd lay odds the pieces are going to end up on ebay

[Bodyshots]

i replied to a classified ad about some atari stuff, and the person sent me contact info (i told em if they still had it i would buy it) contacted them shortly after recieving their info and they informed me that they had just sold it.

 

I definitely know how you feel. Whether or not you have a disposable income you still have to be aggressive and be on top of things when you spot a good deal on the Classified ads. Hopefully you find the good deal shortly after it was posted, and even though you just finished making a bowl of popcorn with the perfect blend of butter and salt, a wobbly pop and you're sitting down to watch a movie…. well… 'The Early Bird Gets the Worm' ( is the best way to say it )

 

There are all kinds of scenarios, but I'd prefer it if this topic would allow everyone to state their opinion on their expectations to buying, selling and trading here on Atariage. (I'm guilty for bringing up an example on eBay, however my ebay example relates itself in a small way to something personal I've experienced here on Atariage)

[Bodyshots]

 

Yeah, Wi is somewhat of a dimwit and confused state - but we're working on that. Still, lot's of goofballs here. Strong uneducated, low information or downright uninformed base that votes and conducts themselves heavily via emotion vs. using reason, doing research, knowing history or otherwise digesting facts. Too much dope, heroin, beer, cheese and sports fans up here I guess.

 

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience or three from here. Not a WI native, so no rose colored (emotional, illogical or denial) glasses here. CA is EASILY the state I have the most problems with (although WA ranks way up there too). More flakes propagate there than probably anywhere else on the planet. In fact, songs have been written about it. These days, pretty much qualify the shit out of anyone from there. And MANY of them still do_not_get_it - despite crystal clear instructions and verbiage. Total and utter lack of common sense. Little wonder. Different part of the world that state of CA is!

 

I found myself stuck in Germantown, WI for a big Sheepshead Tournament that my friend wanted to go to when he visited a relative. After copius amounts of beer and bratwurst consumed, a few arguments over The Bears and Packers, avoiding the political discussions, well, I just went with the flow of things, lol…

I 'get' your joke though. I won't summarize that everyone there is like that based on a few bad instances with buying/selling obviously…. My personal 'bad stats' unfortunately just happen to be with people from Wisconsin

 

I appreciate everyones input so far. I'm glad to see so much realistic expectations. Keep on with the input, suggestions and scenarios!

[+save2600]

Haha, Sheepshead and meat raffles are huge here!

[Crazy Climber]

I like WI, I remember getting pulled over once and was a little worried I had no insurance. Cop said "we don't require insurance" I also got directions to the bar I was looking for, not bad

[20ohm20]

I was in Madison, WI for two and a half weeks in 2005. There was several great bars and restaurants on the isthmus and an unusually high amount of A&W's with car hop service within a hour drive away.

 

And I sampled cheese curds from almost every roadside stand between Madison and Prairie du Chien.

[Greg2600]

I personally just go based on who sends a PM first, and if they decline, I go to the next in line.

[Bixler]

This thread has been relatively informative, thanks from the vets here! I'm planning on putting a few things up here for sale, so this thread has been valuable to me.

[Stan]

Generally I go by who responds first. I'll check the thread by following, and see if anyone said "I'd like X" before someone talked about anything via PM, and vice versa. Always verify times first. It can be irritating, but it will save you some hate mail. I generally give 1-2 days to respond if someone shows interest. But if two do at the same time, I'll make sure they both know it, especially if one gives a higher offer, but I try to avoid the whole secret bidding thing.