Had my first bad selling experience, am I the bad guy Here?

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/27/2019 at 21:29 • Filed to: Selling

The GSX is sold and sold for just a little less than I advertised. The transaction went smooth and I’m happy to see it gone.

(Lede photo is an ad that made me chuckle because of the misspelling of “Enduro”)

Normally when I post something for sale I’ll get tons of messages. People will say they’ll show up and take it away, give me a deposit, and so on. Most of these people never show up, so I never put all my eggs into that basket. If you ask me to hold it, I may if I think you’re a motivated buyer. Outside of that, I don’t care if you’re trying to offer a deposit, first come, first serve.

So, one of today’s guys says he’ll drop by around 9p and if he likes it he’ll give me a $100 deposit then pick up the bike on Saturday. I tell him okay. Now, note that I didn’t tell him I’m holding it for him.

The guy I sold it to made it to my apartment before I even did, right on the dot at 6.

About an hour after I sold it he asks me if I sold it. I say yes. He passive aggressively responds with “Guess I’ll take back this trailer, thanks for nothing.”

I apologize then remind him that he said that he was going to maybe give me a deposit tonight. He didn’t say anything about bringing a trailer or taking it home. I’m not holding a bike on a *maybe* I’ll get a deposit. Had he mentioned that he was going to straight up buy it, I would have held it.

He gets angrier and tells me that asking to come by and maybe put down a deposit is the same as asking for it to be held, and how shitty of me to sell it from under him.

LOL okay. Look, I wanted to pick up that Sym Symba on Monday. That dude and I talked at length about bikes and he was even going to let me ride his BMW and his Harley. He marked it as sold before I got off work. I didn’t shed a tear. Why? Because that’s how this works. First come, first serve.

Realizing that this wasn’t going to go anywhere I just blocked him. Unfortunately, when you sell things Facebook creates a Messenger group, and apparently the blocked person can still send you messages. He gets out one last rant saying I fucked him over and how I’m a childish asshole for blocking him. Alright, so I left the chat.

Yep, definitely a guy I wanted to know where I live. Dude, it’s a $300 bike that doesn’t run and doesn’t have a title, it’s not that big of a deal...

Maybe I got this wrong. Am I the asshole here? Last I checked, you should assume everything on FB or CL is first come, first serve unless otherwise noted.

DISCUSSION (33)

MatisyahuSerious > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:34

sure managed to get a hold a trailer right quick, didn’t he?

My bird IS the word > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:36

Unless he had already left his house as you told him you sold it, he can get bent. He also "got a trailer" before he even knew if he wanted it, and well before he said he'd come pick it up.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:36

Dude is an asshole. You did what I would have done.

Mercedes Streeter > MatisyahuSerious
03/27/2019 at 21:38

Also came up with $200 more real quick lol

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:38

He did it to himself. If I tell you I want to bring a trailer, and that I ask that you hold it until I can at least make an offer, then that’s different. But if I tell you I want to see it then get mad because I “got a trailer” then that’s on me for not telling you I got a trailer ready.

BJ > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:40

Sounds like your garden-variety asshole. I don’t see anything wrong with what you did. I assume you messaged him to say “Sorry, bike is sold” so that he didn’t end up coming over at 9pm? If that’s the case, you did everything right as best as I can tell - from your version of the events, in any case!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:47

No, you are definitely a jerk. You could even become POTUS.

Seriously though, sounds like this guy is lacking in the emotional intelligence department. When I’m interested in something I see on CL or Ebay, I communicate clearly and I don’t fool around. I’ll tell the seller, “Look, I know what I’m after and this looks like it. I only need to confirm.” Like that. And I’d definitely tell the seller I will be borrowing a trailer, and then communicate day-of, and on the way.

CTSenVy > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:49

It’s amazing he has a trailer and the whole price after it’s sold....

Mercedes Streeter > BJ
03/27/2019 at 21:49

Oh, the bike was sold by 6:30 and I marked it as such. He messaged me at 7:19 after getting the sold notification.

U-Haul closes at 7, so apparently he took it upon himself to rent a trailer. Then I guess he was going to wait until 9 to drop by.

Again... that’s after telling me no more than he’s going to give me a deposit (IF he likes it) and that he'd tell me when he was ready to come over . Not only did he not inform me of the trailer, but he made it seem like he was on his way... only about two hours early.

Ssfancyfresh > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:53

The dudes an asshole. Money talks. Bullshit walks. That’s the game. The end. There’s no crying in baseball.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 21:56

You’re not wrong, and you’re not an asshole.

Mercedes Streeter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2019 at 21:57

Oh yeah, s ame here. I tell the seller the time I’ll be there, the price I’d like to pay, and ask for their address. I don’t like nasty surprises like them not wanting to accept my offer or whatever.

I also never ask them to hold it for me. In f act I tell them not to. I never know when my car may take a crap (like mine did last night) or some emergency may happen between now and then, so I specifically say if someone beats me to it, sell it.

Good to know I'm not entirely crazy. I've been selling bikes like this for a while and this is the first time someone's taken offense to it.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:04

I mean maybe you could’ve told him you had another guy coming to look at it before him and that its first come first serve, but eh, this guy probably would’ve gave you a hard time anyway. $100 deposit and pick up on Sunday would not have meant “I’m picking up a trailer today” to me.

Some people think the world revolves around them and expect everyone else to read their minds . This guy is in the same vein of people who try to use expired coupons and then complain about their customer service. Like I said, probably better off not dealing with that guy. I bet if you sold to him you would have gotten a bunch of angry messages like “oh man this $300 bike isn’t as advertised gimme my money back.”

smobgirl > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:19

He sounds like one of those people who would show up with the trailer but a fraction of the cash and expect you to sell it to them for what they brought, just because they drove all the way over there. You were perfectly fine.

ranwhenparked > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:24

“Maybe I’ll come over and put down a deposit” is nowhere near the same as putting down a deposit. No cash down, no hold. No one has any right to expect you to turn down a cash sale to a motivated buyer on a vague promise that they might show up and put something down.

What if you had held it for him out of goodwill, and he flaked out (as Craigslist buyers often do), and turned down a couple of actually serious buyers in the meantime? You wanted the thing sold and gone.

I recently tried to sell some of my surplus watches that I never wear on eBay, gave up and delisted everything after a couple of days because of all the annoyances from tire kickers.

And the last thing I “ sold” successfully on CL was the stair lift the previous owner left in the house, and that was because I gave in and marked it free just to get it gone. Even then, there were people coming out of the woodwork demanding more detailed photos, asking if I was providing any sort of warranty, if I could guarantee that it would hold their obese mother in law, etc.

Merfthemadmauler > Ssfancyfresh
03/27/2019 at 22:39

Unless you’re a Mariners fan.

Future Heap Owner > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:40

I’ll bet he was neither on his way nor in possession of a trailer, but just wanted to complain & vent and so making it sound like you’ve *so* inconvenienced him helps him self-justify it.

WilliamsSW > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:52

There’s an asshole in this story, and it’s not you.

You sell to the first buyer who pays cash in hand. You would be nuts to hold it for a rando that says he might give you a deposit if he likes it. Fuck him.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:55

Hell no you’re not the bad guy here. First come, first served. How many people have we had tell us they were on their way with cash , only to ghost us? Dozens!

phenotyp > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 22:55

Hold it for a “maybe” deposit? Uh, yeah. Hold it until someone shows up with money and buys it.

You don’t have anything to worry about, here. As long as this jerk manages to let it go, like a grownup should.

Chariotoflove > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 23:56

He doesn’t seem to understand how this marketplace thing works. If you want to insulate yourself a little more in the future, you can remember to explicitly say that the item is still first come first served until you actually have that deposit in hand.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Mercedes Streeter
03/27/2019 at 23:56

I mean, I get why he’s pissed, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong. I think you’re in the right. It’s a dumb thing to get pissed over.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 00:48

He’s the asshole. I was trying to buy a Volvo wagon once upon a time and told the seller I could come right that minute or as soon as they wanted me to, to wherever they wanted. They said only Saturday morning would work, but that was a few days later, but that no one else was interested at that point. Somehow, despite no other hits, and me wanting to go buy it sooner, they sold it out from under me. I was not pleased about that. They even specified the time to meet that morning, and I was early!

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 00:48

whew.. misread and thought you took the deposit before selling it to someone else

glad i double checked before calling you an asshole for that lol

sucks for moody mcgrumpybum but... no money down = first come first serve

pip bip - choose Corrour > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 03:24

other party is being the dick for carrying on, you did nothing wrong

Pickup_man > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 09:20

I’ve been in that guy’ s shoes, having something sold that I thought was being held for me* and it really sucks, but that’s how it works. Unless the buyer specifically asks for it to be held, and the seller confirms, it’s the first to show up with cash. You’re definitely not the buy guy here, and that guy sounds like an ass.

*Although in my case I told them I would %100 buy it, I just couldn’t pick it up until the weekend because it was 6 hours away. Good thing I checked in before I left because it was sold and he never bothered to tell me.

BJ > Future Heap Owner
03/28/2019 at 09:22

For sure - he sounds like a garden-variety asshole that needs to make others feel bad because he suffered a minor inconvenience or upset.

razorbeamteam > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 09:49

No way, that guy is an asshat. How are you supposed to hold anything without money in your hand? Selling things online is the worst, and I’ve learned that you have to be kindof a dick to counter all the other dicks out there being dicks. You sold the bike which was your goal, I would say that’s 100% successful . Clearly that dude has issues anyway.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 10:22

They only way you are the bad guy is if he asked if it was still for sale after you took a deposit and lied to him. I always double check before I leave the house to save the trip.

I usually tell people when I have other’s lined up for a sale. That way they understand it’s first come, first serve.

I don’t hold or take deposits though. Show up with the cash if you are serious. If you like it and we strike a deal, the deal is only good if you show up with the cash first.

Mercedes Streeter > Future next gen S2000 owner
03/28/2019 at 10:24

The weird thing is he actually asked early on that morning if there were other people interested. I said there was a ton of interest but nobody set a time just yet. The buyer who stopped by before he did set a time around noon. He knew he wasn’t the only one interested, h e just expected me to hold it for him.

JSOOBS > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 10:59

Should have called him and gave him opportunity

Mercedes Streeter > JSOOBS
03/28/2019 at 11:06

CalzoneGolem > Mercedes Streeter
03/28/2019 at 14:10

Must’ve been this guys first CL transaction.