I’m a bit confused. I’m trying to sell a cheap little runaround car on Gumtree and the only responses I get are from complete time wasters. They seem to fully arrange a meet to look at the car and then never turn up. I am missing something, is this a new hobby for people?

Same on Facebook market place, we’ve had a bit of a clear out and change of old furniture. Advertising stuff for basically free to help someone out, and of the 5 or 6 people to organise a time to come. Not a single person. And no explanation as to why, I want to be incredibly rude to these people but the wife, wisely won’t let me.

Try Freecycle then – even when I am literally giving things away I get time wasters. People ask stupid questions (ie, will I deliver it for them, is it in perfect condition etc) and half the time they don’t turn up when they say they will – I assume these are the professional Freecyclers that simply say ‘yes’ to everything as soon as they see a post to get first dibs on it, then decide if it worth their effort to come and collect it (then doubtlessly sell on on Ebay or Car Boot sales)…

I now have a mental list of users I won’t gift to as they just ask for anything I offer.

Advertising stuff for basically free to help someone out, and of the 5 or 6 people to organise a time to come. Not a single person.

Had similar, between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 of the ‘definitely interested’ actually show up…

Whts yr bst £m8?

And Pinkbike. Trying to buy a bike on there is impossible.
Does no one realise I can see that they’ve read my message? All they have to do is say it’s sold.

Whts yr bst £m8?

CaSh wAitiNg .

I am always polite with the time wasters and send them odd follow up messages.
“Sorry you couldn’t make it tonight,hope the dog’s ok”
😉

Whts yr bst £m8?

So true.

I always leave a conversation as text me when your setting off and I will give you the address that seems to do a slight filter, I’m also irrationally unsure about strangers having my address

In fact from now on I’m going to blame time wasters for the state of the planet as it’s easier to throw stuff away than sell it

Freecycle is superb entertainment.

I inherited a pretty decent and massive trampoline (larger than the usual chav ones). Put it on there saying “collector will need to disassemble and will need large van” … of course the toss pot turns up late by about 2 hours (so it’s now dark) in some shitty little Corsa and expects me to take it apart for him.

I also like it when people ask on there for iPhones, XBoxes etc ‘preferably with some guarantee left’ … yeah like anyone’s going to give that away ?!

In fact from now on I’m going to blame time wasters for the state of the planet as it’s easier to throw stuff away than sell it

Sad, but true….

I wanted to get rid of some radiators with valves we took out of our house. Still very usable. I listed them on Freecycle and got nothing so listed on Gumtree at the same time and someone came and paid £40 for them and was well chuffed.
Weird.

Freecycle is superb entertainment.

LOL yes – I Freecycled a load of old fencing (like about 150 metres of 6ft high boarded stuff) and told people they would need large cars and/or tools to dismantle it as it was still mainly in 2 metre lengths (post to post). I had a couple of wise old guys wanting it for their allotments that turned up in shitty old cars and shitty old clothes ready to dismantle and take what they needed. Then I had a young couple rock on up in a tiny Fiat 500, dressed like they were going for a night out and without any tools. I lent them a crow bar and a lump hammer and left them to it. About 15 minutes later (and without taking anything) they disappeared again.

Numpties.

I also like it when people ask on there for iPhones, XBoxes etc ‘preferably with some guarantee left’

Agreed – we have a guy who constantly asks for hifi equipment and once had a woman asking for a MacBook Pro that her daughter ‘needed’ to do a photography course.

I wanted to get rid of some radiators with valves we took out of our house. Still very usable. I listed them on Freecycle and got nothing so listed on Gumtree at the same time and someone came and paid £40 for them and was well chuffed.
Weird.

weird indeed my Scandinavian alloy.

reminds me of the apocryphal story of the guy who put an old table and chairs outside with a sign saying ‘free to a good home’. It didn’t move for days so he put a new sign saying ‘antique table and chairs £75’ and it disappeared inside an hour…

The sellers can be just as funny/optimistic both on freecycle and on facebook.

I was after some rubble and paving slabs to go under a shed base. Figured someone (or hopefully several) would have ordered a couple of tons and only needed a bag and a bit of it so I could collect a trailer full. Found loads of photos of dodgy walls and patios with “rubble, buyer to dismantle, must be gone by monday as the builders are arriving (and we obviously saved a few grand by saying it would be cleared for them)”.

Same applies to rotten sheds and corroded/smashed greenhouses.

There’s a line between getting rid of stuff you don’t need, and expecting someone to do your DIY for you.

Not really had any issues with Gumtree.

Sold a set of unused car tyres and got a decent price for them.
Sold my Xbox 360 no problem
Gave away an old table and chairs and a bloke turned up with a van when he said he would.

Bought some second hand garden toys for my daughter
Each transaction was hassle free.

Unless its something that would benefit from a wider audience – like bike stuff – I’d far rather use Gumtree than eBay.

Try Facebook marketplace.
Will you take £20?
It’s up for £100 and that’s a good price
I’m a single mum and need it for a Christmas present…
Just one example
There are genuine/normal folk on there (and gumtree) cos I’ve bought and sold but you have to be dead lucky to find one.

On Sunday evening we bought a bed from Facebook Marketplace – it was up for £115, we offered £100. She agreed, stating we had to collect before next weekend. I went straight round after work on Monday, dismantled it and carried it down two flights of stairs. She was lovely, offering tea etc and we chatted about our kids (we both have two under 11 yr olds). I cleaned up after myself, paid her and said thank you. We got a great bed at a good price, she got a courteous buyer who managed to to not make a single mark on any of her paintwork and left her house as I found it, taking my shoes off at the door and respecting her property.

It’s not all bad 🙂

Never try Shpock! I swear it’s just full of bots programmed to say “Is it still available?”.

It’s how Skynet started I reckon…

It’s not all bad 🙂

Wait for “I’ve been offered the full £115, can they collect it from you”.

I swear it’s just full of bots programmed to say “Is it still available?”.

The problem with facebook is the sequence of clicks that you would expect to bring up a text box to type in, actually just sends that. I know I’ve ended up sending that when just clicking through stuff. Multiply by millions of users and you’ve got a constant stream of timewasting.

The mad swap offers are my favourite on Gumtree. I mistakenly tried to sell a bike on there once and was offered a fishing rod and (I quote) a really nice torch. Managed to string him along for a bit with random torch questions.

Those were the days……

Wonder what I can list that will attract the mad people so that I can have fun 🧐

The daft offers on Gumtree amuse me. I have some very nice Leica binocs on for £275 (over £400 new) & had a message that just said ‘£200’. Or the buyer in America who’ll pay over the odds……

“i am not a time waster, will be there tomorrow at 6pm”

8pm the next day…

Relist it

I was selling a frame on eBay, and someone offered to swap me their broken (!) frame for it.

I’d wonder what’s going on in these ****ing peoples’ heads, but Brexit has made it all too abundantly clear, as if it wasn’t before…

Haha, some great tales in this thread! I can definitely relate to the inappropriate vehicle one. When we renovated our house there was a big solid wood cabinet in the kitchen that was old but in great nick and seemed good quality. I put it on gumtree for free explaining “van and tools required” etc. Lad was late and I had to pop out so my dad was in doing some decorating.. he was raging when I got back.. lad turned up in an old Rover Metro and no tools 😂

Just as many clowns on eBay IMO. Recently put an iPad on there for sale. 2 days in someone messages me “Plz sell it 2 me”. FFS just FRO and *(&*ing bid on it like everyone else.

As for the Gummytree, I’d only buy stuff I can look over properly on collection. Wouldn’t risk any electricals etc.

And another one tonight, supposed to be here to collect 11 minutes ago. If they do turn up I’m tempted to send em away for poor time keeping