Not sold one for a while and had blanked-out how many nutters there are out there!

Now stuck with one who special buyer who clicked buy at the sale price and is now saying I agreed to a much lower offer he made. eBay saying I have to wait 10 days for him to agree to cancellation of sale.

Can I relist it straight away?

I sold a car on buy it now, two knuckle draggers turned up for a test drive, I forcibly informed them they’d bought it, they complained to my wife that I was a violent individual.
They paid up and drive away.

I put a couple of items on Facebook marketplace this morning.

Of the 15 odd massages I have had, three had a go at me for being so far away (!), one hasn’t turned up before lunch, one is now 20 minutes late, one asked if I would deliver to her 100 miles away (it’s a £40 phone…) and one had agreed to buy, changed her mind, then messaged me again, then realised it was same person, so backed out, and has just messaged me again…

Ffs.

I remember when selling a car was easy – buy a copy of Parker’s Price Guide (or just have a look at a copy in a newsagents) to find out what your car is worth then stick an advert in your local free rag and wait for the calls to come in. Have two or three people take test drives and get a couple of offers – invariably there would be one offer that was absurd and another that was reasonable. Agree the price, sign a couple of bits of paper and count the cash as you wave off the bag of shit you’ve just sold and hope it rounds the corner without going up in smoke.

I used to buy and sell cars for fun back in the 80s but I couldn’t do with the hassle these days.

I was just gearing up to sell my car and remembering just how much of a pain in the bum it is, how there’s plenty of idiots about and how everyone wants to pull your pants down so was not looking forward to it in the slightest. Then my pal said he’d buy it 🙂

Moving to a lease as I just can’t be bothered with the hassle of older cars.

In order of hassle (least to most)

eBay
Facebook
Gumtree

I has a bike listed on Gumtree, it was an old Genesis hardtail. Really accurate listing. It was listed for £100. A guy drove down from Dundee (200 mile round trip), rode it on my street for 10 seconds, declared the brakes to not be good enough*. I offered to fit some new pads for him but no, just drove away. No haggling, no chat, just left.

*the brakes were perfectly working

matt_outandabout
I put a couple of items on Facebook marketplace this morning.
Of the 15 odd massages I have had,

Surely that’s for a different thread?

Not just cars. I sold a fold out bed for a stomper high sleeper a few years back. Fairly bulky only wanted it to go to a good home so said it had to be picked up in person as it was about 1 metre square in size. Had loads of randoms asking if I’d post etc. etc.

Eventual winner, without telling me, arranged for a courier to pick it up. First I knew was a knock at the door asking to pick up the package. Lots of confusion. Contacted the seller and she got properly stroppy with me. Anyway told her I was cancelling the sale unless she arranged to collect it in person in the next week. No response so I relisted it. Within 10 minutes had a shit o’gram from her moaning at me. Lots of odd people around.

Eventual buyer phoned and picked it up from the next town over and paid cash. So there are some sane people out there.

I can see why the like of WeBuyAnyCar do so well – unfortunately this car doesn’t fit in their ideal box.

Maybe, just a reflection of the. Nutters out there.

I remember before the internet or anything useful like that, having to give people directions to your house. Down the hill from the cross roads, first left, go past the pub on your RHS, turn right, second on your left, then an immediate left. We’re the house with the yellow garage door and the big fir tree out the front.

People didn’t have mobiles either so it was always fun waiting in on the weekend/evening for some random to turn up. If you were really lucky someone would phone from a payphone explaining they were lost. Then trying to understand where the payphone was.

I put a couple of items on Facebook marketplace this morning.

Of the 15 odd massages I have had, three had a go at me for being so far away (!), one hasn’t turned up before lunch, one is now 20 minutes late, one asked if I would deliver to her 100 miles away (it’s a £40 phone…) and one had agreed to buy, changed her mind, then messaged me again, then realised it was same person, so backed out, and has just messaged me again…

Ffs.

😀

I just look at it as light entertainment, they’re part of my life for a fleeting moment, they have to spend there whole life being them.
I find Facebook marketplace far worse than eBay for special people, although I did have someone a couple of weeks ago ask me “how much for delivery?”, odd as delivery was included, oh no, for some reason (didn’t dare ask) he couldn’t pay via PayPal etc, he wanted me to personally deliver the item and he’d pay me for the trouble in cash, he was in Plymouth, I’m in Cheshire. I politely declined his offer.

The last car I sold (before I went onto leases) was in 2003 (IIRC, might have been 2004) and an entire grown-up family rocked up, four of them in an older Merc. They drove all the way from the north of Scotland to Harrogate to view the car which was listed on Ebay. They bought it without even test-driving it and paid cash – I was slightly nervous about paying it in as much of it was in Scottish notes so I wasn’t as familiar with them for spotting forgeries.

Never heard another word from them so I assume they managed to get it back okay.

When selling an old golf had one buyer click to pay the agreed price. I had priced it pretty low to get rid. It was high mileage and had a couple of stone chips on the bonnet, which I had referred to in the description and added specific photos of. Buyer came up from Reading to Derbyshire on the train and I met her at the station. She proceeded to advise she knew nothing of the mileage or stone chips. We revisited the advert but she actually closed her eyes and refused to look at the ad on my phone. She wanted me to take half of what we agreed. In fairness I would have happily knocked her a ton or so off just to get rid of them both! She then tried to suggest she had only purchased a single train ticket and thought I should get her return fair. And stormed off in a huff to get her own ticket home. It made me wish I checked her purchase history out prior to agreeing to meet her as this seemed to entirely consist of stuffed toys and breast enhancement pills. The latter weren’t working. I gave up after that.

I’d always sell on eBay over Facebook. Even though I have to pay.

Facebook is:

“Wots the lowest you’ll go”
“Will u deliva to me” (lives 50 miles away)
“I can’t afford £50, will you take £15”
“Do you want 2 swop for a PS3 and sum games”
“I promise I want it” – wait in for them not to turn up and then they block you.

I tried to sell a couple of sofas on Facebook. Nowt wrong with them. A few years old. Wanted £20. Had people come to view them, people asking for delivery before seeing them, people asking for them for £10.
Gave them to charity in the end. They stuck them in the local shop for £50 and managed to sell them.

I sold a cat c fiesta which had been badly repaired to a lad who travelled from Scotland via ebay. I met him on the m6 by Crewe.

Didn’t expect him to turn up.
He hadn’t seen the car.
Said the shoddy body repair was “a minor detail”
Paid in cash and drove off.

I was happy.

sofabed on Gumtree. nightmare.
“definitely buy it” turns in to – “lift didn’t happen” or “changed my mind” to ….
Eventually sold to nice guy from other side of town, local Specsavers manager (yes, I know..)

“definitely buy it” turns in to – “lift didn’t happen” or “changed my mind” to ….

It’s even worse when it’s Freegle – I could put any old shit on there and you can guarantee the usual suspects will say ‘I’ll definitely have it’ then not turn up – they just say yes to everything as soon as it’s listed then take their time to see if the item has any value for car boot sales / Ebay etc. I now keep tabs of all my offers and won’t offer to these time wasters.

I’ve used Facebook marketplace the last week to shift some music making bits and a couple of computer parts, all gone within a couple of hours. By comparison I used Facebook to try and sell some higher end PC parts (cpu, motherboard, ram) and it felt like I spent a week wading through a sea of utter f**kwits:

“wud you tak £50 and my broken pit bike?”
“I can get a lowr spec for cheaper, wots ur lowest price m8?”
“swop for a non runner sakso with mods m8?”

Gave up and put it on eBay, sold it for asking price in a day.

Then again I tried to sell some camera bits on eBay and got nothing but messages from people making stupid lowball offers and hacked accounts wanting to know “my final best price” and shipping to various parts of Africa or Asia. Gave up and traded it in instead.

Here’s my story.

I’m 47 and after 28 years driving I’m on my fourth car. Run them to scrap. Cheap and stress free. Why would you sell them? Maintain and look after them until a fault that exceeds book, simple.

Similar philosophy with bikes, keep replacing the components until the frame breaks. Got a lovely collection now all the way back to my 1991 Clockwork. Dealing with the public? No thanks!

It’s the cheapest and best way to motor.

I’ve had a few more cars than Waderider (on my 8th, but I am a bit older too). I kind of agree – early days car was just traded in, then I had —
* stolen (295GTI)
* sold to colleague (Golf GTI)
* written off after a RTC (Saab 900)
* sold for scrap value to mechanic (Saab 900)
I’m not sure the book value stuff works though, the book value of the last Saab was bouncing off £100 for the last couple of years and managed to keep going. Better the devil you know and all that. But a pile of faults built up that, in isolation were OK but together – should have sold on a couple of years before it died. Not helped by a very lenient MOT test station..

Agreed about the bikes though. I seem to acquire them and not sell (have given a frame away though and one is hanging in shed).

I listed a paypal card reader on eBay.
New (Other) as I’d bought it new a few years back but never used it, had just sat in its case in a drawer.
Put up about 6 or 7 high res close ups pics on the listing.

Buyer is claiming it’s in terrible condition and somehow the eBay returns thing wants me to pay return postage? Maybe because it’s “not as described”. I’ve asked them to send photos of the bits in terrible condition so we’ll see what comes through.

Just checked his profile and he leaves more negative reviews than positive ones. Drama-llama.

As above – buy a car, use it forever, fix it when it needs it, eventually scrap it. Start again.

190k mile Volvo
110k Transhit

I sold an old Polo GTi on ebay. Loads of pictures and accurate description. They were meant to pick it up on a Saturday morning. I had loads to do that day and they rocked up 2 hours late, so they were hardly endearing themselves to me, to begin with. I look out of the window and see 2 trackie-clad scrotes by the car parked outside clearly rehearsing some kind of routine.

They then proceed with a variety of teeth-sucking, tyre-kicking bullshit and then offered me a lot lower price than their winning bid (on which there had been loads of bids).

Already being in a foul mood from being kept hanging around by these pair of chav chancers all morning, I think my exact words were “I’ll tell you what mate… why don’t you **** off back to whichever shithole you’ve just crawled here from and stop wasting my ****ing time, you ****ing little ****!”

I then went to get in touch with the next highest bidder and it turns out its his scrote mate who was there with him. WTF is that all about?

I would never even contemplate selling a car on ebay ever again

Rnp, that volvo sounds almost run in . .

This thread made me realise I’ve probably owned more cars than average. I think I’ve managed 28 so far…lol

Why would you sell them?

Because it’s my late mother-in-laws and surplus to requirements.

Does no one use autotrader?

If not why not?

It’s the wanabe traders that got my blood boiling. Selling mrsdts golf was a pita. Stupid offers, picking out every single little thing. Me “it has a iPod connection” him “don’t like apple stuff” it was a mid range golf with 130k and had been used as a toddler taxi for 3 years, as described. one bloke, try hard trader, was teaching his son the business at the time. Firm offer after first viewing, by text from the lad. Turns up for second test drive dad makes second lower offer. Just such a bunch of …

It’s a total minefield. I sold my van just before lockdown , price agreed and I was explicit that there was a load of interest and offers all at the asking price. Guy puts a £1k deposit down and travels up from Gloucester to Edinburgh. I pick him up in the van and he starts wanting to haggle price. So I drove him back to Haymarket and abandoned him! Sold it the next day for 2 grand more and returned his deposit as I’m a nice person, he was properly bent out of shape that I wouldn’t take less money than we had agreed.

Does no one use autotrader?

If not why not?

eBay – £15 to list

Basic Autotrader – £37.00 to list

Not sure you’d get any less scammers on Autotrader though.

Not had that much trouble sold a KA that the clutch was failing on for what was bid. Some lads came to see a focus I sold and tried to knock off hundred quid I just walked back into work and before I got to the door they agreed the bid price.

CBA to deal with people , so I sold my van to WBAC last week.
Got more than dealer was offering for trade in on the new one, but less than I would have if I sold privately ( VW T5). But then I would have had to have spent a bit on it to get it tip top .

When I’m getting rid of stuff for free on Facebook, I just tell them it’s in the front garden , whoever gets there first can have it .

Advertised a transit I didn’t need anymore. Lad turns up from 30 miles away has a look starts uming and ahhing gives me a low offer. I say no thanks he ups his offer I say sorry mate can’t let it go for that price he then tells me he can get one local to him thats minted and better than mine for the same price plus the seller will give him £100 back for luck!
I say that’s great. lock the van as he’s talking and say well why don’t u go and get it and walk away back into the house. He drives off and 5 mins later I get a txt message calling me a knob and that my vans a piece of shite not worth scrap money🤣 o how I pissed myself with laughter.
Sold the van the next day for just below asking price!
Some people are just dicks

We’ve got a lease car due soon (I say soon, I really have no idea since the BMW factory shut down for a while) which means I’ll have to sell a rather nice 3 year old Polo GTI.

I’m not looking forward to selling it, it’s in that awkward bracket of probably too expensive for a large proportion of the target market without finance. I might just take the hit and WBAC it.

I’m amazed how many people have work emergencies at 8pm at night, had 4 different people use that excuse last week. All good in the end though sold a 7 year old £130 bike for £110 to a guy who literally pulled up gave me the money and took the bike

The last car I sold: phone call from buyer, its very expensive (I think it was more than a grand over book price at nearly £6k instead of £4k). Yes thats what they are selling for. Asked for my best price and I took a fair chunk off to what I thought was realistic to tempt him to come and look. But stated thats my absolute lowest.

Came and drove it, test drive ended, tried a little haggling and I reminded him we did the ‘haggling’ on the phone. Again, its too expensive, so I pointed out there were currently none for sale in the south-east. I was quite surprised when the the wad of cash came out of the pocket! Strangely I’ve had it twice where they have asked if I can throw in any extras, perhaps its just nerves or something and they forget they are not talking to a dealer? Although mMndeo man did score himself a hatchbag boot liner that I was planning to sell separately.

So book price is cobblers, especially a few years ago when big fastish diesel estates were all the rage. (130TDCi Mondeo)

Sold a Seicento (the Inbetweeners car) last Friday.
2 lads turn up, one looks to be 15.
They’d agreed a price, £360, reduced from £400.
They handed over £260. When pointed out, they said sorry, its a mistake. And handed over another £80 rather than £100. Finally got the £20 when they had emptied their pockets of change.
One drove off in his car, the 15 yo got in the seicento, adjusted the seat, and eventually drove off. It looked like he hadnt driven before. 2 minutes later, hes back at the door, demanding his money back. Apparently, the mirrors were too small, so he couldnt see what was behind him. The TC didnt know the mirrors were adjustable. Once adjusted, he gave a thumbs up and drove off juddering up the road.

So book price is cobblers, especially a few years ago when big fastish diesel estates were all the rage. (130TDCi Mondeo)

You should have let him have it cheap to be fair. Knowing the 130 it will have ate its dual mass and injectors by the time he got it home! (previous owner here)

I sold two cars on Facebook market place.

I find the key is not to engage with anyone that doesn’t start with either sensible questions or pleasentrys

The one that start with. . whats your best price / *wot iz best prise m8*

Get ignored.

I priced them attractively so got decent amount of interest and just picked those that looked like they would get a sale – and people I would want to see where my house is as well….

Both sold to first viewer for nearly full asking price