Facebook selling and timewasters

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

I'm been selling a couple of drums of white FP 200 1.5 2c+E on Facebook, almost full drums just a yard or so used and at well below trade £30 each, collection only. I made all of this absolutely clear in the ad., but I have been inundated with endless and pointless enquiries, from people unable to read the simple basic details in the ad..

I used the words '£30 each' the buyer of one thought he would get both for that.

I explained the likely uses for FP, one enquirer had it in mind to wire his house internal lighting with it.

One enquirer expected me to measure it out for him, not happy with it 'just a yard or two short of full' - imagine running a near full drum of FP out, then trying to put it back on the reel. I said no chance. He then asked me how much it was, despite the ad. making that perfectly clear. So I replied what does the ad. state? He then had the audacity to call me rude, so he was no longer interested.

I must have at least ten enquiries, asking me where I am - Facebook, as part of the ad. shows a map, showing the sellers approximate location. Lots of enquiries asking 'is this still available', you answer 'YES' then hear no more from them.

I'm only selling, because I am unlikely to use it and to maybe do someone a bit of good, why is it so difficult?

I often give unwanted though useful items away, by putting them by my front gates with a not on 'free'. A couple of weeks ago, I put a 14" flat freeview screen TV out - that was gone in 5 minutes. Last week I put a smaller 12volt siilar flat screen set out, plus a couple hundred DVD's/ CD's. They were there two hours before anyone showed any interest - A woman in a newsish car circled back, pulled up at my gates, grabbed the lot, then sat there for a good half hour testing the TV and scanning through the DVD/CD's, putting back about 1/3 of them :-) The remaining third were taken ten minutes later.

A few months earlier, I decided a sort of polished wood Welsh dresser made the kitchen look oppresive and the upper part was removable, so I decided to remove it leaving just the drawers and cupboard part. I stored that upper part for a few weeks, before deciding to offer it for free at my gates, one Sunday morning. It sat there most of the day, until I spotted a couple taking an interest. Next thing I saw was the female lugging it away up the road, with the male alongside her :-)

[newshound]

<snipped>

I've started buying from Marketplace and might well sell a few bits and pieces. There are some good bargains, though other stuff where I'd only save a tenner on the Amazon price from a 50 mile round trip.

I'm finding increasingly that Amazon prices for smaller items and "consumables" are being easily beaten by new stuff advertised by UK dealers on eBay. I have been wondering whether Amazon's algorithms have decided from my purchase hitory that I am not particularly price-sensitive.

There will always be timewasters though. I remember helping my lad sell a car, I'd priced it to get it gone but some little tit had been watching TV sales and thought he'd make a clever offer. I just turned round and told my lad "We're off", followed by plaintive cries of "Come back!".

[Roger Hayter]

What's offensive about making a low offer? You only have to calmly say no.

[R D S]

Facebook is handy as a reminder of just how thick a fair chunk of the population are. I wonder when 'should of' will become acceptable English.

On the topic of selling I had a surplus wallpaper steamer. I'd once have offered this free, first come first serve but that turns into a feeding frenzy so I listed it at a token fiver. I'd described it as working and taken a pic of it producing steam but when a guy came to pick it up he insisted I demonstrated it working. I'd never appreciated how long it took to warm up. A watched pot and all that...

On the topic of steaming I also listed a food steamer (£5 again), the lady who asked for it kept putting off picking it up so I offered to drop it off, it's a small town, most parts are within a couple of minutes drive. She lived slightly out of town and omitted to mention that the main road was closed so it turned into a 10 mile round trip.

I've started going to the tip again with such stuff.

[Theo]

IMHO Facebook Marketplace as a buyer is a complete disaster. It's impossible to refine your search to target anything specific (like including or excluding particular words), the geographic search often fails (people list things under the nearest town but they're actually 10 miles away - and 'London' is a hopeless place to search for), the prices people put on listings are often lies, and the item details are often lies too[1]. And there's plenty of shady stuff there as well (fake new car and flat rental ads, for example).

[1] I was looking for an automatic car - many of the cars listed as automatic weren't, and some of the ones that weren't listed as auto were. I had to resort to looking at every listing's photos to check the gear stick.

You pay more at ebay but at least it's possible to filter sensibly, and you get some comeback as a private buyer if the thing isn't as described.

And Amazon is so full of Chinese no-brand junk that now I'm just buying it direct from China for half the price. (Aliexpress have a '10 day' delivery promise on some listings that I'm trying out. 5 days so far and my package is now with the airline).

Theo

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

People do not read what they see these days. I'm not sure if its always been the case, but I suspect it has, its just that more things need to be read these days. Look at all the problems you get on here with answers that miss one vital point of the question? Brian

[newshound]

It wasn't offensive, it was stupid. I didn't even waste my energy saying no. After that he paid my asking price.

[newshound]

I agree, the search engine is not too good, but the geographic search seems OK in Gloucestershire.

Still a lot easier than it was in the days of Exchange & Mart.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

on 22/07/2021, Brian Gaff (Sofa) supposed :

Typing a question is very different to reading. When writing, I often miss words out completely, when my head sometimes gets ahead of my fingers formulating the words. So I recheck ads and edit if necessary. If an ad. is short and clearly written, there should be no reason to re-ask for answers already mentioned in the ad. other than to confirm, or enlarge on a point.

[Peter Johnson]

Despite being a regular FB user I'd not been aware of FB marketplace. For low value stuff that might have some use or larger items that can't be posted I use Gumtree, where most buyers like to haggle or make an offer so I price accordingly. Got rid of two office desks that way recently. Never used it to buy though.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. Sadly it does get to be the case that new stuff is so cheap that its hardly worthwhile recycling the old

[ARW]

Because people are pricks.

Say 10m had been cut off each, that's still £90 worth of cable on each drum.

[Andrew]

About 50% IMHO. Frightening to think that these people can vote too.

[newshound]

Just chatting to my lad who lives in London, Gumtree is also his prefered choice both for buying and selling.

[ARW]

They can also start producing kids (legally) two years before they are allowed to vote. Far more worrying IMHO.