mabey not. I have bought and sold a whole buncha cars in my time, and I hate being on the receiving end of the haggle. I tend to shop in my price range, and either want the car for what it is listed, or do not want it at all. if I cannot pay the price the owner wants for it, I will save until I can. if it goes before I can buy it, such is life. if it's too much, it either means it's outta my league, or the seller isn't someone I would like to do business with. Now, at a swap meet, I am a terrorist. but lets face it. more often than not, it's an impulse buy.
I had that problem with my truck, had it for sale in the driveway for about a month, finally a guy stops, walks right up and opens the door, with me working just inside the garage, i walk up and ask if i could help him, he asks me a few questions about the truck, after i show him all the in's and out's, show him how well it runs and back it up and drive down the driveway he ask's if i can go get my dad so they can talk buisness, i tell him, "Sir, the truck is mine." he looks at me with a bit of discust and then says, "I'm not going to buy a car off a damn kid, like you know what your doing" & starts to walk back to his benz. I was 18, and i ended up selling the truck for about twice my asking price, so in the end, we live around dorks in this world.
tire kickers got me a time or two....just recently sold my 66 tradtional truck on ebay...guy hit reserve...then after it sells he starts calling with questions, and there was 23 pics on the auction...he drives donw walks up and said ...I don't think I will take it...the interior is not right and its not done....he thought they came with leather everywhere from the facotry back then... the auctin ever stated that is was original in side with carpet and repo seat cover....he sadi not they came with leather...WTF...he never opend the doors or asked to hear it run...all he was interested in was what kind of tools and equipment I had in my shop... and he knew I was going to be gone for a few days...I had to get people tpo watch this place like a hawk...it amzes me how some people think ebay is not real...and why would you bid on something you didn't know what it was....
I had a guy dicking me around for an afternoon on a ot 62 vw I had for sale, roll cage, 912 mtr, Berg 5 spd etc, I had way too much into it for a vw. Anyway he brings his girlfriend over to look at it, meanwhile a local I hadn't met from the brit bike club stops by while the tire kicker was rubbing his chin. The local asks how much I'd take? I told him $2500, he asks if I would take a check and he would be back in a hour with cash. - Deal - The tire kicker just about cried, "but I was here first looking at it". I replied I really don't have the time for you to grow a pair and make a decision, you lost your place in line, so quit your crying its sold!
When I sell I list my things at a very fair but firm price, and people get mad when I dont want to haggle with them. I mean I am selling stuff for what I paid or sometimes lately less than what I have in them and they are still trying to talk me down. I think Im gonna start asking double what I want then maybe they will feel like they got one hell of a deal when they "talk" me down to half price.
here a good story: spotted a VERY nice 46 Ford Fordor sedan at Back to the 50's. It was a super nice looking/running car at a very good price. Johnny was FIRM on his price. I looked at it from a distance for two days and it was still for sale. I talked with him in length and grew more impressed with the car. Finally, I asked about the price. FIRM. I promised to come right back with my buddy. I am certain he felt I was just another BSer. In fifteen minutes, we were back. I asked Johnny for the "be back" discount, nope, FIRM. I paid the price. Afterwards, many folks commented on what a nice car it was and how they would have bought it if the guy would have negotiated with them. It was worth MORE than he was asking, so what is the problem? Sometimes you just have to step up
I've been in this business for 25 years selling merchandise at car shows ,swap meets and out of my house .Now I understand why I am so burned out .I have lived through all these and a few dozen more. Hear are a few of my observations . The higher the price ,the bigger the ego , the easier the ego gets hurt ! How does the same car wind up with stories of how the seller made a killing and the buyer stole it on the same car ! Why does anyone deserve a discount just for showing up. There are four ways people try to affect the selling price of a car Become your new best freind Piick out every flaw on it to knock down the price Cry poverty *Have the buyer and seller show a little respect to each other make a fair deal for both parties and maybe make a new freind out of the Deal. The is an ass for every seat. Thank you all you just saved me a therapy session !
Congrats there!!!! You just saved a very cool ride from a total jerk!!!! He's just real lucky you didn't blacken both eyes!!!
yea me too, i did it for 18 yrs 2 wks 8 hrs 27 min but hey whos countin, glad im doin sumptin else now
Im with you on this one man. OT bike here too. Lady comes to see it for $1500 and asks me if I'll take 750$ for it. I say "sure I'll sell it for that. which one do you want?" She says "what do you mean?" I say "well you want to pay half the price so I'll sell you half the bike. Do you want engine/trans, or just the rolling chassis?" I could just see the knives shooting out of her eyes at me. It was funny as hell. I think im gonna do that more often. Just sit on what you got to sell (If you can afford to wait) and your guy (or girl) will come around to buy it. -GothY-
So many stories. Everyone is a lesson. Here's another lesson. If you make a deal to trade from 12 hours away and meet at the halfway point, make you sure you tell the guy if he backs out he's handing you at least $500 to cover your losses. Especially if he got 50 HUGE pix. and got told about every detail of the car before hand, during the hours of phone conversation over the previous 2 weeks. Talk about long distance tire kicking. I guess he would have got punched in the neck if flh4speed or Junior was there. HAHA. I guess I'm just too mellow. I turned around and drove home.
Not a car but an add-on heater from an unkown 1940's car. It was a bitchin' chrome heater with mother of pearl handles and I even had the light-up control switch. All in perfect condition. It sat on a shelf in my garage for years. On a trip to the Pomona swap meet I toss it in the truck figuring it's worth at least a $100 bill. Guy comes up while I'm unloading and offers me 1/2 the money I told him. I tell him no, he walks away. Hour later he's back, says he'll still take it for the $50. I say "No you won't" He came back 5 or 6 more times that day. Finally I told him "I wouldn't sell it to YOU for $500" The next morning he comes to my stall and says "It's Sunday, everything is always 1/2 price" I grab the heater and act like I'm going to hand it to him, then I drop it by his feet and gave it a stomp. I said "there's a $50 heater" He says "what did you do that for, I would have given you the full price" then he pulls out $50, hands it to me, picks up the heater and leaves.
I was selling a truck for $800 on craigslist. The ad specifically said $800 non-negotiable. I had a guy call and ask if I would take $600, I asked would you pay $1200. He got the hint and started counting out $800..
OK. An OT one. My dad used to do flea market crap when he'd find decent stuff to make some extra cash. He'd buy the kids bicycles or take us on vacation with the cash. He wasn't greedy. Just wanted some fast cash and never had much problem getting his stuff sold fast. We were at a local market and this woman comes up and picks up a little cut crystal glass. I think it was part of a punch bowl set or something. She went crazy about seeing it. She tells the old man she has the bowl and the ladle and 7 glasses and this will be the last one to complete the set that took 20 years to find. My old man had a huge smile and said to give him $3 for it. She starts to haggle. She wanted it for $1. He told her 3 again or he would smash it on the rocks. She said $1 and he tossed it. I hope she has another 20 years to shop.
If you hate people you are in the wrong buisness, your stuff is kind of pricey from what I have seen and you always manage to chime in on these threads,pissed, Is your stuff for sale or are you lookin to get lucky? I hope you get lucky, but dont get pissed every time you dont. sorry just my .02 Now let me have it if you must
I used to deal loads of '65-'67 Chevy parts, whole cars to any part you can imagine. I had a '66 nose for sale at a reasonable $200 and some guy walks up and starts telling me its for a '67 Chevy, not a '66. It took a few minutes of back and forth, but I got rid of the idiot. If I didn't like a potential buyer's looks or attitude, I'd tell them that I have a deposit on the car/item and if the deal falls through I'd be glad to call them. I'd rather give something away than take a ration of shit for giving some undeserving half wit what I thought was a decent deal. Bob
I am dealing with "wheel kickers" lately. I have been trying to sell a set of seriously OT wheels for my teenage son and I never realized how many flakes there can be on Craigslist. These wheels came on his OT Mustang and had to come off ASAP as they were a bit too "blingy". I get a lot of hits on them that come to me in the form of "textspeak" or are so incoherent that I can only assume the morning's meth has kicked in. Definitely don't want these guys coming by the house to pick them up. You tell a guy the bottom dollar and they disappear. I am to the point of slipping them out to the dump and just giving my kid the money out of my hot rod fund.
I have found that many people on CL are the most whack-a-doo crazies the world has to offer. There are a couple regulars but most are off their rockers or tweekers.
the worst part is when you're selling something and you get no bites on it for weeks, so the first guy that contacts you- you get all excited. Then they turn out to be idiots
No matter what I am selling, I always make sure it is out in the driveway with the garage closed. I don't need just anyone seeing what I've got in there. On a couple of ebay deals, I have even told the buyer that his new (frame, set of wheels, etc.) is next to the garage and he can leave the money in the mailbox. I don't have time for tire kickers or bench racers.
Now people are looking all over for cars they can talk down to next to nothing. Craigs list is the worst. Get a sob storey from someone, next you know your car is up for sale for more than he paid you for it. I'm always willing to come down some, that's the game, But when someone really beats up on the car saying it needs this and that, and says to me, "so what will you really take for it". I double the price, when they do a double take or say what's up! I say I charge extra for having to listen to whining............. If they were really interested, they would make a serious offer. So why not aggravate them!
you know what's worse to me than the tire kickers?? the guys that try to talk you out of buying their car before you even look at it! took me an hour to convince the guy I bought my 32 from that I wanted to drive the ONE (I coulda been there already!) hour drive to look at the car he had listed for $1500.
I was at one of our local wrecking yards a while back talking to the owner(he's a crusty old guy but very cool when you know him). A customer walks up with a wire harness out of an old pontiac and asks how much? the owner says how about a buck? and the dumbass says will you take fifty cents? The owner says you bet! let me see it, he hands the owner the harness, he pulls out his knife and cuts it in half!! I offered the owner the dollar just because I got to see the look on the idiots face.....
I had a guy drive 800 mile to buy a 57 chevy frame that I've had for sell here on the hamb as well as another site. Anyway this guy pulls up and looks at the frame and pulls out his type and starts to see if the frame is square....he kept comeing up 3/4 of a inch off. Now this frame is a 1957 chevrolet cal frame, box, seamless frame Never been hit no frame damage at all no bend kinks any thing. I pulled a type center to center wheels same on both sides. He wants it cheaper i told him That it's not for sell to him any more have a nice trip back up north.... Now the reason I'm pissed about this is he has kept calling me asking for pics ect about this frame and that he wanted it kept draging his feet about comeing down to get the frame for about 2 mounths now. I could have sold it to a guy closer buy I give the guy up north my word that I would keep it for him.... It just pisses my off that people are ass holes Now if the times where better than this frame would sell for about 1500 to 2000 but I had it for sell for 950 obo I told him 700 beacuse he had to drive so far... So I hate people that keep you on the line and then try to low ball you. But He has got to go back empty handed not me..........Sorry guys had to get this rant out. This guy just left about 1/2 hour ago....
I gave away a good Honda CRX minus drivetrain a couple of weeks ago...you would not believe the responses...CRAIGSLIST...it ended just as badly..the guy sent out a wrecker and he never said thanks...don't get me wrong - it was no strings attatched BUT I would of thought a thank you would have been nice
There have been a few cars and parts I have paid full price for. Not many. I don't pick deal apart unless I have been lied to about the condition. I go in knowing what I am willing to pay and I have a little less than that in my pocket and rest in my wallet or have a friend hold it. I make an offer and then see where we are on it. Most of the time I can find a happy middle ground that the seller and I can live with. Im sure I have been called and ass a few times. That’s ok.
The Jalopy Journal
