Have IBU in responses to buyer on Gumtree & how should I respond now?!

[Imgoingonanadventure]

Sorry for the super boring AIBU post, but we are trying to sell a sofa bed to make way for a new nursery! I will post the pics of the messages and we haven’t got any other interested parties but I’m really not liking his hounding & tone so feel to tell him it’s no longer abailable... or AIBU? How would you respond?

I would say it’s gone.

I had similar selling a car on eBay and an old iPad on Facebook.

The messages got increasingly more ‘tell me where you are now’ so I said the stuff had gone and blocked the buyers.

Block him OP. He's not 72, he's trying to see when you'll be out the house as he's probably seen something in your pics he wants to rob you for or likes the look of your house. Avoid gumtree - full of crazy people because you don't need a solid profile. Use ebay and fb local groups to sell.

It does appear they are EAL and so perhaps that's why they are coming across brusque. If 72 they might be trying to work out a lift or bus route. As for phone number perhaps they are only on gumtree on computer and not smart phone?

I had this, someone kept wanting to come to my home at 9pm. I removed my account in the end as it didn't sit well with me. If it feels off trust your gut.

He sounds like English may not be his native language and this may affect his tone. Or the way it comes across.
I’d tell him what time you can let him see it and then if he agrees then give your address.
Be careful though, isn’t there a scam where they send someone to pick up and pay by PayPal then claim damage and bounce the payment.

Probably is EAL but that only explains the abrupt tone, not the fact he's ignoring what you are saying! Say it's gone and block (if you can do so on gumtree). Not worth the hassle.

I know this is why I feel super bad - if he’s a 70 year old who doesn’t really know internet etiquette and really wants the sofa I don’t want to fob him off but he’s so relentless!!

I think English as a second language is making it come across as ruder than it's meant. How else anyone going to buy from you if you're not going to give out your phone number & address?! Sorry but I think you are being unreasonable.

I agree with Treacle. He's trying to organise a time to come to your address to see your sofa. If he doesn't have a smartphone and gets lost he'd need to phone you.

Why would he say he's 72 .
Sits very weird with me.
I wouldn't give him my address

Nah, I wouldn't be engaging any further. Far too pushy and weird.

It's not like this is the one and only second hand sofa bed in the whole world. He'll cope. OP doesn't have to do anything she's not comfortable with.

Engkish obviously not first language but not sure why you just didn't tell him when to come and the address when he first asked.

As an aside, you have very very freely given him a lot of information about your house being empty (at work) and that you are away. That coupled with a picture that could potentially show your location through a window is very dangerous. Please be more careful.

Jut tell him it’s alreay sold and block / ignore. If I were him I’d have just given up rather than send so many messages, but I would be completely at how you were planning to sell anything if you won’t anyone where to come, what time they can come or how they can contact you if they are lost, late or arrive and you aren’t answering the door.

I'd just block him now. He's relentless. You've told him exactly when your house will be empty. You couldn't possibly give out your address now.

Sounds like a scammer and there are a lot of them in gumtree. I'd just not respond any further and block.

To be fair... you said tell me when your available and want to view then you say your unavailable for a few days so it has to be 2 of those days...

Ok I’ve probably played this badly... I’ve said we’re away from Tues-Fri as my husband is away for work but I am actually at home... husband is saying just say sold and block, same as most of you. I’m inclined to agree, just feel a bit bad if it’s genuinely a 70 yr old who’s not great on the internet...!!

No need to feel guilty. He makes you feel uncomfortable. You are not obliged to take it further.