F**king Gumtree timewasting morons

[LoobyLou1976]

Following on from my thread last week, I have now had FOUR (yes four) lots of people saying they were definitely coming for my dining table and chairs, took address, arranged a time and day, and then never turned up - then commenced to ignore all messages etc. WHY do people do this? Just what's in it for them to go to all the trouble of arranging a pick up etc if they have no intention of coming? I can understand one (maybe two) falling through, but FOUR? It just seems to say that most people using Gumtree are total timewasting morons doing it to put people out of their way. I've now built up and taken down my dining table 4 times (can't have the pieces lying around as I'm selling my house and it needs to look good for prospective buyers). At this point I feel like taking an axe to it and burning it in the garden rather than conversing with more idiots. Sorry for the rant! As a £400 dining table and six leather chairs, I had someone offer £30. Unbelievable.

I have contacted three plumbers so far who haven't even got back to me - it's not just Gumtree

We sold a garden table and four chairs to a woman last year (on ebay so it isn’t just gumtree). She paid for it when she came to collect it...in her corsa. Realised she could only fit one chair, but took it and said she’d be back. It was about a 40 minute drive. 3 weeks go by, dh messages her and asks when she is planning to come back for the rest. She says that weekend. Comes back, puts another chair in her corsa. Says she’ll be back the next day for the rest of it. We never hear from her again and she ignores all attempts to contact her. Table and other two chairs went on the bonfire (we were moving). 2+ hours of driving and £20 and all she took were two chairs.

My eBay item sold this week for £80. Guy contacted me to arrange to come and collect. No sign of the fucker. Wtf

It's full of time wasters and scammers.
My DP sold something for £200 and the guy insisted on Paypal only and he'd send his 'courier'. Told my DP to ask for cash only due to known Paypal scams and as soon as he said cash, the guy disappeared.

Just a little note about gumtree, I was selling a buggy and I had a couple of people message me and I responded. 1 person messaged again and I realised she wasn't getting my replies. I did manage to find her on Facebook and she did then buy it from me.

eBay is just as bad! I've just sold some boots, they were in perfect condition when I sent them... She's sent a message saying they have loose threads. I've got her to send a photo, there is a tiny whisp of a thread (the boots are canvas). I'm convinced she's picked it out herself expecting eBay will side with her, she'll get her money back, then she can just snip off the thread and it won't be noticeable. She's an utter scammer and I'm so angry that she thinks she can basically steal from me!

@Jupiters Doesn't the person wanting the refund have to return the item first? I'm still waiting for a parcel to be returned to me for a refund. I had to send the person a return postage label via ebay (which will be charged to my account) and as soon as I receive the parcel then make the refund through my PayPal a/c. This is my first dealings with a return so I'm hoping it will be straight forward. Can you let me know?

Gumtree is awful. I’d rather give old furniture to charity than try to sell it on there. Nobody can be arsed to hire a van and come and collect it, so you get lots of people asking if you can deliver and then never messaging you again. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to sell bulky stuff like dining tables and sofas.

I need to sell my car at the moment and it was such a nightmare last time dealing with eBay and Gumtree loons that I’m just going to part exchange it and get several hundred less than selling it privately, rather than deal with time wasters.

@SuzieSunshine mine seems to be angling for a partial refund (so she'll get half the money back and gets to keep the boots...). I don't plan on agreeing to that one... She can send the boots back and I'll resell them if needs be. Funnily enough you can see the area on the original photos and there isn't any whisps on there, which is why I'm convinced she's done it herself.

My parents get this all the time. Theyve sold lots of furniture and people dont show up then give the runaround. People take this piss.

This all reassures me so much.

I have a big declutter of the wardrobe last weekend and there were many 'oh eh I could probably get a couple of quid for that' moments but I said no and put them in the donation bag.

Folk are rude.

I've had some timewasters on Gumtree, but my experience of it has been mostly positive. I've sold quite a few things on there with no problems.

I took £70 for a brand new toilet on eBay.

Guy paid said he was coming and I never heard from him again.

Toilet is now plumbed into a 1 bed flat in Hertfordshire

I sell all my old cars on eBay.

By the time I am finished with them they are definitely spares and repairs only.

Always go into detail about what is wrong and start the bidding at 99p
Usually get anything from £40-£170

One particular car worked perfectly until you came to stop it and the break pedal hit the floor with no effect on slowing the car down.
This was spelled out quite plainly in the advert.

It was too much hassle of trying to find someone to repair

Auction finished at around £250.

I messaged the guy to see when he could pick it up several times.
Then got an English speaking woman who tried to arrange a time for him to come round for a test drive.

Had to explain that
A. A test drive would probably result in his or someone death.
and

B. He had actually said he was buying the car

He thought he was bidding to see if he wanted the vehicle. He didn’t speak any English and had no idea what eBay did.

Didn’t help that the woman didn’t understand eBay either.

I posted a job on Rated People to change 2 rooms into 1 bedroom with an en-suite

Apparently something like 1896 viewed my job. I had 0 people who were interested in doing it.

It happens a lot. Sold a collection only item on Ebay. Not spectacularly large, you'd get them in a decent sized car. The buyer has delayed and prevaricated for ever. Then says he doesn't drive and a courier is too expensive. No shit sherlock. We even offered to deliver for a reasonable amount. Nope he offered a tenner to have them dropped off when 'we were in the area' as he's not in a rush for them. It's about 100 mile round trip. Letting it run until he gets an unpaid item strike instead.

Other people are the reason why I hate selling things on. The replies are rude and demanding. They want to pay half what you want for it. They mess you around when it comes to collecting it. I would rather donate it than sell it.

The worst is when they agree to buy something, and when they do turn up offer you a tenner on the spot after pretending to examine the object veeeeery closely and finding something they don’t like about it.

Happened with a coffee table - guy and his wife showed up at 9pm to my house, I had brought the coffee table down to the front door as didn’t want him coming in - examined it then told me his (non English speaking) wife didn’t like the table but he’d give me half of the money. I had taken the pictures about 3 days before and this table looked exactly the same. I was fuming but wanted rid so took the money.

They guy then opened my front door and knocked over the central, glass part of the table onto my tiled front steps, and it smashed everywhere.
I grinned and shrugged - completely his fault and I had the money by that point. Always wonder how they’re getting on with their coffee table with a large hole in the middle

I had a car for sale. The amount of people coming just for a look, or a drive out. Worst part was when a group of young men turned up and wanted to take the car for a test drive . My husband went with them and 3 stayed behind. I was convinced he would never return. When they did come back they made a really stupid offer which we declined. They hung around outside for over an hour, quite scary. Eventually sold car to man in next town. I always part exchange now.

It can be just as frustrating from the other side. I’ve been looking at cars this week (only looking for a cheap runaround for a year max). Photos are lovely, you ask them specific questions about bodywork, timing belts etc, you travel for miles and then find out that they’ve lied about the most basic of things, just to get an extra couple of hundred quid. It’s so bloody annoying.

Also works the other way - I’ve been trying to pick something up for over a week and I still don’t have their flipping address! Plus why do people put up an auction to finish when they are away

I sold a large Welsh dresser on gumtree - we were moving, it had to go so it was cheap.

Guy turned up in a hatchback - I was impressed that he got the bottom half into the back. Then he strapped the top part - complete was glass doors - on to the top of his car and drove away.

I hope he made it home.

@Jupiters Yes - make sure you get them back before you refund her anything the cheeky bitch. I'm getting a shirt returned which the buyer has said has been washed several times and it smelled. It hasn't - it was a brand new Birthday present and didn't fit me so has NEVER been worn so if it had been washed several times how could it smell?? I'm convinced she's worn it and is now sending it back to me but what can you do? It's a PITA.

As a £400 dining table and six leather chairs, I had someone offer £30. Unbelievable.

I'm afraid that it's probably worth around this amount. From what I see if second-hand furniture, sellers often have wildly optimistic valuations.

If so many people just can't be arsed to come and get it then the entire cost of the transaction (not just the cash, but the trip over to you, the risk of it not being what they want, the hassle of transporting it back home) is too high.

In your mind it's might be "worth" £400. On sober reflection they may decide it's worth less than zero!

I was selling a massive rat cage. Lady said she wanted it. They got dropped off in a taxi at my house and the taxi drove off.
Then they stood outside my house for half hour trying to get another taxi and trying to phone family for a lift! They were a bit strange.

I know I can't expect back what I paid for it, but it is certainly worth more than £30 ( literally has sat in a dining room we never use with a table cloth over it, only 3 years old anyway). It looks like it did when it came out of the box. I don't think its wildly optimistic to expect a bit more than £30. You would be lucky to buy 1 leather dining chair for that, let alone a set of 6 plus an oak table in 'as new' condition. Anyway, I don't think I'll be using Gumtree again in a hurry. It's a shame to send something to landfill though.

I know I can't expect back what I paid for it, but it is certainly worth more than £30

But how are you arriving at this valuation. All the evidence is that no one is prepared to pay you this!