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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think people really are CFers when it comes to second hand items?

346 replies

TheIckabog · 15/09/2020 16:12

I am selling an item on a local selling page. It cost me £280 which included the main item plus some extras. The item is in ‘as new’ condition, all original box etc, in fact I think I only used it a handful of times. These items don’t come up very often as they are expensive but they are desirable.

Anyway, I’ve had lots of interest in this item and have had at least four people agree to purchase it, right down to arranging to meet up. Each one of them have then said they won’t take it unless I lower the price! Someone wanted to pay £80 and said they could get it for £200 new. When I refused to lower the price I got a load of abuse!

AIBU to think this is CF-ery to the highest degree? I’m not about to practically give it away and it’s unlikely that they would be able to get this item in such a excellent condition for any less.

I sell a lot second hand on local pages so I know about pricing items at a reasonable price to sell however I think that given it was £280 new and I’m asking £150 it’s a bit cheeky to then try and undercut by another £70!

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 16/09/2020 17:02

*bargain

JukeBoxHero · 16/09/2020 17:29

That is disgraceful - it should definitely be a second-chance offer

It is.

Basically if the original buyer drops out the seller can offer to both second and third bidders. It’s not automatic and afaik never has been.

The usual scam was the seller bid up their own item with a shill account then either withdrew their bid at the eleventh hour leaving the genuine buyer winning or won it then sent a second chance offer to the genuine buyer.

In both cases though the amount the genuine buyer would pay would only ever be the top of their bid.

Bozlem80 · 16/09/2020 17:30

I’ve had this on FB marketplace, I was selling an iPhone 5 for £30, good condition put no offers I then got a message from someone saying they would give me £25, said no as states no offers, then I got a msg from a friend of the person saying they need it & it’s on the wrong network for them so will have to get it changed over, again said no, I was then messaged by the original person calling me a heartless bitch & would report me, quickly blocked them! Sick & tired of people always wanting something for nothing!

Cloudspotter · 16/09/2020 17:38

You're not wrong - I think it's a small minority but they get about, trying it on everywhere.

They're aggressive, intimidating, almost bullies really. I can't believe they get anything from anyone, but it must be that some people feel intimidated or confused into giving in.

I had one really expensive, lovely pair of antique chairs. I was really happy to accept whatever someone would pay, so listed them with no reserve on eBay.

Lots of interest, a legitimate sale. All good.

One guy asks if I'd be prepared to deliver. When he gave the location it was at least a three hour round trip. So I answered probably not that far but you can try "Shiply" (an online delivery service auction) if you're the winning bidder. Good luck with the auction. Later on I felt bad so said "I could be persuaded for the right price, let me know what you get on Shiply and I might be able to beat it.

The he says "£30 delivered, thanks very much". I'd already been offered more as a buy it now, but wanted to leave it to run for the other buyers. It's annoying when something you like comes up and gets taken off auction before the end.

Anyway, I felt really cross for some reason. Just because it was so cheeky and aggro. There's no need for it! Grin

TesticleMeElmo · 16/09/2020 17:43

This is exactly why I hate selling stuff on Facebook. Every bastard time, you get someone messaging who could buy it cheaper new (why don’t you then?) or they want it delivered to just west of bloody nowhere FOR FREE, or they can only collect after they get paid in 7 weeks time but could you please hold it back? Or, like you’ve found, you’re selling for a reasonable price and they offer half then give you abuse when you refuse. Takes the piss Angry
I definitely haven’t been trying to sell lots of stuff on Facebook recently. Honest.

spanglisher · 16/09/2020 17:45

I won a large voucher for Maplin just as they went bust, so could only choose from what was left in stock. I chose a few Dyson vacuums and listed a couple of them on ebay to get back enough to buy the item I would have bought. Despite being brand new, sealed and worth well over £300 each, I was stunned by the offers people made, several below £100. These are items that are almost never discounted

FelicisNox · 16/09/2020 17:48

YANBU but 2 things:

  1. know your demographic and sell your item on an appropriate site i.e Vinted/Vestiere Collective/eBay NOT Facebook/Shpock as you will get the highest level of issues: FB marketplace is treated like an online car boot sale so anything of value automatically needs to be sold elsewhere.

  2. as soon as folks knock you down (by too much) just block them, don't even involve yourself; people will always want something for nothing if it's 2nd hand, that's normal and to be expected but rudeness is not to be tolerated.

Dominicgoings · 16/09/2020 17:51

One of my pet hates is seeing people selling stuff second hand, but including the original price on the ad.
THAT to me, is CF.

Sofa bought last year for £2,600.
Will accept £2,300.

Ladies jacket bought for £60.
Will accept £55.

Will ye now?

Whycantibeapuppy · 16/09/2020 17:56

Yep same experience with giving stuff away for free! The amount of yes pleases shortly followed by can you deliver? It’s very frustrating as I’m giving away as I don’t have time to sell them so I certainly don’t have time to deliver 🤬

Pippaskipper · 16/09/2020 18:05

If it’s a pushchair/travel system then you can’t even give them away, even the expensive brands

FairfaxAikman · 16/09/2020 18:08

Cars are the worst example of this.

I was selling my small 1.2 runaround as I needed a bigger car. Was asking £1,500 which was fair for the age, the near perfect condition, the full service history, the long MOT etc....

I was getting messages offering £200!

Got £1,200 in the end.

InconvenientPeg · 16/09/2020 18:23

I've just started buying a few things off Facebook market place recently, and have found some great stuff (Anglepoise lamps). My son was after a bike (we ended up getting one from eBay) but the number of listings that just said 'bike', with no information and one blurry photo 😆 it became the new challenge for my son and I, to find the shortest, most lacking in info listing we could find!

LoverOfAllThingsPurple · 16/09/2020 18:25

You can’t get selling anything at the proper price it should be. People expect it for free or whatever it is they think it should be!!!

Thisismytimetoshine · 16/09/2020 18:27

@Alwaysinpain

I was selling a car once. Can't remember the exact amount but I received a message saying "Hi (hate that!) I'm coming to collect this now for £300(!!!) ok on my way" When I swiftly told him that absolutely was not happening and that I had also just sold the vehicle 5 mins prior, I got "Oh come on (😡) you want rid of the vehicle and I'm prepared to take it. I'll be there in 2 hours" (even though I had not given him my address!!!) He was repeatedly told it was now gone. No longer in my possession and likely half way down the A1 by now, yet he kept on & on telling me it was his vehicle, to get the log boom ready and that he'd already put temp insurance on it etc etc 😳
This is why I don't even sell on eBay. You literally invite the crazies at large into your life; I wouldn't want some of these weirdos having my address.
SallyCinnamon3009 · 16/09/2020 18:35

The ones that message saying "you deliver" as a statement and not a question, especially when the listing states collection only really REALLY annoy me

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 16/09/2020 18:37

Basically if the original buyer drops out the seller can offer to both second and third bidders. It’s not automatic and afaik never has been.

Excellent - thanks, glad to hear that. I always thought that was the case.

Dutchesss · 16/09/2020 18:40

Someone joined our local neighbourhood forum to sell an item for about £50. I think it was a piece of furniture iirc. But they live about 10 miles away (we are in London, so that's a long way). They declared it collection only or could deliver for £10 petrol money. Definitely cheeky. They went a bit quiet when someone asked in the comments why they were advertising miles from home if they weren't prepared to deliver.
Isn't the buyer supposed to collect? I think £10 petrol money is fair for 20 miles of London driving. That's time and fuel.

Burnthurst187 · 16/09/2020 18:40

Don't reply and just block them

Dutchesss · 16/09/2020 18:48

Buying and selling on FB marketplace is dangerous. Around a quarter of buyers and sellers I've dealt with on there have had to rush their kid to A&E 5 minutes before they were due to turn up or when I was going to collect. They're dropping like flies!
Grin ^this

MyMushroomsInATimeSlip · 16/09/2020 18:55

I advertised a large item of furniture for free on a local site and clearly stated I couldn't deliver as it wouldn't fit in my car (and I'm too weedy to pick it up but I didn't own up to that)
First message from CF: Can you deliver?
Me: No. Car too small.
CF: But I've broken my arm
Me: But it still won't fit in my car!!!!

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 16/09/2020 19:00

One of my pet hates is seeing people selling stuff second hand, but including the original price on the ad.
THAT to me, is CF.

Sofa bought last year for £2,600.
Will accept £2,300.

Ladies jacket bought for £60.
Will accept £55.

Will ye now?

I don't think that's at all unreasonable, as long as there's a sizeable price differential e.g. '"Jacket bought for £60, worn for one evening only, will accept £25". I wonder if some do it ready to stave off the CFs who will otherwise claim they know the new price, that just so happens to be the same as you're asking for a used one. The only problem there, though, is that the jacket may well have cost you £60, when it first went on sale, but the shop might have sold off the last of their end-of-season stock at 50% off; so even if you're telling the truth, the fact that the would-be buyer has seen it more recently at £30 makes them think you're lying.

I do agree it's very cheeky when people expect 90-95% of their purchase price back when they've used something. They only think of their own pov and how much they're 'losing' for an item that's still in excellent condition (not really, as they've had the use of it); but if they could only think from the pov of a stranger, who in their right mind would pay £75 when they could get a brand new one, maybe with guarantee - which they can return if faulty - and free delivery to their door, for £90?

I'm not going to use the 'narc' word, but I do think it's endemic that so many adults can only see things from their own pov. Also, some of the buyers see what they want for sale, decide that 'they'll take it' and then naturally want it for the lowest possible price, ideally delivered free. They disregard distance because that's simply where they live, so it will obviously 'need' to be delivered there. They don't actually compute that there's a real person behind it - a stranger, who wasn't desperate for them to have it regardless, right from the start - even before they actually knew of their existence - whose time is equally precious and who, quite reasonably, actually wants to earn some money in exchange for giving up their quality item.

That said, I wonder if a lot of modern buyers' expectations are skewed by the fact that you can buy so many new items on eBay, delivered free - even cheap and/or really heavy stuff. They realise that private buyers selling used stuff should expect to receive a lot less than a shop does, but don't seem to comprehend that the shop is selling at volume and gets a great commercial deal for mass delivery of thousands of items - that courier does it all day as their paid job and will have lots of other deliveries in your locality to make the 'machine' cost-effective, it's not the same as expecting a random person to give up hours of their free time and pay for the fuel for the round-trip to take one item across three counties.

Gbtch · 16/09/2020 19:04

Any item is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it.
You don’t want it. So throw it away if you don’t want to sell it at the price offered

Crummyfunnymummy · 16/09/2020 19:07

I was giving away for FREE my fridge freezer. It was only about 6 years old. We remodelled the kitchen and went for a different style. Giving away for that reason. Not coz it was broken or ugly or crap! Anyway I had lots of interest but I was astounded when a woman contacted me and asked if I would pay to have it delivered to her!!!!

I replied. “No. Its free”

Zoejj77 · 16/09/2020 19:08

I’ve offered to give stuff away before and then people mess you about or ask if you can deliver. Selling used goods is a full time stressful job