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Davo99 Guru Joined: 03/06/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1577
Posted: 12:31pm 17 Nov 2021
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As I have mentioned, I sell used solar panels. So far I have sold them all on Dumbtree or through WOM. I have been looking for stuff on marketplace and though I'd list the panels there see if I got some more customers.
I copied my ad from Dumbtree to markets place, exact same wording and waited for the Torrent of sales to come Flooding in because we all know Faceache that runs marketplace is the only place you can promote or advertise a Business now right..... Well that's the crap I hear all the time.
Ok, bright an early this morning the first enquiry comes in.... Can I put this on a camper to charge a battery? Yes you can. Great, I'd like to buy one, what is your address please? You can meet me at.... I'll be Driving ..... my number is.... see you at 4 this afternoon. Thanks, I'll be driving a VW Beetle. * Sound effect of screeching brakes...* Umm, do you have roof racks 'cause these aren't going to fit in no Bug. Oh, how big are they? They are as Big as I clearly specified in the ad. Oh, I think that will be too Big, thanks anyway.
You have a camper that's smaller that 1.7 x 1 M? My BED is literally Bigger than that..
Ok, next enquiry.
My daughter is living in a caravan atm. Would one of these panels power her small air-conditioner and some lights? Sorry Don't know much about these. No worries. If the van has no power you'd need to charge batteries and you'd want at least half a dozen panels to charge the batteries capeable of powering an AC. Ok, thanks, she has no batteries. What about the lights, would a panel be strong enough to give here Lights at night? Errr, Solar literally means sun. I'm guessing there isn't a lot of that where she is at night like here and if she has no batteries, then no, solar panels won't work at Night. Oh, right, do you know of any panels that will so she can run a few Lights?
Next.... HI is this still available. ( Very First line of the ad reads " If this ad is up they are still available, no need to ask. ) Yes, just like the ad says, they are still available. ( this is 8am and the ad went up at 2 am. ) OK, I'll take the lot for $20 ea. Err, NO, you won't and I should have known Better than to respond to someone too lazy or stupid to read the ad. ( Ad says " No, I am not going to sell them for half price or less just because you want them all so don't ask")
I am convinced people whom use this market place Site can't read and have a compatible low IQ.
Next 4 messages were " Is this still available?" Like WTF??? Was reading even the first line of the ad too much for you? Did you read the ad at all or just use the " Force" and anything beyond clicking the pre written response was more than you were mentally capable of??
Next one was another stupid lowball offer for all the panels I had with a warning that they were only going to offer this once and If I didn't take the offer straight away I'd miss out but it was up to me. Oh, I am so kicking myself I passed that opportunity of a Life time.
Got a couple of intelligent questions about voltage ( which wasn't in the ad but probably make stuff all difference if it was) and then another couple of " Is this still available" Questions like with the 4 or so before, I just ignored. After you get a few you notice the names and that they all want to lowball you and even make up sob storys about sending them OS. No couldn't care where you are sending them or whether they are to save the gay wilder beast or anything else. You want them, I want my money.
I get the same availability questions 2 seconds after I post on gumtree but no where near as many and I certainly haven't been asked if they work at night. OK, I get you may know beans about electricity, that's fine but you have no clue that solar panels only work in the day?? Did you ask the guy at retravision if the water in your the kettle you were buying would be hot once it was boiled as well??
Well look at that, My lowball who can't read the ad hasn't been to kindergarten today to learn to read has sent another message via click of a mouse if they are still available? Well No, not to you and your time wasting lowball offers they aren't.
Never had a a high opinion of facewaste or those that their life revolves around it and I know that wasn't a misinformed position now. Wonder if I will make one sale out of this? I'm batting about 10 For zero so far.
The response rate from Dumb tree is a lot lower but infinitely Higher quality. I was going to try Fleabay where they seem to get higher prices but then when I was doing the listing, they seem to want to Hold my money for a period of time and that aint happening. Some moron would probably want them posted or want to return them because they didn't like the colour.
The people I have sold to on dumbtree with one Distinct Notable exception have all been great. Usually have a god chat to them when they pick the panels up and are interesting Intelligent people. Polar opposite to what these FB users seem. Also the people I actually sell to ask the least but most intelligent questions if any at all.
Mrs and I have put aside some stuff from the shed clean up we were going to advertise. If I get this Grief just from something as simple as solar panels, I can only Imagine the sort of responses for a Cut glass vase or the unused Food processor ( Hello, I'm interested in your Food processor. Has it been used and properly cleaned and how many miles on it and what was the guy 3rd from the end of the assembly lines grandfathers name?)
I think it might be better just to chuck it all in with the rest of the pile for the salvos. Any money we loose on selling it we'll save triple on therapy costs of dealing with these FB people.
Is it just me or anyone else had the run around with selling second hand stuff privately? you find any sites better or worse than others?
/rant. I feel better now. Thanks. Edited 2021-11-17 22:39 by Davo99
noneyabussiness Guru Joined: 31/07/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 506
Posted: 09:11pm 17 Nov 2021
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HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, sorry but sooo relevant... had me in tears....
I HATE selling anything on " Marketplace ".. I swear the dumbest of the dumb congregate their...and Im certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed...
I was giving away a broken 3d printer, all the crazies came out.. on the ad I clearly said, don't know whats wrong with it, and couldn't be bothered to fix it as moving, its a giveaway for crying out loud... someone could try... literally 90% asked whats wrong with it...
oh the sob stories you get, selling some American staffy X puppies, had a couple of blue ones and all... again clearly said details in both post and pic, with pics of all pups and dad/mum.. still got the stupid questions, even one lady asked me several times if they " pure " as that was what she was looking for... when for the 3rd time said no, please refer to description, she got all sh%tty and started arguing / lecturing me on misinformation... idiot !!! but AFTER they sold ( left ad up to let certain fence sitters they gone, never again) got quite a few telling me to sell the already sold ones to them because there wives cousin twice removed uncle had a zit... oh and the no shows... !!!
had another one, selling a fridge, really cheap, guy told me he be there this arvo at 3... never showed, sold it 2 days later, he proceeded to show up 4 days !!!! later at lunch time... then got all sh*tty when I told him its sold, told him to pi#$ of real quick...oh, got lots more... I've lost a lot of respect for the human race after selling stuff on there, try my hardest not to use it anymore..
please don't get me started on selling/ buying solar... but I paid 10 grand for that 15 years ago so I want $3000 for it now...I think it works !!
Godoh Guru Joined: 26/09/2020 Location: AustraliaPosts: 378
Posted: 07:32am 18 Nov 2021
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Good laugh keep the stories coming. I have had a policy now for many years, of explaining things like perpetual motion ideas that people come up with once and then just letting it go. I have heard some beauties. One fellow was going to build a hydro turbine system with a great big generator and use the excess power to pump the water back up the hill to re use it. He reckoned that the generator would be big enough to power his house and also pump the water back up the hill for reuse. Another idea he had was to get a big inverter, plug a battery charger into it to recharge the batteries and use the excess from the big inverter to run his house. He was a champion of great ideas. Pete
Davo99 Guru Joined: 03/06/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1577
Posted: 08:52am 18 Nov 2021
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Yeah, I nearly been in tears as well today, but for a completely different reason! Dealing with these people is depressing.
Yeah, I'd have to agree. They are definitely a Different breed to the dumbtree users and you can see the esteem I hold them in. I'm no Einstein either but at least I read ads and ask relevant questions and I DON"T just seem to ask questions when I have no intention of buying something.
That Few? I'm tempted to put an ad up with a picture and headline for solar panels and then post a description taken from someone selling a Tortoise or something and seeing how many " Is this still available" and Low ball offers I get. I GUARANTEE I'd get at least 3.
Yeah, I had something Similar many times. People don't even comprehend what they are reading when they do take the time.
The " Charity" thing seems to be popular with the panels. If you are sending them to a charity, how do you know they " Need" exactly 16 Panels? Why do they need 250W panels you can't afford but the cheaper, smaller ones you can afford are not good? What makes you hope I'm as stupid to believe your BS as you are to try and insult me with it in the first place?
My Dog had Pups once thanks to the mongerel over the road breaking through the fence and getting to her. She had a big littler so I advertised the pups to find homes for them. They went quickly.
About 6 Months later this guy shows up on the doorstep wanting to buy a Pup. At first I was confused then he told me that his sister had bought 2 Off me which I remembered and they were the best dogs anyone had ever came across and he wanted one too. I explained that I wasn't a breeder, just my dog had pumps and I sold them as I couldn't keep them all. The poor guy was really heart broken. Asked me several times if I was sure I didn't have any more... Like I'd miss that but he really wanted one. He said his sisters dogs were fantastic and he'd had dogs all his life and they were the best he'd ever seen. He made me take his number and promise that If my dog ever had more, to please let him know. He was a real nice guy and I felt very sorry to see him so disappointed. Didn't have any to sell him though.
Yeah, seen that too often. My father used to get endless No shows in the wrecking yard. You'd interrupt the day to take something off a car and it would be sitting there forever more after they told you how desperate they were to get it and coming right now. Other common one was like you said, they would show up and say they rang about XYZ and were here to get it. When you said didn't have any they would say but I rang and you said you had one. You'd ask WHEN they rang and fair Dinkun, they would say anything from a Month to 3 Months ago. I don't take well to fktards and would say " Have a look around and a bit of a think. Does this look like a Business Trying to sell ship and make a Quid or does it look like a Museum where we keep building a bigger collection for people to come look at in 100 Years Time?"
Some of them would still say things like " Well I thought you'd have one". I'd say we HAD 2 but people came and bought them so now we have none. That's actually the objective of what we do here.... SELL not collect Ship! Then you'd get the comments about " Thanks for wasting their time". We were a specific Subaru Wrecker. Nothing else in the place and certainly every single piece of advertising said Subaru ONLY on it. The endless phone calls and turn ups you'd get asking for other parts was endless. 10 Times a day every single Effing day! Even when they would tell you they wanted something else and You'd say " We only do Subaru sorry" They would still say oh, so do you have one then?". Last thing they heard were some Colourful words pertaining to their genetics and parental heritage before the phone slammed in their ear.
And it was always the same. I'd ask where they heard about us from and they would cite some ad and I'd say, Doesn't it say Subaru only on the ad? " Oh, yeah but I thought you might just have one lying round". AGHHHHHH!!
Like WTF?? WHY would you even begin to think that?? Do you think that Coles supermarket might just happen to have some parts for your washing machine " Just Lying round?" Do you think the Chemist Might just happen to have a New Screen door for the patio Verandah " Just lying round"? Do you think the Telstra Shop Might just happen to have an Optus SIM car " Just Lying 'round' or the Kia dealership has some Mercedes parts "Out the back"? And these people have licences and drive cars toward you at 100KMH on the road. It does not bear thinking about!
Like what the hell is in your head to make you think a country wrecking yard that specifically states it does one brand only by virtue of your Logic, "Might just have" parts for every other make of vehicle made "Just lying round" OR "Out the back". Oh, and you have tried 10 other places that didn't have it either but you someone in your peanut brain thought that we might because...... Why?
And inevitably, without fail, The part they want is something NO one would ever have like a drag link arm for a 1952 Austin Spacemaster that no one has seen in 50 goddam years!
The other one was the calls for parts from Rare edition models. No, We don't have any of those. What makes you think that a country wrecking yard would have parts from something they only made 300 of in the first place that were distributed around the world. " I just though you might have......" AGGGAAAHHHA.
I'm glad Dads out of the Business. I only helped part time but it was getting too much for me to handle peoples stupidity. People would ask, " Are you going to take over the Business"? I'd say Hell NO! They would ask why Not? I'd say because I'd be in Jail on murder charges having to deal with the morons and idiots that come here. I don't have his patience to tolerate Imbeciles ! And of course it was odds on one of those pain in the arse Moron's that drove you nuts was the one asking.
I was not Subtle, polite or Patient especially at the end. Dad said to me one Night, " I think you are loosing me a lot of customers the way you speak to and upset some of them." I said I do my best. He said "could you try a bit harder and and loose me a few more? Some of the idiots aren't getting the hint and are still coming back!". It was true. Some you just couldn't offend or insult enough to keep them from returning and annoying the guts out of you even more!
The worst one we ever had was this old guy with way too much time on his hands. He was a regular time waster and pain in the arse but outdid everything else we had ever came across.
He brought in this POS that was beyond wrecking let alone Driving. He wanted our Mechanic to fix the thing as he didn't trust ( more likely Banned from) any other work shop. Told him wouldn't be able to look at it for a week and he left it... then was coming back every day to see how it was going despite being told repeatedly not to bother for a week. A few days after he dropped it off, the mechanics brother suddenly died during a Routine operation. Naturally he didn't come in as he had other things to worry about including his aged mother whom the brother lived with and took care of.
Guy with the car came back and I told him what happened and take the car or Don't come back till we rang him it was ready which would be a fortnight at least. He wanted to leave it and I reminded him DO not come back till we call you or the thing will be forked out onto the road. OK, got it.
When the mechanic came back day after his brothers funeral, he said I better do this POS over here and get the guy off my back. He then mentioned that he came to the Funeral and was asking when the car would be ready. I said do you know him or did he know your Brother? No, he just came to ask when I could do his car.
I lost my Ship. Could not believe it!! I had to ask James several times to make sure I wasn't Missing something and this was not one of his jokes. To go to a family members Funeral which he must have looked up to find just to go ask when his car would be ready ( and he had the wife's he was driving so not like he was stranded) I still find one of the most insulting and disgusting things I have ever heard of.
Dad said You are not touching the thing, he can get stuffed. He rang him to tell him to come and get it but no answer. The guy turned up about 20 Min later and it was a race between Dad and I to see who could rip him a new one first. He got called for everything and I made it very clear he would come to grievous bodily harm if he ever thought of coming near the place or James again. Don't remember seeing Dad so worked up before or since either. He was off getting the forklift to pick it up and go drop it in the ditch out the front and he meant it.
Guy took the thing, Mrs whom he fortunately had with him drove her car and the little parasite was never seen or heard from again by us but we did hear stories from some of the other mechanics in town about him bad mouthing us. When they were told the story behind it, None of them could believe it either.
How brain dead and self centred do you have to be to do something like that?
I have become very saddened and worried at the moral standards and always declining intelligence levels of people. They are getting Dumber by the minute and that's coming from someone whom worries about their own lack of smarts. Too much TV, face ache and lack of Critical thinking. I think recent times shows how easily manipulated and dumb the general population has become. It's not improving. Kids are coming out of school all Full of it's OK to be MR one day, Mrs the next and Zie or some other moronic pronoun the next but can't name the states and capital cities of the country they were born and bred in.
Only $3K? Mate, you can't even bring yourself to be as stupid as some when you are trying to be funny. If you paid 10K for it, has to be worth at least $5k now!!
Yeah, I have seen SO many ads like that. Been to my advantage but. After a month or 6 SOME of them wake up and you can actualy get stuff at a decent price. Some are just too far gone and don't learn and won't accept that because THEY dreamt up a price they think it's worth does not mean thats what everyone else will value things at.
Just yesterday I saw a used 3 Kw set being advertised for $4k. I thought do these people even bother to look at what a new system is worth and see That you could get a 6.6 For the same price now? Sure, it would be a low end system but in the install is OK, would run rings around this used setup and probably have a longer life as well from this point on.
Amazes me when people advertise something for months at a stupid price but it seeming never occurs to them they have over priced it.
I'm looking at 2 Diesel engines Right now. Exactly the same thing. Been advertised for months. Made both of the sellers reasonable offers, above what I think they are worth but they are what I want and been knocked back, one with smart arse remarks the last time.
I wrote back and said I wouldn't be such a smart arse If I had been trying to sell something for 2 Months and got no takers.
I'll try my Luck again with Dumbtree with my old ride on mower I don't use any more. What could possibly be frustrating trying to sell that?
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