Frustrated!!

[sev]

Just found a Atari ST 1040 for sale locally, made arrangements with the buyer to go pick it up, and I just called to follow up with him to see if I could pick it up tonight and he fed me some bs about how they dont work and theyre no longer for sale, whatever he was saying made no sense. Originally he told me they were in great condition and kept in a "dry garage". When I just spoke to him he told me they were in terrible shape and not working. Trying to make one excuse after another. So straight up asked him if theyre for sale and he said no.

The worst part is as his wife answers the phone, I overhear him saying "its the other guy"...



... look I get it if you decided not to sell it for whatever reason, but I hate liars. Really frustrating.. :-x

i was really looking forward using it..

 

[commodorejohn]

Ugh, yeah. I had a guy jerk me around like this over a string synthesizer he offered to me - after two weeks of trying to get ahold of him, I walked into the local music store to find it sitting there for sale. And to top it all off, he probably got like $10 more than I was going to give him...just appalling.

 

[sev]

Ugh, yeah. I had a guy jerk me around like this over a string synthesizer he offered to me - after two weeks of trying to get ahold of him, I walked into the local music store to find it sitting there for sale. And to top it all off, he probably got like $10 more than I was going to give him...just appalling.

Its just .. DONT LIE! Say hey I got a better offer, if you can bet the other guy's offer, its yours. Be a man of your word!

 

[Chuckster_in_Jax]

This has happened to me on eBay a couple of times.
Won an auction, paid for it and a week later the seller contacts me saying he dropped and broke the computer and is refunding my money.

One time I won a set of manuals. Bought and paid for them and a week later the seller claims he got a leak in the roof and a couple of the books were ruined. I told him I would accept the undamaged ones, but he refused to ship them, saying he was afraid I would file a complaint that the "items were not as advertised".

I'm sure there are sellers that get "sellers remorse". List something at a low starting price but at the end of the auction, it sold for less than they expected. Then make up some lame story and refund the winning bidders money.

I also suspect there have been cases where after an auction ends, someone contacts the seller and offers more money that the item sold for. So the seller, again, will make up some crap story why he can't ship the item.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Yup, same here. The guy said that he tripped in the post office parking lot and he broke it. Of course, he wouldn't even make me a deal for the broken unit or even offer a picture of it.

 

[TanruNomad]

Very similar situation happened to me just last week. I was all set to buy some vintage computer accessories I've been seeking for awhile. The seller said it's mine, he just has to dig it out of his garage and then... nothing. Haven't heard a peep since. Oh well, life goes on. For a vintage computer collector, the hunt is never over...

 

[smp]

I also suspect there have been cases where after an auction ends, someone contacts the seller and offers more money that the item sold for. So the seller, again, will make up some crap story why he can't ship the item.

My experience on eBay was similar to this - I made an offer on an item, and the Seller (a recycler, or electronics salvage outfit of some sort) accepted it. Within a day, I got a message indicating that it was shipped and on the way, but no tracking number.

To make the long story short, after more than a week went by with no package arrival, and a few questions to the Seller that went unanswered, I finally hit the selection "my item has not arrived" in the reason list for contacting the Seller. eBay intercepted this and a case was automatically filed, even though I did not ask for that. Within a few hours, I received the message that my money was refunded.

So, in the end, the lie to me was that the item was shipped and on the way. Yes, indeed, it was very frustrating, especially as the item was something specific I had been looking for, and has not come up again in my searches since (a few months, now).

smp

 

[NeXT]

A few months ago there was a lot of DEC stuff on central California. The guy knew nothing about it and was telling people on cctalk he wanted to find good homes. I inquired in an 8/I which he had listed and among the emails back and fourth he accidentially sent me the wrong email.

He's asking $50 shipped. How should I put it across that I don't deal in small bills?

You $%#*ing bag of dicks. You aren't looking for good homes at all. You just want as much money as you can get.
Needless to say I sent him back an email reminding him that not only did he email the wrong person but he's like almost everyone else in the community: In it for the money. So spoiled by the lust for fortune that only the best machines end up in the hands of a select group of elitist %$*#@s that inflate the market for their own gain and screw the regular hobbyist. (and I know some of these people are reading this post right now)
Oh, and he could also take that 8/I and shove it up his ass.



Yeah, I was pretty annoyed.

 

[raifield]

I had a rather pointless episode myself. Bought a complete boxed copy of SimLife for five bucks. After waiting a week, I contacted the seller and he stated that he lost the box while preparing a bunch of items for shipment. Made no sense to me and I got my five dollars back, but he obviously saw other boxed copies of games going for $20 and really needed the extra $15 for some reason.

It just strikes me as hilarious, since there was so little money in question.

He's asking $50 shipped. How should I put it across that I don't deal in small bills?

I'd love to live a life where a $50 bill is a small one!

 

[vwestlife]

I've experienced several instances of "seller's remorse". Once I bought a radio and the seller said he "dropped it down the stairs". Then I arranged to buy a car (an Audi 200 Turbo Quattro) and the seller said when he started it up, the timing belt broke and ruined the engine.

 

[njroadfan]

Then I arranged to buy a car (an Audi 200 Turbo Quattro) and the seller said when he started it up, the timing belt broke and ruined the engine.

He might have just have saved your sanity (and your wallet).

I seem to have the opposite problem with buyers flaking out (anyone want an Apple Modem 1200?). Never had any problems with a seller, which is surprising.

 

[Unknown_K]

Just found a Atari ST 1040 for sale locally, made arrangements with the buyer to go pick it up, and I just called to follow up with him to see if I could pick it up tonight and he fed me some bs about how they dont work and theyre no longer for sale, whatever he was saying made no sense. Originally he told me they were in great condition and kept in a "dry garage". When I just spoke to him he told me they were in terrible shape and not working. Trying to make one excuse after another. So straight up asked him if theyre for sale and he said no.

The worst part is as his wife answers the phone, I overhear him saying "its the other guy"...



... look I get it if you decided not to sell it for whatever reason, but I hate liars. Really frustrating.. :-x

i was really looking forward using it..

To most people a deal is not a deal until the money changes hands. If somebody offers him a better price before you have scheduled a pickup then they get it. Heck even if you freecycle stuff people who claim it and make a pickup date tend to not show up. You have no idea how many cool items I snagged locally over the years simply because I showed up when I said I would after others ahead of me never did.

 

[lowen]

Having both been a buyer and a seller, I can see both sides of the equation here.

I've had good experiences, and bad experiences. That's just business. You have to pick with whom you're going to do business. It's easier at a physical hamfest or swapmeet or flea market to ferret out the shady sellers, but much more difficult online. The feedback system of eBay is heavily biased in favor of buyers, incidentally. So while you are able to do so leave negative feedback if the situation warrants (but only if the situation warrants); be succinct in your complaint and be sure to mention if you see the item re-listed at a higher price. Neutral feedback, IMO, is worse than negative feedback; someone (possibly a competing seller?) who is just 'out to get' the seller can fake negatives pretty easily, but someone who is trying to be nice but still get their dissatisfaction across can leave very effective neutral feedback.

And sometimes things really do happen; the Audi timing belt above is a very likely thing to have happened, especially if it's not been driven for a while. The guy with the 8/I, well, that's a different ball of wax (or maybe some other similarly gooey substance). As a seller I am looking to sell at a good price and make it worth my while to properly pack things and do customer service (and a couple of people here have bought items from me). As a buyer I'm looking not for the lowest, but for the 'best' price. That is, a reputable seller, preferably someone I've bought from before, that has great feedback, particularly in the area of how well-packed the item is (especially when dealing with known-super-fragile items, like Tandy 6000's or SGI O2's). I have been burned, but it has been quite a while.

But if the seller isn't even willing to send you a photo of the damage, well, that reeks of something fishy going on. IMO, of course.