Craigslist camera shoppers... *shakes head*

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I like people who overprice their kit. If I'm selling the same thing, I can charge less than them, get a buyer who is pleased to find a bargain and still take a little more loot.

Perhaps I'll start writing to over-pricers and say "I just thought I'd mention that you could make another $100 on that lens".

😀

 

[KoNickon]

I've never sent anyone on Craigslist a note saying "by the way, your price is way higher than the market" -- I figure they either believe they need to get that amount, and so can't negotiate (or are in no hurry to sell, since they don't need the money), or would simply think I'm trying to BS them. But if the price isn't ridiculous, I will contact them. I find they much would rather deal with a live, local person (who has cash) than someone from the other side of the planet.

I do wonder how serious some CL listers are. I contact them and never hear back -- and the item has not sold.

 

[trip-xa]

I think I have sent an email like the one you got at least once. I guess that makes me the aforementioned sh*t disturber, but sometimes the prices infuriate me. There's an M2 on CL in Chicago that has had the same price since forever. Is it for sale or not?

 

[nikonosguy]

funny, last week i bought a nikon f5 for 175 -- he knew what he had...

 

[tomnrides]

The CL responder had a bad day, if I were looking I might have got bent out of shape with over pricing.

 

[nikku]

People love to play "price police" on CL. The bike forum is even worse, here in Houston it's a very active forum and there are tons of flippers (or as the cycling folk call them, "DKO'rs" (dirt knocker-offer's)) who sometimes offer fair deals, sometimes not, but there are ALWAYS posters with too much time on their hands who go behind and put up new ads mocking the flippers' ads. Usually along the lines of "what wackadoo world do you live in where you think you can get $300 for that piece of dookie" etc. etc.

Sometimes it's amusing, but it serves absolutely no purpose and only adds to the noise.

 

[t.s.k.]

A few years ago, I once had a guy clear across the country tell me the same thing for a Coolscan 5000 I listed.
He still wanted to buy it...for his ridiculous price.
Forget that my CL ad clearly stated "local transaction only."
The asshat of course, was doing me a favor by buying my "POS that had no market value" <-- his words.
I sold it locally that same day but eventually bought another later that year. 😕

 

[back alley]

Joe, in this case, obviously, I know I'm high... and I have a lens listed here that I know I'm priced high on as well. But I also know that both items are unusual and were issued in limited quantities. I don't have to sell them, I'm just throwing them out there. If they sell at asking, great; if not no worries, I'll keep them. When I have something I really want to move, I price it attractively. Such are the demands of the market place.

I recognize that there are other folks out there who have the same perspective about their items as I do about these two I currently have for sale. When I find something priced over current market, I'll usually send a note asking if the seller is willing to negotiate, and if there's a price that might leave us both walking away smiling. If there's a conversation to be started that seems to be a good ice-breaker. If not, certainly there's no harm done and there's no need to offend anyone.

But, I really like that idea of pricing things high because I owned them. I need to work harder at becoming a legend in my own mind so I can make that happen and do it with a straight face. 😀

me too! lol!
i should put in a surcharge because the item once belonged to the first rff mod!
my amazement comes from folks that have no idea that their camera is 30 years old and not in demand any longer…and that no one is going to pay 10% less than new price!
thank goodness i have never sent a nasty email about a price though…it would be a new low for me...

 

[rscheffler]

You know there is the great American tradition scholars call "the moral economy." Call it the underside of American capitalism--rooted in the way of thinking before capitalism got established. The basic principle is not market exchange, but fair exchange (sometimes caed the "primitive market"). Maybe some of these people felt your price violated this principle--just saying.

Totally agree with this. IMO it's the root of many 'gouging' threads I've seen on photo forums about new, overpriced equipment. Seemed to be fairly prevalent back when Canon released their latest super-tele lenses at ~40-50% higher prices than the previous generation... which has also carried over for most recent Canon releases of updated models. What I learned was that many seem to have bought into the system as much because of the price as anything else... I guess assuming pricing would remain consistently lower than the competition indefinitely.

 

[NY_Dan]

"I think you must be suffering from extreme delusion to think you will get that for that camera. Does the camera have some magical intrinsic value added to it because you have owned it ? I would be thrilled if got a grand for it. Good luck"

I got the exact wording with a Craigslist ad -- it's sent to get you to respond to capture your e-mail address. Same thing with "is your item still available."

 

[Steve M.]

Craigslist gets some strange people. I tried to rent a condo we owned in Galveston via a Craigslist ad, and I was contacted by people who were calling from prison! I explained that we would do a background and credit check on any prospective renters.....for some reason we never heard back from any of them. That condo caused me no end of trouble (sometimes I wished I had rented it to the cons) and I ended up selling it for a big loss on an eBay ad when the housing market tanked and our realtor couldn't be bothered to show it.

What NY Dan said. I always listed a phone number, and I would never respond to an email inquiry.

 

[btgc]

I got the exact wording with a Craigslist ad -- it's sent to get you to respond to capture your e-mail address. Same thing with "is your item still available."

For what on Earth? Do they have a tech allowing to trace down location of owner just by email address?

Selling my previous car I knew what I have, low mileage for age and well kept. I had calls from dealers wanting to cherry pick it, some even driving to see it and show me some minor paint defects normal for age. Hey mister, did I mention in ad this isn't new car?

Next day I spent responding their calls if I haven't changed my mind - thanks for calling, I don't own it anymore. Guy who knew what he is buying offered me very close to what I asked and never called me to argue, amen to that.

 

[hepcat]

I got the exact wording with a Craigslist ad -- it's sent to get you to respond to capture your e-mail address. Same thing with "is your item still available."

I think that just recently, all communications through CL are "anonymized" (is that even a word?) so that all they see is the original CL address, not the actual address you use. That's interesting that you got identical verbiage tho.

 

[hepcat]

... Guy who knew what he is buying offered me very close to what I asked and never called me to argue, amen to that.

And really, that's what advertising unusual and unique items is all about; finding that one person who is in the market for that one thing you have, who understands the value of it, and is willing to pay that for it.

 

[gnarayan]

I've had the opposite problem on craigslist - ad had $1 as the price and said best offer in the text, so I made one which seemed reasonable ($120 for an OM1n + 35/2.8), particularly given the condition (visibly dissolving seals and rotting foam in the VF, broken hot shoe, missing motor drive cover).

I got back an invective-laden screed, decrying me as the spawn of Satan. You'd be forgiven for thinking I killed his first-born reading it...

I ended up buying both the lens and the body from Hunt's over the next two years for half the amount I offered him, in better condition...

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

as a westerner (but not quite) in HK, dealing with the 2nd hand market in the equivalent CL listing site is even more "fun..."

it's a no-holds barred price gouging nightmare, much like a street market bazaar type style. non negotiable means low balling, and final price agreed upon is suddenly a 100 bucks less when you meet in person.

in a perverse way it is fun, but my north American sensibilities have suffered much and might not have a hope of being resuscitated.

with that being said. i miss craigslist.

 

[DNG]

as a westerner (but not quite) in HK, dealing with the 2nd hand market in the equivalent CL listing site is even more "fun..."

it's a no-holds barred price gouging nightmare, much like a street market bazaar type style. non negotiable means low balling, and final price agreed upon is suddenly a 100 bucks less when you meet in person.

in a perverse way it is fun, but my north American sensibilities have suffered much and might not have a hope of being resuscitated.

with that being said. i miss craigslist.

I have sold a few things on CL... it is always a good idea to add a few extra $$$ to it... I add like 20% above what I will accept in personal negotiations in a local Coffee Cafe.

It is all part of the price/counter-price game.
Make them feel like they paid less and good a deal.

 

[Tony Whitney]

One of the core problems of the internet is that it gives feeble-minded, bitter, individuals the opportunity to vent their pathetic animosity in the direction of people they never have to actually confront. Why anyone would take the trouble to whine to a vendor about the price of an item they have no intention of buying is quite beyond me. Clearly this exceptionally rude individual has lots of spare time to spew out abuse. Rude is rude and that's an end to it!...TW

 

[finguanzo]

Happens all the time.. I had a guy call me crazy for asking $2600 for an M6ttl and a 28 elmarit asph.. Said he would buy both for 2k...🙄
I think the guy that wrote you wants your m8... lol

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

One of the core problems of the internet is that it gives feeble-minded, bitter, individuals the opportunity to vent their pathetic animosity in the direction of people they never have to actually confront.

Not at all like some of the postings on this forum 🙄