newcountrygirl Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Yesterday I decided to put an ad on preloved for an antique telephone which we no longer use. I advertised it at £50 or very near offer and put collection only as I cannot post it due to it being very heavy. Yesterday evening a guy rang me to say his wife definately wants it. He then asked if I would take £35 and take it to Cleethorpes for him to collect (16 miles away). I said no. He then asked if I would keep it for him for a couple of days while he works out how he can collect it from us which I agreed to. He then explained he has no transport and will look into how he can get to us. We live in a small village which doesnt have a bus service. The next village 2 miles away does have a bus from Grimsby but only twice a day at 2pm and 5.30pm so if he got the 2pm one he wouldnt be able to leave the village until the following day as the next bus back is 10.00am. Even if he got the 2pm bus he would then have to walk the 2 miles to get to us. Obviously I dont want to travel to Cleethorpes as it would be a 32 miles round trip which then takes money off the price of the phone. I have sent him a message explaining this. I am not so desperate to sell the phone as to start organising someone elses journey. Am I just getting old and grumpy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Not unreasonable at all. Have you thought about agreeing to deliver it (f you are prepared to do that), but at a cost? He can't knock money off the phone and then have it delivered for free (is he planning to sell it on for a profit, I wonder?) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 It may be that he isn't trying to use public transport, it might be he's trying to get a lift or to get someone to collect on his behalf. Don't worry about trying to make arrangements on his behalf, if he doesn't have a car he will be used to organising things. Sometimes people are very cheeky. I advertised an large and very heavy apple press for sale. A chap in Norfolk (a couple of hundred miles away) contacted me, offering me £150 less than the asking price because of the distance he would have to travel to collect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks Witchhazel and bramble. I didnt think I was being but just thought I would see what people thought. I dont think he would want to pay for delivery as he was trying to get me to let him have it for £35 instead of the £50 I was asking. I have already told him I would accept £45 as my lowest offer and really dont want the hassle of having to deliver it. He didnt seem to have anyone who could offer a lift when I was talking to him yesterday so we shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Not being unreasonable at all! It's his problem not yours so he needs to decide whether he wants the phone so badly that he's prepared to make complicated arrangements. Stick to your guns . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Never fails to surprise me what people expect! A friend recently gave away a rather old, very heavy/large television. He put in the ad that it would take 2 people to shift and gave the dimensions. A woman arrived to collect it in a tiny ford fiesta and she was 'helped' by a daughter - aged about 6. There was no way the tv would fit in the car so the woman started ranting at my friend and demanding that he arranged delivery - even gave him the number of a 'man and van' which she expected him to pay for! In other words, don't get embroiled in someone else's problems. Don't even discuss his journey 'issues' - that way you get sucked in (my friend ended up talking to fiesta woman for about an hour about how she could move the tv and was so annoyed afterwards he's vowed to take any surplus items to the tip in future!). You've made your best offer. Stick to it (and give a deadline after which you don't promise to hang on to the phone) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 No, you are not being unreasonable at all! My Husband sold a large,heavy expensive item on eBay last week & the chap who won said he could & would only come on a Friday afternoon at 2pm. He wouldn't come at the weekend or after normal working hours....VERY unreasonable of him to expect my Husband to take the afternoon off work to accommodate him, we thought People are very odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks everyone. Makes me feel better knowing you all think i am right in this matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Not being unreasonable at all! It's his problem not yours so he needs to decide whether he wants the phone so badly that he's prepared to make complicated arrangements. Stick to your guns . Exactly. Tell him to sort it out or sling one. I also had some daft numpty on ebay asking similar questions, then they had the nerve to rant at me when I explained that it was collect only BECAUSE it was too heavy to post, and that I wasn't prepared to wait in all day for a courier to collect it on his behalf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Stick to your guns, girl! People should not reply to ads when they clearly cannot meet the requirements! If he doesn't want it then someone else will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I'm with the others, don't get involved, you just end up being sucked into helping him out and you'll regret it. He sounds like the sort of person that expects too much and they end up being the person who complains about something several days later. Sadly much experience offering stuff on freecycle now leads me to avoid anyone 'complicated' and he sounds very cheeky - £35 is not £50 ono to start with and you had made it clear it was collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 The guy has just rung me now (10.30pm) He is coming tomorrow and his Father is bringing him. I still think when he comes he will try to barter me down but he's got no chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 How very rude to call that late; I wouldn't dream of ringing anyone after 9pm Stick to your guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Very rude!!! Stick to your guns as DM says - pay up or you'll set the Omleteers on him!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Do you think he is just a numpty, or slightly threatening? If you're at all in doubt, then it might be best to ensure that you have someone else around when they arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hope all goes well,if you are there on your own, I'd bring the thing you are selling to the door and try and avoid them both coming in (say someone is asleep indoors or something) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yes, I always have the item right by the door, and make sure the dogs are around too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I did a 'hand over' like this but called upstairs to OH - who wasn't there! - to say 'just a min, will be up in a moment' don't know if it fooled the chap but he didn't linger! Oh, and tho it sounds v obvious, GET CASH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks all. I had the dog in the other room - she always barks if anyone rings the bell. Plus my hubby was around. The chap turned up at the agreed time and paid his money. Didnt try to barter me down from what we had agreed and in actual fact turned out to be a pleasant guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 That's good, I'm glad it all went well in the end. Shame he made it so difficult though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hurrah ! I tend to avoid selling stuff (hence piles of "stuff" everywhere) because I get a bit anxious about strangers turning up, glad it all turned out well in the end. Amazing how some people expect others to sort their lives out for them though eh ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Phew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
