Art & Inspiration "One percenters" disclaimer

My problem is, that it is difficult for me to differentiate between a perfectionist and a 1%er until it is too late. I know some really nice guys that are perfectionists.
Bob

 

Sadly...The ignore button does not work on the anointed. But I concur.

 

I think you miss the point here.
I agree completely with the assertion that the general public are idiots. But i do think that you need a very thick skin to deal with them on a retail basis and posting that “they” are idiots wont get you any business.

 

I think I'd have no problem doing business with that fellow. He's basically captured every reason why I despise trying to sell anything.

 

Sell on a variety of sites and my rule of thumb if they start asking a lot of questions or just plain dumb questions I ban/block/ignore those types. Years of sales have taught me they will never be happy with a purchase and will make life hell. I am polite and send a note stating why I won't sell to them and on a few occasions gotten a note back admitting they were extremely picky.
Always wanted to ask if they were married. Never did but I've wondered.

 

It only takes one real asshole to ruin your expectations of people. We have more than our fair share here in Charleston, so I don't have much faith in locals anymore.

 

Well, the seller should take the time to clean up the item, IMO. Dirt/dust/cobwebs can hide a bunch of sin.

I'd most likely just move on, unless it was an ubotanium part I needed.

Maybe that's what they think?

 

Darn right you are! There is one of these clowns in every town, at a minimum. There's a guy here still griping 20 years later that no one will put floors in his Jeep for $400.00 "like the place down in Ogden will". The last time I saw him I told him I would be happy to help him tie it down on his trailer to get it there.

 

It must be the area. I remember checking into a motel about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta one night. When you walked into the lobby, the first thing that you saw was a large sign saying : "WE DON'T RENT TO LOCALS".

 

I may be in the very rare group that has sold a fair amount on Ebay and never had a complaint or had to take a return. I even sold a 360 Mopar /AX 15 bellhousing off a Dakota that guys use to put Mopar V8 engines in jeeps that had a crack around one of the bolt holes for far more than I thought I would get for it because I had clearly stated about the crack in the add and had 18 meg photos of the bad spot. The guy was happy to get it.
I haven't had any real problems buying parts on Ebay and check the script and photos in the add pretty close and pass on those that have sketchy descriptions or iffy photos. I did buy my sailboat that had both though by posting a "won't get hurt if it turns out to be junk" bid and getting it for that bid.
On the other hand every time I try to buy something to give my wife on ebay that comes from a woman I seem to get screwed over by some nutcase. Including one who couldn't take the time to stick something in a package and mail it on the way to the hospital because she said she was too busy with her husband being in the hospital.
I saw those flakes when I had my 2K Cad Dts on FB marketplace a while back listed as a mechanics special needing an engine or engine work. The car still looked great in photos and I lost track of people who got mad because they couldn't just jump in it and take off on Vacation to California in it. Finally sold it to a guy who rebuilds a lot of that model of Cadillac for 200 because he didn't give a rip if it even ran and his buddy was shocked that he could drive it on the trailer rather than winch it.

 

Oh that’s rich! Love it.
You know, in the luxury custom home business, we are careful about choosing who we will build for. Some folks refuse to be happy and there’s nothing you can do about it. We will bow out during the estimate process, “We don’t think we’re a good fit for you. Good luck!”

Love the disclaimer, and the guy is giving his fellow man a huge benefit of the doubt.

 

What percentage of people dont have the attention span to read that? Im in that group.

 

People that have never dealt with the public on a daily basis have no idea what it is actually like. I deal with multiple people everyday. It is no piece of cake. Some great ones and some horrible ones. But, in the end you do what you have to do. Some of the worst ones at first end up some of the best ones and vise versa. Been doing it for 40 years now. Wouldn't change a thing.

 

Same Here. I worked at a grocery store while going to high school and college and working with the public can sour your taste for humanity pretty quickly. The store was located in a well to do area of town where the people who frequented it thought they were all that. I remember on more than one occasion the manager of the store warning us guys that worked there not to entertain after store hours the older well heeled women who would shop there to avoid a scandal for the store but it still happened.

 

I worked in a supermarket when I was in school as well. It was probably a lot earlier than you, because we never ran into THAT problem. We carried the groceries out to the customers cars in those days, and you could usually tell what kind of a person they were by the car they drove. Ford, Chevrolets, and Plymouth's were pretty decent most of the time. Surprisingly, most of the Cadillac and Lincoln people were OK too. All of the pricks drove Buicks and Chryslers.

 

I find the same percentage,There are real car guys that understand what metal work or body/paint work involves and then there are the REAL and sincere guys that are willing to be walked through the process and all of those I welcome with open arms,The to rest I say I'm booked for six months.Sometimes thankfully not often one will get by my bullshit detector but they get weeded out quickly.

 

Pat, thanks for thinking of me. The main thing that I miss by moving here is all of the people that I had contact with for over 60 years.

 

You and me both Nick. I traveled all over this country coast to coast a few times and met some great people.

Pat

 

On the flip side, he has described the 99% of douche bag buyers I have dealt with on Craigslist...

 

What's even worse is when you find that a friend of yours is one of those one percent. I got a guy I work with who I've known for almost 3 decades and we get along great but I won't send him to anyone I deal with simply because I know it won't end well. Some guys are never happy until they think they are getting the upper hand.

 

I worked in a Harley shop for a while in the '70, actually on and off through the '70s. One day a kind of a RUB walks up to the service manager and says that he wants to talk to the "Guy" who is gonna work on his bike. The service manager looks over his shoulder and says [in a loud voice], "Uh well, he doesn't deal directly with the public." The guy says, "Why? is he some sort of a primadonna?" Which caused a large gentleman we called Spare Parts to reach out and grab my collar and the service manager to say, "Uh nope, he just doesn't play well with others and we really do appreciate your business."

Working with the public is a *real pain and takes a special person with the proper personality and patience to do. I will probably never really be good at it and I have the utmost respect for anyone who can do it and retain their sanity.

*real pain, well not always but can be

 

I have been using this on ebay.

My standard disclaimer: due to recent shady activity within the ebay community on refunds and reverse scams.
My items are used. Sold As Is, no returns, refunds, partial returns, partial refunds. If you gotta ask your momma or your wife for permission, do it before you bid. If you need more info or pics ask for them before you bid. If you choose to bid, you are expected to pay.

Facebook Market place. I have added the following to some listings. Really messes with people.
"Part is listed for the price I want. If you NEED to get a deal, contact me and I can relist it for $20 HIGHER, so you can talk me down"

Online sales, where people dont have to make an offer in person has emboldened a lot of people who feel they can make ridiculous offers or requests.

 

Me too. I didn't even make all the way through yours! I need pictures. We are on page two and no pictures.

 

Here ya go Billy a pic of a '70s 1%er. LOL

 

LOL! You were that guy the mothers warned their daughters about! Sweet horn!

 

why i been practicing social distancing my whole life......................

 

The type of buyer this guy is referring to would never bother to read that giant novella at the end of his description. In fact, it's doubtful they read any of the description, that's the problem.

Also, that particular seller has bad feedback and his listings are quite poorly written and formatted, in my opinion. Gigantic lettering in HTML format will make it hard to read on a cellphone, and overly long disclaimers make buyers skip the whole thing instead of trying to sift through to find the actual relevant information.

I understand his frustration, as I've run into the exact same people, but a massively simplified, up-front description without the different colored, different sized fonts and texts, and pictures of the actual part, removed from the car beforehand and properly inspected, would probably save most of the trouble he's having.

 

What do you all think is easier fixing cars or dealing with people?

Answer- fixing cars.

 

Thanks
The horn is buried with a close friend now. Long story and probably better spun in a different venue.

 

^^^^But spun I must hear. PM me the story on that please.