Hot Rods People not showing up.

As a seller I don't get worked up with the no shows but I do keep a list of phone/text/email senders. One shot to buy and if you don't follow through no second chance.
As a buyer I don't waste the sellers time if I don't have the full asking price in my pocket.

 

I sell different things online at places like craiglist. I don't leave it get to me but I make them come to me so I can carry on with my life doing what I do. I might adjust it so I am not out in the back 40 but I always have something to do at the shop or around the yard close to my driveway so I can see them pull in. Sometimes I forget I have people coming over until I see them pull in because i got busy doing something. Just to sit there doing nothing and wait for them isn't my style.

I use to watch the phone numbers and vest my parties that way by their location but in this day of age that doesn't work so I no longer do that. last week the lady that showed up only lived 2 towns over but her phone number was for Florida.

 

I was selling a old Chevy pickup- had a 350 automatic. It had a miss, ran rough. Guy came to look at it and really chewed me out- runs like ****, why did I waste his time? on and on. So I actually agreed with him and decided I would make truck run better. Next day another guy called and came to look at it. He thought it was fine and bought it as is!!

 

I am selling a lot of junk on Craigslist these days. I have never had a no show after a time has been determined, but lots of people who like to talk and act interested then disappear. had a guy who wanted a 1954 Chevrolet truck poster I listed, we talked on the phone about our automobilia collections, exchanged a few pictures, he was even interested in some of the other items I sent photos of. he had an item I was interested in as well, we talked about a trade. ... then nothing. at home it probably went something like this:

buyer: "honey look at this cool poster I am going to buy for the shop"
buyers wife: "DON'T YOU THINK YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF THAT **** ALREADY"
buyer: "yes dear."

if selling was easy everyone would be doing it. on a positive note I have sold 17 vintage bikes plus a bunch of other junk on craigslist since last March. just sold an antique table yesterday.

 

I think no shows are dreamers, or they try to rob Peter to pay Paul. When you do that Peter gets sore, and how can you do good business with a sore Peter? Be glad they didn't show. Just a thought...

 

Yup. The "situation" to die for. "OK, Easy to settle here... , who want's it the worst? ... .
& that's *never* happened to me - not my run of luck. IDK, maybe it's the stuff I like, = less than mainstream, to say the least... .
Marcus...

 

Advertised a 40 Ford years ago, good price, decent car, decent starting point, anyway. Talked to a guy about 100 miles away several times, then he disappeared. Every time, I told him my price was firm. Month later, I still had the car, and he called at 6 AM on a Sunday morning, said he was on his way. I thought "***hole" but told him to come on, and make sure to bring the whole amount ( since he'd *****ed about the price every time he called). He shows up with his trailer, and 4 other big, burly, nasty looking ****ers. Tried to hand me $800 less than my price, and every one of his guys crowded me. He said I'm not going home empty handed. Got very tense, until I just walked back in my house. He couldn't get to the 40 until I moved my DD, so they stood around, yelling at me from outside, while I stood inside at the window, my phone in my hand to call the law. Crazy *******s. Eventually, they left, never heard from him again. If my then wife had seen all of that, she'd have called the police long before I walked back in the house.
Today, I'd just show them my little friend. Then, I thought I was getting my *** kicked, and losing my 40.

 

I’ve had a few get pi**ed off when they hit me with a lower price and I immediately raised mine. They’ve even yelled at me saying “you can’t do that” My come back is quick. “You went down so I went up…the difference it’s mine and when you leave it still will be”. If folks are nice I’ll ****er with them but it’s easy not too if they act like a-holes.

 

That’s crazy! You handled it well.

 

Captain Kirk, Star Trek quote?
Just kidding, with the pauses it’s the first thing I thought of.
I like the oddball stuff too.

 

I have a shop owner buddy who is a pretty calm guy. He was trying to get rid of a bunch of engine parts and one of the items was a set of bbc rods out of an LS6. A guy comes by, inspects them and says he definitely wants the rods but never shows up again to pay for them and close the deal. A week or so later somebody else came to the shop with cash and away they go. A few days after that, wheeler dealer #1 finally shows up with cash and is informed the rods are gone. He immediately goes ******* yelling that he said he wanted them and he already had them sold online. My very calm friend lost his calm and threw the guy out of his shop yelling you better refund your buyers money because you don't own any rods to sell. Some of these knuckleheads could piss off a saint.

 

I never meet anyone with out my” little friend”! And my little friend is not so little and is hanging on my hip, in plain view! But I am in Oklahoma!





Bones

 

I have had people call me and tell me they are on their way with a trailer and cash to buy something....never to be seen or heard from again. I always tell everyone the same thing. It's for sale until someone hands me cash. Then it's sold.

 

That I think that can work fine and not cause any issues with anyone, if you set things up in times and windows.
Say a guy is coming from 3 hours away pulling a trailer. he expects the the car, big item to be there. Someone else calls an hour or so after the guy is on the way and says “I can be there in 30 minutes”.
I couldn’t have some guy be on the road for an hour or so, call him back and say “sorry, sold”.

 

I have called a few. Most were local. I had people tell me they couldn't come until after they get off work. That's fine, but if someone else takes off work and burns vacation time...who wants it more? If someone were coming from a long distance, I tell folks that there is someone coming. If they don't show by **X time, you're up next.

 

"I am selling a lot of junk on Craigslist these days. I have never had a no show after a time has been determined, but lots of people who like to talk and act interested then disappear"

Oh, yes, had quite a few text asking questions and just disappear when you thought it was going good. Only had a few that made a time and do a no show. It happened 2 or 3 weeks ago on an air compressor. made time, then he never showed and I haven't heard anything back from him since. The weather did change that day and the snow started coming down good so I just figure the weather scared him off maybe but I thought he would have texted back to reschedule but nothing. only time I wasted was moving it from the camper to inside my jeep. Otherwise my next last no show after making appointment was around 3 years ago. so I don't think that is bad.

I did have a guy show up once to look at a camper that had no money and was hoping I would finance it. I showed him 3 different campers before I realized he had no money. I was going to let him buy one on payment but I would hold the trailer and ***le until it was paid off but he wanted it that week already, nope no go, I don't leave stuff leave the property on payment plan anymore, I am not a bank anymore.

With all my online selling most of my sales are to super nice people.

 

Good stories outweigh the bad. Sold an A pickup to a guy in Iowa (I'm in Mich). 2nd call came ½hr after the 1st, "We're hooking up the trailer rt now. Where can I send a deposit?" "If you're leaving rt now forget the deposit. How long, what's your eta?" "I'm guessing I'll see you mid morning tomorrow." "Its yours until noon tomorrow, fair enuff?" "Fair enuff, thank you." He called that night when they stopped and got a room, had a little technical difficulty on the last run here the next morning, called to let me know, didn't see him til 1:30. "Don't worry it's still yours." Truck was way better than he expected, I just had a vibe he was the guy for it. I had 2 higher than ask offers, 1 for 500 more, 1 a grand more. Nope, a deal is a deal. This was quite a while back, about 10yrs ago. Show ups are cooler than no shows.

 

called a guy about a 32 coupe project sounded good hung up the phone jumped in the truck drove an hour and a half. when I got there guy says . the 32 was sold and gone while I drove there but he had a model a I could look at said no thanks and left . car was a no show the old bait and switch

 

I was selling a nice, essentially stock, 1936 Ford cabriolet that looked pretty good and ran better. I didn't want to bother with taking it to York to sell so made a guy in SC a good deal on the car if he showed up soon... like within next three or four days. Car was advertised in Hemmings, too. Guy in AL calls and said he wants the car at almost the asking price and would send me a check for $1,000 to hold it and for me to keep if he didn't show up and buy it. Told him had a guy coming tomorrow morning and would call him if that guy didn't show and buy it. He said call him and he'll put check in the mail that day.
First guy shows up with a trailer and a buddy early the next morning. Apparently they had driven all night and he had talked about the car all the way with his buddy... who he was counting on the fix any issues with the body and paint... for I suspect very little money!
By the time they arrived, his buddy could see this as a lose lose for him so he wanted to complain about every little thing on the car; all of which I had already told the potential buyer about before they left SC!
Buyer then said he would still OFFER me much less for the car. I smiled. I said I wouldn't want you to be taken advantage of so I'll just keep the car and said good-bye and headed for the house... he says he'll up it by another $1,000. I said I'll just keep it as I don't want him to feel cheated.
I went in the house, called the guy in AL and said send the check. Check arrives promptly.
AL guy shows two weeks later with wife and buddy and his wife and a trailer. He was very happy with the car and thanked me for holding it for him.

I wish I could have been a fly in the cab of the truck that came from SC to hear the conversation on the way home after dragging his buddy, and maybe buddy's trailer, all the way to VA; just to drive back empty!

 

I had a engine for sale on line, sold it, 4 times!!! not one ever followed thru on their deal. I Still have it..people ****! I'll keep trying, you know that old saying "there's a *** for every seat"

 

I think all you guys are on the same page! I believe in the first here with the cash gets the item! Like roothawg says, if a guy tells me he will be by after work and a guy shows up with cash before, the cash guy gets the item and the work guy gets a message!
If a guy says he is on his way, I already know where he is coming from, usually, so I give him the time to travel and agree on a time of arrival! One minute after that time, the item is back up for sale , first come first serve! The reason I do this is I have had guys claim they are on their way and never show, even had them contact me saying they are behind and will be late and still not show….sorry for your luck, you just became #2 buyer! Just my way! It’s all about me….now at my age! Lol








Bones

 

This has happen to me so often, I don't want to advertise anything for sale anymore!
I'm around most of the time! But. that's not the point!
People just don't give a **** about anyone else anymore!
Sad!

 

True story from my formative years. Been woodgraining since the mid 70s, this was at home in Dad's garage. Guy has us do a 36 Ford Tudor hot rod. Shows up a day late to pick it up. I try not to brag too much but on that service I do a little. It was stunning, being a hot rod we mixed some burl in, did a really nice finish. After he picks and nits over truly nothing like "...but there's no grain on the back edge of the moldings." which we just darken since the whiskers go on there. "Well I guess I just love everything but the price." which was quite reasonable and agreed to anyways. Dad says you sure?" "Yeah man we need to make an adjustment here." "Ok, lemme get started..." and Dad takes out his pocket knife and starts gouging the grain on all the moldings and finally the dash. Dude's freaking right the **** out, "HEY! HEY! STOP I'LL PAY YA!!" Dad says "**** off, you dont owe me a thing get the **** outta here, and take your **** with you." His friend was equally shocked and frozen stiff.

A few minutes later a knock on the side door, it was his friend. "Yeah, what do you want?" "Hey man I'm really sorry about may ***hole buddy." "Dont apologize for him I'm not gonna..." "No, no, would you do my 34 tudor? I'll pay your price, he's an ***hole, this is the best I've ever seen." "Sure, bring it by whenever you want, here's my card." That story was local legend for a few years. ****, I still feel good telling it almost 50 years later.

 

Iam selling my LSR now . Here and other place's. So many emails from dreamers I started giving them #s. One guy ask what the hash tag number was. Thats you, number #38. Iam making it a game now. I was telling a freind about this not showing up stuff. He had a guy show up with cash and trailer and ***** about everything under the sun for four and a half hours. Load the car up all ready !

 

Spoke to a seller about a front ch***is clip , I never committed to buying it..He calls and says he cut it off the frame....had a posi rear and nice running small block chevy so i wound up buying the package deal and the clip was basically free....go figure..

 

The ones that have your address but don't turn up are writing them all down in a little book, so they can p*** them onto their children whilst on their deathbeds. "Son, call about every car for sale , and make sure you get as many addresses as possible, and never turn up, then you can p*** this onto your children too."

 

just the opposite can make your day, too: the guy who wants to "think about it," then just shows up at your door a couple days later. good reason to meet elsewhere!

 

There are lots of blowhards and time wasters out there

 

No one gets my address! Other than the ones that show up , pay and prove they are not a flake…and many of those don’t get my address . I also do not give out my phone number to every one. I have many ask for it….I just tell them communication via messages is just fine….until they tell me they are on their way, then those get my phone number. I sell a lot of stuff via the internet and I get a lot people trying to scam me. So I have to weed those folks out! After a while it becomes easy to spot most of them, but lately they are getting real sophisticated and have fooled me at first. Any time a potential buyer starts showing more than “ is this available? “, I will pull up their profile, if they have very little on it, they are usually scammers! But lately, the scammers will establish a profile and actually add some local people as friends and set up a likely looking profile. Folks need to be careful on the net! I have been selling/ buying on the net for over 24 years on various sites. Be careful people!






Bones

 

On the opposite side of the coin, are people who put items up for sale, you call them for more info and agree on a price, then when you get to the location, they decide that the item is not for sale, after all. Sometimes I think, is that when they get one offer they want to hold out for a better offer, but won't take your name off of the running.