The Trials and Tribulations of CL/Facebook/etc.

[rrobbone]

In both cases I was struck by how enthusiastic the buyers were for the guitars. Both were into metal/shred and of course Schecters are known for that. But both guys messaged me afterward, one of them several times, with vids of them playing. In any case, I feel the guitars ended up in exactly the right hands, and I'm delighted as well.

That's always a great feeling. I usually ask my Neckbolt customers to send me a pic or two so I can see how they decided to build out the bodies I make. It's always interesting to see how their vision compares to mine. Sometimes I get video of them playing the new guitar live - and that's what I make them for. The dude who bought the skateboard guitar plays in a punk band and just rips into the damn thing.

[Houblues]

As an addendum to my last post, I also just sold a item I had not even advertised. I'm a member on Garage Journal and a while back I had responded on a post asking about a good but no longer available brand of tile saw. A couple of months ago someone from my old home town messaged me through the forum asking if I had the saw and would I be willing to part with it. I answered in the affirmative and we agreed that I would deliver it when I could combine it with the guitar delivery I've mentioned above.

Again, the buyer was delighted. He didn't even inspect it when I arrived (although it helped that I had sent pictures and a vid) and just started moving it into his truck.

What is common to all these transactions is the buyers were specifically interested and informed about the items. Moral of the story, when the right buyers find the right products, things happen.

But in all cases, I didn't waste any time dealing with lowballers. If the first question was not "Tell me about the item" , I didn't pursue the conversation. In all cases there were several conversations, and by the time the deals went through each side had an idea of what type of person they were dealing with, and what the item was like.

[Houblues]

That's always a great feeling. I usually ask my Neckbolt customers to send me a pic or two so I can see how they decided to build out the bodies I make. It's always interesting to see how their vision compares to mine. Sometimes I get video of them playing the new guitar live - and that's what I make them for. The dude who bought the skateboard guitar plays in a punk band and just rips into the damn thing.

It is great when there can be a somewhat personal relationship between company and customer. Are you familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk and the Taylor Swift Rule - https://medium.com/better-marketing/mak ... d4b56b1ca2? In the video in this article it looks a little manipulative, but I take his point to be that you shouldn't do certain things with an explicit expectation of a return, but just because they are good things to do. It sounds like you get that.

[JimyTheAssassin]

This dude branded his MIM standard and is asking $550.

I’ve been loving these stories but this neck is amazing. If I was selling it at a premium, I would be sure to mention that it has no SHARP frets or FLAT spots on the fingerboard.
This thing is only playable in the key of C

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[golem]

But in all cases, I didn't waste any time dealing with lowballers. If the first question was not "Tell me about the item" , I didn't pursue the conversation. In all cases there were several conversations, and by the time the deals went through each side had an idea of what type of person they were dealing with, and what the item was like.

Yup. Entrepreneurs will often talk about firing their most challenging clients. I actually blocked one or two people who contacted me. I think they were possibly drunk or high, but if they interact with people like that normally I wouldn't to sell to them anyhow.

[solteroblues]

I've been trying to sell stuff locally on Facebook lately, early summer every thing I listed sold within hours. Now, I don't even get a "is this still available" much anymore. I did sell a cheap Marshall MG 1x10 bottom cabinet from one of their mini stacks. A guy hit me up, told me it was from the Zakk Wylde signature and was worth a lot, and he had the full stack but would like a 3rd, but he lived a state away and didn't seem intrested in traveling. Next day someone else from over an hour away said I can come get it at 6 tonight, where do you want to meet. I honestly didn't expect him to show since it was such last minute and so far. Not only did he show, but gave me $60 instead of the $50 I was asking because neither of us had change for a $20.

Occasionally, I've been contacted by someone who asks if its still available, I reply, then they'll reply with utter nonsense, I have to pass off as they found the item while drunk, and I never hear from them again.

This one lady inquired about a bed set I was selling, she started out by saying "gm hun. Is this still avail n does it come w mattress n boxspring. thx" Now I had pictures of everything I was selling, basically the headboard, rails, a chest, and a nightstand. I respond back that its still available, but no mattress or boxspring. I get this back: "thx u need all thx for being kind" WTF does that mean?

[voodoorat]

grr. so some guy on fb market had a red gretsch jet g5230t listed and he was looking for an amp--one with clean headroom. i have a spare vox ac30s1 (it's a simplified circuit top-boost-only 1x12 ac30) that i'm planning on listing anyway when more stimulus checks go out, so i figured i'd ask if he was interested. he said he was (although he said what he *really* wants is a roland jc-40). the amp is worth more than the guitar, but it has a case and he upgraded the pickups to the high sensitivity filter'trons from the blacktops, i figured value-wise it was probably a pretty good trade and even though i don't really need another gretsch or another solid-body single-cut i'd probably get more use out of it than a spare amp.

anyway, long story short he like kept asking for questions and pictures and sound samples and then he said there was another guy he was talking to with a deluxe reverb that he was thinking about but it was in worse shape so he wasn't sure and in the end after a few days of back-and-forth he just kinda backed out and said he was just going to try to sell it and try to get the roland. which, fine, but why waste my time? that amp is only like $600 new, he shouldn't have any trouble getting that much or at least close to it for the gretsch. just kinda pissed me off because i wasted a bunch of time talking to this guy and taking pictures and answering questions and i didn't really want the guitar that much anyway. most annoying experience i've had with someone who wasn't just an asshole or a scammer.

[honyock]

I just sold something non guitar related and I am impressed how well the Facebook messenger integration is with marketplace.

It takes all the mystery out of the process, is it a real person or is it just a bot that I normally dealt with on Craigslist.

I've pretty much given up selling on Craigslist completely. Once they started charging for cars and motorcycles, it seems like the overall traffic has dried up.

[mark_morton]

I have a troll account on Facebook, had been Facebook free about four plus years, and just this week alone made $200 flat selling small items. I'm having better luck than on CL.

Only downside is I get a lot of messages asking about availability but don't hear from them after that. Bunch of other dudes telling me they want to buy but have no money, as well. Why even bother messaging..?

But overall, I'm satisfied with Facebook market.

[voodoorat]

much prefer fbm to craigslist. still some flakes but fewer scammers/fraudsters and you can usually check the profiles to see who they are. there's still a bigger market on craigslist though, at least here in atlanta, so i find it's probably about 50/50 as to where sales and buys come from.

[MattFireblade]

Only downside is I get a lot of messages asking about availability but don't hear from them after that.

This is just user error on their end. There's a button on listings that if you tap sends an 'is this item available' message.

[Spike]

Had a guy contact me about my Gold Strat. He was from Lansing. I offered to meet him in the Sweetwater parking lot as it was about 1 3/4 hour drive for him and about 1 1/4 hour drive for me. Never haggled the price in our numerous texts/calls. I show up early as I am picking up a new set of Presonus monitors (more on them in the latest gear acquisition thread). I get a text from him and I think, Ok, here comes the excuse of why he can't show up... Nope, he's there early.

I get my monitors, head out to my car. He's there waiting. Picks up the guitar, looks it over, plays it a bit and looks at me and says, you said $700 dollars, right? I said yep (fully prepared to take $650). He counts out $700, hand me the cash and says thanks!!!

Wait, whut??? The easiest and most painless CL transaction I have ever had. I am still blown away.

[Rollin Hand]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

[solteroblues]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

or simply, I don't know, I've never seen one before. I wonder the same thing all of the time.

[Mossman]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

I've thought of that often... I think when people get an email from Amazon asking them to answer a question about an item they bought, they think that they're obligated to give some kind of response, even if they don't know the answer.

[Houblues]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

I've thought of that often... I think when people get an email from Amazon asking them to answer a question about an item they bought, they think that they're obligated to give some kind of response, even if they don't know the answer.

It's funny how personally recognized people feel when they get an automated message from a large faceless company....

[Mossman]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

I've thought of that often... I think when people get an email from Amazon asking them to answer a question about an item they bought, they think that they're obligated to give some kind of response, even if they don't know the answer.

It's funny how personally recognized people feel when they get an automated message from a large faceless company....

Makes you feel important... Like the first time you saw your name in the phone book.

[golem]

I finally got a return on a guitar I sold to a member on the TGP. The stated reason was that I didn't tell him the guitar, which I documented the wear on extensively and advertised as heavily used, had rusty screws. I suspect it was just buyer remorse, but I'm getting a bit tired of trying to sell anything.

[Houblues]

I finally got a return on a guitar I sold to a member on the TGP. The stated reason was that I didn't tell him the guitar, which I documented the wear on extensively and advertised as heavily used, had rusty screws. I suspect it was just buyer remorse, but I'm getting a bit tired of trying to sell anything.

I think I would have offered to make it right by sending him new screws.

[golem]

I think I would have offered to make it right by sending him new screws.

Yeah... when he put it like that I was briefly kind of wtf. He mentioned something about the nut, but it's precut graphtec so it kind of sound like he wasn't happy with the nut not being vintage correct or that the guitar itself has a vintage radius neck. I don't know, I'd rather just have my guitar back than have someone unhappy with me and feeling remorseful or cheated. It's an awesome guitar.

[glasshand]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

I've thought of that often... I think when people get an email from Amazon asking them to answer a question about an item they bought, they think that they're obligated to give some kind of response, even if they don't know the answer.

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that however the questions were presented made it look like they were to you personally, which might explain why people felt compelled to answer. I guess that got Amazon more responses, but it sure lowered the average quality of the responses. Then again, half the questions were pretty low quality anyway.

[glasshand]

Right now I'm wishing I had some trials and tribulations. Earlier in the spring and summer, I was at least getting some regular interest in stuff, but in the last few weeks, it all seems to have dried up.

[nomadh]

This isn't CL/FB stuff, but I get a strange kick out of seeing questions asked on Amazon, and someone replying "I don't know," or "sorry, I bought the next model up."

WHY ARE YOU ANSWERING THEN?!?!?

I sometimes answer if I think we are on a parallel track. Sometimes you make a future contact. One time I pointed someone to a teacher I knew. He answered back 3 others said the same thing so thanks and SOLD!
I just let someone know to contact brad as he was looking for a very specific strap and showed a pic of some beatup thing. I told him Well-hung could possibly make a copy or repair his old one or both. Sounds like he will make contact.

[voodoorat]

i did make a trade for a gretsch electromatic jet that i actually like a lot more than i expected (it was for an amp i wasn't using anyway). otherwise though it's been a bit of a dry spell and not for lack of trying. bunch of flakes (honestly even the guy i got the gretsch from was kind of a flake in that he was really indecisive and went back and forth for several days).

[glasshand]

On the positive side, I put a small bass amp up on CL, and was shortly thereafter contacted by a very nice person who was a good communicator, made a reasonable offer, showed up on time, paid in cash, and took the amp without any drama. So it is possible!

I took another bass amp to GC and sold it to them since it had been something like 10 weeks with no serious interest, and I got what I would call a "GC good" price, so I'm satisfied with that.

On the frustrating side, I thought it might be fun to mess around with drums, and I saw a CL listing for the same inexpensive kit my band's drummer uses for practice. It had been up for about a week, so I thought the seller might be flexible on the price, and I contacted them..."sorry, I have somebody coming tomorrow for it." Bummer! But wait, here's another listing for the same kit, and it's been up two days! ..."Sorry, somebody is coming for it tomorrow." Double bummer. I haunt CL for a while, until another one comes up. It's been up only four hours when I contact the seller, and guess what they have to say?