Ok, first, I'm not sure where to post this. I make a little extra money by selling off things I don't need anymore, and things I pick up cheap at garage sales on Craigs List. And though I have found a few crazy/sucky customers buying from me, this one incident was actually with a crazy lady who was selling - but I did so want to share, as it was quite amusing (in a scary sort of way).
I was going to post the entire email conversation, but decided perhaps you have lives you'd like to continue with, so in an effort to be more brief, I'm offering the condensed version (trust me, with me even the "brief" version can run to novel lengths).
Background - I had posted a "want to buy" ad on Craigs List. I got a reply from Crazy Craig's List Lady (hereafter referred to as CCLL) that she had some (she gave no prices). A lot of people tend to think that anyone posting such an ad is automatically a collector willing to pay top dollar, so I was very careful to state in my response to CCLL that I was looking for personal use, had a very strict budget, and was looking for items at garage sale/thrift store prices (not uncommon on our local Craigs List). I told her if within my price range, I'd like them. She sent me a price list. Not exorbitant, but much higher than what I was looking for. I politely asked her if she would consider a lower price, and said otherwise I'd have to pass. I expected a "sorry, no", which is fair enough. Instead, the rant began. I actually attempted to politely explain myself and point out facts involved, but after a couple of emails it deteriorated so badly, I didn't even answer.
But here's what I learned today from the Crazy Craigs List Lady:
I am a B**ch (ok, I CAN be , but she had to be psychic to know this from my extremely polite emails).
Offering a lower price for an item is not, as I thought, bargaining - it is trying to con someone.
Any reference to value of items should reference what she sells them for on ebay, not what the other person has bought them for from other sources (even when ESP is required to do this).
In spite of having purchased similar items literally scores of times (possibly hundreds), I do not know what they sell for, as I did not buy from where she sells (ebay).
Buying said items at garage sales and thrift stores for less than her selling prices on ebay is conning those sellers (even though paying the full price they are asking).
Because I (out of old habits) used a British spelling for a word in an email, I should go back to the UK.
If I'm too poor to pay her prices for the items, I should not be buying such non-essential items.
Isn't it amazing what you can learn through interaction on the internet?
I was going to post the entire email conversation, but decided perhaps you have lives you'd like to continue with, so in an effort to be more brief, I'm offering the condensed version (trust me, with me even the "brief" version can run to novel lengths).
Background - I had posted a "want to buy" ad on Craigs List. I got a reply from Crazy Craig's List Lady (hereafter referred to as CCLL) that she had some (she gave no prices). A lot of people tend to think that anyone posting such an ad is automatically a collector willing to pay top dollar, so I was very careful to state in my response to CCLL that I was looking for personal use, had a very strict budget, and was looking for items at garage sale/thrift store prices (not uncommon on our local Craigs List). I told her if within my price range, I'd like them. She sent me a price list. Not exorbitant, but much higher than what I was looking for. I politely asked her if she would consider a lower price, and said otherwise I'd have to pass. I expected a "sorry, no", which is fair enough. Instead, the rant began. I actually attempted to politely explain myself and point out facts involved, but after a couple of emails it deteriorated so badly, I didn't even answer.
But here's what I learned today from the Crazy Craigs List Lady:
I am a B**ch (ok, I CAN be , but she had to be psychic to know this from my extremely polite emails).
Offering a lower price for an item is not, as I thought, bargaining - it is trying to con someone.
Any reference to value of items should reference what she sells them for on ebay, not what the other person has bought them for from other sources (even when ESP is required to do this).
In spite of having purchased similar items literally scores of times (possibly hundreds), I do not know what they sell for, as I did not buy from where she sells (ebay).
Buying said items at garage sales and thrift stores for less than her selling prices on ebay is conning those sellers (even though paying the full price they are asking).
Because I (out of old habits) used a British spelling for a word in an email, I should go back to the UK.
If I'm too poor to pay her prices for the items, I should not be buying such non-essential items.
Isn't it amazing what you can learn through interaction on the internet?
Comment