Using Craigslist Like eBay

[HowDueYouDue]

Back before the holidays, a gas pump came up locally on Craigslist with an asking price of $195. I replied within about an hour of it being posted that I would take it as long as it wasn't rusted through. About a week or so later I get an email saying thanks for the interest and I am currently taking bids on it. The higher bid is currently $600 and I have others in reserve at $500.  I politely tell the guy that the ad was $195 I'm not paying a dime more.

Go on to craigslist today and the ad is back at a top bid of $800 with others in reserve at $700.

Any one else run into this kind of thing and what are your thoughts on it? I know that it's not "illegal" or anything like that but think it's just "bad business".

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/atq/4241974842.html

[Kilroy]

I hope that $800 "bid" is  as legitimate as he is

[CoinOpCrazy]

With antiques I would 100% agree. However with cars I would not. In fact I may have been the one who invented that idea. Someone I know was selling a car and the phone wouldn't stop ringing all day long. So I told him to just post the current offer on and go from there. Guess that came back to bite us all.

[BONOVOX]

I hate reindeer games.
I would not bid or deal with a CL ad like that ever.
Ebay I have no issues with bidding, because that's what the site is, and I can see the bids taking place. With CL, the seller can bid up the item at will (sure you can on Ebay too, but it's something that can be spotted easier)

[CoinOpCrazy]

Let me restate that. In extreme cases such at with the car I would say it's okay. We all know antiques will not get calls all day long. I don't think I would be able to hold back from calling the guy an idiot.

[mygoose101]

Lame! Guy is full of himself. Little does he know 49 of those 50 e-mails are Craigslist spam. He knows nothing about selling. If he did he would stand the pump up, say wipe it down a bit, and get rid of all the other crap in the pictures. I've seen this method used before on CL where I kindly e-mail and tell them there is a site for what they are trying to do, it's called e-bay.

[tkaz]

I hate when it gets to that, I have seen it in a few situations.  Just to shove it back at them, I have offered more than top dollar with no intention to buy, just to show we can all offer untruthful amounts when there's no cash in hand to prove it.

[CoinOpCrazy]

I've seen this method used before on CL where I kindly e-mail and tell them there is a site for what they are trying to do, it's called e-bay.

Now now e-bay is not free-bay.  These type of people and no shows are the reason why I just give up on CL. The type of people on there just piss me off.

[MaineT]

Everyone here b1tche$ when they ask a high price because they want to get what something is worth because everyone lowballs and tries to steal your stuff. Now your complaining that he is giving equal opportunity for you to pay a fair price, but full price. You were going to f$%k him and steal it for $195 but now your complaining that he wont let you f$%k him? I don't care what he was asking, you know it was worth a LOT more than $195. Pricing and valuing is the hardest part of selling something and 20 calls the first day is saying your WAY TOO LOW.

Come on, your phone rings off the hook because you are asking 10-20% of the retail price and your not going to figure out its not too low? You really can't see a red flag that your price was too low? If you were fair to him off the bat then maybe you would have gotten further.

If you don't want the item, don't make an offer and move on but don't get pissed that he wont let himself get f$%ked for at least $600. 3 times his price when he didn't know the value.

[davethebirdman]

But surely when it becomes apparent that YOU haven't done your homework and YOU have put it on too low you just withdraw the Ad and figure out the going price.
Its not rocket science. The pump isn't one of a kind. When you know what a fair price is for it you then put it back.

All this bidding to me seems like someone who is too lazy to make a few enquires or clean the item up and make it presentable for sale. Or maybe someone who is chancing his arm
and even if you agree a fair price will back out of the deal through fear that he would make $10 more elsewhere.

Plenty more pumps in the sea....