Classifieds

[DHopkins]

A couple or three days ago, I saw an item in the classifieds that I wanted to purchase. It would suit my needs and it was at a pretty good price. I responded to the ad and still haven't heard anything from the seller. The ad is still there and hasn't changed. This isn't the first time it's happened to me.

I think it behooves people to be ready to respond when they post an item for sale. Even if it's sold. Even better, when it's sold, remove the ad or mark it as sold.

I know most people do this but a considerable number don't.

Okay, the catharsis session is over.

[mrmando]

Stuff happens. People go away for the weekend and don't check their email. Or they type their email addresses incorrectly when they post their ads. Or the ad replies go to a spam folder.

Try posting a Wanted ad for the item and see what happens.

[nickster60]

It does seem to happen often.

[Marty Jacobson]

When things are well priced or under-priced, there can be a barrage of emails which is almost impossible to respond to. I always try to respond to every email that comes in over the course of a day or two, if only to say that the item was sold or pending sale so folks aren't waiting around. I'm sure I've missed a few on those busy ads, though.

[Caleb]

The thing I've never understood about the Classifieds is why people update an ad with "SOLD" rather than just deleting it?

[MikeEdgerton]

It's simple. Some sales fall through. People don't send the money or a half dozen other things. Rather than having to replace the ad you simply modify the text. I generally don't take mine down until the buyer gets it and is happy.

[sonnyjammer]

Sometimes, seems like common courtesy often goes out the window when buying and selling online. One of my beefs with the classifieds are listing an item, receiving several requests for photos. I send them and never hear a word back from the requestor. A simple thanks, I received pics but not interested would be welcome. I brought this topic up once before, general opinion was this is perfectly acceptable. I guess it does help to bump up the "number of replys to ads" counter. I also always list my phone number, but seems people do not want to speak directly, could be because of caller id, they don't want their phone number in the hands of strangers. I recently inquired about an mandolin for sale I was ready to buy, and the poster told me 2 days later, he is not going to sell now. I moved on and then a week later he emails and says now it is back on the available status. By then i did not want it at any price. Oh well, enough ranting.. Life is good.

[JEStanek]

I don't know the specifics of the ads in question but don't forget, the classifieds get a much higher volume of traffic than the boards and the ad poster may not even visit the boards (to see this).

Jamie

[fatt-dad]

there was a mandolin for sale and I wanted it. I sent the ad owner an email with a solid offer and it may have been $700 bucks below his asking price. I figured s/he would have the opportunity to say, "No" or make a counteroffer. Nothing - dead air! So, I just figured maybe I'd irked the seller and went back to practicing. About a week later, the seller modified the price to my exact offer. I wrote back letting the seller know of my continued interest. Again, dead air.

It's only a mandolin though, but I was interested at that time. Heck, now I can't even recall what model instrument it was.

f-d

[jaycat]

It's only a mandolin though, but I was interested at that time. Heck, now I can't even recall what model instrument it was.

f-d

There was a Stradolin listed a while back. I emailed for details and never heard back. Soon I saw that the listing had been taken down, so I presume sold.

It would have been a total impulse buy on my part. I do not need another mandolin! If I don't get a response to my inquiry quickly, the impulse fades. So . . . I saved a couple hundred bucks, probably all for the best.

[f5joe]

On a bit of a tangent ....... I was approached by a serious buyer. We negotiated a price below my asking price. He drove a good ways to pick it up rather than ship it. He played it three hours and decided against it. He headed home and called me shortly after leaving. He offered $500 less to turn around and come back. I told him he didn't have to turn around. Bad form.

[Willie Poole]

I ordered some buffalo horn picks and have never heard back from the seller, those are something that I really wanted to try and see what they sound like...It was only a few bucks so it doesn`t really bother me too much...

Willie

[T.D.Nydn]

Write the guy like eight more times,,it the squeaky wheel gets the grease,,,,

[Jeff Mando]

I guess I'm sensitive to rudeness, but I haven't had good luck on the Classifieds. A couple times I was ready to buy, I know I was first to see the ad because I sit there and keep refreshing in the hopes of a good deal, I email and nothing........when it was obvious the guy was still on his computer because he just posted the ad a few SECONDS earlier? Makes no sense. Several days later, I get an email, "oh, that item has been sold."

I've been doing eBay since eBay started....when somebody is ready to buy--I sell it to 'em!

I should add that I do enjoy looking at the Classifieds, though.

[darylcrisp]

i've been on both sides of the fence. i've sold guitars, banjos, ukes(and now mandolins) for a couple years. i have an excellent (or should have) record with my sales and trades, with most folks notating i am fast on replies and shipping.

having said that, there have been times life invades. a sick child or animal takes priority at my house. sometimes my job has called me in and i'm working a 16 hour shift-no time for internet on one of those days. i know a few times folks have contacted me saying they sent an email or tried to call a day earlier-i didn't get any of those-i guess they are still floating around in cyberspace.

then again, and just recently, i replied to 3 classified ad listings seriously wanting to know some info regarding each one(from 3 different people). i received one reply from one seller. if its something i really want to buy and this happens, i send a couple PM's, emails, etc. if i don't get a response in a day or two i move on and take it that it just wasn't meant to be.

d

[DataNick]

Hey Willie!

I'd love to hear a review of those buffalo horn picks if you get them; I was thinking about trying them myself!

All in all, as both a buyer & seller on the Classifieds I do not know of any other place that I can go to that is so well set-up & easy/convenient to sell/buy a niche item like a mandolin. And don't forget, most of the sellers are players, so you generally get a straight scoop....I for one am thankful that the Cafe Classifieds exist!

[lloving]

I know there are many stories to be told relating to buying and selling over the internet but, I have to say, after doing both on Mandolin Cafe Classifieds I have never had a bad experience. Recently purchased a fllight case purely on trust between me and the seller. Both of us are happy campers today.

[Jeff Mando]

Good points, Daryl. I sometimes forget most of us are doing this as a hobby, not a business. And, I guess some folks only get online once a week or so, unlike me--I'm on the computer all day long, it seems!

[DHopkins]

Most of responses above are realistic scenarios. By the same token, most are not a reason not to follow through with what you've offered.

Incidentally, I still haven't heard from him. The heck with it. I don't want it bad enough beg for it or become a stalker.

[Danny Clark]

Many,many times someone has replied to one of my ads and mis-typed their own email address
And I am thinking well they think I am not going to reply but I can't
So if I have not heard anything in 48hrs I would send another and double check your return address
Danny

[Steve VandeWater]

I've bought and sold, inquired and not bought, etc. on the classifieds. Never had a bad experience nor lack of response. I'm surprised to hear that some do.
As to the bison horn picks, I've got one and really like it. It's very stiff and thick, but it sounds good and LOUD!

[Mark Wilson]

It's not common maybe but I've had a ad email inquiry land in my spam folder.

The good news is - if you are patient, another opportunity to purchase something else equally interesting and satisfying is just around the corner.

Also if it was a case of seller being lazy, rude, or less than helpful - consider yourself lucky he stiffed you before you entered into any $$ arrangement.

[DougC]

Maybe Mandolin Cafe could make some improvements to the classifieds based on some good ideas here.

Make it easy to update the status of the item with just a mouse click. Rate the seller according to response time. Two ideas I see here.

I have found that regular dealers with "brick and mortar" do far better at communication. Individuals can be inexperienced and clueless about protocol. So maybe some educational material needs to be improved.

[Petrus]

Some of these complaints put me off of responding to classifieds ... I've had similar experiences more than once (no-reply.) When you place an ad you should make a commitment to responding in a timely fashion to inquiries or indicate that it may be a while before you can respond. That's sort of the whole point, otherwise why bother? And always double check your email addy.

Ebay has a basically good system, with good protections for both buyers and sellers, but has become bloated over the years as it grew into gigantic proportions, but I have to begrudgingly admit they are almost the only game in town. I would prefer Reverb in many ways, but I posted an instrument on Reverb that sat there for over two months. I finally gave in and posted it on eBay and it sold within two days. (I realize it's not feasible to turn the classifieds here into some version of eBay lite ... but if it could be done someday it would certainly justify taking a percentage fee for the value added.)

[Scott Tichenor]

That time honored tradition of complaining about the Classifieds. I knew something had been missing of late.



Let's not have facts get in the way but some things to think about.

- You sent a reply, or thought you did. How sure are you? I see this often. My favorite is they sent a reply from another site like eBay or Craig's List. The internet is a very scary place full of lots of incompetent computer users. Sorry if that's news to you. Don't take it personally.
- You entered your email address incorrectly. Never happened, right? Drive my email in-box for a few days.
- You sent the reply. How do you know it was received on the other party's end? Email is 100%, always arrives, never fails solution, right? Like a phone ringing, right? Nothing ever shows up in the spam folder right? You check daily, correct? These are dreams. Example: I can't send an email to a certain domain in my own home town from any address to a friend with a mail address on that domain. My complaints to the provider go in one ear and out the other.
- Sellers are all posed at their personal computer awaiting your reply. No one has family, no one goes on vacation or gets sick. We've had people die with Classifieds live. I know because I get the emails from their family.
- Some sellers are rude. We know that. All replies are polite and informative, sent by nice people just sure a kitten dies somewhere if they swear. If you only knew. Yes, I can read replies and need to in case there's a case for fraud which is rarely. Individuals replying are far more rude. No hello, no name signed. Things like "Pix," "Price," "what an idiot price," "you must be dreaming you moron." Those are the ones I can post, they go downhill from there. Because some of you sit at a PC and may think you're anonymous it gives license to inappropriate behavior or curt replies that turn off sellers. Most of this we learned in first grade, had we been paying attention.
- The Classifieds just don't work. My favorite. Do a search on three terms and count the number of transactions: sold, hold, pending. There are people out there making a living selling there. So the question begs, what are you doing wrong when it seems to be working for so many others? The answer is not found in this thread, this I can assure you and much of the information here is just wrong or uninformed. But that's what's great about the internet. Great place for like minds with an opinion to find others that share the same bad information.

Finally, sorry to pick on the OP but you waited just under 24 hours before airing your complaint and neglected to sign your name to the two replies sent. Maybe they never replied back to you. See above.

Maybe it's just me but I think something like:

--------------------

Hi (insert name) -

Interested in purchasing your (whatever). Love to hear back from you with payment instructions of just a note if it's sold.

(signed name)

--------------------

In closing, these are just a few of the reasons why people don't connect. Many more. If you really think there's a problem you're always welcome to contact me. Or you can come out here and get the answer you knew all along.