Classifieds

[k0k0peli]

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!

Quite. I have two, I think they were like three bucks apiece shipped. Mine have a nice deep thumb impression on one side -- ya ain't gonna drop THIS one! -- and yeah, they're thick, stiff, and loud, with a little more click than a Dunlop 207. I like.

[FLATROCK HILL]

I have bought at least five mandolins, and several miscellaneous items through the Cafe Classifieds. All of these transactions have been pretty smooth.

The only snags I've experienced have been with items that I did not eventually purchase. Usually, the problem is that the seller's description is lacking important details. A good, focused picture helps a lot. And when I do respond to the ad with questions, it helps tremendously if the seller has the info I ask for.

I don't want to waste my time or the seller's time. The sooner I know the details...radius or not, fret-size, nut-width, pick-guard or no, damage history etc...the less I have to keep pestering you for answers.

By the way, even if/when it turns out that I'm not interested, I always follow up with a truthful and polite 'thanks-but-no-thanks'.

[Tom Sanderson]

I have used the Mandolin Cafe classifieds quite a bit to buy , sell, and find items that are otherwise impossible to locate. I have had nothing but good experiences with it. I have been guilty in the past of taking advantage of this service for free. I just never really thought about it, but lately , I realized it and made it a rule to donate 2% from now on. 2% is a bargain for this great service, it's less than paypal and Ebay. Ebay charges you a listing fee even if you don't sell your item. I trust Mandolin Cafe Classifieds way more than I do Ebay, and am very thankful that Scott provides this service. I would not mind at all if He changed the 2% policy from a donation to a mandatory fee. Maybe that would make people who use it more responsible with replies, etc.

[darylcrisp]

I have bought at least five mandolins, and several miscellaneous items through the Cafe Classifieds. All of these transactions have been pretty smooth.

The only snags I've experienced have been with items that I did not eventually purchase. Usually, the problem is that the seller's description is lacking important details. A good, focused picture helps a lot. And when I do respond to the ad with questions, it helps tremendously if the seller has the info I ask for.

I don't want to waste my time or the seller's time. The sooner I know the details...radius or not, fret-size, nut-width, pick-guard or no, damage history etc...the less I have to keep pestering you for answers.

By the way, even if/when it turns out that I'm not interested, I always follow up with a truthful and polite 'thanks-but-no-thanks'.

pretty spot on with me as well-to a T
d

[BCVegas]

Some years ago, I used to fly private airplanes. You meet a lot of interesting characters at the airports. There was a guy whose had his plane tied down next to one of mine. His wife insisted he put his plane up for sale. He did a "for sale" sign and listed a phone number. For 6 months, he got no calls. Finally his wife went to the airport to see if she could figure out why. Sure enough....he had the wrong phone number on the sign.

Just sayin.

[sgarrity]

.....By the way, even if/when it turns out that I'm not interested, I always follow up with a truthful and polite 'thanks-but-no-thanks'.

You're the only one! I've bought and sold lots of mandolins and guitars over the years and could write a book about buyer's antics. The ones I love are the ones that want detailed pics of every inch of the instrument, want a youtube video, want a lengthy description of tone, etc. ad nauseum and you provide all of this info and then never hear another word. It happens ALL THE TIME. I used to get mad about it but then I learned that's it's just part of the process as aggravating as it can be. Nothing a glass of wine and a fiddle tune or three can't get me over!

[objectsession]

As someone who had a job solely checking and answering emails, I can appreciate the value of *not* sending out "Thanks for responding!" messages. That's not quite the same as letting someone know that you're not interested in following up on an inquiry, but it's not necessarily due to lack of consideration that someone does not send out an email.

And in the classifieds, there's a mix of individuals selling items they don't need, people that buy and sell to make money, people that create products by themselves, and people representing large companies. So, it can be hard to judge the proper engagement and courtesy.

[Tom Sanderson]

Classified users can be divided into groups. There is a group that is really serious about buying and/or selling and a group that is seeking entertainment, watching/checking prices, dreaming, etc. . I'd guess that most of us could be included in both groups at different times. I try to never inquire about an item unless I am seriously interested in buying it. When I am selling , I usually get a good share of inquiries that don't respond after I answer their questions and/or send them pics etc. . One time, I was selling a Nugget F5. A guy replied who lived about 60 miles away. He said he was really interested. I sent him pics. , told him my price, etc. . He wanted to see it and play it. I agreed to met at a hotel somewhere in the middle. I drove about 45 minutes in rush hour traffic after work to meet him. After he played my mandolin for about 30 minutes, I started to bring up price, etc. . He handed it back to me and said,"Oh, I'm not interested in buying it, I just wanted to check it out." I put it back in the case and just walked away.

[Bernie Daniel]

Some years ago, I used to fly private airplanes. You meet a lot of interesting characters at the airports. There was a guy whose had his plane tied down next to one of mine. His wife insisted he put his plane up for sale. He did a "for sale" sign and listed a phone number. For 6 months, he got no calls. Finally his wife went to the airport to see if she could figure out why. Sure enough....he had the wrong phone number on the sign.

Just sayin.

"honest" mistake for sure!

[Josh Levine]

I've bought and sold several mandolins over the last few years through the classifieds. It is a great resource, but I certainly get plenty of requests for pictures/info with radio silence afterwards. Wouldn't mind just a tiny bit of feedback, but so it goes. Also have dealt with folks that just want to play the mando or are not very serious about it locally. I have met some cool folks through that. Some people have been pretty up front that they weren't sure or want to check it out. Granted I haven't driven 45 minutes with a $20K mandolin so someone can play it. As long as it is pretty local and we meet in a public place with plenty of people around I am ok with it.

[hank]

It's almost funny some of this unless your the one getting used. I'm still laughing about the airplane for sale to please the wife with a wrong number. I personally truly hate selling mandolins because of the as*^oles trying to convince me to give them what ever it is that I'm selling at a ridiculous price. Listing that the price is firm doesn't work at all.
Tom Sanderson's story is the worst and makes a list of shame appropriate to identify and warn others of as*^oles like the one who pulled that on him. Is there some kind of way to expose people like this to forum members without litigation from the guilty parties.

[objectsession]

Tom Sanderson's story is the worst and makes a list of shame appropriate to identify and warn others of as*^oles like the one who pulled that on him. Is there some kind of way to expose people like this to forum members without litigation from the guilty parties.

What happened to Tom is pretty obnoxious. But I am very much opposed to "exposing" people for, essentially, being rude. For one thing, who has the authority to judge who is being rude? Second, how can anyone ensure that the information is used for protection and not to "get back" at the supposedly offending party? Depending on the circumstances, it can be very dangerous.

Things like theft and scams are another issue, but it sounds like the moderators are already taking the responsibility for dealing with that privately.

[Petrus]

I don't want to over-state the case. The classifieds here are certainly on the higher end of quality compared to CL or eBay. The only site that comes close is Reverb, which attracts a lot of dealers and pros in general. I spend plenty of time drooling over the cafe classifieds but most of the items are beyond my means, so I haven't had much actual experience in dealing with people in the classifieds and am only commenting in general.

But I do do a lot of business on eBay. If you're advertising something for sale, it is not an unreasonable assumption that you are serious about selling it, and it is your responsibility to double check your contact information and make an effort to answer serious inquiries in a timely manner.

Re: the Tom Sanderson lookie-loo: well, I suppose the other guy drove an equal distance ... seems like he wasted everyone's time! Maybe next time charge a lookie-loo fee in advance?

[hank]

No doubt naming names in this era of litigation is of questionable merit but perhaps a name given in Tom's story would at least leave it up to forum readers to decide how offensive the act was and if they would be interested in investing in a drive to satisfy this persons next tasting.