What is wrong with people? Were they always this demanding and idiotic or is this just a modern age thing, born of the internet where we don't have face to face negotiation?
I don't know whether any of you have sold anything on Marketplace, or got lost looking for items on Facebook marketplace, but it's pretty awesome most of the time. You can find things at bargain prices and things you didn't even known you wanted. My husband finds a lot of vintage bikes on there, and found super expensive bike shorts and jackets for about $30, for items that were worth six times that.
I sell a lot on Facebook marketplace - just little things like books, bikes, tools, and so on. It's pocket money, and saves things going to the dump. It's a good way to make a little bit of cash and everything adds up. Even to sell a couple of books or a few plants means perhaps treating myself to a lunch I wouldn't ordinarily have.
But people can be so wierd. Take this morning's message from a woman who lives half an hour away in the next town. She messages me at 12.30 am to say she'd love love love the three books I have on offer - one on aquaponics, one on natural medicine and one on meditation, for a grand total of $15. 'Sure', I messaged - at a decent time. 'When can you pick up?'. She then proceeded to tell me that she didn't drive, and could I drop them off? Um, no, I thought. I'm not a delivery service.
Me selling mushrooms at the Marketplace, imagined by Midjourney.
'No', I said politely. "I don't go that way, but if you send payment to my bankaccount, I'll hold them for you.'
'Great.' she said. 'I'll try to get a lift there soon. What's your PayId'. I proceeded to tell her, and then add the specifics.
'I will hold the books for two weeks for you. Non refundable deposit if no show'.
This is getting standard amongst experienced sellers. We aren't a freaking storage facility, and if I wanated to keep storing the books on my shelf, I would do so. Usually people ignore that clause and say 'no worries, will pick up next Saturday or tomorrow if I can'. It's a non issue.
Not this woman. She went off her rocker at me. 'Are you SERIOUS!! Does that mean I lose my money if I don't pick up in two weeks. I DON'T NEED THE ADDED PRESSURE OF BOOKS, I HAVE ENOUGH PRESSURE IN MY LIFE!'. And so on.
My reply was vicious, rude, and antagonistic - but I didn't send it. I took a deep breath, and rewrote it.
'I'm sorry you feel pressured. The non refundable clause is to ensure I am not left holding the books for an indefinite amount of time. Usually people pick up quite promptly as they understand that sellers would like to move stock rather than store them indefinitely. If you would like to pass, that's not a problem - I will pass on to next in line. Have a lovely day'.
And then there's the scammers.
Why anyone falls for this I don't know - it's quite well publicised. They can seem quite genuine, asking how the part works, what condition it's in, and so on. I'm usually quite terse as I don't trust anyone until I get past a certain point.
The point is usually this:
'I'm sick at the moment and can't drive. Can my sister pick it up for me on Saturday? Do you have Paypal?'
It's always some variation - an uncle, mother, son, or a broken leg or a cold, or being out of state.
When I say 'cash only', they usually leave the chat immediately. The scam is about Paypal - they'll overpay you and then ask for refund, but the money doesn't actually come through, so you're left out of pocket. This guy was persistant, telling me how easy it was to set up a Paypal account. I told him cash was easy too - one just goes to the fucking bank.
What a waste of time.
But still, I sell enough to shrug it off. No biggie. In some ways, it's quite amusing - a kind of game if you like, or a practice in talking to people kindly when they behave appallingly.
What are your experiences with online selling?
With Love,
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