How to sell a tractor on CrailsList !

I got a good laugh reading this ad this morning on Craig's List. Salesmanship at its best!

1963 Allis Chalmers H3 Crawler Continued - $3200 (Stephentown, NY)
Date: 2012-12-07, 7:12AM EST
Reply to: see below
1963 AC H3 4 CYL. gas steel track loader. Then blah blah blah about all the work I put into this machine. BUT WHAT I WON'T TELL YOU.... The gas tank is full of cr*p and the carb can't be rebuilt because its been full of rust for too long. Worse than that, the transmission only has 1st and 4th gears working. If you happen to discover this, I'll tell you that maybe the reason 2nd and 3rd gear don't work is because the machine has been sitting for a long time. (I'm going to imply that the gears may eventually figure out how to mesh again.) To fix this you would have to find the parts from another 50 year old machine which by some miracle has good gears, remove the tracks, split the machine, take the gear assembly, remove the tracks on this machine, split the machine, replace the gear assembly, put the machine back together, and then deal with what ever else I didn't tell you about. If you are still interested, I can send you a cell phone video of the machine running for 30 seconds but what I won't tell you is that was only due to the miracle of starting fluid.

CALL 518-73three-000two and I will do my best to sell you this t*rd.

What you should learn from this.... Buyer beware.
What I should learn from this.... Karma can be a b*tch when you ask for it.

Sounds like someone bought a tractor and got burned!He just wanted to rant a little!

I see those kind of adds on kijiji here all the time... I've gotten to the point that if it doesn't self load I'm not going over mabey 1500, depending on what it is. Mabey a good deal less.

Rod

Years ago an add in the local rag advertied something like "XXXX Truck for sale, price, $350 or $400"

Wonder if he got the $400 lol

As a long time used truck n tractor and farm implement dealer having advertised in a gazillion publications I sorta learned the fine art of the most effective adds such as POST THE PRICE to save all the calls asking how much. I always enjoyed the first calls not having even seen the tractor asking WHATS THE LEAST YOU WILL TAKE to which I quickly responded WELL WHATS THE MOST YOU WILL GIVE RIGHT NOW ???? then hearing them stutter and stammer how they will have to come look at it first WELL DUHHHHHHHHHH My rule was I NEVER came down on my initial asking price unless and until the potential buyer made an offer. Otherwise you always had the smart A$$ who would beat you down to your very rock bottom AND ONLY THEN MAKE A LOWBALL OFFER and expect to split the difference or negotiate off that prive versus the initial asking SORRY CHARLIE IM NOT PLAYING THAT GAME and I often just told them to leave it wasnt for sale to them and they can kiss my grits lol

And after looking "I will have to talk to the wife" YEAH RIGHT you never saw them again lol

However, if a person was there over 10 minutes and kept hum hawing and dilly dallying around, if my wife came to the door and said theres a person on the phone wanting to know it its sold or not THEY WOULD EITHER BUY IT OR LEAVE and I was at least rid of them one way or the other

Sorta in line with the Jimmy Buiffett Song the "Oh stories I could tell" I did enjoy it and made a living at it in the hay days

John T

A couple of years ago i sold a little ford ranger on craigs list the ad read something like ( I wanted $400) $500 or best offer buy it now $399 had it sold that afternoon worked out great no dickering. I won't go look at something unless they send photos, if i had all the time back traveling years ago buying from the want ad, with seller describing something as great shape. Only to find junk or parts at best

you need to remember that what is sold on c-list , could be like a flee-market to some of the sellers, yes pics would help, when talking to people, they could be describing a roll-royce and you will go look at a volkswagon...

I responded to an ad for a person wanting an IH 82 combine. I called the guy. Before I even had a chance to tell him about it, he told me that it isn't worth much. I said, "Ok, goodbye." and hung up.

He called me back 30 seconds later and said "Why'd you hang up on me?!?"
"Well, you told me it's junk."
"No I didn't!"
"Look when you put an ad on the net asking for something and tell the person who calls that his is junk before he even describes it, you're just looking for a steal"
"Well, tell me about your 82."
"Nope, not for sale", and I hung up again.

That jerk called me several times over the next couple weeks leaving messages about wanting to see pics of my 82 or wanting to come up and look at it (He was from Illinois, go figure). I got better things to do than deal with lowballing cretins.

I did end up selling that 82 this past winter to an Amishman for $500. He worked me over for an hour, trying to get it for $400. Them guys are ultimate wheeler-dealers, but I got my $500. It may have been less painful to have dropped the $100 right away...

You should have posted the sellers ad too, really ironic, how he states all the big dollar work is done. Obviously this ad is someone who looked at it.

You know what I find very amusing is that every crawler for sale, states 90% undercarriage, look at the photos and the tracks are at least visibly loose and pads worn out, mostly on $3000-$5000 ones.

I lived in Stephentown, many years ago, there certainly was no shortage of kooks around there.

Heres the ad, it is funny between the 2 of them, you hope someone does not get fooled.


There was recently a 977L or 955 of the same era listed, reasonable too, not as low of a price of one of these, nice shape, money much better spent on one in decent shape even if double or triple the cost.
H3 original sellers ad

Called on something one time, don't remember what, or the exact numbers, but talked to about a 6 year old girl. When I asked the price, she said "Dad said the most we will take for it is $400, and the least we will take for it is $300."

I went over, looked at it, and asked the guy the price. He priced it at $400, and I said, "Your daughter did a pretty good sales job,", then told him (with a smile) what she had said. He got a kick out of it too, and I said "Why don't we meet in the middle at $350?"

I hope he wasn't too hard on her afterwards, but I sensed that he was a pretty good daddy.

Very few people are honest on craigslist anymore.
It has turned everyone into a jocky.Some don't know anything about what there selling and can't even get the model right.Most don't have any idea about what there selling is worth,just make something up.They take offense if you question them about the item.When money gets tight peoples morals and dignity go out the window.

Funny story, the other thing Id have fun telling people when they were negotiating and asking my lowest price was something like wellllllll $1000 is my top price and I wont take a penny over that, it always caught them by surprise

John T

Sure wish I could have found you. Have been looking for an IH 82 for several years. They just were not many ever sold down in Tennessee. This is ac all crop country. If you know of another give me an e-mail. jm.

I sell some stuff on craigslist, mostly tires and parts and a few tractors. Only tractors that are in good shape go on craigslist the others go to auctions. The biggest thing that bothers me is selling tires which I sell many. My opinion of a tire and someone elses opinion may differ. I try to describe it the best I can and take pictures that shows the tire as it is. I haven't had anyone upset with me yet. As far as John T, If a tractor is close I just go and look at it. If its two hours or more away then I ask what the lowest price is before I drive that far. If the lowest price is resonable and I want the tractor then I go get it. I don't like making offers on something I haven't seen and I'm cheap also so when they give me the lowest price then I make the decision to go or not. If they talk to me the way your talking on here then I don't need that tractor that bad and beleive me there more tractors on craglist then I can buy. So its great that you can tell people to f*** off. I appreciate people's interest in what I have for sale. Low ball/ high ball doesn't matter I'll make the choice if i'm going to sell it at that price and will nicely tell them. I don't see why grown men get so upset with low ball offers. Beleive me I would be upset if I paid the asking price and found out later the guy would have sold it for 500.00 less. I have bought several tractors far away and have gotten the lowest price from the seller before I drove to see it and have bought all several of them.

(quoted from post at 20:18:29 12/07/12) I sell some stuff on craigslist, mostly tires and parts and a few tractors. Only tractors that are in good shape go on craigslist the others go to auctions. The biggest thing that bothers me is selling tires which I sell many. My opinion of a tire and someone elses opinion may differ. I try to describe it the best I can and take pictures that shows the tire as it is. I haven't had anyone upset with me yet. As far as John T, If a tractor is close I just go and look at it. If its two hours or more away then I ask what the lowest price is before I drive that far. If the lowest price is resonable and I want the tractor then I go get it. I don't like making offers on something I haven't seen and I'm cheap also so when they give me the lowest price then I make the decision to go or not. If they talk to me the way your talking on here then I don't need that tractor that bad and beleive me there more tractors on craglist then I can buy. So its great that you can tell people to f*** off. I appreciate people's interest in what I have for sale. Low ball/ high ball doesn't matter I'll make the choice if i'm going to sell it at that price and will nicely tell them. I don't see why grown men get so upset with low ball offers. Beleive me I would be upset if I paid the asking price and found out later the guy would have sold it for 500.00 less. I have bought several tractors far away and have gotten the lowest price from the seller before I drove to see it and have bought all several of them.

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Do you call a car dealer and offer less before you drive to look at it? I DESPISE anyone that will offer me a lowball offer or ask me what my bottom dollar is. I would say if you took the time to look it over and don't nickel and dime me on everything you see wrong with the item that may not have been mentioned or was clearly mentioned, I may drop a little.

I am NOT going to give you my item because you drove here, nor will I give it to you since you called. I really don't see your point that if someone doesn't drop their pants on the phone you won't look at the item. I am pretty sure you miss out on more deals than you have ever found!!

Dalet, As far as me loosing more tractors then I find, I don't thinks so. All 3 tractors that I asked for a bottom line price have come home to my farm. Not one of them got upset and all 3 sold there tractor. It cost you over 100.00 to go 2 or 3 hours away and to go there and the guy is not willing to come down any is just plain stupid. All 3 gave me a price that I thought was fair and I went and bought the tractors. I had a guy buy a set of 1500 tires that was 5 hours away. They were well worth the 1500 but he asked if I would take 1400. A man coming that far away to me was worth letting him have them for the 1400. Didn't bother me at all. I can't beleive so many people on here have ATTITUDES when selling there stuff. You have to let that stupid crap go over you shoulders. I have had good buys/sales with most people that I have dealt with. You can usually tell on the phone if there worth the drive or your wasting your time. Have a good day sir....

You must not sell much on craigslist. Or, you live in the only area in the world that isnt being over ran with people trying to make a living on things they buy and then resell on craigslist.

There is a 2 fold problem that sellers are sick of that you are not seeing. First is, in your example of $1500 tires is the buyers are not offering $1400 over the phone, they are offering a grand or less. They low ball right out of the gate, without really even having a clue what you are selling (and why do they care, if they dont like it when they come look, they wont fork over the cash).

The second part of the problem is, when (or if) they do show up, then they restart the price negotiations AGAIN. The sub grand they were offering for the tires now starts going south at every scuff, gouge or even because they "dont have the nubbies on them anymore". Simple solution you say, just say no and dont sell? Of course that works, but really, who has the time to even deal with these idiots in the first place? I sure dont. Its not just a red flag now when somebody starts asking "whats the lowest you will take", its an almost guarantee they are a flipper and going to waste your time. At a miminum, they will be trying to buy at a price of pennys on the dollar.

I dont have a problem with people buying from me to make money, thats usually the reason why Im selling. I have a problem with how they go about it which is centered around wasting my time. The idea being, get me to invest a large amount of time in a specific buyer and then to wear me down to lower my price even lower. Get me to me rock bottom on the phone, tell me they are comming to look so I hold off selling to someone else and then when they get here, they hammer the price more. Many times they give a "I'll take it" on the phone and when they get here, they back off and try talking the price down. Again, it all centers on wasting my time, trying to get me to give up and take a lower price.

Because these people are so easy to spot now, my policy is to not deal with them. I have sold enough farm/garden stuff that I can usually reconize the flippers just by phone numbers. I dont delete all the emails of the people that waste my time so when I get somebody that I suspect is trying to jerk my chain, I just run a search within my email account, if a time waster pops up, I either ignore them or jerk back. My favorite/standard responce is to accept the low ball offer they give and then have them come over to buy what Im selling. Only problem for them is, Im on to their game and I dont give my read address, I try to send them on a nice long drive for a goose chase. I figure if they got a little skin in the game with gas and time, they wont be as quick to be playing the low ball game.

If you are not having a problem with people like this, Im happy for you and hope you consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us, its becoming just a part of dealing with people on craigslist. For the others having problems, I encourage you to do some of the stuff I am doing so it isnt so easy for the time wasters. Thats why they do it after all, because its fast and given enough sellers, its effective so the buyers can make some good money.

Rich WI, I happen to advertize/sell at lot on craigslist. The guy with the tires did offer 1400 and I accepted, whoever if he had offered 1000 then I would just have told him no. If you get this upset with sellers then my suggestion is to find something else to do or take them to auctions. You really can't tell buyers or sellers, I have had people that I thought wasn't going to buy and weeks later call and buy it. So in my opinion be nice and hope they buy now or maybe they will come back. First thing in sales is not to make potential buyers made where they walk away. Two things before I go, one is prices are down now and maybe you guys are trying to get to high of a price in this economy. The last thing you mentioned sending people on wild goose chases. Thats like road rage somebody is going to get hurt. You might send them on the wrong address but have you ever thought of them having some friend call from there phone and show up at your house. Maybe you want a battle with a nut not me. Good luck selling.