Help weeding out buyers for exspensive items?

JOCCO · Jan 25, 2011

I have been wanting to ask this for awhile. Dealing with selling espensive items: how do you weed out the buyers (basically get rid of the tire kickers dreamers) Here are examples: owner finance, Will you trade for ???, etc. I know you have to take calls and be polite but then there is the ones that come over and talk all afternoon about everything but the item!! later, thanks all.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 25, 2011

EBAY............ maybe Craigslist for you folks. Deal only with email with a phone call only to verify an appointment. don't put OBO in the ad, do put Firm on the price. We both work full time and have a bunch of animals to take care of. Wife takes care of the house and shopping/cooking and I do outside. Spare time is reserved for ourselves, immediate family, and friends in that order. Telephone doesn't get answered unless they talk on the machine. If WE feel it is important, we pick up, if not, we return the call at our convenience. If someone slips thru the cracks and starts to drag a conversation or haggle the price, they get ran off.

One of the nice things about not having people skills.

Dave

toadady · Jan 25, 2011

oh man, i tried selling my house , it was only $35,000, i finally gave it to my friend's wife who was a Realtor , she had it sold in two weeks,

talk about tire kickers, it was a block and half from low income apartments, the #on my sign was my cell, i would even get texts for owner financing,

730d se · Jan 25, 2011

Jocco,

There are many different styles of buyers, just like with sellers. For the most part, you as a seller have to accept the way a buyer is if you decide to allow them to come over, just like they have to accept your style.
It sounds you may be talking about the type that come over and try to "make friends" with you, hoping that they will get stuff cheap.
If they are there doing that and you don't like it, tell them you have another buyer coming in 15 minutes and that you do not like two at a time. They will get serious or leave.

Dean · Jan 25, 2011

"Cash only, no trades, firm" works for me.

Dean

supergrumpy · Jan 25, 2011

from my experience, sorting the wheat from the chaff comes with trying to sell something yourself

pretty reliable rule - the more they talk the less likely they are to buy

but sometimes you learn a lot from the talkers, what part of you ad is working, important info you left out of the ad

plus "some" people are just plain interesting

Clodbuster · Jan 25, 2011

I also use "cash, firm price, no trades, etc." to help. Last night I sold an item, had cash in hand within 15 minutes but then we visited for over an hour! We were not in a hurry and was a fun time.
I did once have a guy spend 3 hours and not spend a dime, that irked me!

kyhayman · Jan 25, 2011

For me, I'm willing to provide owner financing, trades, etc but it comes at a very steep premium.

JOCCO · Jan 25, 2011

I did once have a guy spend 3 hours and not spend a dime, that irked me! YEP and it was probably a cheap/small item to boot.

JOCCO · Jan 25, 2011

tell them you have another buyer coming in 15 minutes and that you do not like two at a time. They will get serious or leave.
GOOD ONE!! ONE GUY I KNEW USED TO WAIT TILL THEY STOPPED LOOKING AT THE ITEM AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE COW , WINDMILL, ETC AND HOW THERE DAD HAD ONE LIKE IT. THEN ASK THEM IF "WE GOING TO LOAD THE IT" OR DO PAPER WORK (RECEIPRT ON IT) YOUR RIGHT THEY LEFT FAST!!!

Clodbuster · Jan 25, 2011

Actually he was looking at cars, and lived hundreds of miles away but was at a car show near me and saw an adv. I had.

730d se · Jan 25, 2011

There are some real jerks out there, and they sometimes come on like they are really good people.
They will usually come in two's, one gets you talking while the other one scopes around for stuff. They are after anything they can get for cheap or free.
Had one guy that a lot of people know and think he is a good guy. He is, unless you have tried to deal with him.
He and his buddy come over, wanted to buy a tractor. We made the deal, he paid me cash and loaded the tractor. His buddy walked over to him and told him about some rear wheel weights that he "found" around back. He wanted me to "throw in" some rear wheel weights. I told him the tractor was his, but he could buy the weights if he wanted them. He wanted to back out on the tractor deal but I already had his cash.
You think you may know someone until you do business with them.
I don't care how long their fanny warms a church seat, or how long they talk about their grandchildren, their true colors come out when making a deal.
He left with his tractor, I kept my weights.

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 25, 2011

I have also found that it works better for me just to do email and
not post my phone number. If someone sends me their phone
number and asks me to call I will usually try it twice, but no more
than that unless it is something I really want to sell.
Zach

Anonymous-0 · Jan 25, 2011

I think some people are hoping the longer they spend at your place, the more the price will come down(as if you're desperate to sell). I've seen a lot of ads that say no tire kickers. I think it helpd some. One of the worst things is when someone asks you what your bottom line is and after you tell them, they offer even less. Dave

Mike (WA) · Jan 25, 2011

Just curious- are you saying that you try the phone twice, and if it goes to message and they don't pick up, you're done? Do you leave a message for them to call?

If not, sounds a little like "duelling call screening". I no longer expect people to pick up on a call from an unknown number- but I leave a message so they can call back. Otherwise, you'll never establish communication.

Ray · Jan 25, 2011

I don't call people to make sales, half the time they don't even remember calling you,or called 10 other adds and you have to desipher what they want,and it's usually someone wanting something for nothing.people on craigs list ask for my number,but never call,figure it's some kind of scam,but dont know what.

mkirsch · Jan 25, 2011

Frankly, I don't reply to ads with "attitude," even if it's something I want and the price is right.

When you start throwing out things like "price is firm, don't bother asking" or "tire kickers need not respond," you come across to me like a real jerk that I don't want to deal with.

Oddly enough, ads like that tend to linger for weeks and weeks. I wonder why.

If you want to sell something, you have to deal with the tire kickers and dreamers. It's part of the game.

Getting rid of them is not difficult: JUST SAY NO. It's that simple.

"Owner financing?" NO
"Talk talk talk?" NO
"Lowball offer?" NO

paul · Jan 25, 2011

A+ - my feelings as well.

--->Paul

JOCCO · Jan 25, 2011

I tend to agree that some of that is a turn off for potential buyers.

400Dtractorman · Jan 25, 2011

I don't know how most of you guys sell anything. First you never going to figure out anyone. I sold a set of tires last fall for 350 and were like new. New ones were around 750. Someone came out talk for a long while and said he could get new one on the internet for 500 on rims delivered to his house. I nicely told him I would be them instead of mine and I wasn't lying. I check his sourse and they were 580. Three weeks later he called and came and bought my tires. If you want to sell something never turn away anyone because he might be the one that's going to buy your item. Now what your item is worth (really worth) and advertise it close to that price. Most people know what things are whorth and are not going to pay a ridulious price. Give phone number most people still want a body to talk to not machine. Just my opinion.

Help weeding out buyers for exspensive items?

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