Ethics in classifieds!?

[Nakoota]

To my earlier post.

 

I've been looking for a decent bike that I could afford for my wife for the past 6 months or so. Sunday night I catch an add within 40 minutes of posting and arrange to see the seller immediately. All is planned at his earliest convenience for Wednesday night only for him to tell me at 14:00 on Wednesday that he's already sold it.

 

Said bike was up for R10000.00 and is now on bike market listing with a healthy 68% markup - R16800.00.

 

How long till the market realises they are ripping every single purchaser off and stops supporting them. It is impossible to get a second hand bike at a fair price at the moment with all the relisting - no wonder their stock levels are so high.

 

[worriesnot]

R10k for that bike was a very good price.

You snooze you loose...

don't come whine on here because you lost out on a good deal.

[Nakoota]

If no one whined on a Friday you'd have nothing to do trolling forums at 22:00 would you?

[worriesnot]

If no one whined on a Friday you'd have nothing to do trolling forums at 22:00 would you?

 

nope (and it's 21:51 by the way) 

 

Stick around till 00:00 and everything turns to pumpkin!

Edited February 10, 2017 by worriesnot

[Patchelicious]

R10k for that bike was a very good price.

You snooze you loose...

don't come whine on here because you lost out on a good deal.

Easy to say that, until you lose out on a bike you've been dreaming about.

[worriesnot]

Easy to say that, until you lose out on a bike you've been dreaming about.

May be... but the simple principle of first come first serve still applies.  

This thread is becoming a "HelloPeter" and slaying Bikemarket cheaply.

Mate of mine sold a Scalpel to them. He got a fair price and they resold, on thehub, at a reasonable (read: tiny) mark-up. No problem with that, right?

[Nakoota]

It's not even that I lost out - If I wasn't the first or wasn't willing to match a higher offer or wasn't able to beat someone else to the earliest viewing, I'd have no issue. It's the ethics, lack of common decency on the first sellers part and blatant over inflation of prices on the new sellers part.

 

Read: I was the first, was willing to go through at the sellers earliest availability and would have matched a higher price.

 

Earlier discussions revolved around economics - monopolisation and price fixing are not even allowed in a free-market capitalist economy, that's why the competition commission reviews mergers and acquisitions.

 

Bikemarket has 51 bikes for sale in the classifieds here, that is 51 opportunities to enjoy the sport we love which some sucker is now going to have to pay 70% more to enjoy - as a community member I'd think we should take issue with being abused? Other than Cycle Lab, I don't think I've ever even seen a bike shop with 51 bikes.

Edited February 10, 2017 by Nakoota

[Skylark]

To my earlier post.

 

I've been looking for a decent bike that I could afford for my wife for the past 6 months or so. Sunday night I catch an add within 40 minutes of posting and arrange to see the seller immediately. All is planned at his earliest convenience for Wednesday night only for him to tell me at 14:00 on Wednesday that he's already sold it.

 

Said bike was up for R10000.00 and is now on bike market listing with a healthy 68% markup - R16800.00.

 

How long till the market realises they are ripping every single purchaser off and stops supporting them. It is impossible to get a second hand bike at a fair price at the moment with all the relisting - no wonder their stock levels are so high.

 

Capture.PNG

If I'm hearing you right you are saying that you where first in line to see the bike at the sellers earliest convenience and then Bike Market pulled some moves and convinced the seller to allow him to jump the queue and he bought the bike, like a little bit of hook n crook involved?

 

Despite what I may think of Bike Market profiting off of bikehub's classifieds by reselling stuff straight back into the classifieds if you snooze you loose but if you were fast on the trigger and still managed to get shnaied that's not kif. Then again greed can make people flush their integrity down the toilet, so it's a viable possibility.

[Patchelicious]

May be... but the simple principle of first come first serve still applies.

This thread is becoming a "HelloPeter" and slaying Bikemarket cheaply.

Mate of mine sold a Scalpel to them. He got a fair price and they resold, on thehub, at a reasonable (read: tiny) mark-up. No problem with that, right?

First come first serve obviously applies. But it's not always what business gets done but how.

 

I'm not saying that what he does is wrong, never have. But we also cannot tell other people that they MUST accept what he does with a smile on their faces.

 

It's human nature to disagree with individuals who benefit over other members in their "tribe" like this, it's ingrained in our nature. It's an evolutionary trait deeply engrained, so it's difficult to always suppress the emotions.

 

But we have evolved, so we must accept that it's his business, but that doesn't mean the it sits right with everybody.

 

Nobody is saying he must stop. I will fight for his right to do business, even if I don't agree with it or support him, and aslong as he does it within the rules of the platform, but other people also have a right to disagree with what he does, aslong as they do it tactfully.

 

We need to understand this.

 

No body is "slaying" him here, so let's not pretend that is the case.

 

If he chooses to do business like this, there are ups and downs to it. People (some) not liking it is one of those downs.

 

There are no victims here.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Patchelicious

[Mudsimus]

Easy to say that, until you lose out on a bike you've been dreaming about.

Funny that Bikemarket never seems to lose out..

Edited February 11, 2017 by Mudsimus

[carbon29er]

Clearly the moral of the story is be more aggressive as a buyer, get in you car and go see the bike rather than make an appointment "at the sellers convenience".  Believe me there is NEVER a convenient time to have guys come to your home to look at a bike.

 

Where the buyers are winning the deal is they don't waste time driving around. They get a description of condition and EFT the cash. Their driver then goes to fetch the bike. And if it's not the correct model with the correct parts as described, they don't come on here and ask if they should name and shame the seller.

 

Few sellers can resist same day EFT in their account over maybe seeing someone on Wednesday.

 

Wake up if you want to buy bargains. Common sense.

[Fr33rider]

If anything, this thread just gives new potential bikemarket customers the heads up that there's massive margin for negotiation.

 

Sent from my Nokia 6310i

Edited February 11, 2017 by Fr33rider

[bertusras]

Clearly the moral of the story is be more aggressive as a buyer, get in you car and go see the bike rather than make an appointment "at the sellers convenience".  Believe me there is NEVER a convenient time to have guys come to your home to look at a bike.

 

Where the buyers are winning the deal is they don't waste time driving around. They get a description of condition and EFT the cash. Their driver then goes to fetch the bike. And if it's not the correct model with the correct parts as described, they don't come on here and ask if they should name and shame the seller.

 

Few sellers can resist same day EFT in their account over maybe seeing someone on Wednesday.

 

Wake up if you want to buy bargains. Common sense.

 

No, that's just shitty ethics. If you've (the seller) agreed to meet a buyer when it suits you, then you damn well stick to it and not sell the bike to someone else because they got there earlier, after you arranged with the buyer. At least have the decency to call the buyer and tell them, listen, someone wants to drive here right now, do you definitely want the bike. ****, even that is not on AFTER YOU ARRANGED A BLOODY MEETING! 

 

This happened to me thrice now (okay twice, the third time the buyer got an offer 30% 50% higher than his listing, which him and I had already agreed to and asked me to match it), and it's absolute bull****.

Edited February 11, 2017 by bertusras

[No Hare]

Here is a idea

If you are selling your bike for a set amount and one of  the re-sellers contact you regarding the sale (and I've seen these guys upping prices by 50%) don't be shy and up your price.

 

You know what they are going to do, why loose out. It is a capitalistic market after all.

[carbon29er]

No, that's just shitty ethics. If you've (the seller) agreed to meet a buyer when it suits you, then you damn well stick to it and not sell the bike to someone else because they got there earlier, after you arranged with the buyer. At least have the decency to call the buyer and tell them, listen, someone wants to drive here right now, do you definitely want the bike. ****, even that is not on AFTER YOU ARRANGED A BLOODY MEETING! 

 

This happened to me thrice now (okay twice, the third time the buyer got an offer 30% higher than his listing, which him and I had already agreed to and asked me to match it), and it's absolute bull****.

You miss the point. If the buyer farts around with having to look at the stuff being sold, wants to see it etc before paying and someone else offers an EFT without the hassle of viewing?

 

It's got little to do with ethics. A sure sale without having to show or a maybe sale in 3 or 4 days?

 

That's why I said buyers need to be more aggressive. Get in your car and go buy the stuff. Don't try see it in a few days time.

 

Disclaimer: I don't operate like this. But having taught sales people to sell for decades I can understand how this bike trader guy gets so many deals before others.

[Nakoota]

You miss the point. If the buyer farts around with having to look at the stuff being sold, wants to see it etc before paying and someone else offers an EFT without the hassle of viewing?

 

It's got little to do with ethics. A sure sale without having to show or a maybe sale in 3 or 4 days?

 

That's why I said buyers need to be more aggressive. Get in your car and go buy the stuff. Don't try see it in a few days time.

 

Disclaimer: I don't operate like this. But having taught sales people to sell for decades I can understand how this bike trader guy gets so many deals before others.

I think you miss the point... I contacted the buyer at 20:41 on Sunday night and said I would go through at 17:00 on Monday night to view - unfortunately I do have to work , collect and pay. maybe you are trusting but i'm not EFT'ing 10k to some random person unless I can take my goods at the same time.

 

The bike was only then paid for and sold on Wednesday. This means I was willing to go through all 3 days prior to it actually being sold.

 

I was aggressive, I wanted to go Monday, buyer told me Wednesday was as soon as he was available, contact at 14:00 on Wednesday to get gate access details for midstream estate only to be told then that biikemarket had got it. If I hadn't messaged first he probably would have let me drive all the way to centurion without even letting me know.

 

My issue is primarily with sellers ethics but I still take exception to the monopolisation of the secondhand market as it currently stands. I'd pay 12-13k happily for that bike as a fair markup but 68%?