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Is selling on the classifieds becoming more difficult?


M L

South African Economic Times   

384 members have voted

  1. 1. Are you finding it increasingly difficult to sell things on the classifieds?

    • I sell things quickly and easily - it seems people have money
      27
    • I sell things fairly quickly
      146
    • I find it rather difficult to sell things - I struggle to sell and get low ball offers
      211


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Just bought a Tri suit and Tri shoes and a carbon front wheel. I can report that it's easy to purchase on the HUB. While everyone quibbles, I'm picking up some good purchases...the new interface is easy to learn. Some people are very slow to react to messages sent (one took 3 days)...so cell numbers and email is important. Most sales conversations I've had end up on WhatsApp as it's just easier...

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There seems to be a definite influx of the gumtree type of buyers!!  Seem to be coming across 2 types, one who ask is this still available, you reply yes with contact number to arrange further and never hear from them again and the 2nd type not even inquiring but just ridiculously low balling an offer.

 

I have been buying and selling since 2012 and there definitely a different type of character trying to buy things.  Whether this is a result of the new website layout making it more of a classified site I do not know.

 

And because of the new chat you now have to continually log in to read the messages, whereas the PM's use to include the message, so you knew to ignore such messages.

Edited by shaper
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Is it getting more difficult to sell, or are people just getting unrealistic with their add prices ?

 

 

Hub add 1 - https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/kids-bikes/2836/26-titan-hades-9r-junior-bike

 

Hub add 2 - https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/kids-bikes/385352/titan-hydes-249r-mountain-bike-for-sale

 

 

 

brand new at Bike-Addict - https://bike-addict.co.za/products/titan-hades-24-9r-2020

 

Various shops such as Cyclosport will be only marginally more expensive than the Hub-add price ... We paid just more than R7k for the next model with hydraulic brakes and 1x setup with tubeless ready rims and tires, at Cyclosport

 

 

 

Clearly some negotiation before a realistic price can be agreed upon ....

 

 

all said and done.  BOTH buyers and sellers need to do their homework .....

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I've said this before. I miss the old days where you could comment on an advert. Where your statement/question was visible to others.

 

A few days ago, there was a bike for sale. Exact same pictures, two different sellers and a R9k price difference.

 

My fingers were itching to say something. Maybe a completely rational reason, but I would have loved to know why.

Edited by Eugene
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  • 3 weeks later...

Any idea how I can rate a seller after he closed the add ?

 

Bought a fork in December and would like to leave a rating.

 

Thanks

Edited by Koos Likkewaan
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Any idea how I can rate a seller after he closed the add ?

 

Bought a fork in December and would like to leave a rating.

 

Thanks

Go to their profile under market place

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I recently started using Facebook marketplace and get many more hits than the Hub or any other platform, recently sold used security gates that I was thinking of dumping for scrap metal,I got so many messages on facebook I had to close the add the first day, also got 3 messages for a saddle on facebook market place and zero on the hub.

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i will list 

  • Facebook market place
  • new hub web site is crap
  • prices are to high
  • interest in MTB is waning. just look at races that use to sell out.

 

end off.

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I recently started using Facebook marketplace and get many more hits than the Hub or any other platform, recently sold used security gates that I was thinking of dumping for scrap metal,I got so many messages on facebook I had to close the add the first day, also got 3 messages for a saddle on facebook market place and zero on the hub.

I also recently tried Facebook marketplace for the first time and was blown away by how many responses I got, I haven't tried selling any bike stuff there yet but FB blows Gumtree right out the water. I listed the same things on Gumtree at the same time I put them on FB and only got 1 reply over the whole week.

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I recently started using Facebook marketplace and get many more hits than the Hub or any other platform, recently sold used security gates that I was thinking of dumping for scrap metal,I got so many messages on facebook I had to close the add the first day, also got 3 messages for a saddle on facebook market place and zero on the hub.

 

Wow, then I will give Facebook Marketplace a go next time, thanks!

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I also recently tried Facebook marketplace for the first time and was blown away by how many responses I got, I haven't tried selling any bike stuff there yet but FB blows Gumtree right out the water. I listed the same things on Gumtree at the same time I put them on FB and only got 1 reply over the whole week.

Curious to know how many responses became sales.  I have sold on marketplace, gumtree and here.  Marketplace you get a lot more "is this still available" requests, and when replied yes, no further communication.... so yes to lots of responses, but majority of those responses lead to no sale.

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Curious to know how many responses became sales. I have sold on marketplace, gumtree and here. Marketplace you get a lot more "is this still available" requests, and when replied yes, no further communication.... so yes to lots of responses, but majority of those responses lead to no sale.

That's thanks to FB dumb auto reply prompts that means "Is this still available" is one lazy mouse click. You do get lots of those but at the same time I got a fair amount of replies that followed through to a sale. I'm not even going to bother with Gumtree anymore, it's dead as a door nail in comparison.

 

I think the beauty of FB Marketplace is the classifieds groups, you need to find all the popular ones in your general area, then you post to the marketplace and multiple group's all in one shot.

 

One thing to keep in mind is for some reason you can't edit an ad posted in a group retroactively, only the ad that's seen in the marketplace. It's weird that they do that and it means you have to get the ad spot on first time or post it again.

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