Rant: Bad Deals

[KirJOL]

Just a suggestion, could it help offering a deposit, say 10% for the item? That way you set a seller's mind at ease that you are serious about the purchase. I've sold many things over the years on multiple platforms. While I try to behave like a gentleman and tell all prospectives that I have someone booked to view the good, often times a potential buyer goes dark. Thus its an internal battle to not sell to whoever is ready to close the deal down first. Many seller's are desperate for the cash flow. State your intent with a deposit and an offer to purchase perhaps? Maybe save this formality for sizeable purchases like a complete bicycle of course. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by KirJOL

[Carmichael]

For me it boils down to the person your are engaing with for the sale of the item, i tried to buy bike for my little one the hub, contacted the seller 1 minute after she posted the add ,  she said all good i did not neg to lower the selling price, told her i am on my way to stellies to come and collect, only to get a whats app driving into stellies saying sorry bike is sold... Yes i got be*&^k , she did not answer my phone calls etc etc. But left it there, got a coffee in stellies and drove home. The other sale time , i bought a epic entry ( they go like hot cakes), told him give me the weekend to get my cash together, by Monday he has honoured his word and kept it for me ( while fighting of the wolves), and we concluded the deal. So for me it is the same as bussiness dealings it is the person you are dealing with and not the company and or platform. Just my 2cents.

[ChrisF]

11 hours ago, Mountain Bru said:

@Nico van Loggerenberg ????This post should tell you everything you need to know. In a "forum-driven community", you can expect people to behave as if they're in a community. On a "market-place-driven-website", expect people to behave as if they're in a market place and shaft each other at every corner to maximize profits.

... snip ....

Also.... WOOOOOOOSAAAAAAAAA.... This is a sport we do for leisure. If it's causing you stress, you're doing it wrong.  

 

THIS .... Most of us are here as part of our leisure.  If this forum/classifieds adds stress to your day ... time to take a break.

 

This WAS a "forum-driven community".  In fact, few years back cycling magazines had articles about the "Bike Hub Classifieds" .... telling people that the "cycling community" keeps sellers honest .....

 

Life happened .... comments was posted for the sake of commenting, rather than focussing on "faulty/misleading" adds.  Admin set about removing comments .....

 

NO MORE community moderated adds .... just another FB Marketplace, Gumtree, etc.  It did not take long for more and more threads about "bad purchases" .... MANY of these threads around ....

 

Then "Hub Pay" .... interesting concept.  Certainly something I would use if was to buy an expensive item sight unseen ....

 

Somehow this does not seem to reduce the number of new threads about disgruntled buyers ....  Knee jerk certainly would be to say well you "should have" used Hub Pay ....

 

 

Either way, the days of a "community" is gone, at least from the Classifieds.  The new buyer has ZERO benefit from the "cycling community" on the Bike Hub Forum.

 

Bike Hub Classifieds is now just like FB Marketplace, Gumtree, etc, except for HubPay.

 

It is what the Admin has been driving towards for the last couple of years.  For better or worse, it is what it is ....

 

 

[Nick]

11 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

NO MORE community moderated adds .... just another FB Marketplace, Gumtree, etc.  It did not take long for more and more threads about "bad purchases" .... MANY of these threads around ....

Don't be mistaken, the moderation is very much community-driven. It might not be public facing, like comments, but there are highly vigilant Classifieds users who play a critical role in reporting bad actors.

[Steady Spin]

Bring back the classifieds comments? 

Even Facebook marketplace has comments. 

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

2 hours ago, KirJOL said:

Just a suggestion, could it help offering a deposit, say 10% for the item? That way you set a seller's mind at ease that you are serious about the purchase. I've sold many things over the years on multiple platforms. While I try to behave like a gentleman and tell all prospectives that I have someone booked to view the good, often times a potential buyer goes dark. Thus its an internal battle to not sell to whoever is ready to close the deal down first. Many seller's are desperate for the cash flow. State your intent with a deposit and an offer to purchase perhaps? Maybe save this formality for sizeable purchases like a complete bicycle of course. 

Nothing wrong with this in principle, but have a look through the classified comments thread for an idea of what kind of **** happens. I don't want to be stuck up **** creek with no recourse if I go look at the bike and it has hidden damage, and the seller no decides not to return a deposit. I've rocked up to a bike before that was very strategically photographed to hide all the damage. 

 

 

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

3 hours ago, Quagga said:

OP glad you posted here. 
Because I can make sure I never sell to you or buy from you. 
 

Bikehub and the rating system has worked well for me. 
 

Seems you want the @Matt to code the arseholeness out of peoples character 

Not surprised that a quagga doesn't have the imagination to think of a better system. Rules are man made and we can change them. 

[porqui]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

 

This WAS a "forum-driven community".  In fact, few years back cycling magazines had articles about the "Bike Hub Classifieds" .... telling people that the "cycling community" keeps sellers honest .....

.

It is what the Admin has been driving towards for the last couple of years.  For better or worse, it is what it is ....

 

 

 

 

^^^^^ THIS and YES !!!

Edited July 12, 2021 by porqui

[Jewbacca]

14 minutes ago, Nico van Loggerenberg said:

Not surprised that a quagga doesn't have the imagination to think of a better system. Rules are man made and we can change them. 

Walk away for a while dude. You are just angry. 

The phrase 'corona fatigue' can be inserted to describe a general tendency to be snappy, short fused and frustrated with the multitude of issues the pandemic has thrown at us. Not least of all the way people treat each other.

Take a break, get a different perspective and try again.

No amount of rules or anger is going to change the fact that people are all behaving strangely.

I keep getting work calls at 9 at night, clients have started pestering me at all hours, boundaries seem to be a forgotten commodity and patience is almost non existant.

If you take a step back you will see this is endemic in all parts of society at the moment. Accepting it and doing your best to not ad to it is the 1st step in being less angry at everything. 

Having something to direct the anger at is one thing, but having less anger to direct is better

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

13 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

Walk away for a while dude. You are just angry. 

The phrase 'corona fatigue' can be inserted to describe a general tendency to be snappy, short fused and frustrated with the multitude of issues the pandemic has thrown at us. Not least of all the way people treat each other.

Take a break, get a different perspective and try again.

No amount of rules or anger is going to change the fact that people are all behaving strangely.

I keep getting work calls at 9 at night, clients have started pestering me at all hours, boundaries seem to be a forgotten commodity and patience is almost non existant.

If you take a step back you will see this is endemic in all parts of society at the moment. Accepting it and doing your best to not ad to it is the 1st step in being less angry at everything. 

Having something to direct the anger at is one thing, but having less anger to direct is better

I'm a strong believer in expressing and acting on anger, rather than suppressing it.

 

Taking shots at poorly conceived arguments is just a side hobby for me - that's fun. 

[Edge_Design]

The classifieds is simply that - a place for people to advertise their goods with 1000's of prospective buyers. It doesn't need to be regulated and doesn't impact the value the discussion forums offer. If you feel you have a legal agreement or the seller has dishonored you and your family then call the police or hire a lawyer. A seller can choose who they sell to - if they want to sell to a reseller then they're welcome to. It is their bike so it is perfectly ethical and reasonable that they dispose of it as they wish. 

If this has happened to you so many times then maybe you're doing something wrong? You have stated yourself that you are actually going to check the condition of the bike out rather than to collect it - then you are not as committed as you might have suggested and the seller has a risk still. If you want something then make a plan to either pay for it or to go and see it straight away.

I understand you're a little upset about missing out on a deal - we all would be - but don't lose sleep over it...

 

 

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

26 minutes ago, Edge_Design said:

The classifieds is simply that - a place for people to advertise their goods with 1000's of prospective buyers. It doesn't need to be regulated and doesn't impact the value the discussion forums offer. If you feel you have a legal agreement or the seller has dishonored you and your family then call the police or hire a lawyer. A seller can choose who they sell to - if they want to sell to a reseller then they're welcome to. It is their bike so it is perfectly ethical and reasonable that they dispose of it as they wish. 

If this has happened to you so many times then maybe you're doing something wrong? You have stated yourself that you are actually going to check the condition of the bike out rather than to collect it - then you are not as committed as you might have suggested and the seller has a risk still. If you want something then make a plan to either pay for it or to go and see it straight away.

I understand you're a little upset about missing out on a deal - we all would be - but don't lose sleep over it...

 

 

Doesn't need to be regulated? Weird, it seems most people don't want child porn, drugs, or stolen goods listed, so clearly some regulation is necessary and good. This weird obsession with the idea that a marketplace is best without any regulation is so juvenile I truly can't understand it. The question is about the details of the rules, and the kind of community (or rather, marketplace) they create. 

 

I'm not losing any sleep about it. I've processed it and created a series of clear suggestions to make this place we all use better. It's up to the admins what they do with those, but it remains worthwhile engaging with it. 

[porqui]

32 minutes ago, Edge_Design said:

The classifieds is simply that - a place for people to advertise their goods with 1000's of prospective buyers. It doesn't need to be regulated and doesn't impact the value the discussion forums offer. If you feel you have a legal agreement or the seller has dishonored you and your family then call the police or hire a lawyer. A seller can choose who they sell to - if they want to sell to a reseller then they're welcome to. It is their bike so it is perfectly ethical and reasonable that they dispose of it as they wish. 

If this has happened to you so many times then maybe you're doing something wrong? You have stated yourself that you are actually going to check the condition of the bike out rather than to collect it - then you are not as committed as you might have suggested and the seller has a risk still. If you want something then make a plan to either pay for it or to go and see it straight away.

I understand you're a little upset about missing out on a deal - we all would be - but don't lose sleep over it...

 

 

 

Really !!!

 

And some years ago it was NOT simply that !!

It was a bit more - quite a bit more - it was a bit like sharing - sort of a win win.

Edited July 12, 2021 by porqui

[Aadil Adam]

No cycle store, nor dealer, cycle or vehicle will hold a vehicle for anyone, on word only.
Why would one expect a private person who has someone at the door with cash in hand, to turn them away in the hopes of the buyer arriving at a later date, and potentially lose the sale all together?
I've experienced the OP's frustration too, but put it down to -first come, first serve. Someone got there before me, so cheers to them.
One wouldnt pay for an item without viewing, because the sellers word can be trusted. Why is the seller to take the buyers word only, that he will arrive the next day.

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

1 minute ago, Aadil Adam said:

No cycle store, nor dealer, cycle or vehicle will hold a vehicle for anyone, on word only.
Why would one expect a private person who has someone at the door with cash in hand, to turn them away in the hopes of the buyer arriving at a later date, and potentially lose the sale all together?
I've experienced the OP's frustration too, but put it down to -first come, first serve. Someone got there before me, so cheers to them.
One wouldnt pay for an item without viewing, because the sellers word can be trusted. Why is the seller to take the buyers word only, that he will arrive the next day.

Any seller is very free to operate on a first come first serve basis. I have no problem with that. The problem comes when a "dibs" / holding arrangement is made and agreed to, and then he decides to change to first come first served. Capeesh? 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Nico van Loggerenberg said:

I'm a strong believer in expressing and acting on anger, rather than suppressing it.

 

Taking shots at poorly conceived arguments is just a side hobby for me - that's fun. 

Nico by all means, "discuss" the poorly conceived arguments .....

 

BUT, "play the ball", dont play the man .... you may just be alianating those that share your thoughts on the current classifieds setup .....