My biggest pet peeve about buyers!

seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
Just have to rant a little and get it off my chest.

My biggest pet peeve with people wanting to buy something from me is that I always put "local pick up only" and for some reason they almost without fail want me to meet them halfway which usually involves me driving about 20mins or more. If you want a fish/coral/whatever, but aren't willing to drive and get it, why bother me?! You don't ask LFS owners to deliver fish to you! I'd rather someone tried to lowball me in price to make it worth driving for them than to ask me to meet them someplace. I have only ever asked to meet halfway if I was doing a trade with someone. I've never asked someone who was selling a fish or coral to meet me halfway. I think it is just rude. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just irks me when I get on the phone with someone and the awkward conversation starts with them seeing if I'll drive out to [insert intersection or store name here].

Plus, isn't some of the fun of buying and selling livestock is showing off your tank?! I like to think people enjoy seeing my tanks, cause I enjoy looking at other people's tanks I buy things from.

But me being a sucker have met a lot of people "halfway." But no more! I'm putting my foot down! lol. I politely told the last guy who wanted the fish I have for sale that I won't drive 45mins (really insane for a $20 fish!) to meet up with him and convinced this last nice couple to drive to my house and I'd knock off $5. Plus they are new to the hobby, so I'll try to give them as much advice as possible.

End rant. :D
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Hey Sara,

Might have to change the ads to read "local pick up only, don't ask for any other options"

This reminded me of a recent story in our family (last year) ...

I bought my last puppy (Pal) from a mom & dad, that I called asking them if they would bring him to me (200 miles round trip), they put me on hold... talked a bit & came back and said... sure for twice the price - an extra $250. We had just put our 14 year old husky to sleep, a few days before & the extra $250 seemed fair to me, I wanted him (had seen his pic) and it was approaching Thanksgiving and I was cooking & getting ready for family coming in. One of the best $$$ I ever spent.

or "local pick up only, or will delivery $1 per mile round trip"

I never mind buyers asking... if they don't mind me telling them what my time is worth $$$ :)

Cheers !
 
redneckgearhead

redneckgearhead

Active Member
I will NOT let someone in my house that I haven't met. I at the least must know them through a forum such as this one, and then I would be reluctant. If I am selling something I ALWAYS put in the ad, the EXACT place I will meet them. This is NOT negotiable. My family is to important to me to put them at risk of some shady people scoping out my house. And I have read too many stories of people getting robbed because the other party had to change the location of the exchange. Showing off your tank is great, but do it through forums such as this one.
 
dmatt88

dmatt88

Has been struck by the ban stick
I pack a handgun n have people over regularly. I drive no coral anywhere. I do BS for quite a while to get a feel for them tho. Reefers tend to b pretty cool people.

.............its calibrate ur hydrometer month. no not really but Sheez its important.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's not like I meet these people off of CL. It's from my local reef club's forums and I do make a note to talk to them on the phone, ask a few questions about their tank and such, and make sure I get their name. That's another thing, is people pming me, but they never put their name! I guess so far I've been lucky and have met several awesome reefers through selling coral and such through the years. We usually end up 'talking tanks' for at least an hour. Though I did get one guy, he wasn't shady and I had met him before, but he keep pointing to ever coral in my tank and asked, "what's that called? how much?" even though most of it was not for sale. lol. It did get annoying after a while!

At least my BF is a big guy! :D Plus I got my two guard huskies that will knock over a stranger and lick them to death!

Glenn, sorry to hear about your husky. They are great dogs.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
redneckgearhead said:
I will NOT let someone in my house that I haven't met. I at the least must know them through a forum such as this one, and then I would be reluctant. If I am selling something I ALWAYS put in the ad, the EXACT place I will meet them. This is NOT negotiable. My family is to important to me to put them at risk of some shady people scoping out my house. And I have read too many stories of people getting robbed because the other party had to change the location of the exchange. Showing off your tank is great, but do it through forums such as this one.
Click to expand...

I respect that especially with kids. I would not question someone selling stuff if they wanted to meet someplace other than their house. I've bought most of my used equipment that way.
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
+1 to changing the ad. When I read "local pick up only" I don't take that to mean pick up at the sellers home.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
steved13 said:
+1 to changing the ad. When I read "local pick up only" I don't take that to mean pick up at the sellers home.
Click to expand...

Would you think that ment 20 mins away?! If it was even in the same town as me I wouldn't mind so much, but 20+ mins of me driving is too much.
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
+1 no shipping

I'm not being critical. If we're correct about the wording, this is very good news for you. Any problem you can solve yourself, is way better than a problem you need to get someone else to solve.
 
engineer goby

engineer goby

Has been struck by the ban stick
dmatt88 said:
I pack a handgun n have people over regularly. I drive no coral anywhere. I do BS for quite a while to get a feel for them tho. Reefers tend to b pretty cool people.

.............its calibrate ur hydrometer month. no not really but Sheez its important.
Click to expand...

I perform a Terry Frisk of everyone that enters my house plus I carry a .45
 
lbiminiblue

lbiminiblue

Well-Known Member
seafansar said:
Yeah, it's not like I meet these people off of CL. It's from my local reef club's forums and I do make a note to talk to them on the phone, ask a few questions about their tank and such, and make sure I get their name. That's another thing, is people pming me, but they never put their name! I guess so far I've been lucky and have met several awesome reefers through selling coral and such through the years. We usually end up 'talking tanks' for at least an hour. Though I did get one guy, he wasn't shady and I had met him before, but he keep pointing to ever coral in my tank and asked, "what's that called? how much?" even though most of it was not for sale. lol. It did get annoying after a while!

At least my BF is a big guy! :D Plus I got my two guard huskies that will knock over a stranger and lick them to death!

Glenn, sorry to hear about your husky. They are great dogs.
Click to expand...
yeah craigslist is sketchy sometimes....worst is when you start making a deal with someone and they drop out at the last second....it's happened to me three times within 2 weeks....definitely something shady there....
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
Guess I just had a different definition of "local pick up only." I only post things for sale in local forums, so I figured they would know. Anyway, the couple today came and got their tang. They were very nice and were just starting out in the hobby. I feel kind of bad for them though. They were very excited to have their first saltwater tank and there's already a HUGE problem with it. He made it an inwall and it has walls on three sides of it. He didn't cut out the back. And there's very little room on either side. And the tank is not drilled! He knows he can't fit a overflow box on the tank due to the walls being so close, so he's just dropped a tube down into the water to suck it up and down into the sump. I'm sure you can see the problem there! Power goes out and flood.... So I thought about it and suggested in an e-mail that he puts the sump in storage and gets a canister filter instead.
 
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