posted on May 20, 2013 12:06:32 PM new
Last week we get a call from someone interested in "selling" furniture and other items. My partner Cindy talks with them on the phone and schedules an appointment.
We drive across town. As we are getting out of our van, we see another dealer leaving the house. The woman who we are meeting goes into what she is doing... she wants us to tell her what we will pay for things, then after she discusses the prices with her brothers so that they can divide the pieces up based on value, and call the highest bidding dealer to buy the few remaining pieces.
Most frustrating is that we spent an hour of our time, driving our van across town with the intentions that she was selling items... not fishing for appraisals and running an auction where we couldn't leave with things. Gas isn't cheap and neither is our time. If I wanted an auction, I would go to an auction... at least I would know what I was getting into and would be walking away with furniture that day if I bought it.
We called her out on it, told her that she was being underhanded in seeking values without asking for a legitimate appraisal. I wasn't interested in making offers, only for her to use those offers against another dealer to up the value... and I wasn't interested in coming back a 2nd time if we were the highest offer. We simply walked out and left.
posted on May 20, 2013 02:21:08 PM new
You can ask all the right questions they are meaningless if the caller is lying. You have to check out all leads.
posted on May 20, 2013 04:06:02 PM new
But thats part of life!
I remember a few years back I stayed with my parents who had window air conditioners in every room and they badly need maintenance.
I called the air conditioner service,by then they are wise enough to ask-what floor is your apt on?Is there an elevator in your building?
Is there a stair case and how wide is it?
How many units are we talking about and when was the last time they have been serviced?
If they require service,are you willing to have us perform the work right there?
Of course they left out the most important question-can you afford to pay us?
Several repairmen came,and they did alright.
I suspect if we live in a building on higher floor with no elevator,or/and having only 1-2 window air conditioners,they are not interested.
posted on May 21, 2013 08:30:42 AM new
She actually spent about 30 minutes asking questions. They sent photographs of each item. They mentioned one item had water damage, but glossed over the condition of the other pieces.
When someone calls us we have a series of questions we always ask. These have rarely failed us.
They were just being dishonest about what they were doing. Had they said they were getting bids, then we would have been prepared for that (and probably declined to go).
We drove our van there with the intentions of buying. That was $8 in gas and an hour in time gone. If I was to go just to look things over without hauling anything, I would have driven my much more efficient car.
I probably should have given her ridiculous offers, way way overvaluing everything. That way she could tell all the other dealers that we offered $600 for that cabinet with the water stains on it. Then they would know she was full of...
posted on May 21, 2013 08:55:05 AM new
Had they said they were getting bids, then we would have been prepared for that (and probably declined to go).
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Did your partner ask if they are asking bids ?
I recalled years ago,I will get buyers who want to meet,so we did at Barned and Noble Starbuck.One is the wife of a local builder who wants to build me a house?
Another works for a greyhound rescue center,for 240 dollars I can adopt a greyhound dog.
One local judge wants to pick up a $20 perfume bottle for her secretary and want to meet,I said no thanks,but shipped it free.
One never buy because I refused to meet even though I offered flat shipping of 9 dollars.
The last one is a retired retired funeral director from out of town,would drive in and pick up the item with a cashier checkon a Saturday afternoon,no thanks,how do I know if his cashier check is any good ?
Write off your time and you gas as business expenses,like Bozo Jeff referred to as marketing expense when he sell items at a small loss.
posted on May 21, 2013 03:05:59 PM new
lost - the last thing we want to do is give people suggestions. The moment we ask if they are getting bids from other dealers, they will start calling other dealers.
When we arrived and she started talking it was obvious she knew she wasn't comfortable with how she was handling it. For one thing, you don't generally want two dealers present at the same time and she had overlapped us.
Who is Bozo Jeff? Why would they write off a loss on something sold below cost if they already paid for it?
posted on May 21, 2013 03:57:48 PM new
sorry,it is Jeff Bozo ,the founder of AMZN.
There was a time the analyst would say -everytime AMZN slipped a book into an envelope,it lost money!
But Jeff Bozo justified doing so by saying instead of spending money advertising,we would rather sell for less and spread our name.
At least you make yourself known to this seller.Did you leave a calling card?
