I agree. One, I can tell a lot about people with a simple conversation. Two, if I request they call and they do not, I can safely blow them off because they can or will not follow directions.Originally Posted by Patty Hann
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I agree. One, I can tell a lot about people with a simple conversation. Two, if I request they call and they do not, I can safely blow them off because they can or will not follow directions.
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If there is no phone call I conclude that the "person" is a bot of some sort, especially if their initial inquiry is stated "Is the item still available?" not "Is the plutonium still available?"
That is, the inquiry is very generic with the word "item".
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
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One of the side effects of being dumb is being immune to sarcasm and irony. It's one pf mother nature's protective mechanisms.
< insert spurious quote here >
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Of course another side effect is thinking you know more than you actually know, (AKA the Dunning Kruger effect), one of mother natures self destructive mechanisms.
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I find very interesting the number of different ways people, acting both as buyers and sellers, in this conversation have found to be crankily prescriptive in how they expect transactions with complete strangers to work. As I see it, different folks out there have differing situations, different communications abilities, and wildly different personalities (extroverts looking for some socialization along with a sale, are going to be very different than introverts who really wish they didn't have to go through meeting a stranger in order to sell their lawn mower). We're trying to come together with them, often over an (often) relatively high dollar transaction, that we can only have minimally researched. There are going to be rough edges, folks. Personally, I think this is a place where putting a little effort into grace and accomodation is worth the trouble.
Personally, once I've weeded out the scammers (generally not hard), I have had only good experiences, both selling and buying over both Craigslist and Facebook marketplace - everything from sheep to used lawnmowers, to raw lumber. I am myself a very profound introvert, so it takes some effort, but I've met some fun people, and had a good time with it.
Of course, I know we all have our quirks in this, and my one personal peccadillo is that I really dislike potential buyers who are only interested in something if its a complete steal, because they're looking for a tool to cosmetically tune-up and flip. I'll cut the price on a tool in half for a young person trying to start on a budget, if that makes a sale that helps someone, but I have no interest in doing so for some well-off person just so they can rack up another bargain.
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HAHA... Introverts of the world, UNITE!
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
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I'm a little surprised at how many people are concerned with scammers when buying and selling on Craigslist. I acknowledge they are out there and I've seen a few ads that got my spidey senses up but in my experience they are few and far between and easily ignored or flagged. Most people buying on Craigslist are looking for a deal, no one selling on Craigslist is expecting to get anywhere near full retail price even for new items or a unique item not found easily in stores. In my experience if you treat most people well they will return the favor.
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I was selling rigid copper tubes (not "tubing") Made by K&S, I think it was 3/16 x 36", maybe a half dozen pieces.
Backstory (so to speak): Hobby-ists (Model RR, Rocketry, Robotics, Steampunkers) use K&S Engineering materials (or similar suppliers like Albion in the UK) a lot.
We can't find what we need in the Big Box places, sometime Ace HArdware has a limited K&S display.
Amazon carries it but at exorbitant pricing.
This CL buyer contacts me and keeps harassing me about my pricing saying he can buy 20 feet of copper tubing at HD for half the price I'm asking for all 6 pieces.
I point out that the tubing he is describing is the flexible kind used as a water line to a refrigerator... what I'm selling is totally different.
He doesn't let up. I sent him the specs of the two copper items (mine and the flexible tubing).
He still didn't let up. I finally told him he was didn't have a clue and didn't respond to his [CL] emails any longer.
Definitely CL jerks out there.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
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About the maps..lets not forget there are people out there that cannot even find their own state on a map. Many have never even used a map, just an app.
Put me in the CL lover list. I have gotten many great buys there, and sold things too. A few problems, but usually pretty straight forward in my experience. Only really bad experience was trying to sell my BIL's pickup. The $25K is too much cash for most people to have, and it didn't sell. Lot's of wanna buys, but no sale.
Rick Potter
DIY journeyman,
FWW wannabe.
AKA Village Idiot.
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Did you get any ridiculous "Low ball" offers?
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
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I think I see part of the problem:
All the K&S tubing I've ever seen is brass, not copper. (I went through a ton of it decades ago, when slot-car racing was still a thing.) Not at all easy to find these days, unless. as you say, you're willing to pay Amazon or (even higher) McMaster-Carr prices.
Not really sure there's even such a thing as non-flexible copper tubing...
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
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\
Not difficult at all to find.... budget busting, yes, but I use a half dozen vendors, mostly Hobby stores both Brick n Mortar and online .
Mfr: (my bad... K&S Metals not K&S Engineering) K&S METALS copper products
Hobby Lobby used to sell a lot of it, and when they had their 20% off coupon I would buy what I could.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
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My response to him would have been, "if the HD stuff works for you and is cheaper, go ahead and buy it there. Goodbye and have a nice day." I wouldn't waste my time trying to justify my price to him.
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Learn something new every day.
Oddly, they also sell "Bendable Copper Tube" in the same sizes, same alloy, and same wall thickness. Different heat treating maybe?
(I've never set foot inside a Hobby Lobby, for reasons I can't/won't discuss here. Other hobby stores are rare here.)
Last edited by Lee DeRaud; 05-11-2024 at 8:57 PM.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Contributor
Hmm...it just occurred to me that the last time I saw a K&S display, it was picked clean. But that was during the supply-chain issues 2-3 years ago.
As a Serial Hobbyist, I've since moved on from the activity that prompted that particular scavenger hunt. (Kinetic sculpture, if anybody cares.)
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
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