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My list of seller red flags

I’ve compiled a list of annoying things sellers do. If I see any of these red flags I will not buy from them. Ideally every seller should agree to not do any of these before they are allowed to sell online.

- Overpriced
- Don’t talk about any flaws
- Keep re-posting
- Use unrelated keywords in ad so ad comes up when you search for different brand
- Paranoid language like " Cash and Carry only", "No spammers", No Trades...
- Using all CAPS and !!! marks

- Used car salesman lingo like"only $xxx , a great deal, a steal , and the worse, RARE "
- Ad consists entirely of copy/pasted info. from manufacturer website
- Any textspeak
- Gimmicky pricing like $999 or $995 or the worse, random price like $927
- Saying price is "Firm"..

- Reducing price by insignificant amount to bump ad
- Tooting own horn, i.e describing how awesome their product is.. Comes across as desperate to me..
- Seller saying they will lose money or taking a big loss .. Not my problem..

- Selling several items in one ad and updating the ad to say "SOLD" on certain items.
12inch45rpm

Showing 10 responses by 12inch45rpm

12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
My advice is targeted more to the sellers than the buyers.. Way too many cluttering up the marketplace. Makes it hard to find the few decent ads out there.
Ideally we could "report" such ads ..
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
As for price is firm, it signals someone difficult to deal with. It's the market that determines the price, not what you think it is worth. Once you start asking questions you often find out many things that can lower it's value.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
Regarding "no trades", we are not in the dark ages. Society has been using money now for a long time.. The chance of me having something you want is like one in a million. When people mention trades I think they are not serious about selling or new to selling..
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
Also on trades, how would you have any protection if the items is defective? That’s why Paypal exists. They are an escrow to safely hold funds till both parties are satisfied.

To me trades reek of scam.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
Regarding negative feedback, I look at how the seller responds to it. If I see any defensiveness or belligerence I will pass. At least on Discogs you see that a lot.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
If an item is priced to sell you will not have to deal with low-ballers because it will sell before they get a chance to even see your ad. That is why explicitly saying "Price is firm" is unnecessary. It just makes you look stubborn and will scare away potential buyers.

When I am buying USED items UNSEEN I need to have a very strong positive feeling about the seller. Gimmicky pricing, stubborn language, incomplete details all detract from that happening..

Any price with a 9 in it or has more than 2 significant digits is gimmicky in my book.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
I’m going to assume that you’re an audiophile who knows what this table is and what they are selling for on the used market. This is the kind of turntable that visitors will take one look and go, ’Wow!’ This is a thing of beauty. Not a table for wimps
Maybe just me, but I find this unncessary and bit of a turn off. Comes accross as "used car salesmany". Not a red flag, but possible a half-red flag :-)
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
$1875 is still gimmicky because it has too many significant digits. Anything more than two is gimmicky. If you mean $1900, just say $1900. Low volume audio equipment with a niche market can not have such precise pricing.

If I see a seller with such "precise" pricing I think they are delusional and move on. Not someone I want to deal with.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
And what's up with all these "second systems"? Sounds a little fishy to me.
12inch45rpm OP
18 posts
 
Of course many people can have second systems. I am talking about medium to high volume sellers where everything seems to be "gently used from a second system". Obviously that can't be the case .
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