Sellers Beware
I would like to inform the Audiogon Community about an individual I tried to do business with and hopefully what happened to me will not happen to others.
An individual, Frank, made me an offer on my speakers. I accepted his offer. He then sends an email asking how much freight will cost and he wanted the least expensive. A legit question. I informed him about clicking on Audiogon’s Get Cost for the freight cost and I proceeded to tell him I would take the speakers to USPS and get an actual cost for him.
This was all by email. I asked him to please make an official offer through Audiogon. He never did. I have not heard a word from him since 5/30 when he asked about the freight cost.
My thoughts are this individual should not be trusted.
Have other members had experiences like this? I have sold quite bit on Audiogon and never had a problem before.
This is how members get negative feedback, selling speakers and then have to ship them! If you are going to ship speakers make sure you have the original packing materials. Any way if you are selling, having people contact you with questions goes with the territory. I know it's annoying but eventually it could lead to a sale. Be patient, be nice. |
To OP. Yes offers must go through the official offer process. Know shipping cost beforehand. I have started to differentiate between East of Mississippi shipping and West of Mississippi shipping cost. Shipping across country invites problems with damage and delays. Offers on the East coast are more welcome. Here's the biggie. Filter people out by how they communicate in writing. Do they write in complete sentences? Do they come across as an adult? Are they knowledgeable? They must be polite. I'm not greedy. If red flags are raised I am polite to that person, but really don't try to do business with them. This works. I buy and sell on Craigslist, Reverb, USAUDIOMART, and Audiogon. I have made friends and met cool people by following my own rules. If people can't communicate properly, I don't deal with them. |
@ancient_tones + 1, but for me, West Coast is preferable. But yes, communication can tell you a lot, though these days, it's possible that written communication could have been written by AI; I would have a chat with the person on the phone to discuss audiophile things to get a better idea if they're legit. |
