When you are selling an item....

**stinkbug** · 08-31-2010, 06:28 PM

Do you clean it up and make it easy to access??

I've been looking at vintage travel trailers (50's-60's). We've looked at about 8 of them....and I DO NOT expect them to be perfect in any way. But really???

Drove 20 miles to look at one that the gal told me was 100% original and in great condition. Okay....
What I find is a trailer backed into a driveway with knee high weeds, with a truck in front of it and a fence on one side...so we couldn't even look at one side of it. She had 2-3 scremaing kids running IN and OUT of it while we were trying to look at it, as well as her and her friend dragging boxes of crap out of it while were were there! All the exterior lights were broken. Then two other people showed up at the same time and we basically got rushed out. WTH??? And the back had an added table flange bolted to the floor that ruined the *original* linoleum. And it was filthy.

The one today, the guy told me was in good condition and had been repainted. I get there (another 20 mile drive) and it has NO stove, a leaky roof vent, interior water damage and peeling paint. I'd rate it as *poor* condition. It was very nearly gutted of any redeaming features. Ugh.

Why don't people at least make an effort to clean stuff up and be curteous???

We've sold a ton of stuff on Craiglist and I always have things cleaned up and easy to see and get too....isn't that common sense??
Do I expect too much??

**katybug** · 08-31-2010, 07:12 PM

No you do not expect too much. I too have sold a ton, but on ebay and message boards rather then craigslist, and I take great pains to get things up to the nicest condition I can. Also I tend to over describe things and make them sounds much worst then they are simply because I don't want to leave the smallest flaw unmentioned. We are two of a kind, clearly these other folks are not. Or have a much lower standard of what *excellent condition* actually is.

**mndtrp** · 08-31-2010, 07:21 PM

It depends on how motivated I am to sell. If I don't care, and don't want to be bothered, I won't do much extra. If I want to offload something quickly, and I do care about the product, I'll put some effort into presentation.

I generally keep everything in a good, presentable condition, so things are rarely anywhere near as bad as the OP describes.

**druthb00** · 08-31-2010, 07:38 PM

This is on par with what happened to me when we were trying to find a new apartment/condo after my "mold saga" earlier this year. I contacted the realtor we originally worked with to show me a couple of condos in the same complex, but in different buildings, obviously. I had no desire to move all of our stuff again after only 4 months, so I figured if we could cart it through the parking lot, fine. Well the first unit she showed me had someone still living in it, but out of town. I guess she spent most of her time in a different state. So while we were going in she said to me, "It's a really nice unit if you can look past all of the stuff." WOW. The whole place was cluttered with crap. There were dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. There was a dead cockroach in the middle of the living room. Towels all over the bathroom floor and the window sill/seal was covered with mildew. It was a total train wreck. I didn't have her show me anymore units. After renting a mold filled condo and then seeing that, we ended up in a different town and complex altogether.

Oh, and a couple of weeks ago I was at a car dealership. The saleswomen was showing me all the cars in the lot (it was a HUGE combined car lot with Nissan, Kia, and Chevrolet dealership all on-site.) that were in my price range. Well one of the cars had just recently come in and hadn't been detailed yet. She opened the door and we got this big whiff of marijuana and alcohol. The inside was a mess, there were little pieces of what looked like cotton balls all over the floor. The car had been sitting in the Florida sun just baking. It wreaked lol. I couldn't believe they even had the car on the lot to show people in the condition it was in.

**frugalfranny** · 09-01-2010, 01:40 AM

Originally Posted by stinkbug

Do you clean it up and make it easy to access??

I always have things cleaned up and easy to see and get too....isn't that common sense??

Not common sense to a lot of people. And if they are getting rid of it.........they don't want to bother! Amazes me!!

The ads on CL can frustrate me, I can't imagine looking at trailers. Why do they put a pic of the piece of furn. and have so much crap still on it, you can't even see the piece?

Did you run an ad stinkbug? Or are you just calling on other ads?

Maybe change some wording in your ad would help. Be more specific about what you consider a fixer!

**stinkbug** · 09-01-2010, 08:10 AM

I haven't run an ad.....right now tons of small trailers are coming up, about 2 a day! We're in a highly recreational area and they are everywhere. Just frustrating when people give such vague details! I've looked at everything within the range I'm looking for and have only seen one I would consider. He has dropped the price twice, so I'm holding out! (when I looked at it, he told me the price was firm, but he has droped it since then)
It's kind of like looking at houses on a mini scale

**Darlene** · 09-01-2010, 08:17 AM

Sorry for the lazy rude people Stinkbug.

To me it all boils down to manners. Be thoughtful, forthright and just do the right thing. Not doing the right thing is just plain rude and really is a reflection of character.
Our items on Craigslist are easily accessible, clean and pics are clear with descriptions a true representation of what we are offering.

Yesterday (temp in the 90's) hubby was cleaning & servicing a snow blower that FIL needs to sell since he's downsized his home and doesn't need it any more. It's not going on Craigslist til the snow flies and will get another clean up before we do list it. We always clean items we sell/give to others...even if I were selling a garbage can at a garage sale you can bet that can will be clean. It's not that I care so much about what people think of me, it's what I think of myself.

**stinkbug** · 09-01-2010, 08:38 AM

That's exactly how I feel Darlene!

And...we have sold everything we have ever listed, for the asking price! We sold a fridge to a couple who told us they bought it because it was the cleanest thing they'd seen.

**ttistin** · 09-01-2010, 12:07 PM

This is the reason why we ask for pictures of items we are interested in buying, if the pictures are vague or to dark to see anything we ask them to send us different pictures. Gas cost to much to drive out of the way for junk.

We always take lots of pictures, clean item up and give as many details as possible.

**Keildra** · 09-01-2010, 06:43 PM

One thing that annoys me about CL is when you do all the work to clean it up, take good pictures, and offer every little detail and then some one tries to offer a trade. My hubby is trying to sell an Xbox and so far he has been offered an aerosoft gun and a dirt bike helmet. Seriously I put down a specific price and they are trying to haggle with stuff that we don't even need. It's frustrating.