Selling a car online.

[W8avenger]

Why is it when youre selling a car online and you get an email from a prospective buyer and they ask if the car is still for sale through an email and you reply, yes it's still for sale, you never hear from them again.
What's wrong with people these days?

 

[ws23jrt]

I got an email responding to my ad when selling my srt challenger that went something like this.

I'm looking for a SRT8 challenger 6sp.

My response was--I have one for sale. It's the one in the ad that you responded to.------Never heard from that guy again.

 

[Blackbird73]

I have been trying to figure this one out also. Might have to do with them trying to get your email address or phone number? but usually that is on the ad anyway so I am stumped. happens to me all the time though

 

[Ranger16]

Usually the ones that respond with their phone number are some sort of phishing scam.

 

[Car Nut]

They are looking to get your email and sell it to scammers.

 

[verdelaw]

It's just lookyloos. No big deal. Just count yourself lucky that they didn't waste more of your time.

 

[mmissile]

When selling something...let the buyer show their amount of sincerity. I don't expect everybody to want what I have, and serious folks follow-up.

 

[GetX'd]

Mystery to me as well. Why someone bothers to contact us about something for sale and then disappears is weird. If they're looking for the car you have they should at least inquire about negotiating on the price - which I assume is listed. What's the point of the contact otherwise. Great mysteries of the 21st century.

 

[khryslerkid]

Remember the days of newspaper adds and parking the car in the front yard, with a for sale sign?

 

[conv67bdere]

The other side of the story is also true ( and just as frustrating ) . . .

got a guy on CL that has posted a Metal Lathe, milling machine, vices, etch that he's got for sale - I've responded to the ad 3-4 times now and I've still not gotten a response from the seller ? ? ?

Why advertise if you're not going to respond to the prospective sellers ? ? ? I don't know what's wrong with people . . .

 

[Budnicks]

The other side of the story is also true ( and just as frustrating ) . . .

got a guy on CL that has posted a Metal Lathe, milling machine, vices, etch that he's got for sale - I've responded to the ad 3-4 times now and I've still not gotten a response from the seller ? ? ?

Why advertise if you're not going to respond to the prospective sellers ? ? ? I don't know what's wrong with people . . .

Yep that's equally frustrating...

Phishing maybe ???

 

[69SportSatellite]

Or, maybe the sender of the email spoke to his better (bitter?) half about the potential purchase after emailing you? With email and the internet, any lookyloo can contact you; thirty years ago, at least they had to thumb through the newspaper and spend ten cents to call you...I too have experienced the frustration of folks emailing me when I'm selling something and never responding again, and vice versa, emailing someone a detailed inquiry about a car or part I'm interested in and then nothin' but crickets...just the world we now live in I guess.

 

[Bruzilla]

I've not responded before, and for several reasons. One is there are a LOT of ads on Craigslist and other sites that offer stuff that's no longer for sale, even when they say "If the ad is still up, it's still available". So I may email two or more people offering an item I need, and when someone replies first and gets my business I don't bother to return the emails of anyone who contacts me later.

Another reason is I may see something interesting and email someone about it, but then rethink my interest in it and decide, for one reason or another, to stop pursuing it. And when that happens I usually won't respond to any emails I get.

And then there's the people who require you to contact via email, but apparently never check their email. Then, you get a reply a month or two later, and by then you've already moved on.

Lastly, there's the total dick guy who replies with nothing but attitude, and I never waste my time with those sellers.

 

[Kernel Sanders]

When selling on kijiji (similar to craigslist) I always put "if you see this add I still have it" I still get "do you still have it"... automatically blocked for being so stupid, never respond to stupid emails like that lol

 

[OldFolksMopar]

Here's another one. I posted my buddies 89 Ramcharger on Cars on line for him. He has no service. I stated in the ad that Please do not respond to this e=mail because I am only the messenger. PLEASE contact the seller at =========. I'll be damned if I don't get e-mails asking me more questions about his vehicle. I do respond with, if you are truly interested in this vehicle, please call John at ========. So I call him and ask if anyone has contacted him and No is the answer.

Go figure. A lot of lookers as most say. But mostly dreamers!

 

[TxDon]

Selling a car online is the best way to reach a large audience of potential buyers but it's also a major hassle due to the kooks and scammers in that audience - which is why I hate selling cars. If you're selling a collector car start with Hemmings or Auto Trader and use their protected e-mail setup which keeps your info private. Once you find a buyer that seems genuine you can progress to giving out a phone number, etc. These sites take awhile but have given me the most successful outcomes. You can try online forum ads but my experience has not been good. Selling on Ebay works for a lot of people but get ready for buyers that never follow through on their bids. Craigslist is the worst for bargain hunters and hassle factor but the best if you want a quick sale on a more "normal" car. For security, have a potential buyer meet you in a public place, not your house. On a cash transaction I have them meet me at my bank and we sign the papers and exchange the money inside.

 

[Bruzilla]

When selling on kijiji (similar to craigslist) I always put "if you see this add I still have it" I still get "do you still have it"... automatically blocked for being so stupid, never respond to stupid emails like that lol

That's nice, but the reality is there's a lot of folks who write that and respond to your inquiry with "oh yeah, sorry but it's sold". Just like there's no requirement to respond, there's no requirement to take the ad down and a lot of people don't take the trouble, which is why we have to always ask if it's still available.

 

[BeatersRus]

i used to sell cars on ebay before they started letting deadbeat bidders become the norm.

cl is what i use nowadaze.
what i see mostly is 2 kinds of people.
dreamers and realists.

those who cant/wont/dont read the entire Ad and just want to get the item as cheap as possible.
these are usually the buyers with an attitude,who will ask the dumbest questions,offer you the dumbest trades,belittle whatever it is you are selling for that price,say they are on the way,and never show up.

and then theres the other guy,who shows up takes one look and cant get their money out fast enough.
usually ask me how in the heck the item hasnt sold yet,and i say,you are the first Serious person to show up.