"Testing the waters" the latest annoying trend in listings.

[Kern Dog]

The price is $3000.
Will you take $1500 ?
No, the price is fair so I’m firm on that.
But I’ll give you $1500 in cash
Really? CASH? No ****? What ELSE would I take? $1500 worth of ground beef? Landscaping tools? Erotic massages? No… cash is ALL that I want and you’re way short with a half price offer.

 

[Armyvet25]

It is likely that there are a few reasons why people do this, here is one that you may not have considered:
Maybe the “seller” actually is a decent guy that is unsure of the value of the car because too many dudes refuse to tell others what get paid when they bought a similar car. If there is no guideline to follow, a seller has no clear idea on the value. He may set a high price because he simply does not know but thinks that the price can always be negotiated down but never UP.
I hate seeing an unrealistic high price just like you do. Starting way above actual value, as annoying as that is for buyers, may be what sellers are doing to keep from selling too cheap.
Time and time again I see some guy get online to announce some new acquisition, some posting pictures and getting all sorts of congratulatory comments as if they discovered the lost sea scrolls or something…. Yet the dude clams up when people ask what he paid for the car. It is my business what I paid. Dude, you are here announcing this car, taking in all sorts of atta-boy praise and then refuse to do something that might help another guy?

highly doubt it, I don't see too many people willy nilly pulling prices out of their ***, I'm sure they research what others are trying to get, and you'll be surprised how many use ebay to gauge their pricing.

 

[1968_Satellite]

I hate the...what all does it need, after having a decent ad explaining and for further info to call or text, I hate people who are afraid of the telephone boogieman'
View attachment 1969002

Yes! And the sellers who say "call for price". Dont they realize people figure "ok,this guy is probably nuts"

 

[1968_Satellite]

It is likely that there are a few reasons why people do this, here is one that you may not have considered:
Maybe the “seller” actually is a decent guy that is unsure of the value of the car because too many dudes refuse to tell others what get paid when they bought a similar car. If there is no guideline to follow, a seller has no clear idea on the value. He may set a high price because he simply does not know but thinks that the price can always be negotiated down but never UP.
I hate seeing an unrealistic high price just like you do. Starting way above actual value, as annoying as that is for buyers, may be what sellers are doing to keep from selling too cheap.
Time and time again I see some guy get online to announce some new acquisition, some posting pictures and getting all sorts of congratulatory comments as if they discovered the lost sea scrolls or something…. Yet the dude clams up when people ask what he paid for the car. It is my business what I paid. Dude, you are here announcing this car, taking in all sorts of atta-boy praise and then refuse to do something that might help another guy?

There are all sorts of ways to gauge what a car is worth.

It's the guys that don't read the dang ad and get pissed when they show up and it's not what they expected.....threatened one guy that if he didn't leave right now that he would meet my double barrel! Can't complain I guess since it only happened one time in all the years of advertising stuff.

Ad says "manual transmission". Oh,I thought it was an automatic.

 

[1968_Satellite]

What baffles me is when people explain why they are selling the car.

Q. Isn't the whole idea that you would rather have the cash than the car???

I hate it when people ask WHY im selling something. I sold a wall clock locally and the guy shows up,looks it over,sees it works and then asks. "Why are you selling it?" I should have asked "why are you buying it". I agree. Thats a stupid question.

 

[1968_Satellite]

highly doubt it, I don't see too many people willy nilly pulling prices out of their ***, I'm sure they research what others are trying to get, and you'll be surprised how many use ebay to gauge their pricing.

Yes,and these days with the internet its very easy to see a cars true value as past listings and sold prices tend to say on sites like bring a trailer,ebay and even sites like this. I dont believe they do it becsuse they are unsure. I think its mostly looking for a sucker

 

[kiwigtx]

“Just testing the waters…”

I’ve bitched about this before.
No more water testing!!!

Nobody does a search any longer before starting a new thread.

Having said that, I'm starting a new thread so that everyone can post their memes or not memes.

 

[1968_Satellite]

Nobody does a search any longer before starting a new thread.

Having said that, I'm starting a new thread so that everyone can post their memes or not memes.

Well,lets be honest. Anything anybody brings up here has been discussed before. There are only so many topics in the world. If I had a dime for everytime I have read a thread where someone pops on and made a comment that someone else talked about that same thing before and they could have searched it,id be a millionaire. See,nothings new. Lol.
I honestly never understood why that bothers people either. Its not like anyones forcing anyone read someone else's thread on a topic they aren't interested in.
And yes,youre right. I didnt use search first. It was just a thought that came to mind after reading yet another "testing the waters" ad and as an impulse I decided to share my thoughts on it.

 

[Dan64]

"Testing the waters", "Taking offers". They literally want you to buy it AND sell it. No thanks, the negations will be a fight the whole way though.

 

[bm02tj]

I think we need the red X back

 

[RT68440]

I think that it’s an ego thing myself. Guy has a nice car or some rare parts that he wants everyone to see and drool over and to tell him how much they would pay for it or at least to tell him that it’s way too nice to sell, etc. Not in every instance but I’m willing to bet in most.

 

[Armyvet25]

yep, plenty of personal feeling built into perceived value these days. And as far as rehashing old topics....anyone want to start an oil thread

 

[Armyvet25]

Yes! And the sellers who say "call for price". Dont they realize people figure "ok,this guy is probably nuts"

and try and list their phone number and marketplace removes it per policy and their ad ends up being listed close to 50 or more weeks old lol
or my favorite, make offer...no one accepts any offer because of previous stated reasons of perceived value.

 

[padam]

I remember an interaction with a guy, I think it was at a gun show where I had something on my table with a price tag on it.

Guy asked me something like “what’s your bottom dollar?”
My response was something like “what’s the most you will pay?”

He got all flustered, muttering about he’s not going to buy it and sell it blah blah. My asking price was on it.

 

[toolmanmike]

Have any of you folks noticed this annoying trend in car listings? The ad will start with the phrase "Testing the waters" usually followed by a long,hostile,off-putting rant by the seller saying that "hes not in a hurry to sell" "doesnt need to sell" "I know what I have" "in 10 years this will be worth XXXX at Barret Jackson" etc. These cars nearly always have utterly ridiculous prices and are not "barret jackson" material.
What is the point in this? Are they fishing for suckers with more money than brains? Hoping they might catch Jay Leno on a drunken buying spree?
These ads stay up forever. It doesnt make any sense to me. If youre not serious about selling the car why list it? The fact its listed implys you want to sell it or it wouldnt be there. If you know what you have,why are you comparing a base model 318 car with a 440 sport model car that sold at some prestigious car auction and is showroom quality when yours isnt?. You dont have the same car in the same condition.
Sorry for the rant,but after seeing these types of ads repeatedly for a couple years or so its just baffling. One sellers listing said you had to give him $50 upfront to see his car. Lol!.
"Testing the waters" seems to be the new overused meaningless catch phrase like "barn find". I remember that nearly every ad for decades now has said "barn find" in it when the cars were never found in a barn. Another stupid one is "survivor"...any car listed is by definition a "survivor",its still here and exists,its just another stupid buzzword people have latched onto.

If those posts are here, I either edit or delete with instructions on how to write a proper ad.

 

[w.Hudson]

I think that it’s an ego thing myself. Guy has a nice car or some rare parts that he wants everyone to see and drool over and to tell him how much they would pay for it or at least to tell him that it’s way too nice to sell, etc. Not in every instance but I’m willing to bet in most.

I have had this happen recently.

A guy had collected some rare Hemi parts from a friend’s estate. He said that he would never sell but wanted to know what
they were worth.
Of course he got a wide range of values. I simply posted that I would be a buyer if he ever wanted to sell in the future

The next day he messages me wanting me to make an offer. I offered slightly higher than what I have seen the parts sell for in the past.

Of course he was very offended. After he made personal threats I told him that I hope he chokes on his parts.

 

[Davefinan]

If those posts are here, I either edit or delete with instructions on how to write a proper ad.

Yeah…like put your ad in “ what’s it worth “ section.
After all , it seems like that is largely what they are trying to find out. Or they know the worth already and they are hoping someone will come in who doesn’t. And that person throws out a high number.