Is it just me..?

Today for the 3rd time in a fairly short span, a gear swap seller has reneged...changed their mind and withdrew the item for sale.

Is it just me or are others experiencing this kind of juvenile behavior?

Here's a vote for Decisiveness, people. Just sayin.

They're probably treating gear swap like an auction.

I wonder who you are referring to? Yes, I withdrew my Montbell Alpine Parka. So, now I'm juvenile? This was a piece I have had many experiences with and it was hard for me to put up for sell, and obviously it was too hard because I decided to keep it. The only reason I was selling it was to try to make my rent, but other sources have come to fund that.
I would have sold it to you by now if you hadn't lowballed me and then attempted to make me jump through hoops by answering a ton of questions with pictures of every detail. Save this kind of immature bickering for the Chaff section of BPL's forums. Oh.. oh, and excuse me for being so "juvenile."

Edited by Superfluous_Grizzly on 10/17/2012 23:49:45 MDT.

Sometimes folk remove items due to getting low ball offers, other times folks are in a chain, for example a user sees something they want on gear swap but needs to make sure the item it's replacing sells first to finance the the other item.

Pardon me for putting it this way, but I really don't think this is the kind of conversation appropriate for Gear Swap! If you've some kind of a bone to pick, do it off-list, OK?

Definitely Chaff. And it is their stuff. Sell, don't sell. It is their decision. End of story.


People do love to lowball.

Sellers have the right to pull an item off if they want. If you wanted an item you should have acted quicker. I think its bad taste to write this thread.
I had a sleeping bag that I listed for sale recently. The only interest I got originally was very low ball offers (less than half price) and a person over seas. The over seas fell through due to a problem with PayPal's policies. After having it listed for sometime I decided to use it one night, due to a quilt being sent in for over stuffing. That's when I was reminded how much I like it again. Probably will only use once or twice a year, but I will hold on to it.
I guess if you want something, then move on it right away before the seller has time to reconsider, or get upset with low ball offers and decide its not worth it at this time.

Edited by jpovs on 10/18/2012 21:31:48 MDT.

Yeah, probably just you. Sometimes a deal is made but business is business. Till the money has changed hands and you have your item, nothing is finally closed. I would reserve criticism for someone that wants the stuff BACK.

Actually, I'm relieved someone has brought up some concerns about the gear swap, as I think open communication is healthy, rather than stewing about it. Conflict can be a good thing if discussed respectfully.

As a newbie who is watching the Gear Swap closely because I would like to build up my ultralight gear, there are some patterns that I have noticed that ruffle my feathers. Besides watching the gear swap, I check ebay, craigslist, Gear Trade, the Clymb, Steap & Cheap, and all the major gear sites regularly. So maybe the following is just my perception of ALL of these sites that sell used gear.

1. Sellers seem to value their used gear for more than it is worth to me. Many sellers list their used gear for way too much money. I check their prices online and discover they are only listing it for 10% less than the asking price for a brand new item elsewhere. For me, it is not worth the risk to pursue that for a small 10% discount. I would rather buy it new, with the opportunity to return it if it isn't a good fit for me. I will only go used if I'm looking at at least a 40% discount from the original price. I don't see many opportunities like this in this forum, but I have seen some of those on Gear Trade.

2. For some reason I have no chance at competing in this gear forum. I log in several times a day, and I always seem to be logging in too late. Gear sells so fast and I have no idea how you all are doing it...are you using smart phones and checking constantly? Is there some special software that alerts you when something is listed? I have two jobs, so being connected 24 hours a day isn't possible....


Thank you for letting me share, and I welcome some feedback to this. I want to be happy on BPL. :)

But Raquel, if I tell you the secret to sniping gear before others, you will use it against me. :)

Seriously though, for me it takes a lot of luck and checking for new posts at the right time of day. The majority of new items are posted at similar times each day. There's a pattern to it.

Ryan

Edited by ViolentGreen on 10/17/2012 07:39:58 MDT.

Good point Ryan--transparency about this would increase the competition, and we wouldn't want that, would we? Those with the technological savvy will reign supreme. I suppose I could research it on my own if it meant that much to me.

If parts of one were included with the questions of two then I would say yes to both.

"Many sellers list their used gear for way too much money." ...

"Gear sells so fast"

So, obviously not......

Although maybe not the best practice, I dont think pulling something off gear swap should be big deal, unless an offer has been made and accepted. I can certainly understand pulling it if someone doesn't get the price they are asking for.

That being said, I would have some doubts about buying something on gear swap from person named "Haywood Jablome" from the "bible belt".

It isn't clear to me about the nature of the offer/withdrawal you mean. If someone posts an item for sale and no one comitts to purchasing the item and then withdraws it, I don't see an issue. If someone says they will take it and the seller then refuses to complete the sale, I could see issues with that. If the seller discovers damage or other issues, informs the buyer and then withdraws it from sale, I think that is an honest move on the seller's part.

The other side of the coin is a buyer making a commitment to purchase and then reneging. As with a refusal to follow through on a sale, it is not a well regarded way to do business.

We should all be mature enough to refrain from making impulsive decisions and follow through on our commitments. My father's generation held that you were good on your word and followed through on these things. I assume the Internet encourages more impulsive buying behavior and makes it easier to reneg. I've come to see these things as an annoyance and not worth getting upset over. If you have ever sold something on Craigslist, you will get requests to hold an item and I've found the failure to show rate to be at least 50/50. Craigslist can be quick and it's free, but it is also one of the flakiest selling venues. It's just part of the deal.

In that light, consider the good parts of Gear Swap and take it with a grain of salt. What should never be tolerated are swindles, failure to deliver or shoddy goods. I encourage everyone to never pay with money orders or Paypal gift unless you are very confident about the sellers reputation.

My $0.02

"Many sellers list their used gear for way too much money." ...

"Gear sells so fast"

So, obviously not......


Doug beat me to it........ Yes UL gear sells for "too much" and yes it sells fast so it must not be too much. But there may be other reasons that gear sells for top dollar, like you get it instantly vs waiting for the manufacturer. Also, there is a boatload of gear that is either unused or rarely used so it is still good as new.

That's like those restaurants where the food is terrible, and the portions are small.

I check Gear Swap first, before I read anything else, every time I log in. I've scored one great pack here, already, and seen other fantastic deals on items I made the mistake of buying elsewhere. Sometimes someone wants too much money for an item, but so what? That's their choice. As a potential buyer, it's my choice to accept the price or not. But I'm not going to criticize someone for their pricing, or get in a huff if they sell it someone else. Thems the breaks, right? I'll find what I want eventually, either here or somewhere else. IMO, Gear Swap is tied with the articles for the best part about this forum. I love it.

"That being said, I would have some doubts about buying something on gear swap from person named "Haywood Jablome" from the "bible belt"."

Why? You can look at every single person's activity on the forum. You can easily see that I have sold quite a few things in the recent months and make an educated decision that I'm not a con-artist. I think a few people could step up and vouch me as a seller. Also, why would I have done a PIF just last week if I was a sketchy person? Sketchy people don't do that.

Point being: Just because my "name" is a dumb play on words should not rule out the fact that I am an honest person. And I do live in the bible belt, being in Kentucky (one of *edit* four commonwealths left in the United States).

Brian H. never committed to buy the jacket, I withdrew... END OF STORY.

Edited by Superfluous_Grizzly on 10/17/2012 19:42:24 MDT.

I think gear swap could be improved if communication were more frequent and encouraged--users can actually improve a sale if they pop and say "Hey, I was thinking about buying your used item, but I checked and your price is only 10% below market...I'd buy it if the price were right". Sure, that's a form of low ball offer, but it lets the seller know what others think is reasonable; that way, they can wait to see if someone else wants it, recalibrate their price, or withdraw the item. That's reasonable.

Every now and then somebody makes a thread trying to sell an item at or above the purchase price--this stuff simply does not sell, so we could help facilitate sales by letting the seller know. And yes, I do think that saying so publicly is appropriate.


Also, I have an idle question...where did the commonwealth thing come into it? There are four US commonwealths, and they're scattered: MA, KY, PA, and VA.
Personally, I think Haywood Jablome's name is funny...but I will admit that I'd hesitate just a few seconds longer before making a purchase.