Craigs List Dilemma

[komobu]

Saw this add on craigs list for the following Snap On Items:

Snap-On MG325 3/8" Impact gun. Only 2 months old, in excellent shape $200

Snap-On FAR25A 1/4" Air Ratchet. Only a few months old, used MAYBE 5 times. $125

Snap-On 208AFX 8pc 3/8 Extension Set. (1 1/2" to 24") $100

Snap-On 305ASX 5pc 1/2" Extension Set $65

The guy that's selling it works at a local Acura dealership. He has stuff at home for side work and this is the stuff he is selling off. I have bought some stuff from him in the past and have got some smoking deals. So I go over to the dealership at 5pm to see the stuff. I ask him what he will take for the Impact, Air Ratchet and 3/8s extensions. He opens his craigslist add and does some calculations and tells me he will save me 50 bucks and take 275 for those three items. I say deal and slap down 280. I then say instead of you giving me 5 change, I will give you 40 more for the 1/2 extensions. He says deal and I walk out of the dealership with this stuff for 320.

Last night at about 9:30 he sends me an email, and says: "I just realized I shorted myself on the price of that impact. I added it as costing $100 it should've been $200"

So evidently he wants another 100. I know who he is because I have bought some stuff off of him in the past, but we are not friends or anything. I have only ever seen him when I bought the stuff. That being said, I really dont want any hard feelings with anyone. I did get a smoking deal, but I can buy new snap on stuff with my student discount for roughly 50% off. Not sure what I will do yet. I may just return everything to him and say give me my 320 back, or I may offer him another 50. Any recommendations on what I should do? What would you think as fair?

 

[heelsroll]

Tough call. I think I'd come back with, "Man, at that price, I'm not sure it's the right deal for me."

And then see if we could work out something in between, but I'd be prepared to either bring it back or cough up a little more. Or maybe you could offer to return just the impact if you think the rest would be worth it to you.

This once we've established that you want good trading mojo. I'd bet a lot of folks would 'disappear' or just refuse it, but I see where you're coming from 100% and think it's worth working out.

 

[petty4243]

i would offer to meet him in the middle at best since it was his mistake, after all, he took your cash and you took his tools(technically the deal is done).... only reason to offer anything is because you might like to get another deal from him at a later date

 

[babzog]

He calculated the price, you concluded the transaction honestly and now, after the fact, he wants to reneg? Imagine if everyone we dealt with came up to us later and said "I want more". Forget it, a deal's a deal. As suggested above, unless you have any intention of buying from him again (which is pure speculation, at best), you have no reason to cover his mistakes.

 

[Aberdale]

If you are planning on doing more business with him in the future, you could offer to make it up on the next purchase . . . just another option.

Dale

 

[sevnd3z28]

I would tell him I will return the tools and take my $320 back....then see what he says. I think he'll come back with an offer of meeting somewhere in the middle....if not,let him keep the tools.

 

[Elroy]

He sold the tools and you paid for them. The deal is done. Elroy wouldn't even answer the guy.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

If you plan on buying from him in the future, call him up and let him know that a $100 is more than you wanted to go but that you added the items up and agree that he might have made a mistake. Then let him know to stop any hard feelings and to help in any future buys, you would be willing to give him another $50 if that would help.

If he agrees, you are ahead of the game the next time you buy from him. If he doesn't take the extra $50 and thank you for it, tell him that you tried to make it right with him and with that attitude, you are not going to give him anything all and hang up.

 

[dkroth]

My thoughts:

Legally and morally it's a done deal. You are doing nothing wrong by keeping the tools.

You said you didn't want to create any hard feelings. It doesn't seem like he considered YOUR feelings before asking for the extra Benjamin?

It's possible someone made him a better offer after you'd gone and now he's having seller's remorse.

That said, you mention you're a student and he works in the bidness. If you piss him off there's always a chance he'll trash your name in the local dealership circles. Is future employment in the are a possibility for you?

As others have said, get back to him and try to renegotiate. Unwinding the deal is an option too.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

This whole thing is his mistake. He agreed on the deal, now that it's done, he wants to change the terms. It doesn't work like that. However, since you may want to do business with him again, I think GeorgiaHybrid's suggestion makes the most sense.

As for what is fair, anything you decide to do is fair. What isn't fair is him expecting you to shell out another $100 for a done deal b/c he made a mistake.

Think about it in reverse...what if you called him up and said, "You know, I think I paid you $100 too much for that stuff. It was worth it to me for $220, but not $320!"

 

[Stuey]

I think that it's an honest mistake, but again it was the seller's mistake.

Would you have said "deal" as readily if the proposes price was 325 instead of 275? If so, talk it over with him and explain that you will meet him half way and offer $50 more. If he insists on you offering another $100, then ask him to return your full funds and give the tools back.

Simply tell him that you cannot afford the assortment of tools at $375 and that you would prefer to void the transaction or meet him halfway at $50, whichever option he prefers.

Morally, you would be in the right to walk away from this transaction without any further obligations or contact, but if you don't want to burn the bridge with this guy, a compromise won't cost you too much.

 

[roverhybrids]

apparently everyone here has no qualms about ripping a guy off. From your first post description it seems obvious he made a mistake calculating. You either made the same mistake and owe him the difference or you know he made the mistake and instead of calling him on it cheated him out of $100.
I think you should:
A. pay the guy the $100 you ripped him off for. or
B.If you don't want to pay offer full return/refund.
C. If he's willing then try to make a new deal.

 

[selohssa]

If you are planning on doing more business with him in the future, you could offer to make it up on the next purchase . . . just another option.

Dale

That is what I would do. That or you could do the Canadian thing and say "tough sh*t, you can lick my sweaty n@t sack you greedy bastage"

 

[Mickey O]

The seller is in the right, I'm going to call everyone I ever sold stuff to and tell them I made a mistake and want more money. Guy should have paid more attention in math class.

Seriously, it was his error but if you deal with this guy and want to deal with him in the future it's probably best to come to some sort of compromise. Now if you knew he added it up wrong you'll have to search your soul, probably keeping in mind that Karma isn't so gracious.

 

[Junkman]

The seller is in the right, I'm going to call everyone I ever sold stuff to and tell them I made a mistake and want more money. Guy should have paid more attention in math class.

Seriously, it was his error but if you deal with this guy and want to deal with him in the future it's probably best to come to some sort of compromise. Now if you knew he added it up wrong you'll have to search your soul, probably keeping in mind that Karma isn't so gracious.

The difference between what you have posted and the seller is that he made a mistake in his mathematical calculations, not selling it too cheap as in your example. If the guy truly made a math mistake, then I say give him the money. It isn't hard to realize the difference from what I see. If you gave a cashier a hundred dollar bill, and she gave you change for a ten, and you didn't realize it until the next day, would you just forget the mistake? I am certain that everyone on these forums would be back at the store asking for the $90!!!!!! If that same cashier gave you change for a hundred, when you gave her a ten, I wonder how many of you would tell her about the mistake, or just walk out the door. I know that I would give the money back, because that is the honest thing to do. Treat others as you would want to be treated..

 

[Richard Givan]

This guy is trying to Wenzel you. Send him a link to the wenzel thread recently mentioned in this forum (search for Charlie Wenzel) and ask him if this is really how he wants to deal.

How much luck would you have if you bought a car at his dealership and later decided you had overpaid and asked for a refund?

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

apparently everyone here has no qualms about ripping a guy off. From your first post description it seems obvious he made a mistake calculating. You either made the same mistake and owe him the difference or you know he made the mistake and instead of calling him on it cheated him out of $100.
I think you should:
A. pay the guy the $100 you ripped him off for. or
B.If you don't want to pay offer full return/refund.
C. If he's willing then try to make a new deal.

Ripping a guy off?! The buyer made an offer, the seller accepted. The deal was consumated. End of story.

There's always one of these guys....

 

[scbird94]

Its about karma- picture yourself in his shoes. At least he is decent to deal with, i would at least give him 50. Especially if he is a fellow mechanic in the same circle of possible career paths for you.

He will remember you forgiving him and being easy to deal with, maybe someday he will remember you when he has a tool he wants to move and cough up a super deal.

Or, you could be plugging in your new impact to an air hose in a bay next to him- easier to make enemies than freinds!

 

[alex71]

apparently everyone here has no qualms about ripping a guy off. From your first post description it seems obvious he made a mistake calculating. You either made the same mistake and owe him the difference or you know he made the mistake and instead of calling him on it cheated him out of $100.
I think you should:
A. pay the guy the $100 you ripped him off for. or
B.If you don't want to pay offer full return/refund.
C. If he's willing then try to make a new deal.

Ripping him off? that's a bit of a stretch don't you think? Cheated him out of $100? Owe him? You must be joking.

Assuming the buyer didn't notice the discrepancy and failed to mention it at the time of the transaction, the buyer "owes" the seller nothing, did not rip the seller off, nor did he cheat the seller out of anything.

The seller named his price and the buyer agreed to it, period.

If the buyer wants to do something here other than telling the seller "NO", that makes the buyer an extra-nice guy in my book.

If I were in the seller's place and I made a stupid arithmetic error like this one I would keep my mouth shut. Call it a $100 math lesson.

 

[alex71]

The difference between what you have posted and the seller is that he made a mistake in his mathematical calculations, not selling it too cheap as in your example. If the guy truly made a math mistake, then I say give him the money. It isn't hard to realize the difference from what I see. If you gave a cashier a hundred dollar bill, and she gave you change for a ten, and you didn't realize it until the next day, would you just forget the mistake? I am certain that everyone on these forums would be back at the store asking for the $90!!!!!! If that same cashier gave you change for a hundred, when you gave her a ten, I wonder how many of you would tell her about the mistake, or just walk out the door. I know that I would give the money back, because that is the honest thing to do. Treat others as you would want to be treated..

Maybe the seller should sue the state for failing to provide him with an adequate fourth grade education and get his $100 back that way. Makes as much sense as what you're proposing.

We should not reward people for their mistakes. The seller F*cked up. His fault. Out $100. Life goes on. Learn from it.

 

[maxipouce]

Bring the impact back, take your 100 and buy a brand new one, it doesn't need to be a snap-on.

 

[ironheadtom]

My immediate gut reaction while reading your post was "split the difference" if you care about keeping peace and you could still feel like you got a smoking deal. The guy is still a bonehead, though. If I were in his shoes I would not even consider contacting the customer. I would write it off being my mistake.

 

[boro_boy70]

He sold the tools and you paid for them. The deal is done. Elroy wouldn't even answer the guy.

I agree 100% with Elroy. I think the guy has brass balls for even contacting you begging for more money. As far as any future dealings with the guy, your giving money out of pocket, in the hope that he'll sell to you in the future? I say keep the money, and buy your tools somewhere else.

Something similar happened to me last summer. I bought a neon sign and some bar mirrors off CL. About a week later, the guy emails me and said his father thinks the stuff was worth more than I paid, and wants me to drop off another $30. Never answered him, and never heard from him again.

 

[selohssa]

Something similar happened to me last summer. I bought a neon sign and some bar mirrors off CL. About a week later, the guy emails me and said his father thinks the stuff was worth more than I paid, and wants me to drop off another $30. Never answered him, and never heard from him again.

I have only dealt with this from a shops point of view. Customer agrees to $5000 for a repair, signs a contract and leaves a deposit. When it comes time to pick up the car, they want to renegotiate the price because someone told them that they could get it done cheaper down the street. I tell them that they have 2 options. 1 pay the bill. 2 don't pay and I will charge $20 per day for storage and will start the process of siezing their car.

It is not fun playing hardball with people but it is sometimes necessary for people that think that they can take advantage of you.

To the OP.

If this guy is so stupid that he can not perform a simple math calculation then tell him that instead of giving him more money, you will buy him a hockey helmet to wear throughout the day and get him some tickets for the short bus.

 

[tonydanzah]

He sold the tools and you paid for them. The deal is done. Elroy wouldn't even answer the guy.

yep, Tony is with Elroy on this one.

I will remember how caring everybody is here on the forums next time I sell something on here.

 

[crewchief888]

IMO the seller has balls the size of basketballs. asking a buyer to give up more money after the deal is done?
but on the other hand, if you've delt with him before,and want to continue daling with him, offer to split the difference, if he takes it, then good, if he gets pissy, hand him the stuff back and ask for a refund.

if the deal goes bad, then i'd flag everyone of his postings, but thats just me

 

[arkangel06]

Uhhhhhhh F*ck him......

 

[quneur]

He may already consider you somewhat of a friend as he has your email and is telling you he made a mistake and hoping you would understand. Would he have done that to anyone else? He was more than willing to bring his prices down. Would he have done the same to someone he's never met? You are going to have to make the judgement for yourself.

Personally, I would shoot back an email saying for the extra hundred, it would be a deal breaker and returning the impact to him, due to being able to get a better deal w/ student discount, etc. He'll either accept it, re-negociate, or let you have it. With any of the three, you get on his good side for any future dealings.

Saying nothing or returning with, "you made the mistake, blah, blah" would only make him angry and you lose any possible future dealing but more importantly, a possible mentor and friend for a hundred bucks. Is it worth it?

Similar story, a guy I've only known at the dog park is also an Acura tech. I was having axle problem so he told me to bring my car to his house. He spent an hour replacing/rebuilding it and he just wanted a six pack for payment. Went to Costco and bought him a 24 pack and dinner one night. I've also sent some business his way. I paid about a hundred more than what he asked for. Now, we are friends. Anything major happens to my car, he'd fix it - labor free.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Its about karma- picture yourself in his shoes. At least he is decent to deal with, i would at least give him 50. Especially if he is a fellow mechanic in the same circle of possible career paths for you.

He will remember you forgiving him and being easy to deal with, maybe someday he will remember you when he has a tool he wants to move and cough up a super deal.

Or, you could be plugging in your new impact to an air hose in a bay next to him- easier to make enemies than freinds!

Someone always has to somehthing about "karma"...gimme a break.

I would tell the guy "Man, I'm sorry but we made a deal."

Hate it for his luck...

 

[rhastings80]

No matter what you do that's up to you. I don't think either way I would want to ever buy form the guy again. Why mess with more future problems? Who knows he might do it again and it's not like you are getting smoking deals from the guy anyways. There are always more tools to buy anyways from other people.

I think I would say if you want your tools back you come and get them and meet me at a gas station near my house at a time of your choice. If he shows get all of your money back and don't deal with him again. If he doesn't show then keep the tools and don't feel bad about it.

 

[bmwpower]

So you know he is asking $425 for the stuff you want, but when he tells you "he will save me 50 bucks and take 275 for those three items", you didn't think about telling him he made a mistake right away?

I find it funny that some people that think it's not okay to leave a store with an item that was mispriced have no problem leaving with these "mispriced" items.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

The more I read these responses, the more I agree with Elroy.

 

[quneur]

Let's make it clearer; if you think he made an honest mistake treat him with civility. If you think he's trying to screw you then deal with him appropriately.

Personally, I doubt a person who I've done business with before would be so underhanded. He had every opportunity to try it on the first transaction.

 

[socketjockey]

Fact: You knew the correct asking prices before he said, "I'll save you $50" and then gave you an incorrect sum. If he had simply said, gimme this much, you wouldn't know he's math challenged. It seems he's not trying to pull a fast one. He's just kicking himself and doing the only thing he can to get the $100. This whole drama comes down to one thing, do what YOU think is right and be prepared for the consequences.

 

[chadster1]

How many ads on craigslist list inflated prices and then the dealing starts when you show up.

I sell more tools than most of you. I have made a similar mistake in the past on a cash deal. There is no way I would attempt to collect more money after the deal was done. What would you guys think about a tool dealer showing up the next week and saying that he is going to charge you $100 more on that purchase you made last week. I can just imagine the responses to that.

Question for the OP: If that impact you bought crapped out the day after you got it home, would you go back to the seller for any reason?

 

[Todd.Brock]

If you got back in the car wondering why you had an extra hundred bucks in your hand that was originally intended for his, then my thoughts are this. It seems you knew what happened and wondered if he would notice. He called you on it and now you are starting to feel bad. If it didnt bother you when you got back in the car with the extra cheddah, dont let it bother you now. If you feel bad, fix it. He should have caught it b/f you left. Its a little late to ask for money after the fact.

If I was that seller, I would chock it up as a $100 math lesson. Try explaining THAT to the wife who is hounding you for bill money

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

So you know he is asking $425 for the stuff you want, but when he tells you "he will save me 50 bucks and take 275 for those three items", you didn't think about telling him he made a mistake right away?

I find it funny that some people that think it's not okay to leave a store with an item that was mispriced have no problem leaving with these "mispriced" items.

For me the difference is asking a living, breathing person face to face how much they want for something that they own and them giving you a price for their stuff. This guy should know instantly what he wants to sell the tools out of his toolbox for.

 

[komobu]

I really like the responses. I will provide a little more info. Neither of us are kids. He is in his 30's and I am in my 40s. I did 26 years in the Army as an Avn Mech. Now I am working as a Auto Mech because of a friendship I made in the Army. I am working for/with a guy I have known for almost 20 years. If not for him, I wouldn't work as a tech. I would either work for the Govt as an Avn Instructor, or I would do side jobs out of my house. The guy I bought the tools from is not in any position to have any type of impact on me whatsoever. I already pretty much figured out what I was going to do before I made the post but was wondering what similar people would think of the situation.

The first time I saw an add from the guy, he sold me a 1/2 Snap On Flex Ratchet, 80 tooth, Soft Grip, 25 inches in length. List Price 190, and he sold it to me for 65. The thing looked brand new. About 6 months later he posted an add for some metric box gear wrenches for 40. Both of these times I went to the dealership he worked at and met him at his toolbox.

I do think he made an Honest Mistake and that is whay I am willing to work with him. Just because he made a mistake, that doesnt obligate me to pay more. (Look at the dealer in Cal that sold the 2009 RT8 on ebay for 29000 and then wanted to back out)

This time I saw the add on craigslist and knew it was the same guy. Bottom line, I would not have paid his asking price for the items I got because I dont really need the stuff. I work everyday with out them and I can continue to use what I got. That being said, with a good enough deal, I can afford to buy them just because I WANT them, not because I NEED them. It's kind of hard spending money right now on a WANT, so I can easily let the deal go with no ill feelings.

So yesterday I sent him this email:

I dont want any hard feelings, but please understand my position. I am enrolled at TNCC and get 50% off of everything from Snap On through their student sales. Rather than pay 200 for a used impact, I could get a brand new one through student sales for 190 and have a One Year Warranty with it. If I buy used, I make sure it is a really good deal because as I said, I get 50% off new from Snap On. I get to put it on my credit card and take my time paying for it. All that being said, I dont want any hard feelings with you. I can give you an extra 50 (so we split the mistake), or if you would rather have your stuff back, I understand. If you want to try to sell to someone else who will pay more, I cant fault you for that. Tell me what you want to do. I can bring you everything back on monday if you want to refund my money. Again, it is up to you what you would rather. You have treated me pretty decent in the past and I dont want any hard feelings.

Now the ball is in his court. I will return everything, or nothing. There will be no hard feelings on my part. I will not hold a grudge in this no matter what the outcome is. If I give him everything back, and in the future he lists something on Craigslist, I will still buy from him if the price is right.

 

[chadster1]

I really like the responses. I will provide a little more info. Neither of us are kids. He is in his 30's and I am in my 40s. I did 26 years in the Army as an Avn Mech. Now I am working as a Auto Mech because of a friendship I made in the Army. I am working for/with a guy I have known for almost 20 years. If not for him, I wouldn't work as a tech. I would either work for the Govt as an Avn Instructor, or I would do side jobs out of my house. The guy I bought the tools from is not in any position to have any type of impact on me whatsoever. I already pretty much figured out what I was going to do before I made the post but was wondering what similar people would think of the situation.

The first time I saw an add from the guy, he sold me a 1/2 Snap On Flex Ratchet, 80 tooth, Soft Grip, 25 inches in length. List Price 190, and he sold it to me for 65. The thing looked brand new. About 6 months later he posted an add for some metric box gear wrenches for 40. Both of these times I went to the dealership he worked at and met him at his toolbox.

I do think he made an Honest Mistake and that is whay I am willing to work with him. Just because he made a mistake, that doesnt obligate me to pay more. (Look at the dealer in Cal that sold the 2009 RT8 on ebay for 29000 and then wanted to back out)

This time I saw the add on craigslist and knew it was the same guy. Bottom line, I would not have paid his asking price for the items I got because I dont really need the stuff. I work everyday with out them and I can continue to use what I got. That being said, with a good enough deal, I can afford to buy them just because I WANT them, not because I NEED them. It's kind of hard spending money right now on a WANT, so I can easily let the deal go with no ill feelings.

So yesterday I sent him this email:



Now the ball is in his court. I will return everything, or nothing. There will be no hard feelings on my part. I will not hold a grudge in this no matter what the outcome is. If I give him everything back, and in the future he lists something on Craigslist, I will still buy from him if the price is right.

You are being more than fair by offering to split the difference with him and making it an all or nothing deal.

 

[BackTracker]

i would offer to meet him in the middle at best since it was his mistake, after all, he took your cash and you took his tools(technically the deal is done).... only reason to offer anything is because you might like to get another deal from him at a later date

Always, ALWAYS try to meet people in the middle.