How long do you hold something?

[kwhitelaw]

Wasn't sure where to put this, so if its in the wrong spot please move it...

If you are offering something for sale, and someone says they want it, how long do you wait for them to pay, specifically if they are paying by money order?? Im holding a couple things for someone who hasnt been on here for a week or so and was "supposed" to send a money order.. I havent received anything, but cant get ahold of this person to see if the money order was truly sent..so I dont necessarily want to remove the hold on the item if this person truly has sent it.

In addition, whats a typical coast to coast time for a letter with a money order in it?

thanks
kevin

 

[vette-kid]

If its coast to coast, i would definatley give it more than a week. In fact I would say give it two before you start hounding him. Mail is pretty darn slow sometimes.

 

[64merc]

Personally, I think if you tell the seller you want dibs on something, it is your responsibility to make it clear when and how you intend to pay. If you need a couple of days just tell them so, and it will probably be ok. Communication is the key. As a seller it's not fun when you are trying to balance getting paid and trying not to look like an impatient jerk.

I don't think a week is anything to get concerned about, but honestly, the buyer should probably have been more clear since there appears to be confusion.

 

[Hiball]

First off let me know what your holding and then ill let know if you need to hold it or possible sell it to me. Lol Its always tough to decide on how long to hold something, especially when theres no constant contact but I would give it a little time since you are relying on US mail. My 2 cents.

 

[Rigmaster]

Personally, I think if you tell the seller you want dibs on something, it is your responsibility to make it clear when and how you intend to pay. If you need a couple of days just tell them so, and it will probably be ok. Communication is the key. As a seller it's not fun when you are trying to balance getting paid and trying not to look like an impatient jerk.

I don't think a week is anything to get concerned about, but honestly, the buyer should probably have been more clear since there appears to be confusion.

very well said.

I am going through this right now, someone said they wanted an item I posted, then said they'd send me a money order the next day. That was 10 days ago. I have PM'ed and emailed this person but not heard anything back yet. I'm going to give it a few more days, then I'm moving on to the next person who said they wanted it.

Sure, it sounds like a broken record, but COMMUNICATION is key when doing business via the internet. If I don't hear from someone for some time, even after repeated attempts to contact them- then I start thinking about my "plan B". I will say that it's not quite as bad on the seller's side as it is when you're a buyer- I hate sending someone my hard earned money only to have them stop replying to my emails + PM's. The internet and forums such as GJ make it VERY easy to keep in touch with someone, so there is no excuse.


One more thing that probably sounds corny, but I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated, and if anything I am overly patient and understanding when it comes to things like this.

 

[Snappy]

When I buy something, I like to keep in contact with the seller. For example; if I mail out a money order today,I would PM the seller and say "money order sent". That way at least they know it's in the system. I sold some stuff to a guy on ebay once and never got paid. Here it turned out that he had a heart attack and wound up in the hospital. I found this out after getting his contact info & talking to his wife. I understood the situation & wound up cancelling the sale due to his financial situation after that.

 

[kwhitelaw]

I was told a money order would be sent. I provided my shipping info and never heard back. He hasnt logged in since then which is why im hesitant to move on. Its not that big a deal to wait, but it would be nice to sell off the rest of this stuff I have.

I'll give it another 3 or 4 days then back for sale they will go.

kevin

 

[caper]

I'm in a strange position as well.I purchased something from a member here on the 29th.Member said he wouldn't be able to ship the items untill the 6th worst case scenario.I was ok with that.Been trying to get in touch since then to confirm they've been shipped but haven't been getting any response to my email.Figured I'd give it another little bit because I realize not everybody checks their mail daily.I'm hoping everything is good and he's just busy.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I'm one of those who buy using a USPS money order but I send a pm to the seller telling them when I will send it and then follow up with the serial number of the MO when sent. It sometimes takes a few days (we still use mule drawn mail wagons in this corner of Georgia) but coast to coast shouldn't take much more than a week.

 

[kwhitelaw]

everything has been cleared up. as anticipated, something came up that was a good bit more important then tools.

all good now.

kevin

 

[Snappy]

everything has been cleared up. as anticipated, something came up that was a good bit more important then tools.

all good now.

kevin

Glad it worked out for ya.

 

[Rigmaster]

everything has been cleared up. as anticipated, something came up that was a good bit more important then tools.

all good now.

kevin

Ditto.

Same here.

 

[35mastr]

If you have not received the money and no contact can be made. Sell it to the first one that pays for it. Nothing is sold or held until the money has been received.

Thats why I only use Paypal or they pick up or I deliver within my area.

Too many wants and not enough people that actually pay.

 

[RetroJim55]

I would give it 10 working days . I had the same thing happen to me and the mail screwed up and sent to to East BF , then send it to me . The firsy postal was the day after the buyer said he wanted it . That is super rare !

I would give 10 days and if no answer from the " I take it " person then sell to the next one ! I don't hold for anyone when they won't even answer my e-mails ! Maybe that's cold but that's business !

 

[nate379]

A week or so. If the guy calls or emails no biggie, but if it's the "I want, I want, I want" and nothing else.. too bad.

 

[rocketman]

This may sound bad but I do the first to send money via Paypal gets it. I've seen the "Dibs" "I'm interested" "I'll take it" game too many times. You end up waiting waiting, and nothing materializes. The guy who is serious, has the cash and is ready to spend it right then, not in a week.

You want the damn thing... buy it.

 

[nate379]

Yeah but I give people a chance. People are busy and may not be able to get it right away or get on a computer or whatever.

Now on freebies, whoever comes to get it... it's theres.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

35mastr and rocketman,

Some of us prefer to not have a paypal account. I have never had a problem with any member of this site when sending them a USPS money order. It is sent the next business day after telling them I will buy, they are sent a PM with the serial number of the money order when I get back from the post office and they generally have it in 2 to 3 days although one did take longer for some strange reason (that one went to nissan_crawler and our local post master must have thought Kansas was a foreign country)

If someone does not communicate with you after agreeing to purchase something, I agree that you have a problem. I have always kept an open line with the seller and don’t expect them to ship until they receive my money order and cash it. I also work a “shipped” price with them before hand to prevent any problems in that area.

At least I know how you prefer to sell and will keep that in mind when looking at your ads. I was looking at your radiator picks as a possible buy but I guess I will just skip over them for now.

 

[kwhitelaw]

while I prefer paypal for its speed, I have no problem with money orders. It just gets frustrating trying to keep everything separate while waiting for the money orders to arrive from various places.

that being said, my situation has been resolved. I would not have posted this thread had there been an agreement to pay through paypal that had dragged out. I was more concerned with moving on and selling the item to another person if the money order was en route. being that I couldnt get ahold of this person (for a very good reason), I wanted to wait. Im glad I did.

kevin

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

One more thing that probably sounds corny, but I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated, and if anything I am overly patient and understanding when it comes to things like this.

Nothing at all corny about that. I wish everybody had that attitude.

I'm in a strange position as well.I purchased something from a member here on the 29th.Member said he wouldn't be able to ship the items untill the 6th worst case scenario.I was ok with that.Been trying to get in touch since then to confirm they've been shipped but haven't been getting any response to my email.

Go to his profile and see if he's logged on since you've emailed him. I'd always give anyone on here the benefit of the doubt, but there's no reason for him not to respond to let you know what's going on.

 

[kwhitelaw]

Nothing at all corny about that. I wish everybody had that attitude.




Go to his profile and see if he's logged on since you've emailed him. I'd always give anyone on here the benefit of the doubt, but there's no reason for him not to respond to let you know what's going on.

ive found that sometimes the persons last log in date does not display..not sure if that is a user setting or not

 

[caper]

Go to his profile and see if he's logged on since you've emailed him. I'd always give anyone on here the benefit of the doubt, but there's no reason for him not to respond to let you know what's going on.

He hasn't logged in since I've PM'd him but I've sent two emails to his personal email,the first was 5 days ago and another last night.Were talking 13 days now since contact and no shipping confirmation.

 

[rsanter]

you keep it untill you can get someone to buy it from you...

bob