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Sold the tractors, he wont send a check! (long)

R

redtom

Well-known Member
Been lurking and posting here for years and seen a lot of the stories told about sales of tractors and equipment. I've never had an issue with any tractor i sold but its starting to look like I'm going to. I sold two tractors on the YT photo ads several months ago (the exact timing is not important). Buyer emailed originally, we chatted on phone-nice man. We arrived at a price and the agreement was made via email(in writing). He offered to send his check in full and arrange pick up. No Check for weeks. I call-phone goes to a not set up mailbox for days. I email 3 times. Finally he calls. He went on vacation and I guess turned off his phone and left it home?!? Evidently, his U.S. mail-all of it- was lost. Okay. I will give him that-things happen. But, he's sending a new check! And I will watch for both to arrive. Neither come!-for weeks! I email and call again and after several days finally reach him. He was waiting for a reply from his hauler of which is shutting down until after the holidays. But, He is very interested and still wants them and will send his check right away. I was a bit stern and said I would be waiting and watching closely for his check. That was 12-18. I have emailed him to no avail. I offered to take a down payment so he doesnt have to trust me for the whole amount. I dont want to be that guy that throws down an ultimatum, "pay now or else". I'm more than willing to REASONABLY wait for him and I dont have a problem working out logistics with anyone. But I need to sell these and I have other prospects on hold. I can give his name and state but dont want to start that since he really hasnt been dishonest. Just slow. How should I proceed.
 
Anyone that intends to purchase anything should have all their ducks in a row. His ducks are frozen in several different ponds by their (cold) feet. Cash in hand by Monday, cashier's check, or a "reality" check. You do not owe him any more consideration. Jim
 
I had the same problem a couple months ago,my tractor was for sale for a couple months,a bunch of scams and then this guy was really lowballing me,he was a super nice guy,but he kept trying to get the price lower even after I put more parts in it and we agreed on the price,i had no other offers so I went with it,but then about 15 minutes later a guy calls me and says he will give me asking price,and just like you I believe in keeping my word,but I would have been plain stupid not to do it, I explained it to the first guy,he said he would have done the same......funny thing is the second guy sold it to the first guy for less than what he paid..true story,ROCK
 
(reply to post at 17:54:00 01/09/20)
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You don't have to be nasty or issue an ultimatum. There are any number of reasons he has not followed through. Simply inform him you will run the ad again.

When I sell an item on GL I always get a date and time window the buyer will arrive for pick up and pay. I tell them I will hold the item for them until the time they stated - after that I will consider other offers. In the event I get multiple offers for an item I tell the person I am holding the item until XXX; after that I will call back and it is yours.
 
Whether it's tractors, a car. boat, package of cashews, I would not trust any personal check I might get from him now. Make sure check clears the bank, before the tractors clear your property line. I would not take a personal check delivered by the driver who comes to pick up your tractors.
 
Two THINGS----HE DOESN'T HAVE THE COIN or it is a SCAM----Don't give him one more second of your time................................
 
those scammers are smoooooth talkers! you are wasting your time talking to him. excuse after excuse! don't be silly and listen to him. if he wanted the tractor he would have transferred the money right into your bank account, no cheques involved!
 
It is a scam. He is playing with you.He has no interest in your tractor. If someone does show up.Tell them cash up front no checks.I get them all the time. On generators. His US mail was lost. I have heard that one before. You can't lose what you never had.
 
You have given him more than enough time to hold up his end of the bargain. Conveniently lost mail? Unable to reach him for days and days? Phone with a not set up voice mail?

Seriously, do you have to be hit over the head with a hammer? This guy is just playing you or he is a total flake. Or, he could be trying to set up a quick flip with tractors he does not have. Selling them to another so he can buy them from you to complete the deal.

If I were you, I would give him a taste of his own medicine. Be unreachable for days. Better yet, just sell them to the first one to put up the money and pick up the tractors. Simple enough. You have already used up more patience than most folks have.
 
If I had to bet a beer----I think he's softening you up for the oldest trick in the book: he finally got ahold of his hauler, but was not able to pay him cash. The hauler however will bring a certified check with him to give to you. the check will be for the agreed amount for the tractor PLUS the haul fee. You pay the hauler the haul fee and then deposit the certified check and everyones happy, right? Yes, until the certified check is returned because its counterfeit. Now you are out $$ and the tractor. At the moment you are out only a few weeks time of holding the tractor and some personal time dealing with this idiot. walk away, you are ahead.
 
I?ll give the fella one issue. Stuff happens.

When the second attempt didn?t come through, they are back for sale, don?t need to play games that long.

Move on to the next prospects.

Paul
 
So many things wrong with that. If he can't pay the hauler. How can he write you a check. I have heard some good ones over the years.
 

No, it ain't sold until the paperwork (title/bill of sale) is signed given freely and accepted freely. You can't renege on a deal until the deal is completed.
Like they usta say Cash, Grass, or (get your pituitary outta here) nobody gets a tractor for free! or something like that.
Cut the cord and let him drowned in his own chaos.
Being nice is two maybe three days but waiting anything beyond that and you are being taking advantage of.

I live in Alaska and at long distance I would have been more diligent in communicating my intent and adjust a timeline accordingly.
As a matter of fact I just did that very thing. Picked up two 12A1+, 955 Cat Traxcavators and it took a few days to convince my wallet but I let the seller know my intentions as they transpired.
Good luck and by the way did the tractors have Cat 315 engines? :shock: If so I'll buy them if my wallet will let me.... :D
 
All the characteristics of a flake, no sense of urgency, making good on the commitment and so on. Just an annoying pain on your end listening to all the excuses and lies, but you still have possession and likely will until you have cash.

Years ago now, I made a deal for a 15 ton crawler, 1200 miles away, sent 1/2 down, told him when the rest would be sent, and on just a phone call to the trucker, it was picked up, delivered to my door so to speak, I paid with personal check, + a nice size tip for making the haul on just a phone call. All it took was honest people to make it happen.
 
(quoted from post at 20:21:45 01/09/20) I had the same problem a couple months ago,my tractor was for sale for a couple months,a bunch of scams and then this guy was really lowballing me,he was a super nice guy,but he kept trying to get the price lower even after I put more parts in it and we agreed on the price,i had no other offers so I went with it,but then about 15 minutes later a guy calls me and says he will give me asking price,and just like you I believe in keeping my word,but I would have been plain stupid not to do it, I explained it to the first guy,he said he would have done the same......funny thing is the second guy sold it to the first guy for less than what he paid..true story,ROCK
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"this guy was really lowballing me, he was a super nice guy"

Farmer Rock, FWIW, your definition of "super nice guy" and mine differ considerably!

At least it worked out for you in the end!
 

You don't have to be nasty or issue an ultimatum. There are any number of reasons he has not followed through. Simply inform him you will run the ad again.[/quote]

I agree with this. You can run the ad again, and even adjust the price if you wish. The wanna-be buyer can then choose to respond, but now you know a little real-world history on them. If they're serious, they'll come through. If not, your ad will still be seen by others.

I also believe in keeping one's word, but as soon as he went on vacation (without a word), he broke his. What, he simply expects you to keep your stuff around indefinitely to suit his fancy?

Again, no need to be nasty, but also no need on his part to be disrespectful.
 
Counting the number of times I have been placed in a similar situations took up most of my fingers. Relist them! He is time wasting BSer.
 
If he was remotely serious he would have sent you a down payment immediately after you accepted his offer. Cut him loose and sell your stuff to serious buyers.

If you want to give him one more chance, tell him to send a certified check for 10 percent of the purchase price by overnight express. If he doesn't respond with a payment in, say, five days, cease all communication with him.
 
I would move on and repost and sell to someone else, if he really wants them he will come up with the money if not he was leading you on.
 
You haven't sold the tractors yet, he's jerking your chain.
Nothing is sold until the check clears the bank. Just demand cash.
And relist the tractors for sale.
 
Just because you put the tractors back up for sale again does not mean he can't show up with the money and still buy them, but he has to show up WITH THE MONEY.

If this is a scam, what is the end game? He hasn't tried to give you anything, and has not asked for anything.

I mean sure, there's the old fake cashier's check scam, but he would have tried that by now. You strike while the iron is hot, not after you've given the seller the runaround for a month and got him stewing mad.

Most likely this is a "pipe dreamer" who made the deal even though he didn't have the money. Heck he's probably so oblivious to his financial situation that it was a surprise to him.

At this point he has been VERY rude to you, so there is really no need to be a gentleman about it. You don't HAVE to be mean but you don't have to be nice either.
 
I would advise him that you need the tractors gone, have been very patient and understanding, but after all this time will be re posting them for sale within a week. He is still welcome to send a check or show up with the money and take them but they will be going up for sale soon and it will be first come owns them.
 
Move on Sir. He's wasting your time....

Good to see you never sent him the Tractors, with payment to follow.........


Bob..
 
Same thing happened to me last month. I have powder river chute for sale. guy contacts me by phone, real nice fellow, the weather was terrible so we agreed that it would be bad to travel a long distance, so he says he will send me a cashier's check so I will hold onto the item.... 2 weeks go by, no check. I'm in no hurry so I'm really not that concerned. I send him a message, hes in las Vegas and forgot to send it and will send it when he gets home. He contacts me 2 days later and will send it in the morning. That was 2 weeks ago and I never received anything. Its really strange, he has NOTHING to gain if it's a scam. He received nothing, I'm not out any money, if anything he wasted his own time. Didn't bother me any holding an item, I'm not in any hurry at all. Now I'm done with him and I will repost it. Really bizarre. Also, he didn't get any personal information from me so I dont know what his end game was.
 
Dump this clown. That old expression "Poop or get off the pot". Two to four days is PLENTY of time for a serious bidder.
 
[b:e581d2f4d9][color=red:e581d2f4d9]"That was 2 weeks ago and I never received anything. Its really strange, he has NOTHING to gain if it's a scam.[/color:e581d2f4d9]"[/b:e581d2f4d9]

I don't think he was trying to scam you. He was trying to flip the equipment for a better price, but never got a deal made with a buyer.

I also don't believe he was in Las Vegas. Why is everyone always in Las Vegas? They never take a trip to Kansas, Iowa, or Nacadochess. It's always seems to be Vegas.
 
I sold one 1938 tractor three times so far and told in person they would be back in a week with the money and pick it up. No big deal and no way it can be a scam because I still have the tractor. The guys didn't have the money, couldn't get the money or had a spouse that had more important needs. Might have been a little of all three.

It works both ways. I bought six tractors from one guy 10 hours away. I sent the check with the agreement I would pick them up after the check cleared. All done over the phone is several calls. Without a call back I received the check back with a note he sold them for more money locally. No scam there either. I still had my money and I didn't leave home. People with lack of character are not always scammers.
 
I sold a Massey Ferguson garden tractor to a local guy. He told me right up front he planned to flip it. It's what he does. If he sees a lawn tractor for sale and thinks he can make a buck on it, he will start wheelin and dealin, trying ti upsell it. When he picked it up, he told me he already had it sold. He didn't say for how much, and I didn't care. I advertised it for a FIRM price, he paid it, I sold it. We were both happy. What he does with it after the fact is his business. Some people simply have the knack to find buyers, and market a product, and make a few dollars. I am not one of those people. I don't have the patience. When I want something gone, it's usually because of space limitations, and I simply want it gone.
 
Never hold anything,never take down payments. Those are the type of people who will back out or keep you waiting for months till they decide to show up. I will hold a tractor the day someone is coming,but other than that it?s first come first served. A lot of people are smooth talkers and don?t keep there word.
 
(quoted from post at 10:48:52 01/10/20) [b:837c686b51][color=red:837c686b51]"That was 2 weeks ago and I never received anything. Its really strange, he has NOTHING to gain if it's a scam.[/color:837c686b51]"[/b:837c686b51]

I don't think he was trying to scam you. He was trying to flip the equipment for a better price, but never got a deal made with a buyer.
Click to expand...

THAT makes sense! Thanks Greg.
 
My dad sold a couple covairs to a guy in Georgia years ago. He's in Iowa. The guy paid for them (the check cleared), but never came for them. After occasional discussions here and there with new owner and 8 years later dad had the lawyer send a letter stating he was more than welcome to get his cars moved in a couple months or his original check would be considered storage fees and not returned. Guy finally responded and said he still wanted them, but just had no way to get them and was sorry.

Just to put it in context, when originally purchased one car had a chance of being a survivor and the other was a parts car. Dad did keep both covered under tarps the whole time and did let the guy know how they were being stored. Unfortunately after 8 years we stripped what was still good and sent the rest to be squished.
 
Two experiences I have had:

A guy in Wisconsin had a pull type combine. I called him and we made a deal. I agreed to send the check, so I did. He never got it and called me up throwing a fit and calling me everything in the book. He would not take pay pal or a cashiers check. Only wanted a personal check. So, I went to the Post Office and overnighted one. He gets the check and two days later calls me back to tell me the original one arrived. So, he mailed one of them back. I was still out $25.00 for the PO fee.

Another time, a guy and I agreed on a price for a piece of machinery. But, as time passed no matter who I connected with to haul it 13 hours was just prohibitive. He was very nice and understanding about it. I finally told him that is was just not going to work within his timeframe. He understood and was very understanding.
 
I auctioned a 3 PT backhoe on EBAY. There were over 20 people looking/bidding. I clearly posted that the unit had to be picked up locally. I did not have anything to move it. I started receiving calls from haulers, that thought I had a loading dock! I was paid for the unit. I had to build a skid, and chain unit to "sled" to make it easy for the poor guy picking it up. 1 year the hoe was finally picked up!!
 
He has the appetite for a steak but funds for a dollar menu cheeseburger, forget about that particular BS?er and advertise them for sale before people spend all of their tax refund money.
 


I also had a guy who wanted my 440 oliver. We made a deal over the phone. Next thing I know he had to go to Las Vegas and would take care of it when he got back. Guess he is still in Vegas. Yes I did sell the tractor to a very nice gentleman later.
Vegas must be the place to go.
 
I sold a two bottom plow and got paid.
Guy put me off for two years and finally
he told me to keep it and the money.
Listed it again, sold it and got paid,
that was 10 years ago and it is still
here, LOL
 
As a buyer or as a seller, my philosophy is always, money talks, bs walks. There is no sense of me making an offer that I can't or won't honor and a buyer (cash only) needs put up or shut up. I have taken a deposit with a deadline of sacrifice. Never happened.
 
Move on. If he wanted them, you would not be writing this. The first person to put cash in your hand get them. Don't ask how I learned.
 
(quoted from post at 15:56:14 01/10/20) Never hold anything,never take down payments. Those are the type of people who will back out or keep you waiting for months till they decide to show up. I will hold a tractor the day someone is coming,but other than that it?s first come first served. A lot of people are smooth talkers and don?t keep there word.
Click to expand...

I'll take a down payment. A mutually agreed upon time limited non-refundable down payment.

Times up? Buyer no show? Item goes up for sale again and down payment stays in my pocket.
 
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