Help weeding out tire kickers?

I have some stuff coming up and was wondering how you members weed out the tire kickers/time wasters with the bad economy? Examples are you have object for sale and lose 1/2 day showing it and the guy wants to trade for a camper. Same for quoting jobs/services (some charge for estimates) I had a friend that sold exspencive real estate and requried bank letters etc before they would show the property. Just looking for opinions.

I advertise a lot of items. I always require callers to state a time they will show up that is good for both of us. If they are not there within 1/2 hour of stated time I go about doing whatever I have planned. Roughly 50% of callers are no shows anyway. Pete

Ebay.....The only way to go. Sales are final. We both work full time and have to take care of a bunch of animals in our off time. Throughout the year, we have puppies, kittens, and foals for sale that we have to deal with some kickers. My dog weeds out undesirables at the gate when it's puppy time. If she don't like them, they don't see the babies. And, unless we have a good feeling based on a phone call, appointments are at OUR convenience. And no price haggling. If someone takes two kittens, we'll usually work the price a little depending on the people. When we make appointments, we make it clear that we have another appt to be at shortly. We also have caller ID and an answering machine to avoid over the phone tire kickers. Not to be unfriendly, but it's the only way to get any other work done.

Dave

Jocco, you need to find a balance. Far as I know, that only comes with experience. Recently sold a bottom-end backhoe for a friend. PITA. Brought out everybody who had a financial problem, unable to pay for it. Very nice guy who finally took it, but had to leave a (non-refundable) deposit for 2 mos.

I also advertised recently sawn walnut, "spectacular" is how I worded it, with a photo. Highly figured 15/4. Had a guy drive over an hour to "look". He took 1/3 of it. He had the right attitude on the phone, so I invited him. Others, who only wanted a bargain, I discouraged. No point in wasting the time for either of us. If you're careful, a phone conversation will tell you what you need to know.

One nitwit actually had the audacity to tell me that a trailer I'd advertised couldn't possibly be. He'd never seen such a weight-rating with electric brakes. Turns out he needed air brakes. But he wanted to come out anyway. Yeah? I've got better things to do.

I don't give "free estimates". First brief meeting is free, after that there's a design fee. Eliminates those "tire kickers" you don't want. If you want folks to treat you as a professional, you have to act your part.

Good luck.

Had some people that we didn't really want to fool with want to show up on a Sunday, told them that we'd be in Church and out all day. So, they just "dropped by" Saturday evening and the woman had a bible in her hand. My momma dog wouldn't let them in the gate, guess I need to teach her to read :roll:
Told them we had nothing else to sell and closed the gate. I'll miss that dog when she passes...

Dave

Advertise at least an hour away from your home so only the really interested travel that far.

This past summer, I sold my son's Jeep Comanche pickup as-is, complete with damage from a frontal collision with a deer. Posted ad on Craigslist, with photos. Priced it at what my son thought he should ask, and he gave me the bottom dollar figure he would take.

Had several callers who thought it was too high, even though I stated everything I knew about the condition of the truck in the ad. Even had one guy who drove 45 minutes with a truck and trailer to look at it, only to decide that, yes, the truck was in exactly the condition I said it was, but he wasn't prepared to pay the price. He gave me a low-ball offer, I said no, and he drove away. Had one guy who kept pestering me thru email to post more pictures, but the pics I did post told the story completely. [He even emailed me for more pics after I'd already sold the truck and had previously told him that the truck was sold...go figure.]

Finally got a call from someone who wanted the truck as it was described, and for the asking price. They drove about an hour with truck and trailer, checked it out thoroughly, decided it was exactly as advertised, paid the price I quoted, loaded the truck on the trailer, and drove away with it.

Bottom line is, even when you weed out a lot of folks over the phone, as I did,you still get a few tire kickers...or folks who think that, since they're there and have SOME of the cash, the seller will wilt at the sight of a little green. These folks are hard-headed, and I don't think you'll every get thru to them, or eliminate them completely, no matter how well you screen potential buyers.

I get those wind bags on the phone all the time.They talk big with there cash offers,but never show up or beat you down for a cash offer then pull out the checkbook.I had one that was going to buy two tractors from me to get a better deal.We settled on a price then he said he would take the one he wanted today and come back tomorrow for the other one.I told him he had to pay the original price on the first one and deduct the discount from the second tractor.He never came back.

I get those that show up but had some type of financial emergency just come up and they are 2 or 3 hundred light. Take it or leave it. I leave it and tell them to come back when completely flush. Had one guy cuss me out cause I wouldn't take his $3200 for my $3500 camper. And I don't offer layaway. It's CIF (cash in fist). Have to put it in your ads and state no trades.

I drove down to look at a backhoe once that I was told was selling for $5000. After an hour of driving and an hour of looking at the hoe, said I'd buy it after talking to my banker and he said the price was $12000. I said I was told his ad said $5000 and said that was too much and left. We wasted each others time by not talking price and terms when I first got there.

Been there and done that!!! The older I've got the less tolerance I have for folks that want to dicker and jew you down. When I set a price now, its firm, take it or leave! About 12 years ago is when I learned to play hardball with interested buyers, I had a 4x4 Dodge Powerwagon for sale, ran really good, good body, used no oil, was asking $3000.00 for it. A guy stops by the house with his wife, asked to drive it and I gave him the keys, his wife left on the car they drove up on. Well he didn't come back in the next few minutes, didn't get my truck back until the very next night. When he brought it back he handed me a paper with what he was willing to pay minus every litle thing that it supposedly needed to put it in tip top shape, in other words, the idiot offered me $600.00. I put his tail on the road, this guy made me tough to trade with. I will end by saying that I did sell my truck within a few days and got what I was asking for it, that buyer was well satisfied with it and it is still running strong to this day. I've learned that you can tell in a split second who is wasting your time just as soon as they call you or step out of their vehicle.

time wasters are the bane of sellers.

If you get a potential buyer who shows up with their spouse and the spouse pulls out a book to read the minute they get out of the truck you have a guaranteed time waster, their spouse even expects them to stay and gab for a while and not actually buy anything.

It is tough to figure out who is serious, who is just looking, and who is trying to buy as cheap possible.
Now, let's be fair here. This coin has two sides. I have met few traders that just pay the asking price without trying to dicker unless they know that the seller has it way low. It is part of the game.
Think about it, if everybody paid the same price for everything, there would be very little to no profit.
Making a profit requires a lot of work, and sometimes that work means entertaining people that either want to buy it cheap or do not have intentions of buying.
When most buyers are buying, they will do whatever to get the best price. And when these same buyers are selling, they want to make as much as possible.
You never know, the one that you think is a tire kicker may be your best customer.
When they are coming to "look", make your terms clear. If you are firm on price, state it clearly. If they still show up, there is hope. If they do not show up, your filter just worked to your advantage.
Again, traders work both sides of the table. Otherwise, they would not make enough money to keep doing it.
Who has not dreamed of getting a rare tractor in good condition for cheap, and then selling it to someone for the currect market price?
How many times do traders offer more money for items that they know are worth much more than the asking price? I know the answers.
When I sniff out a trader that wants to run my prices down, I tell them that my time, like their's, is worth money. The longer we talk, the higher (not lower) the prices will go.
Good luck!

List a time when you will be there. Tell anyone interested that you do have several people coming at the same time, which would then be no lie.

DOUG

If you want a quick no hassle sale the take it to a consignment sale and take what it brings.On the other hand if you want top $$ you're going to have to hassle with multiple lookers and maybe get a buyer.Ain't no Free Lunch.I buy and sell some and sellers are usually more of a hassle than buyers.Sellers 'forget' alot faults and 'little' things that can be 'easily' fixed.Of course if if was such a trivial thing wonder they didn't fix it.With this economy it'll be worse trying to sell for good $$$ because there are many stresed sellers out there.

I don't sell much stuff but every now and then I will have to make some room in the yard to keep the wife happy. I enjoy going to auctions and it does not take long to figure out which consignment sales are good to sell and which ones are good to buy at. Also the market is totally differnet 50 miles on each side of me. If I have hay equipment to sell I will take it to sale 30-50 miles to the west. Tobacco stuff and moldboard plows go 45 miles to the east where they just can't get enough of them. I have even jockeyed stuff between the two. I can buy a cycle bar mower for a few hundred to the east and take it to sale to my west and make 3-$400, while there buy a 3 or 4 bottom plow for scrap price, paint the boards on it and sell it at the next sale east of me for $500. I go to the sales any way and it helps me pay for diesel and I don't have to deal with any one.

Dave

I had a guy call Sunday, woke me up from a nap to look at a tractor that he had already looked at but wanted to hear it run. when he gets here starts and runs then he decided he wants a perfect 52 year old tractor, not a priced right working 52 year old tractor. He was standing in the lane when I drove off.

Dave, I never tell anybody exactly where I am until they get an appointment. Avoids drop-ins.

Only once in the past 15 yrs have I had a drop-in looking for something. He'd been out here before, still couldn't make up his mind about a huge wood-fired boiler. I sent him packing, wasn't available to him. He had a few hundred dollars and thought he owned the world? Not my castle.

Our website has our address. Our drop ins are always about animals. I have no problem turning folks away. I don't even visit a friend without calling first to see if they have time. Anything else is just disrespectful unless it's an emergency.

Dave

I just tell them up front. I do take payments, but it will be ONE payment. I also tell them I don't need anymore junk around here so I will only trade for cash. Until I started doing that,I bet I had two months worth of my life wasted by yackers and dreamers. I have a 1970 Olds 442 W-30 sitting in the yard and you wouldn't belive the people who come over wanting to buy it for $800 or less. (Parts alone on that car are worth well over $6000.)