Selling on CL.. SCARY!

[sscherin]

Do the people who show up to buy stuff you list on Craig's List scare you sometimes?

I had a lady stop by to look at the 12" Table saw I'm selling..

She wanted to try cutting something on it.. Now I can't say I"m to excited about that as I don't have all the bolts to properly mount the guard but I let her have a scrap piece of ply against my better judgment..

She sets the fence.. gets the wood up on it and fired up the saw..

Then she grabs the wood by the off cut side and starts pushing.. eeek!

I thought for sure she was going to get a nasty kick back cutting like that but somehow she got through unharmed.. The piece left trapped between the blade and fence did a little dance but only scooted back clear of the blade a few inches.

She didn't buy it.. The saw was to heavy she said.. Well good luck finding a light cast iron top saw..

I don't think I can take another test drive.. Maybe I'll just bury it in the back yard.

[Cochese]

If anyone wants to see a cut, you do it. And if they have a problem with it tell them they can't use your tools on your property due to insurance.

Problem solved.

[jking]

^^^^What he said.^^^

[fastfoodkills]

Excellent idea and nobody would be able to argue with it. Thanks.

I'd also be a little concerned about some Meth-Head showing up to case out my shop. I know most potential buyers would be decent, but all it takes is one...

Moreover, the anonymity of CL does make me a bit nervous.

E-Bay has it's advantages, I suppose, for smaller items and perhaps it could be useful for certain local trades (of heavy/large items) since there will be an audit trail when the person contacts you through e-bay's messaging system to set up an appointment. It would also protect both the buyer and seller under most circumstances from a "bad deal" - though I got royally skr00d when I bought an item "as is" one time and was sold junk that shouldn't have been listed and lost the subsequent claim (since "as-is" was stated in the ad).
Never buy an item "as-is", unless you can afford to take a loss and there is a significant gain.

Perhaps a larger tool such as a table saw could be traded in for credit towards a purchase at a machinery supply. I'm not sure if this is common practice, but if the intention is to spend the money on a tooling or machinery purchase anyway, it may be worth negotiating. You could knock it all out in one trip too. Here in the West San Fernando Valley, there are at least two machinery exchanges that I've seen close by and looking at some of the inventory, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the items were traded in.

[jackellis]

When I sold my BT to a very good friend, I spent an hour talking him through all of the safety points he needed to know.

When my tools are sold, I won't around to worry about the buyers.

[sscherin]

Well you can be sure that won't be happening again..

Also nobody got a look at the shop.. I was sure to move it out to the back patio before they arrived..

[woodturner]

E-Bay has it's advantages, I suppose, for smaller items and perhaps it could be useful for certain local trades (of heavy/large items) since there will be an audit trail when the person contacts you through e-bay's messaging system to set up an appointment.

Unfortunately, if it's paid with Paypal and you don't have a mailing receipt, Paypal customarily sides with the buyer. So be careful selling items for pick up on Ebay.

It would also protect both the buyer and seller under most circumstances from a "bad deal" - though I got royally skr00d when I bought an item "as is" one time and was sold junk that shouldn't have been listed and lost the subsequent claim (since "as-is" was stated in the ad).

It appears few people are happy, on either side, with the Ebay and Paypal settlement process.

What I do is use a credit card to pay through Paypal. If there is a problem, I file the Paypal complaint. When Paypal stalls, to let the fairly short time period toll so they can say the claim is too old, I dispute the charge. Never had a problem disputing the charge, credit card company just charges it back and it is done.

Never buy an item "as-is", unless you can afford to take a loss and there is a significant gain.

All used merchandise is sold "as-is", whether explicitly stated or not, unless there is a warranty explicitly stated. In any event, the credit card dispute process is unaffected by the presence or absence of "as-is" in the ad.

Perhaps a larger tool such as a table saw could be traded in for credit towards a purchase at a machinery supply. I'm not sure if this is common practice, but if the intention is to spend the money on a tooling or machinery purchase anyway, it may be worth negotiating.

Most dealers around here will accept some machinery, but it's like trading in your old car when you buy a new car - you will receive wholesale pricing, maybe a third to a half of what it would bring is you sold it yourself.

[cabinetman]

Getting back to the original theme of this thread, it's not much different than someone answering an ad in the paper. The discussion of someone trying out a tool on your property can be a major problem if there is an injury. The potential buyer may claim they were "supervised", or not informed that all safety equipment was properly installed.

Since this incident got to the point of the buyer operating the machine, this statement reflects where the procedure should have been halted:

Do the people who show up to buy stuff you list on Craig's List scare you sometimes?

I had a lady stop by to look at the 12" Table saw I'm selling..

She wanted to try cutting something on it.. Now I can't say I"m to excited about that as I don't have all the bolts to properly mount the guard but I let her have a scrap piece of ply against my better judgment..

She sets the fence.. gets the wood up on it and fired up the saw..

Then she grabs the wood by the off cut side and starts pushing.. eeek!

The buyer should have been stopped at the onset of what appeared to be a potentially dangerous operating procedure. If not just to protect yourself from some "accidental" injury, but the possibility of injury to someone that may not know any better.
.

[capncarl]

We just had to sell off the remains of my fathers estate. The neighborhood was not one that I wanted to contend with and could be dangerous. I rented a storage room at well located storage complex near my house and ran ads for the stuff. 2 months cost about $120.,the facility was well lit, no one came to my house or shop, it was easy to say no to hauling the stuff home for people without trucks since we only went to the storage facility in a small car, anything left was easy for charities to pick up and when it was over I just turned in the key. The best perk was the free dumpster on site for storage customers, I must have filled in up several times.

capncarl

[RAFlorida]

Captain Carl, just how many bodies did you

dispose of in the dumpster? "The best perk was the free dumpster on site for storage customers, I must have filled in up several times."

[capncarl]

That's right, dumpsters for disposal, we can't just feed them to the gators in our swamps like y'all can, it gives them indigestion!

All joking aside, the dumpsters were a great perk as I was able to get rid of 50 years of unwanted household junk,... legally. Didn't even have to throw it in the swamp.

capncarl

[jabe]

I agree with cocheseuga. That idea of doing your garage/estate sale at a storage facility is a good idea, capncarl.