am i being taken for a ride

cruais

This might sound so silly in comparison to other issues on this forum but I would love some advice just out of interest.

I arranged to sell something to a woman for €250. We arranged a day to meet and I messaged her on facebook to double check that all was ok before I drove to meet her.

She replied asking to wait until the following week until she got paid. I said that was ok and so the following week I messaged her again. This has been going on since the beginning of October. She is constantly coming up with excuses not to meet and when I called her bluff (I told her I was selling the item on), she promised that she would meet me and that she was going through personal issues etc.

She messaged me the other day and arranged to meet yesterday. I contacted her yesterday morning to arrange a time and she told me it would be the evening as she had to wait until her partner was home. Yesterday evening came and went and I messaged her again asking what the story is. I got another excuse of her partner not being home and he forgot his phone so she couldnt contact him.

She gave me a list of days and times she could meet and so I once again arranged for today at 4. I messaged her at lunch time to confirm, I havent heard anything back, and her phone is now off.

My husband is telling me she is taking the mick out of me and to sell the item to someone else. Each time I have told her this, she freaks out begging me to not sell the item on and that she really wants to buy it.

I know she is taking the mick but I just want other peoples advice on it. I ordered this item in specifically for her. I am now down a couple of hundred because of it.

bee06

Sell it to someone else. You've given her plenty of chances and she's thrown them all back in your face.

Big Bag of Chips

7 or 8 weeks of excuses. Just sell it to someone else and don't contact her again. It sounds like you are the one contacting her. If she can't make a day she should be the one letting you know. Not you double checking with her.

You don't know her. You don't owe her anything. Just block her number and sell it. She won't contact you again anyway.

Edups2.0

Sell it. Keep all the messages if she tries to comment on your item saying how you promised it to her. For maximum effect you could send her a message telling her she has till tomorrow at whatever time suits you to buy or its being sold on end of story. People like that are prevalent on Facebook buying pages and adverts the same.

The_Conductor

Cruais- yes, you're being taken for a ride.
Sell the item (whatever it is) to someone else, for whatever you can get for it- and move on.
If it means you loose half the value of the item- so be it- just get shot of it though- and chalk it up to experience.

pookie82

I'm shocked you've had this much patience to date tbh.

For a start you mention driving to her ... unless you're being paid extra for delivery, in my limited experience the buyer usually drives to the seller.

You said you ordered it specifically for her ... is it personalised in any way? Would someone else be able to buy it? This is what deposits are for and why they're requested ... don't go to the trouble of making/ordering something for someone without a percentage of the cash in advance.

I would absolutely sell it on for whatever you can make at this point and I wouldn't even bother replying to her next attempt at contact/pleas. Block her, get rid of it, and ask for deposits in future (if you're in the business of ordering stuff specifically for people).

Merkin

She is completely taking the p!ss, yes. I'd have no more dialogue with her and just put the item up for sale again. As someone else said, keep her messages for now should she choose to give you a bad seller rating.

cruais

thanks guys.

Just confirming what I thought.

Thankfully the item isnt personalised so fingers crossed I wont have problems in selling on. Its just amazing the lengths people would go when they know they dont want something yet they keep arranging to meet!

Thanks for the advice. I think I am just being too soft and need to harden up, this is going on since the beginning of october!

thanks again!

Sunny Dayz

I would screenshot her messages and if she causes you any more hassle report her to the group admin. I've seen the likes of this on local buy & sell facebook groups where people have been let down by buyers and sellers alike.

cruais

Yes have all messages saved. Probably going to get named and shamed as me being the bad one but as you say I have all the messages and if people were to read them, they would see me arranging and her cancelling with excuse after excuse. I am just going to ignore her now!

miamee

If I were in your shoes, I'd sell the item on and not contact her again. By the sounds of things you've been doing all the contacting so you are unlikely to hear from her again anyway.

ManOfMystery

I'm surprised this has gone on so long to be honest. I buy and sell quite regularly on ebay and gumtree and the like, partly due to the nature of my job which means we have a lot of equipment always being changed out. I give interested parties ONE pass - things sometimes come up, children are sick, money has to be spent elsewhere, etc - I get that and have been there myself.

If they let me down a second time, tough - the item gets sold to someone else.

Next time this lady is in contact, don't even say you're going to sell it elsewhere as she'll just start begging again. Just tell her it's been sold already. Some people get a weird kick out of dangling a fishing line like this and promising you that they'll hand over the money, but it never materialises.

SingItOut

Sell the item on to someone else. After the first week I'd have been selling it on.

In future take non refundable deposits before ordering any items for customers.