What the HECK is up with people asking to buy something...and then flaking?

[SD Studios]

And NO... this is very-much ON TOPIC, so please don't move it. This affects many of the people here.

First off...

I am not talking about the casual "Can I see a pic?" flakers.

My experience has been that 97% of people who ask for pics in a sale thread, do NOT buy the item, so I am prepared for that.

They will ALWAYS be around. The folks who seem to just "collect" pics.

What bakes my cookies is the people who PM me and then e-mail me and ask to purchase an item... exchange info, more details, pics and then...

Poof!

Disappear. Gone. No response to e-mails and PMs. (like it is the sellers job to chase "buyers" anyway).

Please allow me to flip this for you...

Would you like it if you owned a store, and 20 people a-day came in, asked you for detailed information, asked for a demonstration, etc. (They wouldn't ask for "pics" in this example, because they are right in front of you, so it isn't a... perfect illustration...but you get the point...)

THEN this person says they will commit to buy the item, so you take it off the shelf, and they tell you they will pay "On Friday when they get paid..."

And then never came back?

So you called them several times and they never returned your calls. So you aren't sure...should you REsell the item? Or hold it for them, just in case?

Would that be awesome for you?

Some of us do this full-time. Making replicas is our income and living. So PLEASE don't waste our time, asking for info and pics and commit to a purchase, only to not-even return the courtesy of a "Something came up and I am very sorry, but I can't purchase this right now..." e-mail.

How hard was THAT?

I DO NOT ask people questions unless I plan to go through with the sale 100%. But that is me.

Stuff happens. Things occur beyond our control that change our plans. People change their minds. I GET that. However...

Courtesy IS within your control.

This is a community. Try being considerate to others. (like sellers).

Just say "NO" to flaking.

Amen.

 

[Asp9mm]

Happens with all businesses, nothing you can do. People change their minds, buy something else, their circumstances change or they find something cheaper elsewhere. That's life.

 

[zorg]

AMEN! :thumbsup

 

[Volpin]

Would you like it if you owned a store, and 20 people a-day came in, asked you for detailed information, asked for a demonstration, etc.

THEN this person says they will commit to buy the item, so you take it off the shelf, and they tell you they will pay "On Friday when they get paid..."

And then never came back?

When I worked retail, this happened all the time. People don't make the distinction between a hobbyist selling their artwork and a big-box store selling a car stereo; to them a purchase is a purchase, and they treat both with the same attitude.

I'm in no way saying this is correct, but more offering a reason as to why people's actions are the way they are.

 

[Funky]

Sadly, it's the price of doing business. My recommendation is take a small non-refundable deposit on the items you can't afford to eat. If someone wants you to hold something, just tell them you can't without putting a little down which they won't be getting back. That should rule out the tire-kickers.

 

[Frosteon]

what about setting a time limit? Holding the item for a week or two, and make sure that person knows, and if you don't hear back from the person, offer it up for sell again. Kind of like layaway, almost. :lol

 

[Funky]

what about setting a time limit? Holding the item for a week or two, and make sure that person knows, and if you don't hear back from the person, offer it up for sell again. Kind of like layaway, almost. :lol

Yeah, but the buyer don't have any skin in the game, just time.

 

[Lear60man]

A deposit holds an item. Works in the real world, should work in the prop world. Especially since this is your full time gig.

Sometimes a fan has to quench their curiosity with a bunch of questions. Constrction methods, materials used etc. 99 times out of a 100 a potential buyer has to ask these questions as they have never actually held said prop. Not everyone knows your level of quality. They need to feel comfortable.

I own some of your work, so I only have asked for your paypal address:lol

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Some of us do this full-time. Making replicas is our income and living. So PLEASE don't waste our time, asking for info and pics and commit to a purchase, only to not-even return the courtesy of a "Something came up and I am very sorry, but I can't purchase this right now..." e-mail.

This is the real point here. If you're not going to complete the sale at least have the stones to let the seller know so that they aren't left waiting. I've only had to send an email like that once fortunately, and I've always received them when selling. Guess I've been lucky so far.

 

[Zombie Killer]

I agree and disagree. First photos, i think it should be mandatory that if someone posts something for sale you should have to post a pic. There is no excuse. Pic hosting is free and an old 5 year old digital camera from ebay is like $20. A pic shows that you actually have something to sell and it gives the buyer a glimps at what they are putting their money down for. Also there are quite a few odd names for props and just from a business standpoint i would want people to see the item so they don't have to guess what it is.
That being said if you have something for sale in hand and the price is set and someone says "i want it" then i agree a timeframe should be set for payment. Like 1 second or however long it takes to go to pay pal and send a 20% non refundable deposit or payment in full. That 20% holds the item for 1 week at which time the balance is due or the seller/buyer can agree to other terms or payment plans or you loose the deposit.
I don't think this should apply to runs and interest threads though. They have too many other variables to consider.

 

[Art Andrews]

My recommendation is take a small non-refundable deposit on the items you can't afford to eat.

Then, when they back out anyway we end up with an "SD Studios STOLE my money!" theread fromt he would be buyer, because they didn't read the fine print...lol:lol

 

[SD Studios]

Good discussion. Thanks for your feedback.

A) Asking for a deposit when someone doesn't even bother to respond in kinda irrelevant :lol

B) Pics are good...agreed. Mandatory? I dunno. If it is the SAME item from a run of 5000, that a bazillion people have seen...posting detailed pics is kinda...redundant. If the seller is very reputable and they say they have something IN HAND...that should be good enough.

C) People can say "Oh well" or "It is the cost of doing business" until THEY get flaked. I doubt they will be SO proverbial and good-natured at that point. And YES, Funky...I know you have been flaked-upon.

Continue...

 

[Asp9mm]

A non refundable deposit clause never works as the laws for such a thing change from State to State as well as Country. If you are worried about people not paying for items held, then don't put that item on hold. Only the seller can benefit from that option.

 

[kraaam]

This is a sticky issue.
A small deposit would stop people holding up stock that they would not other wise commit to buy.
You must reiterate to your customers that this deposit is non refundable.
Another option is if they change their mind they may use this deposit to purchase another item from you. This way you don't loose the sale and keep your customer happy.
I hope that this helps

 

[kraaam]

I spent 15 years in retail here in Australia. I now exactly how buyers try to pull the wool over your eyes. these are a few things that I was told buy other retailers.

Never trust a man with a beard

Buyers are Lier's

 

[Eaglewood]

Agree to terms, take a deposit and put a time limit on when it should be concluded-- Done--

 

[propologist]

Not which is worse , that or I have noticed alot of people selling kits when they get them. The " I just got this and need to sell it " I don't understand that either...some peoples dreams are bigger than there checkbook i guess.
That's why nothing it truly rare or limited runs , they will always pop up around Christmas or when money is needed.

 

[Simmon M]

If you ask for a non-refundable deposit how many paypal claims are going to be filed once the prospective buyer decides he/she doesn't want/care for the item anymore?

I know this doesn't really help those who do this for a living but all I ever do nowadays is sell to a select group of guys. Whenever I have something up for sale in the Junkyard it's because I've gone thru that list with no apparent interest.

I have a lot of patience so when someone PM's asking for more pics it never really bothers me to oblige. It's when I get the "I'll take it" PM only to never hear back from said person that I get irritated because then you don't know what to do - do I hold on to it or go on to the next person?

We say this ad-infinitum - a little communication goes a long, long way.

 

[TheSt.LouisKid]

...their circumstances change...

I think the funniest reason I got from a guy who backed out was that he said he forgot that he bought a car and had to pay for it. How do you forget a car? It's a big fat reminder of a debt sitting in your driveway.

I always count on about 40% of people crapping out. I too am at a loss as to how someone can't control themself or have enough forsight to know if they can afford something that close in the future.

We have seen the saying: "Don't sell something you don't have."
I kinda like: "Don't order something you don't intend to pay for."

 

[mrsmartypants]

Good discussion. Thanks for your feedback.

A) Asking for a deposit when someone doesn't even bother to respond in kinda irrelevant :lol

B) Pics are good...agreed. Mandatory? I dunno. If it is the SAME item from a run of 5000, that a bazillion people have seen...posting detailed pics is kinda...redundant. If the seller is very reputable and they say they have something IN HAND...that should be good enough.

C) People can say "Oh well" or "It is the cost of doing business" until THEY get flaked. I doubt they will be SO proverbial and good-natured at that point. And YES, Funky...I know you have been flaked-upon.

Continue...

You raise good points Steve, and unfortunately, flakers are part of doing business. It's just human nature. Doesn't mean you have to like it, but you should get used to it. At least you deliver your product. :thumbsup Try being on the receiving end of a flaker that you've paid to deliver a prop and then they disappear without delivering it to you.....(Sao Feng Map anyone?)

As for pics, regardless whether a bazillion people have seen an item or not, we have a constant influx of new people here who HAVEN'T seen the old threads, previous pics, etc. It's a judgement call, but people buy with their eyes. If you want to sell MORE of an item or have a BETTER chance of selling it, posting pics is a no-brainer. It's not like it takes much effort to put up a few different pics. Especially if the item is something you've posted pics for in the past. In that instance, re-posting those pics should be even easier.

PS-thanks for the SD Studios email update. I was starting to wonder what was going on.