Customers at garage sale who interferes with your purchase. What to do?

[Iron Patch]

Even though many probably won't admit it, if put in the same position as the seller they'd do the same thing. What's funny is if she walked into a pawn shop and even if she offered it for $5, people would rip apart the pawn dealer apart for taking advantage of that poor woman who didn't know any better. I do believe a deal should be a deal, but would chalk that one up to just some bad luck and how things go.

Several years back my interest in a coin some guy was showing a dealer was enough for him to take a step back and not sell. I ran into him shorty after and said he had a good coin worth some money, and he replied he was offered $100. I sent him to another dealer who 10 minutes later paid him $2,000. There was no deal done with the first dealer, but had it looked like something was going to happen I probably would have said something. I'm guessing it was just killing the guy having me there and probably ruining his chances of sealing it. Just to add.... this particular dealer also metal detects, and follows people, or jumps on anywhere he sees people hunting. He's just one of those types.

 

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[Craftyclipper]

I don't blame the seller at all. It just made for an unpleasant shopping experience.

 

[Iron Patch]

I don't blame the seller at all. It just made for an unpleasant shopping experience.

The seller does deserve blame for breaking the deal, but I think it's what most of us would have done in that situation. Fortunately most of us are probably smart enough to not end up there.

 

[jeff of pa]

Even though many probably won't admit it, if put in the same position as the seller they'd do the same thing. What's funny is if she walked into a pawn shop and even if she offered it for $5, people would rip apart the pawn dealer apart for taking advantage of that poor woman who didn't know any better. I do believe a deal should be a deal, but would chalk that one up to just some bad luck and how things go.

Several years back my interest in a coin some guy was showing a dealer was enough for him to take a step back and not sell. I ran into him shorty after and said he had a good coin worth some money, and he replied he was offered $100. I sent him to another dealer who 10 minutes later paid him $2,000. There was no deal done with the first dealer, but had it looked like something was going to happen I probably would have said something. I'm guessing it was just killing the guy having me there and probably ruining his chances of sealing it. Just to add.... this particular dealer also metal detects, and follows people, or jumps on anywhere he sees people hunting. He's just one of those types.

the difference is when someone walks into a pawn shop, They usually ask what they can get,
putting the burden on the pawn shop owner to name a (Hopefully) honest Price.

so yes a Pawn dealer saying $5.00 for a box of jewelry with known gold in it is a thief in my eyes
& forget about the Old Lady theme, to me he's a thief whether it's a woman, man, child or another Thief,
who brought it in. Pawn shops should have honest owners.

a yard sale is a different animal, I personally don't care how wealthy or poor, or who the seller is.

If they say $5.00 it's $5.00 turning around and saying "I'll give you $3," May be squirley
but still, people who put up yard sales want to sell & usually Know they are dealing with treasure Hunters & Ebayers, looking for the best deals

 

[Iron Patch]

the difference is when someone walks into a pawn shop, They usually ask what they can get,
putting the burden on the pawn shop owner to name a (Hopefully) honest Price.

so yes a Pawn dealer saying $5.00 for a box of jewelry with known gold in it is a thief in my eyes
& forget about the Old Lady theme, to me he's a thief whether it's a woman, man, child or another Thief,
who brought it in. Pawn shops should have honest owners.

a yard sale is a different animal, I personally don't care how wealthy or poor, or who the seller is.

If they say $5.00 it's $5.00 turning around and saying "I'll give you $3," May be squirley
but still, people who put up yard sales want to sell & usually Know they are dealing with treasure Hunters & Ebayers, looking for the best deals

yeah they ask what they can get, and would be answered how much do you want... and often times they will give a price. But that's irrelevant to my post because I was making a point of regardless how it goes down the pawn guy will get called a crook. And if he's a crook for accepting a $5 deal, why wouldn't a yardsale buyer also be one? There's often a double standard, and it's likely from people who just make bad deals and then cry about it forever.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

the difference is when someone walks into a pawn shop, They usually ask what they can get,
putting the burden on the pawn shop owner to name a (Hopefully) honest Price.

so yes a Pawn dealer saying $5.00 for a box of jewelry with known gold in it is a thief in my eyes
& forget about the Old Lady theme, to me he's a thief whether it's a woman, man, child or another Thief,
who brought it in. Pawn shops should have honest owners.

a yard sale is a different animal, I personally don't care how wealthy or poor, or who the seller is.

If they say $5.00 it's $5.00 turning around and saying "I'll give you $3," May be squirley
but still, people who put up yard sales want to sell & usually Know they are dealing with treasure Hunters & Ebayers, looking for the best deals

If a seller at a garage sell says it is $1.00, my wife will say.50 cents, drives me nuts, but she is Filipino and everything in Philippines is negotable including hotel rooms so it is just her culture.... I will dicker a little when it is $5.00 and up but not over .50cent... At a garage sell a man was selling a nice large electric smoker maybe used 2 or 3 times for $50, (cost $250.00 new, he was moving across country and didnt want to haul it) a man was there offering him $10.00 and kept arguing with the seller over the price.... I walked up and told him I would give him $50 for it, his asking price... The other buyer wasn't happy, but didnt say anything to my face.... He should have gave the seller $50 for it if he wanted it, it was worth 5 times that new.....

 

[jeff of pa]

yeah they ask what they can get, and would be answered how much do you want... and often times they will give a price. But that's irrelevant to my post because I was making a point of regardless how it goes down the pawn guy will get called a crook. And if he's a crook for accepting a $5 deal, why wouldn't a yardsale buyer also be one? There's often a double standard, and it's likely from people who just make bad deals and then cry about it forever.

I understand what your trying to say, but not sure it's a Legit double standard,
at least not in my eyes. As I still feel there is no compasrison.

I didn't feel like a thief paying on an Average 20 cents for a Large cent I got $100 for.
20 cents for a token I got $60 for, & i forget how much for the rest of the "Handfull" of supposed tokens,
I was offered at a yard sale for $3.00 & Yes before I asked how much ? I saw the Lettered edge on the Large cent , before I asked How much are these ?

I should add if I advertised I buy, & offered $3.00 knowing the Large cent was there, I would feel like I stole it. if the customer said they wanted $3. I wouldn't feel bad. yard sales are like one on one auctions to me

 

[allen]

to the owner: No ma'am it is costume jewelery and we agreed on the $5.00.
To the other woman: Shut up and go the HeLL away!

 

[capt-zero]

I firmly believe that if someone puts up a sign on the street, sets up a table and prices some item at $2, then it is not my place to educate them. This is obviously what they feel this item is worth. If actual worth is .05 cents, then more power to them if this item is worth $2 to someone else who might buy it. The converse is equally true. If $2 is what the seller feels is the actual worth of an item, I have no ethical qualms paying it when I know it to be worth $200.
As for some stranger sticking their nose into my transaction, sure it irritates me and I no doubt develop vivid fantasies of a gruesome nature, but there is little I can do without stooping to their level. As a Buddist I am a great believer in karma, and decide that I didn't really need to buy that item anyway. In the long term all actions will be rewarded with appropriate circumstances down the road for all parties involved.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Capt zero, I follow what you're saying. If someone is breathing down my neck, looking over my shoulder, and/or crowding me, I usually just ask them if their parents didn't teach them about "personal space" and to get out of mine or "back up". If that don't work, I just tell them to get the f away from me.

I'm not usually nasty or rude, till someone shows themselves to be a jerk to me or others, which usually doesn't seem to take long, around this neck of the woods. I don't think that lady would want me running into her at any other garage sales, my words would probably not be very kind, sad to say.

I try to always remember; How I treat you, that's my karma.
How you treat me, well, that's your karma.

 

[Iron Patch]

I understand what your trying to say, but not sure it's a Legit double standard,
at least not in my eyes. As I still feel there is no compasrison.

I didn't feel like a thief paying on an Average 20 cents for a Large cent I got $100 for.
20 cents for a token I got $60 for, & i forget how much for the rest of the "Handfull" of supposed tokens,
I was offered at a yard sale for $3.00 & Yes before I asked how much ? I saw the Lettered edge on the Large cent , before I asked How much are these ?

I should add if I advertised I buy, & offered $3.00 knowing the Large cent was there, I would feel like I stole it. if the customer said they wanted $3. I wouldn't feel bad. yard sales are like one on one auctions to me

That's my point. Pawn dealers shouldn't be treated different because they get good deals... if someone is dumb enough to offer it to them.

 

[GibH]

I have been here before , if they agreed to the price it seems to me you had a contract for sale ,it might be hard to enforce, but it is a contract ,if this was any where else and the deal reversed [say a car dealer offered a car and then backed out] we would not think twice of having a fit,on the other hand this person may have really needed the money, soooo what do you do....i try to do what i think is right.....

I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on tv. I didn't even stay a Holiday Inn Express last night, but...

No contract. They had an agreement. Any tort would be tortious interference on the part of the other buyer. Basic contract law: offer, acceptance, and consideration. Only two of the conditions were met. The consideration part is why a deposit of at least one dollar is included with real estate offers.

 

[capt-zero]

As these contracts have to be publicy registered, a deposit of one dollar is to cloudy the actual transaction from public view. In other words, the contracts always state: "For the sum of one dollar and consideration".

 

[jeff of pa]

unless money has already exchanged hands,
there are no contracts at yard sales, I'm aware of.
(& even then as long as you get a refund )
Sellers can change their mind at any time,
as long as you haven't pocketed it already I'm sure.

 

[capt-zero]

I would like to add that I consider pawn dealers shady, because few people go into one saying I'd like to sell my grandmother's necklace for $20. The pawn dealer usually makes some ridiculous offer to a desperate person. The distinction is in who is making the offer.

 

[Iron Patch]

I would like to add that I consider pawn dealers shady, because few people go into one saying I'd like to sell my grandmother's necklace for $20. The pawn dealer usually makes some ridiculous offer to a desperate person. The distinction is in who is making the offer.

I could name a long list of other professions that rip people off because they have the knowledge and the customer doesn't... so they are all shady too? In reality they are, but they don't have that same type of stigma as the pawn guy. The simple fact is that almost everyone posting on this site would steal something for a great price and come here and brag about it, and they wouldn't really care who came up with the price as long as the deal happened.

When someone sells an item for too little it's their fault and not the person they sold it too. I can look back at some deals I made early on which probably weren't the best, but I was glad to take the money right up until I found out I could have got more!

 

[billjustbill]

Yesterday at garage sale while purchasing small box of jewelry - customer next to me tells seller not to sell it to me. She says there is gold in the box and not to sell it to me. Seller already quoted price of $5.00 for the small box of jewelry. I agreed with price. I ended up leaving garage sale without jewelry and other lady offered her $100.00 for this piece, $50.00 for that piece, etc. What can you do in this situation? Any ideas? What to do if I encounter her again? Takes the fun out of garage sales!

Most likely the lady was a dealer and knew exactly how to derail the deal and still double her money.

I've learned to pick up the shoebox or lid and hold it while I look through it. If those waiting and looking begin to get close, I move away with the container. If timing is available, as I look, I'll ask how much the jewelry is. Once, I'd asked if the garage sale lady had any other 'costume' jewelry and she went to get it. Two other dealers walked over to the screen door where I stood with both a 'pushy attitude' and cold expectation that ladies should go first...... As the lady came back with the small cedar hope chest, I stepped forward and took the box, much to the dealers' disgust. I opened the lid, glanced at the contents, closed the lid and followed the owner to her cash box. I asked what she would take for the whole box, all the while the dealers were coming. She said "$15", so I paid her and took it to the car. The female dealers were mouthy about missing out, but it's their problem of arriving after I'd started the ball rolling. Still see them both, and I keep my distance just in case revenge is still there....

There will be other buyers who try to get even when they see a bargain being found and paid for. I found two 500' reels of insulated, single run, #12 copper wire. One never used, the other had maybe 50' taken off the reel. The wire was shelf dirty, but the insulation was still soft and flexible. The seller said he'd take $5 a roll. As another buyer looked on, I quickly paid and headed to the car to store the copper reels of wire. Just as I'd finished paying, the old boy began to "beller out", "Man, did you get a buy on that wire! I can't believe you paid so little!! Wire like that sells for 15 times what you just gave. I hope the owner doesn't know how much money he really lost...." As I left, with the owner to my back, I just gave the jerk the biggest "GO TO HELL" look I could muster and then the biggest grin I could make....

Even though times like yours tends to sadden and sour the enjoyment, adventure, and thrill of finding garage sale treasures. don't let it get you down. There are more wins than losses in this adrenalin pumping "sport". And, the day you spend $100 and come home with enough Sterling tableware that is the equivalent of Three Troy Pounds of .999 silver, your loss today will find its less hurtful perspective.

 

[Cojones]

I once had a lady try to yank video games I had in my hands. First I ever experienced that. I didn't tell her off but I told her what do you think you are doing. The lady went on as if nothing.

 

[Sensitive38]

Wow I would have been so mad, but I will have to say what others have said here- ALWAYS pay for your stuff immediately or if not, then keep it with you while you continue to look around. That was a messed up situation, but I have encountered the rude dealers at sales many times too. I have had to tell one off a time or two who was just obnoxious in his pursuit of looking for things.

 

[Beans]

Hey lady, did you brush your teeth this morning pew say it real loud .. or .. lady you should have went somewhere else to FART.