Its a Craigslist complaint but it is sorta funny.

[MRBeyer]

I have a current craiglist ad with gold, silver, and collectible wrist and pocket watches. Total price is 20% under ebay, all accurately described including damage, gold filled, working/non working, etc. For a quick sale due to this being part of my uncle's estate when one caller contacted me I told him take it all for XX which gave him another 15% off. With 4 gold watches, 3 gold filled, and two sterling watches I have identified so I was well prepared for any questions. Before he made a 2 hour drive to come look at them he asked for more pictures, so I spent another hour getting more pictures. He then texts me and says the gold watches "appear" to be gold filled. The 4 watches only come in those models as gold, two being white gold. I point this out. Poof, crickets. Haven't heard from him since. Had this happen when a friend asked me my opinion on a Movado watch, going price for that model was about $350. A watch collector stopped by as we were discussing it. I pointed out the watch, he asked how much. I mentioned its worth and that the owner was willing to haggle. He talks her down to $75 by claiming it wasn't sellable in todays market. Why do people have to be such con artists. I included the pictures of all I had listed so everyone could see.

 

[Beachkid23]

Do you still have the pocket watch?

That's some nice looking stuff you have. I would've called you on your ad most likely!

 

[Nitric]

What is that bottom pocket watch? I have to know! Do you have a pic of the inside?

if it is a bigger one. I can't tell by the pics. Not that I want to buy it or anything I have too many now to sell! I'm just really curious!

With them trying to get you down! ya, watch guys are the worst for the most part! But there is a lot to that too. Condition is everything. If something needs cleaned or repaired. There is really a lot to it.

Some stuff, I can get more than Ebay in certain areas, and other stuff isn't worth the time of listing. The only thing you can do is come up with a price. I never get offended by offers. I either take them or stand strong on my price. and some stuff it isn't even worth messing with unless you can buy it cheap enough. Everyone has a different price on what they think "Gold" is too. And they may not be trying to rip you off, it really depends on what kind of buyers they have too. Everyone trie to make a buck(or more) along the way. That's the name of the game!

You may know this......But be real careful of selling that kind of stuff on Craigslist!! They may pass and come back for it later. It happens!! I can tell you some horror stories of deals that went bad, that happened to friends or people that I knew of. Area might make a difference too!

Just to give you an example...out of what is pictured, from experience(and it's been a few years so things may have changed) the only thing that would even have caught my interest in the past would have been the pocket watch. The rest would be GF or gold scrap. even the little ladies watches. Now can't really see the stuff on the table. But just meaning the pictures that can be identified. And maybe the one in front of the black case if it was something special inside. Not putting anything down just saying what a lot of dealers would have said in the past. Unless, they had a special buyer or outlet for the ladies watches.

 

[jerseyben]

What do you expect with Craigslist?

 

[MRBeyer]

Guys, just saw your post, gotta run but will answer your questions soon.

 

[dirtwizard]

everybody is an expert on the internet.

 

[Nitric]

everybody is an expert on the internet.

Nice to meet you! Expert of everybody on the internet! Sry, saw a stupid joke and had to go for it!

I know, I know, everybody is a comedian on the internet too!

 

[MRBeyer]

Thanks for the laughs guys. The silver pocket watch is a Neuchatel Quartier, Also in this picture is a 14k white gold Lady Elgin Deco and Hamilton Deco, only made in white gold. A 10k Ladies Lathin, and a 14k Ladies Tosca. Three 14k GF Hamilton, Bulova, and Lord Elgin respectively. Also a pre war D&S sterling wristwatch. Here are some pictures.

 

[Nitric]

Cool treasures! I like seeing all the different pocket watches! There are just so many different types.

 

[MRBeyer]

To all here, a private message was sent to me by a person who thought I took offense to something they said. I am rarely offended by something people say, it is when I feel that I have offended someone that I feel offended, at myself. I have a thin skin to my own self perceived faults and how they hurt others. I look around this wonderful site and see the amazing knowledge you all carry within you. It is hard fought for and even harder won. Sometimes it is so instinctive you just know and something so deep within you a feeling of defensiveness may cause you to feel threatened by what I say. It is never and I hope never will be my intent to belittle anyone's input into any subject I find myself a part of. I hold you all in too high of esteem to wish to upset any of you. I might debate you, discuss with you, even argue with you as long as you understand it is with no ill intent, just a wish for an intelligent and motivating conversation to stimulate my search for knowledge and friendship. I will often be wrong, sometimes right, and quite often opinionated in an honest and sometimes ill conceived way, but then who is not. If you want my ire; steal, lie, or attempt to con me will get that response. Now, why is this public in stead of a private response? This is not the first time I have felt I have unwittingly offended someone on this site by words, ignorance, or actions. You know what they say about accusations, remonstrations, apologies, and praise. To this unnamed person and to all others on this site who feel this applies to them, I am sorry.

 

[Nitric]

To all here, a private message was sent to me by a person who thought I took offense to something they said. I am rarely offended by something people say, it is when I feel that I have offended someone that I feel offended, at myself. I have a thin skin to my own self perceived faults and how they hurt others. I look around this wonderful site and see the amazing knowledge you all carry within you. It is hard fought for and even harder won. Sometimes it is so instinctive you just know and something so deep within you a feeling of defensiveness may cause you to feel threatened by what I say. It is never and I hope never will be my intent to belittle anyone's input into any subject I find myself a part of. I hold you all in too high of esteem to wish to upset any of you. I might debate you, discuss with you, even argue with you as long as you understand it is with no ill intent, just a wish for an intelligent and motivating conversation to stimulate my search for knowledge and friendship. I will often be wrong, sometimes right, and quite often opinionated in an honest and sometimes ill conceived way, but then who is not. If you want my ire; steal, lie, or attempt to con me will get that response. Now, why is this public in stead of a private response? This is not the first time I have felt I have unwittingly offended someone on this site by words, ignorance, or actions. You know what they say about accusations, remonstrations, apologies, and praise. To this unnamed person and to all others on this site who feel this applies to them, I am sorry.

NOOOO, ! You misunderstood me then! I was not offended in any way shape or form, or feel that you were either!

After I wrote the first post, I thought about it after I looked at it the next day, And I looked at it as maybe I was putting some of your watches down. That was not my intention! That's all I was trying to say in a pM, That and just make conversation!

It's all good! Just like watches as a hobby, and they are fascinating to me! Just reaching out to a fellow collector,seller,buyer,etc......I've also sent other guys that show watches PM's just to reach out I guess..I sent one to Beachkid the same night. And whoever else.. I'm actually sitting at a watch bench jumping from stuff I'm working on to the computer, when I'm on here. It's my connection to people. Ramble in threads, work on stuff, send pm's, ramble some more....

I responded in a pm, before I saw the above post. In case it doesn't make sense, I know for a fact and most that know me on here know that my written communications stinks at times. Half the time I go back and read and can't figure out what I was actually trying to say.

First paragraph of PM....
"I hope my post didn't come across wrong in your watch thread. It's hard to know what the other guy knows or not. So, I wasn't trying to put your stuff down. I was just being honest with how it was a few years back. I know none of us know each other. And it's just all in fun. "

that was the first paragraph. The second paragraph was just my interests, and I didn't want that in a thread for obvious reasons. That's why it was in a PM. No one needs to know publicly what I have.

No big deal! Just conversation and rambling.....

 

[MRBeyer]

Now that you outed yourself. I was trying to not do that. Actually, your message allowed me to address something I had needed to address. Its out of my system now and I feel a lot better for it. You know what they say about rule #1 and rule #2. Well, now I can just say see my rule #1.

Much as I admire watches, I bought some on speculation and the rest came from my uncle's estate. I am not a watch expert, however, I did learn something new in that two of my watches are as I stated, were only made in that style with a white gold shell and in the case of the hamilton, watchband. What is unusual is that the antique and watch dealers the executor took them to did not identify them as such, overlooked them, and made no offer for them.

 

[Nitric]

Now that you outed yourself. I was trying to not do that. Actually, your message allowed me to address something I had needed to address. Its out of my system now and I feel a lot better for it. You know what they say about rule #1 and rule #2. Well, now I can just say see my rule #1.

Much as I admire watches, I bought some on speculation and the rest came from my uncle's estate. I am not a watch expert, however, I did learn something new in that two of my watches are as I stated, were only made in that style with a white gold shell and in the case of the hamilton, watchband. What is unusual is that the antique and watch dealers the executor took them to did not identify them as such, overlooked them, and made no offer for them.

Some of that is a tough call. I've been on both sides of the coin as far as being the buyer and the seller. I'll give you an example with fake numbers. I don't want to put what it was and real numbers.

I bought a watch in the parking lot of a Flea market. we'll say $30, we took it and had it appraised, a well known shop appraised it at $90 to $130. So, at that time I had a small shop where I sold coins,jewelry, and watches, bought and sold scrap gold anything along those lines. I put it out in the case for $50. no one really knew what it was. it sat there for months. Then one day another dealer came in and offered me my $30 back. What I'm getting at is I didn't have a buyer for it, he might have and might have just got the deal of the year! Now, he takes it to florida and sells it for a bunch more. It's hard to buy stuff like watches at top dollar or what other people think is fair. Unless you have a buyer thought of ahead of time. I have a couple on ebay right now that have been sitting for a long time now. I won't drop because I know the rarity, but if I ever want to sell them? I'll have to drop my price unless that one guy comes along and either wants it, or thinks he can do something with it.

They may not have offered anything or put a value on them because they may not have even known either. I've been burnt on both sides of that. Buying something too high, then get stuck with it.

This is kind of off track but is funny in a way...At one time a few dealers would buy and hold stuff for me, usually stuff that needed repaired. So, I would take it home clean them repair what I could. then take them back around and sell them back to them repaired at a price we both thought was fair and they could make a profit on too. I sold one on a Saturday in a city about an hour and a half from where I lived for $140. Monday morning a guy is trying to sell it to me in my store for $100. How and who took the loss is beyond me! I was worried and actually called the guy I sold it to two days earlier to make sure it didn't get stolen from him. Buyer remorse maybe? These guys would run around buying and selling until one took a loss, then the cycle started all over again. never really making it to a final destination. Just guys running around buying and selling. You would see the same stuff that you saw before in different areas and sometimes it made a full circle.

 

[diggummup]

A con artist would imply deception. If a buyer knowingly lies to negotiate a lower price then that is a sort of "con". Haggling, dickering, negotiating, whatever you want to call it is all part of the game. Personally, I suck at it. That is why I like selling on eBay, no face to face, I set the minimum price. The wife does the haggling at all the sales. She is good, but not as good as the Haitians (speaking of having it down to a science), lol.
Craigslist, when it comes to selling collectibles and such, is full of people (usually dealers) throwing lowball offers out on stuff all day long. Of course these are the same ones with overly high selling prices on the same CL ads. It's a free site and with that comes a lot of trash so to speak. It's to be expected. Unless it's too big to ship via USPS or against eBay policy, I will not list anything on CL to sell, to much garbage to wade through.

 

[MRBeyer]

point well taken, did the haggling bit in Saudi when I bought the engagement and wedding band set for my wife to be, 24 years ago. Took three visits before the price and everything was where both of us wanted. Yes, it was fun. However, the difference for the guy who bought that watch was his approach felt more like a con, not a haggle. Me, I love the haggling and stuff I do at my stand. Heck, everyone at the meets I go to call me the Rock Paper Scissors man because I use it to close so many sales. I can appreciate a good haggling. I've even haggled with gypsies. They haggle two ways, for those who they view as equals and those they view as marks. This guy I was talking about treated me and my friend as marks. That's the only way I can put it.

 

[MRBeyer]

agreed, I had a situation where a cashier insisted a gold necklace I was asking about was priced at $9 when I thought it was priced at $90 (still a great deal for a $300 necklace). After asking her three times if she was sure on the price on the GOLD necklace, she got angry. At that point I bought it for the price she stipulated. I am not on this earth to con anyone. If there isn't enough margin I don't have to push it too far. YOu all have a wonderful weekend. Good hunting.