How Do You Sell Goods on MP? (Not A Buyer Beware)

A seller on mp posted a hot item for a low price, was suprised by volume of interest, and sold to person who paid first not honoring the order in which people messaged. 

Profile has been around for a few years, so unlikely a scam, IMO just a shitty way to do buisness (and treat fellow climbers).

I guess im irritated i didn't get the goods, but I'm more curious whether it's the norm to sell to first contact or first paid without giving folks a chance?

Do you sell to first paid or first contact? How do you deal with multiple people sending payments, can you "refund"?

I personally sell to the first person who messages. I usually give 24 hours to receive payment, then move on to the next. However, MP is notorious for buyers not following through. Just last week a Canadian fellow "for sure" wanted to buy a bunch of gear. I packaged everything up, got him a very reasonable shipping quote, and then silence. Several follow-up emails and not even so much as a courtesy "I changed my mind" email. This happens literally all the time on here. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but I do keep a list of folks who have done this to me and then if I post something in the future and they email me, excited to buy it, I simply ignore them.

I can understand why the seller wanted to go with the first to send payment. Maybe he/she had been burned several times by buyers failing to follow through. Like I said, nothing inherently wrong with it but it's not the generally accepted way to do things on here.

I’ve always sold to first paid… too many tire kickers who’ll ghost you once you send over payment info. Sucks if you’re not at your computer all day though. 

Selling things on the internet to random people can be a rough place. People flake out all the time. It doesn't make much sense to give priority to messaging order; making the sale is about getting cash in hand.

Always first paid. Too many people message with interest, I send payment info, never to be heard from again.

As a courtesy I will message them again if the item sells to avoid double payment, however I have never received double payment and would just refund if it did happen. 

I'm not sure I understand how you would verify the order in which a seller receives private messages. It appears to me as if all you would be in a position to know would be the order in which buyers were posting that they were messaging the seller. Two different things.

As to your question: both. I've tried to reply to everyone and explain that someone else contacted me first and that I will work down through the list if the first correspondent doesn't ever pass me a payment. How long I wait for that is a little vague. If someone expresses interest in the item within minutes, I'm disinclined to wait for days to get the money, because they're clearly able to be online and active.

Happened to me once (or maybe not, never heard from the guy). Money talks, and more in "the land of freedom". Got really upset, locked the topic and waiting for the PMs.

Anyhow, there are hundreds of thousands of sellers/buyers... if not then and there, well there is always later.

Always sell to the first person who pays. It's easy enough to send a refund if necessary.

Looks like a mixed bag. 

Regarding the order, just going by a timestamp of email or text is reasonable, yes?

How long after telling a potential buyer something is still available before moving on to next potential buyer is fair? 1 min, 5 min, 60 min?

Piotr Sobczakwrote:

Happened to me once (or maybe not, never heard from the guy). Money talks, and more in "the land of freedom". Got really upset, locked the topic and waiting for the PMs.

Anyhow, there are hundreds of thousands of sellers/buyers... if not then and there, well there is always later.

That was me and I owe you an apology. I underestimated the item’s popularity and was immediately flooded with dms offering well over the asking price. I should’ve at least given you the opportunity to make a counter offer. Lesson learned, my apologies.

Well there's a seller I'd buy from 100x over. Doesn't owe anyone anything, yet still puts his neck out here on a complaint thread and addresses the gripe. Kudos to you, sir. 

To the OP, yes it's nice if the original order is honored but, as many have said, there's no knowing how many will be flakes, so "first to pay" isn't exactly unreasonable, I see little basis for harboring ill will towards the seller. Move on, find another deal down the road.

Edit: if we're talking about the dead bird harness, I would have loved to purchase it myself, but that would have been 100% poaching on another MP users *request* on a "WTB" thread, which is douchey, in and of itself, IMO... so I never messaged the guy, b/c I don't find that sort of thing super honorable. This thread seems to have potentially taken a turn...

Show me the money. First to pay gets the prize.

When I PM I usually say, "Hey I'd like the item, send me a venmo request to @My-Venmo and I'll fulfill it as soon as I get it" This puts the ball in the seller's hands, if I get the request they get the money. Also this way I am also not sending money into the world wide web without knowing exactly where it is going to land.

If the buyer wants Paypal protection (ie goods/services payment) then as a seller you will lose the fee portion of the transaction if you refund them. So technically there is some risk in having to refund a Paypal payment (2.9% + $0.30 of total). Not sure about Venmo goods payments.

I've had lots of people flake out on me, but I choose to go in order of who messages first. I'll usually respond with a deadline for payment (usually that day). This may take a bit more time overall, but is a display of character IMO. A buyer sending payment and then having to be refunded is just poor form on the sellers end.

Mtn project has made me hate selling used gear. Last time, it was right after that person complained that people charge too much for used cams (as if the used market itself doesn't dictate those prices) and most people kept asking for discounted prices to ridiculous levels, and I went along with some, just because I was looking to make room.  

But then people started asking me for multiple shipping quotes, then asking if I would sell something for the lowballed price, shipping included. What? I'm not sending you something that was in new condition, discounted to $20 from $100, and then eat the $18 shipping from San Diego to New York. That exact scenario happened, after I told others that it was going to the first person who responded, who then didn't want to pay the shipping. 

Patrick Lwrote:

Mtn project has made me hate selling used gear. Last time, it was right after that person complained that people charge too much for used cams (as if the used market itself doesn't dictate those prices) and most people kept asking for discounted prices to ridiculous levels, and I went along with some, just because I was looking to make room.  

But then people started asking me for multiple shipping quotes, then asking if I would sell something for the lowballed price, shipping included. What? I'm not sending you something that was in new condition, discounted to $20 from $100, and then eat the $18 shipping from San Diego to New York. That exact scenario happened, after I told others that it was going to the first person who responded, who then didn't want to pay the shipping. 

I hear ya, but don't let it get under your skin. It's just the nature of selling, and it's this way in lots of different markets. If people make ridiculous offers, I'll just say no thanks or ignore. Eventually your item will sell if it's at market value. After all, the market (aka buyers) dictate the price not the seller. 

Mitch Musciwrote:

If the buyer wants Paypal protection (ie goods/services payment) then as a seller you will lose the fee portion of the transaction if you refund them. So technically there is some risk in having to refund a Paypal payment (2.9% + $0.30 of total). Not sure about Venmo goods payments.

I've had lots of people flake out on me, but I choose to go in order of who messages first. I'll usually respond with a deadline for payment (usually that day). This may take a bit more time overall, but is a display of character IMO. A buyer sending payment and then having to be refunded is just poor form on the sellers end.

Personally, I find it very disrespectful to email a seller saying you want an item and then not follow up or pay for it. If you have the time to send the initial message, I expect you have the time to follow up with prompt payment. I’m not trying to write multiple emails and make multiple trips to the post office.

The only person I’ve ever had to refund was gracious about it and made some reasonable excuse for why they didn’t pay in time. Many people have ghosted me and never sent payment after saying they want the item.

I've been buying and selling and donating with regularity on MP for the past ten years. I got burned once by an out-of-country scammer for $40, my fault for not listening to my gut.

However, in those ten years I have gotten so many good deals and met so many cool people in real life (see also the Oklahoma Boiz!) that the overall experience is extremely positive.

One highlight was the OLH+Gote Sale a few months ago in which she bought out almost the entire hardware inventory of Boise Gear Collective (RIP). I ran the storefront and we sold over five thousand dollars worth of cams in a couple weeks. Helen covered all shipping so it was not a profit-making endeavor for her -- we just wanted to help BCG end with grace and pass along some good deals to climbers across the country.

Just for fun: When I ship, I always put "Caldwell" as the buyer's middle name. When I buy, I usually throw in a couple of bucks extra for a beer for the seller's trouble.

Sam Cieplywrote:

Personally, I find it very disrespectful to email a seller saying you want an item and then not follow up or pay for it. If you have the time to send the initial message, I expect you have the time to follow up with prompt payment. I’m not trying to write multiple emails and make multiple trips to the post office.

The only person I’ve ever had to refund was gracious about it and made some reasonable excuse for why they didn’t pay in time. Many people have ghosted me and never sent payment after saying they want the item.

I think it becomes disrespectful when someone truly ghosts. Usually there are at least a few messages sent back and forth before I'm truly expecting a buyer to send payment, and at that point ghosting is pretty lame. If someone just messages me saying "I'll take it" and then I never hear from them again, well that literally happens on almost everything I list with at least one buyer. It's annoying but at the same time humans are pretty impulsive and more careless than anything. 

Maybe I just have thick skin...I worked outdoor retail for years and you wouldn't believe some of the crap customers did/expected. "Customer is always right" nah, I never bought into that motto but getting gear out the door takes some patience for sure. 

First to pay gets it 

This is MP, not a charity. I sell and buy a lot of gear here. First comes first served. 

I've been annoyed but folks sending me constant emails asking for info, dragging their feet, to then at the moment of truth, not purchase my thing. You got money in my pocket, you get my gear. If you want it, pay right away.