Do you deliver?

[tnokie]

I sell quiet a bit of my hobby animals on craigslist. I also buy quiet a bit of stuff. I always go to the persons house and get whwat ever I am after. But when I want to sell something ,the first word out of their mouth is "I want it" the second is "Where can you meet me"!
If I decide I want something I figure its my place to go and get it. Ive driven 2 hrs one way several times,on one occasion 6 hours! I wouldn't think of asking them to meet me somewhere.This is expecially true when the purchase amount is under $40-$50 dollars.Is this just local where I'm at (middle Tennessee) or is it happeneing to other people. How do you reply to them?

[gunsmithgirl]

I don't do delivery unless it is a large work order like from a local shop that has 5 or more guns to make it worth my drive. With the price of gas delivery- or even meeting someone halfway cuts into profits too much.

[michiganfarmer]

in a couple years when fuel is $10 per gallon because of peak oil, this wont even be an issue.

[maidservant]

For the moment, I'll tell people that there is a delivery fee. $20 for the first 50 miles (round trip) and $25 every 50 over that. I've had quite a few people pay it, especially when dealing with the sugar gliders. Plus, I appreciate being able to see where the little ones will be kept. Granted, I only sell pets, not livestock. The "can you deliver" question is everywhere. People think that they can get stuff cheaper this way, but they don't consider the amount of time and gas it takes to bring stuff to them.

Emily in NC

[DixyDoodle]

Just tell them you don't deliver. Pick up only.

I don't meet people anymore, unless it's local. I do NOT drive for a half hour anywhere to bring an item for someone interested. Lots of times I've spend an hour or MORE driving to sell items, only to have people say they've changed their minds, or haggle over price (wanting it cheap cheap), and I still have to drive home with no extra money in my pocket. I figure if you want something that bad, come and get it.

However, if someone has something for sale, and I ask where they are located, and they are too far away, I just tell them I didn't realize how far they were, thanks anyhow. If they offer to meet halfway or come here outright, I would consider that. That's up to them if they want to take that chance. Sometimes it's worth it to them, sometimes not, depends on how bad they want to get rid of something. Sometimes people are in the area anyhow, and offer to stop by. I would do that too. BUT no more driving for hours for a "maybe" sale.

Last time I got burned: hauled a saddle (would trade for goats) over an hour's drive away. When I got there, the lady was "oh it's an older saddle" (um, yeah, just like the pic!) and hmmm'd and haw'd about how it wasn't worth a full trade to one of her goats (nubians). She asked if I would be interested in her goats anyhow, which turned out to be skinny, disease-ridden looking, and dirty, standing in a foul-smelling manure pile. Yeah, riiiiiiight. I said no, trade only, but "I don't see any goats like what I want, thanks anyhow" (PC answer instead of "your goats are infested fleabags that I wouldn't give you a quarter for"). I took the saddle home, fuming about how crazy did she think I was, what a cheap troll, etc. Ended up putting the saddle up for sale instead of trade, and selling it for $300.

[hintonlady]

I have done a lot of deals on craigs.

I also live a good distance from the area craigs city. If someone lives remotely near with an item I want I just ask if they have work or errands that bring them anywhere closer to me. I let them know it is my job to pick up but meeting along their path of business is much more convenient.

That usually works out for me, sometimes it doesn't because bargain on item doesn't justify expense to pick up. I would never ever dream of asking for delivery unless add stated so. That is very nervy. Maybe you could state NO delivery in your ads.

[fantasymaker]

Yep I DELIVER!
LOL Thats what I am a deliveryboy.
But if there is something I want I go to it, I WANT to go there so I can see how they take care of things.
By the same token if I am selling something they can come to me, that way if they change their mind the trip is on them. I make two exceptions to that ,since I travel a lot if Im going somewhere and the item is small they can meet me along my line of travel .
IF they want to pay me for my travel , after all its what I do for a living, I will travel to them but they pay the travel first and upfront and its nonrefundable.

[Ohio dreamer]

I would be more willing to do these types of transactions if I met the people at a neutral location. I am not comfortable having un-known people come to my house or going to someone house I don't know. In general, I'm am not a fearful person, but as society changes I change my habits as well. Now I'm not saying the "seller" needs to drive any great distance, the McD's down the street or the local library in the sellers home town is fine with me. When I sold Usborne books I always delivered the books as then I could fit it into my schedule, but that was the choice I made ahead of time. And a "business" is different the a craig's list thing.

Now, livestock is a different matter. If I'm buying an animal, I would like to pick that animal up from it's pasture. I like to look over where the animal has been. But be sure, I'll only be there to pick it up with my husband in tow.

[Elizabeth]

We also do a lot of craigslist transactions. We used to do a lot more when we were selling meat down in the cities- I would deliver once every month or every other month and to make the trip (3 hours each way) more worthwhile I would buy/sell enough items to fill up the truck.

Because I was driving in from out of town I always delivered, and I also picked up anything I was buying. If a seller wanted to meet in a neutral location that was okay, too. I usually did not charge for delivery, but if someone wanted to contribute for gas I accepted- and they did offer, occasionally. I did sometimes set the price a little higher to offset, but I was usually able to schedule my trip so that my pickup/drop off locations were not too far away from each other. I did goof sometimes just because I do not know the area very well and once in awhile I would commit to something and then discover that the location was not where I thought it was-oops! But mapquest has helped a lot with that. Now I try to remember to do the mapquest FIRST, lol.

I have only been burned a couple of times, and both times were to have been barter transactions. I think that when people agree to pay cash they take it a little more seriously and follow through better. I have also learned to just pass on the opportunity if communication is difficult- it's not worth the hassle.

[maidservant]

Forgot to say, everything I sell is a 50% non-refundable deposit, so even if they don't end up getting it, they have to pay delivery charge and the deposit. On a $150 glider, they pay $75 to hold it until it's old enough to leave mom, then delivery charges and the remainder is either paid on delivery or the remainder is paid upon pick up. No deposit, no sale.

Emily in NC

[Bernadette]

Depends what I'm selling and who the person is. Some people I will only meet on 'neutral' territory - some people I don't WANT knowing where I live! And some people - well, I don't want to go to their house! Nothing wrong with a delivery fee system, and there's nothing wrong with meeting at a local coffee shop.

[dbarjacres]

We buy/sell/trade quite a bit in poultry, goats, donkeys. So, we deliver quite often when people don't own a trailer or meet part way. I have it right on my sale page what our charge is for delivery and we stick to it. Delivery is never free, unless they'd live less than 20 miles away. And if we have to bring a trailer, vs. just throwing something in a crate into the car/truck, the charge is more.

[Jen H]

If I need to head that direction anyway and delivering the item won't be an imposition, I'll go ahead and do it. Otherwise, they can come out. If they don't have a truck or trailer capable of hauling the critter or what-have-you we're selling, I set a delivery price.