Frustrations of the For Sale ads

[dikman]

No, this is not a whinge against anyone here, but I suspect others feels the same. How many times have you seen something for sale here that you were interested in but it's "pickup only"? I don't blame the sellers because I can understand not wanting to get involved with packing/shipping heavy or bulky items, but it's a bit depressing from my perspective.
I recently got the idea into my head that maybe a decent eq mount might be nice to have, and lo and behold several popped up in the For Sale section, unfortunately they were all interstate with me being in Adelaide. Bummer. One or two other items have caught my attention but with the same problem.

Now, a few years ago, when petrol was a reasonable price, I would have just jumped in the car and gone for a drive, but now that adds a significant price to buying anything. As an aside, a few years back when I took up Black Powder shooting I needed to buy some BP, which was difficult to get here in Adelaide at the time. So, I teed some up at a distributor in Sydney, hopped on my bike and went for a nice ride to pick it up. Worked out well. Unfortunately, to do that now the item would have to be a dirt-cheap bargain.

I suppose, on the positive side, it's all saving me a lot of money!:lol:

Anyhow, rant over, back to my cup of tea.

[leon]

I hear you Richard, it isn't that hard for the seller to go to the post office and send it, if you cover the cost.:shrug:

I have sold some stuff here on occasions and my price always includes postage to your door, every time.

Leon

[floyd_2]

I once sold a Meade LX200 10" SCT with mount, wedge etc. It was a big rig. The buyer was in Karatha by memory, and I was in Sydney. We couldn't really have been further apart lol. It was quite a big thing for me to package it all up, purchase a shipping crate and have it delivered to me, get all of the cartons packed safely into the crate, pad out all of the dead space, find a reputable shipper to get it to the other side of Australia and organise the pickup (forklift load only). I know that this is probably as extreme as it gets with this sort of gear, but I can understand why some sellers may not want to get involved with packaging things ultra carefully for interstate shipping. It can be a bit of a job depending upon the item of course. I do see some sellers noting that an item is too heavy to ship when it actually breaks down into cartons under 10-15kg a pop though. I guess that it can get down to the seller's physical abilities too. When I sold my Obsession 15" it was a definite pickup only affair :( But, say, my old AZ-EQ5 - I would have shipped that Australia wide.

[MortonH]

I don't know if it's the weight per se but being confident that you can pack it well enough to survive the trip. I was once told by a retailer that you should pack gear to survive a 6 foot drop, and that's been a rule of thumb for me ever since.

[raymo]

In many cases pick up only is unnecessary, just take everything to your
nearest Pack and Send, and they will do all the packing for you. I sent my
8" Newt, HEQ5 mount and tripod, plus a lot of accessories. It all arrived safely
and well packed.
raymo

[Nikolas]

I shipped a c9.25 and accessories from Melbourne to Perth using "pack and send'.

It cost the buyer under $125 to get it across, this was 3 years ago I don't know how much it costs now but if the buyer is willing to pay for shipping pack and send will help the seller pack and send.

[Wilsil]

If it is listed as pick up, easy to ask the question if the seller would consider shipping.

[dikman]

If the seller says "pickup only" then it's a reasonable assumption that that's what they mean. I'm not going to be one of those who ignores what's in the ad and carries on like a doofus.:)
You have to respect the wishes of the seller.

[leon]

I am sure we all respect the sellers choices of selling stuff, but a little incentive like, will post, or even free postage surly bumps up the odds of flogging the stuff.

Just my two cents worth.

Leon

[Peter Ward]

I dunno.

I offered a seriously good telescope for sale, for a mere $60k and even with free delivery it sat there like pork rib rack at a Bah Mitzvah.

Good thing I like ribs. :D

[Nikolas]

The original poster was expressing their frustration, they were not carrying on like a doofus, please be a little more considerate of both sides of the discussion and refrain from name calling.
Edit: you are the original poster,
What was the point of the rant then? I'm confused :)

[dikman]

:lol: Yep, I figured it was ok to call myself names. As a rule I believe in being polite to others on forums.
I was just expressing my frustration as I had got the idea into my head that maybe I should buy a go-to equ mount but all the ones that came up for sale were interstate pickup only.

Anyhow, it's caused me to re-think my needs, maybe I don't need such a heavy duty mount, like those that are for sale, for the same money I can buy something local (new) that should be adequate for my needs.

Moar thinking required.:)

[AdamJL]

For me it's just bulk or dangerous goods.. I've listed a computer for sale, and I was never going to pack and ship that.
My latest are lithium batteries and I'm simply not allowed to send it.

So pick up only for both.

[RB]

Mazel Tov

:lol: :thumbsup:

[Hans Tucker]

Pork .. Yeach .... I'd go for the Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. On topic .. I notice that High End gear is very difficult to sell in Australia .. very limited market. Had my eye on a AP140 on Astromart but that was a 'Pick-Up Only' item.

[MortonH]

Good to know. :thumbsup:

[leon]

]'ve listed a computer for sale, and I was never going to pack and ship that. (Adam JL)

And I've had a desktop through the mail, it arrived perfectly fine, no problems.


Leon :thumbsup:

[erick]

A seller might prefer that the prospective buyer performs a hands-on inspection/test of (used) equipment before ownership transfers, reducing the risk of any unpleasantries when a buyer proceeds on the basis of photos and verbal descriptions.

[Rod-AR127]

Which l would highly recommend for any bigger dollar items unless the item is reasonably new and in as new condition.
Your idea of a few blemishes and their idea of a few blemishes could be parsecs apart. :P

[dikman]

Interesting comment, and I must admit it's something that I didn't think of. My perspective is perhaps a little skewed as I'm on another forum (Australian Hunting.net) which has a lot of members Australia-wide. Naturally, they have their own classified section and I've bought and sold a few things without even thinking about inspection (nor has anyone else). As far as I know there have only been a couple of instances where someone hasn't been honest about what they're selling and once word got out that was the end of them.

Posting is never a problem (other than Australia Post!!!) but there are a couple of things that can't be posted - powder and primers - but members often arrange the "AHN Courier Service" as some of the members do a lot of travelling. It is an interesting, olde-school Australian group, although membership is not for the faint-hearted.:lol:

I guess I just assumed this would be a similar group of like-minded people, sharing a common interest and helping each other out.:shrug:

[Bobbyoutback]

Just wish sellers would always say a price when listing , asking offers lose me !

:shrug:

[AdamJL]

Yeah I agree with that one. "Make me an offer" is okay so long as there's a starting price, IMO.

[AdamJL]

It's more of a logistics issue. I'd have to find a box big enough to ship it, etc. Not worth it for me.

[dikman]

I agree. On the AHN site if you don't put a price the ad is pulled.

[Bobbyoutback]

Thanks guys for the subport regarding` for sales need to have a clear price.up frount
:thumbsup:

Cheers & beers
bobby

[Questor]

I can see both arguments, but I would agree that in classifieds I would prefer to have an asking price, to see whether what I think I could afford for something would be in the sellers ballpark, and to not embarass myself, or them.

[dikman]

This comment got me thinking so I looked at the various ads again, and noticed the high number of views, even on very expensive items, but with no resultant sales. Unfortunately astronomy equipment tends to be on the expensive side here in Oz, and with the ever-increasing cost of living people are going to have less and less disposable income available for such expenditure. I have seen several items of interest but when the prices aren't that far removed from new then I figure if I really want it then I'll buy new (that's what my wife tells me to do).

The number of views show the interest is often there, but I guess everyone likes a bargain too.

[AdamJL]

There’s an item I really want in the classifieds at a price I can afford but I’m also being a bit cautious about the future with the global economy the way it is

So I’m learning to love what I already have!

[Crater101]

One thing that occurred to me about the "pick up only" side of things...


There are a number of folks out there who, like myself, aren't getting any younger. Some may not have friends or family close by. With some of the heavier or bulkier items, it might be too much of a strain for folks who haven't been well or aren't physically capable of toting a 15kg parcel to a post office / shipping point, particularly if like me you live in a rural area where couriers refuse to come anywhere near you.


Pick Up Only may be a necessity for some folks, not a luxury.