Another ethical dilemma

[onewhippedpuppy]

If you just want something gone, there are business that will purchase stuff like used furniture and appliances from you. It won’t be top dollar but it will be low hassle. I’ve given a few broken appliances to companies like that, they haul away for free and will either fix for resale or harvest for parts. I’m good with them making a buck if they make it disappear from my garage.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I think the conclusion here is to not try and sell individual items. Just have an old fashioned yard sale and towards noon put out the free sign and walk away.

And yes, people seem to have ingrained that bargaining is always how it's done. My limited knowledge of the world tells me that in most cultures this is not only accepted but expected. Stupid game if you ask me but when in Rome....

I've lived overseas and there are places where the people will get mad if you (as the buyer) don't try to haggle with them (as the seller.) It's literally an insult to them.

When I get pissed is when you finally get to a deal, then the seller tries to either short you on what you are buying or open up the haggling process again. I can name two cultures right off the bat that do that.

As a result, I refuse to deal with them at this point.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I think the conclusion here is to not try and sell individual items. Just have an old fashioned yard sale and towards noon put out the free sign and walk away.

And yes, people seem to have ingrained that bargaining is always how it's done. My limited knowledge of the world tells me that in most cultures this is not only accepted but expected. Stupid game if you ask me but when in Rome....

I hate negotiating. Give me something at a good price and I'll buy it. I don't do much negotiating, but I have a few times. I've been in foreign countries where I was told that if you do NOT negotiate with hawkers/vendors that they find it insulting (which is weird as fuch since they are planning to go down on the price, why would making more money be insulting, but whatever).

[wdfifteen]

Culture is funny. We have German Baptists, who will haggle mildly over anything, and some people who are "not from our western culture" for whom buying a dozen eggs is an act of war.
My friend's kid, about 10, raises chickens and sells eggs. I admire him for his ambition and his dad for supporting him. But he tells me about the time one of these people stopped for eggs. The price was $4 a dozen. She looked at every egg, opened another carton and sorted them out so she had a carton of eggs she liked, then offered the kid a $1. When he said "no" she picked up every egg and showed him some flaw that she imagined, told him he should be ashamed to sell such crappy eggs, etc etc. The boy was in tears. I don't know what eventually came of it. Chalk it up to a clash of cultures, I guess.

[wdfifteen]

The LG stove issue seems to be resolving itself. My DIL really wants it and doesn't expect to get it for free. She's talking to her husband. If they offer something, fine, otherwise it's there's if they both want it. Maybe I can take the ad down and get this sorry episode behind me.

[Zeke]

@wdfifteen, that kind of story bothers me. Why do this to a kid? I would have liked to have been there. I'm the kind of guy when someone is in line behind me too close, I will "accidentally" step on their foot.

The pandemic reduced those incidences and for whatever reason that hasn't been much of a problem since. I did have a problem with some grabby guy at an estate sale a couple years ago and I dropped my to be purchases and told him "Let's go." That ended that.

Funny how people were a bit less pushy in that room henceforth. I've cut way back on sales as the behavior is not to my liking at all. Having spent 10 years repairing for the trade, I have learned a lot about the inside operation as well. The whole vibe is just nasty. They breed contempt.

Beware of regulars.

[herr_oberst]

I've probably had or hosted a dozen yardsales in the last 30 years.
One day only.
Always Saturday.

Thinking about a three-day yardsale makes me shudder thinking about the effort v reward. I enjoy the first few hours, but by three in the afternoon, I'm invariably absolutely done dealing with the whole shootin' match.

I really like the idea of closin' down the sale at noon the first day and just putting the leavings on the curb.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

I've probably had or hosted a dozen yardsales in the last 30 years.
One day only.
Always Saturday.

Thinking about a three-day yardsale makes me shudder thinking about the effort v reward. I enjoy the first few hours, but by three in the afternoon, I'm invariably absolutely done dealing with the whole shootin' match.

I really like the idea of closin' down the sale at noon the first day and just putting the leavings on the curb.

We always did 2 days, Fri and Sat. I think we usually started around 7am. I think on Fridays, we'd sell until somewhere between noon and 2 (weather and traffic dependent). I think on Sat we were usually done by noon. There was usually very little left, so it either went to the garbage or a donation place down the road.

I'm sure some of it is location dependent. I think the missus determined that Fri-Sat was the norm in our area. I don't think I've ever seen sales on Sundays, and I don't remember ever seeing stuff on Thursdays either.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Culture is funny. We have German Baptists, who will haggle mildly over anything, and some people who are "not from our western culture" for whom buying a dozen eggs is an act of war.
My friend's kid, about 10, raises chickens and sells eggs. I admire him for his ambition and his dad for supporting him. But he tells me about the time one of these people stopped for eggs. The price was $4 a dozen. She looked at every egg, opened another carton and sorted them out so she had a carton of eggs she liked, then offered the kid a $1. When he said "no" she picked up every egg and showed him some flaw that she imagined, told him he should be ashamed to sell such crappy eggs, etc etc. The boy was in tears. I don't know what eventually came of it. Chalk it up to a clash of cultures, I guess.

I spent my entire career working in the green industry. This included several stints in the nursery business as a grower. I KNOW how hard it is to grow plants and produce a quality product.

And this is why, as a landscape contractor who visited and purchased from wholesale nurseries, my personal philosophy was to NEVER haggle over pricing.

I was DELIGHTED to give these folks whatever they wanted. Moreover.....I was GRATEFUL for their help in supplying me with product I needed.

I realize it's a little different when you are talking about consumer goods. But nevertheless I try to maintain a sense of gratitude, which helps.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Culture is funny. We have German Baptists, who will haggle mildly over anything, and some people who are "not from our western culture" for whom buying a dozen eggs is an act of war.
My friend's kid, about 10, raises chickens and sells eggs. I admire him for his ambition and his dad for supporting him. But he tells me about the time one of these people stopped for eggs. The price was $4 a dozen. She looked at every egg, opened another carton and sorted them out so she had a carton of eggs she liked, then offered the kid a $1. When he said "no" she picked up every egg and showed him some flaw that she imagined, told him he should be ashamed to sell such crappy eggs, etc etc. The boy was in tears. I don't know what eventually came of it. Chalk it up to a clash of cultures, I guess.

I would have sent that lady packing, post haste. I cannot fathom doing that to anyone, let alone a kid. Unbelievable.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Zeke

@wdfifteen, that kind of story bothers me. Why do this to a kid? I].

I look at it as a cultural difference. I think The woman, apparently new here, thought the kid would have pushed back. I don’t know what ultimately happened in this case, but I’ll bet she eventually learned some hard lessons before figuring out how we do things here.
We often haggle, but insulting the seller’s goods in order to get a better price just does not fly.

[911 Rod]

I was taking over purchasing from an OJM who was the father of the owner of the company.
He tells me that a truckload of skids is $10 each. Call all the suppliers until you can get them to come down to $8. When the skids come in call them and tell them they had to repair all the skids and you will only pay $6.
I never did it.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I was taking over purchasing from an OJM who was the father of the owner of the company.
He tells me that a truckload of skids is $10 each. Call all the suppliers until you can get them to come down to $8. When the skids come in call them and tell them they had to repair all the skids and you will only pay $6.
I never did it.

Was the name of the company, "Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe?"

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Was the name of the company, "Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe?"

Sort of. The owners name was Howie!