turned down offer for my bike - am I just cranky?

[nostatic]

Just wondering/reality check. The story is that about a month or two ago I was looking for a second bike for 2-up and light touring. On craigslist I find a local Ducati ST2, low miles, nice mods, $4600 firm. Very good price considering the details. I call the owner and arrange to check the bike out. I'm the first one to call. I ride up that weekend, check it out, it is very clean but the riding position is a little tight. I tell the owner that I'll do some checking around about options for risers, etc and give him a call later in the day. He says no problem, but he has two other out-of-town guys who are chomping at the bit and one has offered $4800. But he'd rather sell it local to me and since I was first in line he'll do $4600. I understand, and tell him I'll call him late afternoon after I do some research.

So I call him in the early evening and leave a message saying I think I can make it work and will take it. I don't hear anything back the next day so I figure maybe he decided to take one of the other offers. No biggie...always another bike out there.

He calls on Tuesday asking if I want the bike, as the 2nd guy in line wants to come down on Thursday and buy it for $4800. Evidently he didn't get my message, but short story is I get a ride up to Ventura the next day with $4600 cash and buy the bike.

Flash forward to now. I've tried bar risers and peg lowering but the riding position just isn't really working for me. I could go the next step and try to find helibars, but at some point it isn't worth it to keep throwing money at it, but rather sell it and get a different bike. Since I got it for a very good price I'm not too worried about selling even though the market is soft. So far I'm into the bike a little over $5600, with tax, risers, peg lowering brackets, a brake light switch, and rear top box mount and box. I figure I'll keep the box as I can put that on my next bike, so in reality I'm in a little over $5K.

I put it in craiglist at $4950 and get no bites. After a few days I decide to evilBay it and see what happens. I get interest, and get contacted by a guy who wants to talk to me on the phone with some questions. I call him and it turns out he was the guy who was second in line for the bike and had offered $4800 for it (though he didn't know I knew that).

Anyway, he talks my ear off on the phone, asks me a bunch of questions about the bike, and also about other bikes he's looking at...like I'm supposed to sell him on some ST3 he's checking out as well. Finally after 40 minutes I had to excuse myself from the call. He says he's coming down to LA and would like to see the bike and buy it. OK...I can stop the auction if I do a local sale - that happens all the time on eBay.

So after a few email exchanges and another phone call, he says he'll be in Santa Monica on Friday fixing up his Guzzi that he's selling to a guy in Japan. Says he won't have a ride though so can I come to him with the bike. OK...whatever. I figure I'll ride it there, then continue on to work. I find the place he's working on the bike, he checks out the bike, asks a bunch of other questions (my favorite - "do these Remus pipes sound that much better than stock?") and then asks if he can ride it. I'm not crazy about the idea, but let him do it. Thankfully he didn't dump it.

He comes back, says it is cool, reiterates about how this is "the bike for him" etc. I had told him that I paid $4600 for it and that I had spent money on the other bits. I also told him I wasn't going to sell the DP box cheap, as they were expensive and I can use it elsewhere - if he wants a box he can get a Givi for like $200. So he says a few more things then asks, "so will you take $4K?"

I was pretty annoyed at that point. If he didn't know the history of the bike, I wouldn't have cared about the low ball offer, but given what he knew, I was pissed. I said, "no, you know what I paid, I don't have to sell it, I'm not in a financial bind and I have space to store the bike." I put on my helmet and left.

He calls me later that night and leaves a voicemail saying he can swing $4900 with the box (I specifically told him that I would not sell the box for cheap) or $4650 without the box. I didn't call him back (he called when I was at a gig). He called again this am and sent an email asking me to call him back.

Later this am (I slept in), I sent him this email:

"I'm probably going to hold off and let the auction run its course. To be honest, your $4K offer yesterday morning rather put me off, so I'm not really inclined to make a deal. You know the history on the bike and my purchase price, and I went out of my way to accommodate you regarding seeing the bike, as well as spending a lot of time on the phone discussing mine and other bikes. If you had offered $4650 yesterday morning I likely would have taken it. I was totally honest on all aspects of the bike and my purchase and expected a reasonable offer.

Best of luck in your hunt for a bike."

So, am I just being cranky, or would you be pissed off? My bet is that on eBay it'll go for over $5K, but that isn't the point. I'd sell it for $4650 to someone else - but he pissed me off.

[Drdogface]

I've had the same thing happen on various items.. Guys just needle you, bother you, more and more questions, low ball, tap dance....blah blah. I woulda done what you did...and have. I sold a Harley once to a guy I frankly didn't like but he paid cash and full price. I still wish I'd sold it to someone else...even if a lower price.

[Neilk]

Maybe a little cranky, but when someone pisses you off, I can see not wanting to deal with them.

That said, might as well post a link to auction.

[nostatic]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Motorcycles___1998-Ducati-ST2-Motorcycle-low-miles-low-reserve_W0QQitemZ120291392510QQddnZMotorcyclesQQdd iZ2283QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120291392510&_trkparms=72%3A971%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245.l1318

[speeder]

I'm with you. There is nothing automatically wrong with a low-ball offer, if done respectfully, but to waste someone's time and ask for a test-ride, plus you came to him, etc., is inconsiderate. I'm in the hunt for a bike, but I would not do what he did. If I had a cash offer in mind, I would spring it before taking a test-ride and I would not talk someone's ear off unless they clearly wanted to shoot the bull about bikes, (which sometimes happens).

GL w/ the sale, I'm sure that it will work-out fine.

[nostatic]

actually even after the conversations and test ride a low ball offer would be ok - except that he knew what I had into the bike. He basically said, "you're an idiot, give me $600." To which my reply is, "you can't buy my bike."

[stomachmonkey]

Forget about him.

He's an asshat

[speeder]

To be completely fair, what you have invested in the bike does not affect its value. Its value is determined by what others are selling for in comparable condition. If, (hypothetically), you over-paid for it yesterday by $1k, you would never recover that.

In this case, it seems that the bike is an outstanding example and your expected price is realistic. Ebay is an interesting animal, the same bike or car can vary from one week to the next depending on who's looking.

[nostatic]

I know the market, and the competing bikes. He talked about other bikes that were in the 3-4K range - and all are high miles and ridden hard/put away wet. I would agree that for a typical buyer what I have into the bike is immaterial. But for this guy it is somewhat relevant.

eBay certainly is an odd place...just have to get the right two people who want the bike. I'm pretty positive it'll hit my reserve ($4600) and I'll sell it at that price no problem. Just not to the guy who pissed me off...

There is an argument that it's "just business" but that's probably why I'm not in the private sector. I don't want to play games - here's the price, yes or no. And I'd like to have it be non-confrontational. But some people aren't wired that way.

[island911]

Apparently you felt that teaching him a lesson was more important than the sale.

After the drive down there, I certainly would not have engaged the guy beyond outlining a price, a place and a time (non negotiable)

So, cranky or not, the guy was irritating, indecisive, and had a need to 'work you.'

[john70t]

Sell it to him for $4,650...plus your hourly rate. What was that rate again?
Have him meet you at your place of choosing, if you can make it the first time.

[Seahawk]

Of course you're cranky...you just happen to be right in this case

[Dottore]

I would have done the same.

[greglepore]

Ditto on all the above. He wasted your most valuable commodity, time, knowing your position. I would have told him to screw off....Personally, I think you're too well adjusted

[porsche930dude]

what if he wins the ebay auction lol

[speeder]

Originally Posted by porsche930dude

what if he wins the ebay auction lol

That would be fine, as long as he pays. The problem is that he's the type to flake on the deal and eBay does not allow Todd to even leave him negative feedback anymore.

[javadog]

The guy is a d*ck. At this point, I wouldn't sell him the bike at any price.

I'd say take a little time to sell it and get all of your money back.

JR

[dtw]

You can block his eBay ID so he can't bid if you really want to shut him out at any price.

[Scuba Steve]

Wow, sounds like a real pain. But your auction has a ton of bids so far and still 3 days left to go.

I've been through some of that selling my 924S over the last couple of weeks. Tons of calls, a few follow through, and the one with the most questions tries talking me down on it (it's already priced the same as 944s in multiple pieces are) and if I didn't have a buyer coming over tomorrow I'd just keep it. There are too many tire kickers out there...

[aigel]

You have to get into the used car sale mindset: If you want to sell something you have to make the sale. Low offers, long phone calls and back and forth are part of the deal. It is a game to some people - obviously it is to this guy - he is selling bikes to Japan ...

The buyer is a wheeler and dealer looking for a good deal and has many bikes to choose from. From your CL ad it is obvious that you do not have that many buyers to choose from at least locally.

Too late now, but I would have recommended swallowing your pride and telling the guy to see you at your door for $5100. He probably would have gone for it.

You know, the bank account doesn't know if the cash came from a jerk or not. Now you are looking at selling to an unknown person who could be an even bigger jerk or just flake out on you. Unsure if you have sold vehicles on EBay before? I have had little luck - usually some 9 year old kid in New Jersey is the high bidder and all the guys next on the list don't want it - no obligation.

Your frustration is the exact reason why people trade in their vehicles for lowball prices at the dealerships. They do not want to deal with the process of selling them to the public. Personally, I am lucky. My wife sells our vehicles. I tell her what I want for it and whatever she gets on top of that, she can keep for herself.

George