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Trouble dealing with a local seller with a massive hoard

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trag

Well-known member
Walk away. She will be in touch again after the collection has been sitting there for months unsold.

I would also be very careful paying out that kind of money for a collection unless I saw everything in person and opened up every machine - how do you know half of them are not PRAM battery disasters or have other major problems?
Occasionally you'll see a "collection" that is all the machines from a former service/repair store, which could not be repaired.  In other words, they all had a serious enough problem it wasn't worth it to the owner to pay the diagnosis fee to get them back.  Or they just let the repair place have them rather than dispose of the machine themselves.

 

trag

Well-known member
While your letter is comprehensive and well written and makes several good points, if I might offer a bit of criticism...

These two phrases in the first paragraph:

" your personality prevents any reasonable negotiation."

"You come across as knowing everything. "

Are likely to offend her to the point where she pays no attention to the rest of the letter.    It might have been better to omit items that could be considered personal insults.  On the other hand, I fully understand wanting to point out how those behaviors were affecting the transaction.

 

MrFahrenheit

Well-known member
I think the fact that somebody offered $12K cash proves to her that it is worth much more which is why you should have low balled at 4K and worked your way up if needed. If you look too eager you won't get a good deal.
The fact that she said she laughed and was insulted by a $10k cash offer already, proves that any offer below that is pointless.  Why bother?

 

MrFahrenheit

Well-known member
While your letter is comprehensive and well written and makes several good points, if I might offer a bit of criticism...

These two phrases in the first paragraph:

" your personality prevents any reasonable negotiation."

"You come across as knowing everything. "

Are likely to offend her to the point where she pays no attention to the rest of the letter.    It might have been better to omit items that could be considered personal insults.  On the other hand, I fully understand wanting to point out how those behaviors were affecting the transaction.
I totally get that the tone and wording could come across as insulting, and quite honestly I didn't care and also I wanted to be upfront and let her know that these two reasons were really hindering any sort of negotiations.  I had tried on numerous occasions since Saturday to justify what I was saying, to legitimize my position, etc., but she wouldn't hear any of it.  At all.  She had her mind made up, and nothing I could say would convince her otherwise, even though I could easily prove her wrong in a few instances, she didn't care.  She literally looked me in the eyes and said she knew more about this than I did.  Meanwhile, she actually knows nothing about vintage computing.

 

aeberbach

Well-known member
That's a pretty reasonable letter @MrFahrenheit but I feel you have only wasted more of your time - it's the same thing as telling an eBay seller that their item is not going to sell for $2k, they don't want to know better.

(nitpick: we're close knit, like a woollen article)

 
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MrFahrenheit

Well-known member
That's a pretty reasonable letter @MrFahrenheit but I feel you have only wasted more of your time - it's the same thing as telling an eBay seller that their item is not going to sell for $2k, they don't want to know better.

(nitpick: we're close knit, like a woollen article)
It was more for my benefit, to get out what was bothering me.  If she reads it, fine.  If not, I really don't care.

RE:  close knit, my spell check said it was correct.  I haven't really used the word written before.

 

Byrd

Well-known member
You've written a pretty emotive and insulting letter to someone who won't change, and you can't change - I wouldn't have bothered.  Pretty sure you won't be on her Christmas card list :)

 

MrFahrenheit

Well-known member
You've written a pretty emotive and insulting letter to someone who won't change, and you can't change - I wouldn't have bothered.  Pretty sure you won't be on her Christmas card list :)
Actually, I just received a fairly long email from her apologizing and wanting to start over and as a gesture she’s come down lower than her “absolute firm price”. Maybe it worked. 

 

quorten

Well-known member
Congrats!  Really good to hear that.  I thought I wasn't going to say this so soon, but because of the good fortune I'm going to... as long as she's still healthy and well, nothing is final and the end yet.

 

MrFahrenheit

Well-known member
Update:  that deal did not proceed. 
 

The seller would not allow me to open any machines, test any machines, or even very the machines that are supposed to be there. Just selling as “one lot of stuff” but no verification of what the stuff being sold is. 
 

There could be legal issues after because she could easily change her mind and say no it only included X or they could move stuff out after the deal is made and it disappears. It’s not worth it for me. 
 

Plus she was firm on her ask of $13,500 for what is supposed to be about 150 Macintosh computers. 
 

The seller is unstable. Not the type of person that should be negotiating a sale this big. 

 

Byrd

Well-known member
Surprised the seller got back to you - run, don’t walk. You could also possibly be played off against another buyer here she prefers to deal with.

 

Cory5412

Daring Pioneer of the Future
Staff member
My apologies for the delay on this. I meant to read through and manage this earlier, but it seems like it has basically come to a conclusion.

 
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