Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sale

Selling an underwater house?

antipode12 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:15:48 -0800

Previously I was considering bankruptcy, but now I'm considering selling my house. My fiancee has left, I have $50k in CC debt, student loans, and a mortgage that is under water by $15-25K. Renting it out will only cover 2/3 of the mortgage/taxes/ins., and nowhere to live. I'm thinking about selling it, but what happens if I sell for less than I owe? Also, I'd be responsible for the realtor's fee (4-6%= appx. $20-25K). Add those together, and it's 30k to 50k to SELL my house and get out from under the mortgage. What happens to the balance that I would owe? Thanks!

Need name for sale section

little_c — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:42:10 -0800

My sister needs help naming a section of her bi-annual kids' consignment sale, and I'm not good with this advertising stuff. Here's her question:
--
So at the sale this time we are starting a "women's" section:
It's supposed to be "new" or "like-new" items in these 3 categories:

1. Women's accessories - purses, scarves, sunglasses, misc ??? Basically everything but clothing.

2. Crafts - again "new" or like-new only - pretty much unused, unopened.

3. Small home decor - no upholstered items, no couches, etc. Just
lamps, small end tables, artwork, knick knacks etc.

--
Mommy Mart is out... other things we've come up with are Ladies' Lounge or Ladies' Lair but those don't sound right! Other ideas are The Stork Lady - For Grown Ups... etc.

So..any ideas? What would be a good name for this section of her sale? All I could come up with was "Just for You" (told you I was no good at this). Thanks!

Luxury Jewelry Store sale?

darsh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:25:01 -0800

Does Lux Bond & Green ever have a sale? I am the lucky recipient of a $50 cert at the jewelry store Lux Bond & Green. There's one right near work, so I went in to take a look at how I could spend my loot, and quickly realized that everything was WAY above that price point.

Not having previously paid attention to this store, I dont know if it's worth waiting for a summer sale event - do any Boston area Mefites know whether this place ever has a sale, or marks items down?

Help me sound smart when purchasing a car!

genmonster — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:05:56 -0800

Buying a used car from owner: what questions to ask? As my old Toyota is on its last legs, I'm looking to replace it with a new(er) model. I'm hoping to buy it directly from the owner to avoid paying a dealer's markup. I'm meeting a guy for a test drive tomorrow..what stuff should I ask him?

I already know: ownership history, reason for selling, highway v. city mileage. I plan to ask for the VIN to get a carfax report, and have the car vetted by my mechanic, but I feel like I'm missing something...what smart things should I ask, or what do you wish you had asked a previous owner?

*bonus question* he's asking exactly the Kelley Blue Book value- is this considered a totally reasonable (even a good) price? Almost all the cars of this make and model in my area are being sold by dealerships, so I'm having a hard time finding other sellers to compare prices to.

Selling paintings online

diode — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:38:54 -0800

I have some paintings left to me by a deceased relative. We've identified the artists and have some rough idea of their value, maybe a few hundred or more per per piece. What's the best way to sell them? These paintings have been sitting in a corner of my house for months where I periodically think 'why the devil are these still here'. They are attractive art works but not something I want to hang on my wall. Is there an online venue where I can put them up for sale without having to resort to the auction format? What other methods are there for getting some fair market value for them?

At what point is a merchant required to complete a sale?

fogster — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:09:57 -0800

At what point, if any, is an online merchant required to complete the sale? I know that ads are "invitations to bargain" and whatnot, so that a merchant is not obligated to honor an advertised price.

But as the transaction progresses from me seeing the advertisement to me putting the item in my cart, to me tendering payment, to my order being processed, does the merchant lose their right to back out of a sale?

Specifically, I found a very good deal on a major retailer's "Outlet" website. Specifically, a nice monitor for $50, when $150-200 was the norm. But because it was the outlet site of a company known for cheap products, and because it didn't appear to be a decimal error (e.g., $19.99 when $199.99 was meant), I believed the price was correct and placed my order. If it matters, the product was listed as out of stock but still for sale.

Several days after placing the order, I received an e-mail explaining that there had been a pricing error, and that they were canceling the order and returning my money, as well as giving me a $10 online coupon.

Does the fact that I already paid for the product negate their ability to cancel the sale? It seems that they should lose their right to change their mind after I've already paid.

I'm not an unhinged lunatic planning to sue because they didn't sell me a computer monitor at a really low price. I'm mostly just curious about the law: can they take my money and then decide not to sell it to me?

not so easy rider

hector horace — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:45:14 -0800

Can I legally sell/give away a discarded motorcycle for parts without being the registered owner? I am in Quebec.

I have in my possession a vintage Suzuki A 100 motorcycle that was recently discarded (officially) by its owner. Important detail: the bike is still in perfect running shape.

Can I sell/give away the bike "for parts" without having to transfer the registration over to the prospective buyer? The registered owner is out of the Provence and has no problem with me doing getting rid of it (it has been "scrapped" legally with the govt). If the bike is explicitly sold for parts can I legally sell/give it away with out having to switch the title? I really want the thing out of my garage. I can't seem to find any info online.

I have about 300 books I need to sell or donate by the 26th.

Optimus Chyme — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:39:42 -0800

I have about 300 books I need to sell or donate by the 26th. NYC-centric details inside. Okay, I'm moving from a huge apartment to a tiny one. Among the tons of things I need to sell or give away are the last remainders of my once-massive book collection. I'm currently in Harlem, and The Strand is far away as heck; I figure I could take a duffel bag filled with books to work and then there every day, but that seems insane.

I do not have a car or a Zipcar membership.

The dream scenario would be for a truck to pull up, give me some nominal payment for the books (I'm realistic about the likely small figure, having sold books before), and then be done with it. Is there any chance of anything like this happening? What the hell should I do?

Who has overestimated the American public's desire for chocolate this year?

doift — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:09:40 -0800

My favorite holiday, Half-Price Candy Day, happens four times a year: Nov. 1, Dec. 26, Feb. 15, and the day after Easter. I usually hit a chain drugstore or grocery store for my Conversation Hearts or Robin's Eggs, but it just occurred to me that I could probably do better. Where will I have the best luck finding discounted high-end candy this Sunday? I usually see a lot of extra holiday stock at Godiva, so that's going on the list. Have you walked into a store this week and thought "There's no way they're going to sell all these pink boxes before Saturday?"

I'm in New York City, so I'm particularly interested in local places, but chain and web stores are good too.

I'm still going to stock up on Conversation Hearts, though. I like the white ones.

How does this sale work?

jefficator — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:06:26 -0800

Does anyone have the inside scoop on Cost Plus World Market great buys Sales? I'm interested in a sleeper-chair-and-a-half (like a sleeper sofa, but opens into a twin sized bed) at Cost Plus World Market. The chair costs $399 until January 31. My local store has six in stock, and they say the sale last until they run out of chairs.

But what happens if they don't run out before the end of the sale? Do they ship the surplus back somewhere? Do they raise the price back to $599 (the nebulous "regular" price)? Or do they discount further?

I know this type of bargain hunting is harmful to the economy, but its very helpful to my wallet.

Help keep me from getting ripped off!

Glendale — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:56:26 -0800

Making an expensive, long-distance purchase. He only accepts "cashier's checks/money orders". How do I protect myself? That's basically the entire question. This is a craigslist-style sale, so there's no way to track it digitally... He gave me one address that the vehicle is located (his small business, which checks out on google) and another to send the check (his home address). He informed me that if I faxed him a copy of the check, he would immediately fax back the title, with my information on it, to show that he's actually got the vehicle and that he'll be dropping it in the mail as soon as he receives the real, physical copy of the check.

He sounds real legit, and I'm a really trusting person, so I'm going to go for it. I know there are probably a lot of warning flags here, but I'm going with my gut. Just wondering if anyone knows of any clever ways to protect myself...

How can I sell my (uninsured, unregistered) car with minimum work/hassle?

Perplexity — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:41:58 -0800

How can I sell my (uninsured, unregistered) car with minimum work/hassle? It's a 2003 Rav4 with about 33k miles. Blue book is something like $8k.

It's been sitting unused in a downtown Boston parking lot for several weeks now. The insurance has expired, and the registration has been revoked for this reason. I want to sell it with minimal hassle/effort.

I don't want to deal with having numerous random people come check it out / test drive it / etc. I'd rather not have to reinsure / reregister it.

I recognize that I'll receive substantially less money doing it this way.

What should I do?

Thanks!

Commission on sale of single stock?

Sweetie Darling — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:04:54 -0800

How much commission should we expect to pay on the sale of a single stock? We recently received an inheritance in stock (held in a Smith Barney account) that we need to cash out. I've looked high and low on the Smith Barney website and also searched for a printed prospectus that probably has this info in 6 point type somewhere, but I'm not having good luck. To satisfy my curiosity until the broker's office opens on Monday, I'm turning to you. How much commission should we expect to pay from the sale?

So here are the details:

- One stock
- Base value (date of death) was $47
- Hoping to sell at $38
- Looking at getting either $25k, $50k or $75k in cash (I assume the quantity sold affects commission?)

Links to online tools to figure all this out would be great, or I'll also happily take a ballpark answer. Thanks!

Average used iPod price tracker?

teg — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:43:17 -0800

Is there a website that tracks the average selling price of used items? I'm particularly interested in used iPod prices, but something more general would be nice too. The price they actually go for would be more helpful than the original asking price. All I've been able to find are paid services for eBay sellers, but they seem like overkill for my needs.

Selling a business

mattoxic — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:01:13 -0800

What's a good revenue multiplier for the sale of a software company that has an annual turnover of $500K ? And please explain why

How can I get out of a listed house in order to sell it For Sale By Owner?

twistedmetal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:10:51 -0800

I have a rental house that I am selling. It has been listed with a Real Estate agent since Nov 07. Not one offer on it. Some people from my parent's church are interested in buying it, but they want to do it For Sale By Owner -no Real Estate Agents involved. My listing expires on Oct. 11. How long after the listing expires can I sell it on my own? Is there a grace period? Any ideas of how to cancel the listing beforehand? I don't want to lie, but I would rather sell to the church people for obvious reasons (more money for me, better deal for them, etc.). I am in GA.

Buying a Short Sale Property

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:12:08 -0800

I just saw a house in NY that is being offered as a short sale. It needs work, but the investment would be smart. My real estate agent was trying to dissuade me about considering the house by saying that the house needs so much work. It does need work, but not as extensive as the agent is suggesting. How do I negotiate the process of making an offer and have it accepted? A couple of points to ponder: my agent teaches a foreclosure class and I'm suspicious that he wants to purchase the home himself; 2 agents are involved - mine and the one representing the seller. Can I speak with the seller/bank myself? I want to be sure that my offer is presented and that I'm not outbid by someone (like my agent) or that the agents work together to get me to raise my offer - and their commission -by just saying that my offer is too low. Is there anything to protect me as the consumer? I feel like a sheep among wolves!

Best Mac resale solution online?

jeffmacintyre — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:58:43 -0800

What's the best Mac resale solution online? Describe your experiences. I'm looking to unload a Santa Rosa-era Macbook and wondering how people rate their experience using the sundry Apple resale sites out there (see below). I have just posted to Craigslist in the past but just want a simple, straightforward process that will give me best value for the machine--and hopefully be a service I can use again in the future, too.

Eg.,
http://www.macofalltrades.com/
http://cash4macs.com/
http://www.sellamac.com/

How do I sell my car?

imposster — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:42:00 -0800

Where can I find information about how to sell my car? (Ohio) I've never sold a car before and I'm unsure of all the steps I need to take (and in what order to take them). The BMV website doesn't provide much guidance (unless I'm missing some sort of obvious page that explains it all). When do I sign over the title? What do I do with the plates? When do I notarize the mileage? What steps am I leaving out?

Hybrid HOV stickers

nat — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:28:36 -0800

Selling a hybrid: What to ask for carpool-lane stickers? I'm trying to sell my five-year-old hybrid car in California. California has a (possibly misguided, but let's not get into that) law that allowed a fixed number of hybrids to get stickers which let them drive in the carpool lane. This number was reached a while ago, so the stickers can only be obtained by buying a used car that already has them.

These HOV stickers seem to increase the sale value of a car, based on a comparison of bluebook prices to craigslist/autotrader ads, by up to 3k.

However, I think it decreases the market. Only a long commuter is going to be willing to pay so much extra for the stickers. Even just among my friends I've had plenty of people mention that they'd be interested in the car, except for those.

As it is now, I have had a craiglist ad up for a week, but I have had no serious replies. Should I consider not asking for a premium for the stickers? (after all I think the law is a little silly anyhow...but I am just out of school so 3k is a lot of money to me.) Or have I just not been patient enough, or have I not been posting in the right places?

I have read such earlier posts as this one, but of course my question is more specific.

How low an offer should I take for my house?

Mom — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:56:45 -0800

How low an offer should I take for my house? 2 family house.

Bad: Has some knob&tube wiring, crappy, beat-up garage, kitchens haven't been renovated. Close to noisy road. 1 really awful neighbor that the city will take to court for basically being a dump. Built @ 100 years ago; I'm the 3rd owner.

Good: Has gorgeous period woodwork, pretty good location. Close to the ocean, shopping, bus lines, recreation, university. Replacement windows, insulation, recent roof.

Put it on the market at 325. Under contract at 305, buyer bailed out. Gave realtors 1 month extension of contract, reduced price 10% to 293.

There are are @ 50 2-family houses on the market, many more 3 & 4 family houses, and few buyers. Rents will cover my 1st & 2nd mortgages on the house. I have a new house, sick of being a landlord, would like to have cash to buy more land, and generally have better cash flow. Have negotiated an offer to 285.

My real question? How bad do you think the market will get? How bad do you think the economy will get? My town is healthy, real estate market is soft but hasn't really tanked. I tend to be quite pessimistic about the current state of affairs.

Thanks for your advice.

Need to lose office furniture in Widnes.

emperor.seamus — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:14:14 -0800

I know this question comes up once for every location on the globe now and again, but does anyone know anywhere around the Widnes/Cheshire area that would buy or take some (rather nice) office equipment off my hands? Delivering it would be very difficult as I'm working for a very small firm who don't really have the money or the time to arrange anything on a larger scale. Anyone know of anywhere suitable in the area?

First-time car seller looking for best way to sell a car in NYC

dcjd — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:55:45 -0800

First-time car seller looking for best way to sell a car in NYC? I moved to Manhattan a few months ago, and I brought my car with me. I hardly ever use it now, and its costing me a lot of money and aggravation. I'm thinking that it might be time to get rid of it, however, I've never sold a car before.

What's the best method to get rid of my car and not get ripped off? Should I have the car inspected before listing it, or is that something the buyer would want to do themselves? I'd like to be safe, as I'm sure there are plenty of people on craigslist who might try to scam me out of my vehicle. The car is registered in NY, gets decent gas mileage, and I have the title to it.

What is a fair price?

ubiquity — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:27:40 -0800

How do I assess the value of an offer I received for an investment I own? I own a tiny interest in some property which produces oil revenue — about $125 per quarter. I have been offered $2,140 for it. How can I assess the value of this offer? At 5% annually, the future value of $125 per quarter overtakes that of $2,140 in about five years, but I don't have a good feel for what that means in terms of the fairness of the offer. Obviously, if someone offered me more than $12,000 for the property, I'd take it, because the quarterly interest (again, at 5%) on $12,000 is $125. On the other hand, $125 is clearly too little, because I can get that much from my investment in a single quarter. So a good price is somewhere between $125 and $12,000. But where? If there are any good rules of thumb for dealing with this sort of problem, please tell me.

Selling my car in Oklahoma, but it's registered in Texas. What do I do? The sale might happen today! Help!

jimmyhutch — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:11:43 -0800

Selling my car in Oklahoma, but it's registered in Texas. Can I get some advice on what to do here? More details inside, and this sale could happen today! I live temporarily in Oklahoma (moving back to TX as soon as we sell our house), but I am still registered in Texas with the car. I am selling the car for a little less than I owe on it, but paying the cash for the remainder of the loan to the loan company (Capital One Auto - I know, I know) isn't an issue.

I called Capital One Auto, and besides telling me repeatedly that they'll release the title to the new owner after I pay off the balance, they were extremely unhelpful.

So, how this stands is that I am selling my car for cash in Oklahoma, and the car is registered in Texas. Which state do I need to deal with in this situation? Obviously I need to let Texas know that I no longer have liability on this car (via this form) once I sell it to the guy, and then get a registered payment to the bank so that they will overnight the title.

What else am I oblivious to in this situation? Have I left out something for forgotten something that is gonna screw this up?

Thanks for your help, in advance!