Selling item on Craigslist and buyer who made deposit not communicating

May 8, 2018 9:33 AM

Should I sell my item to someone else since the original buyer from Craigslist who put a deposit down on the item is not responding to my calls, texts, or emails?

So I'm selling a rather large item. I am replacing it with a new version. I posted the item on Craigslist and had a bit of interest. One of the stipulations with the sale was that the buyer would need to wait a few months before taking the item as I didn't want to release the item until the new one came as it's something I use for work. So I had a buyer who agreed to put down a $100 deposit towards the purchase of the item.. around $1400 in total value.

I've kept in touch with this person keeping them up to date with shipping of the new product which is coming from over seas. They would respond to texts and we spoke on the phone. There were some shipping issues and the item got delayed. I offered to give the buyer the deposit back when the delays arose if they didnt wanna wait but they said it was ok they would wait. I recently told the buyer the new item has arrived and is in customs. The buyer responded saying that's great.

Next day I texted the buyer saying the new item would be delivered at the end of the next week and that I'd like to schedule a time for them to pick up the item they are buying. And then...radio silence. Buyer did not reply to text. About 5 days later I called and left a message. No reply.

So I'm really confused. If they didn't put down a deposit I'd assume they were no longer interested in the item. What should I do? I have other potential buyers who I can sell to. Should I tell the buyer they need to respond or I'll sell elsewhere? They've been patient waiting for my new one to arrive. What about the deposit? Any input here is great.

posted by ljs30 to Work & Money (14 answers total)

Yes, give them a deadline of maybe two more weeks and when it passes, sell to someone else. If they ever contact you again, you should offer them a refund on the deposit.
posted by soelo at 9:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [7 favorites]

If it's only been 5 days, I'd give it a little while longer. Sometimes life gets crazy and something like a Craigslist purchase can fall on the wayside. Give them a deadline and refund the deposit if you sell it to someone else after the deadline passes.

Is the only contact method you have for them the same phone number? If they're behind on their bill or something like that, they might be having problems getting texts and voicemails.
posted by Candleman at 9:44 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

Just as a data point - I had something similar happen to me when I went travelling for two weeks and did not take my phone. It's not like you've been providing a concrete date of delivery the whole time and the whole "now it's in customs" kind of stuff that is hard to plan around. Life happens.

This person has clearly demonstrated an interest in your item and you should at a minimum allow a couple of weeks to arrange a pick up before automatically refunding their money the same way they sent it to you and moving on.
posted by notorious medium at 9:51 AM on May 8, 2018 [9 favorites]

For all you know, this person's in the hospital or has had a death in the family. I'd give it at least a few weeks.
posted by FencingGal at 9:53 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

I would just wait until the new item is actually delivered and you are ready to actually sell your item, then contact the buyer again. It sounds like it's been kind of a journey, and maybe they are tired of dealing with all the updates, especially if they have other stuff going on.
posted by acidic at 9:57 AM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

You should do whatever is in your best interest. Do you think you'll have trouble selling it if you wait, or for less? Is it taking up too much room where the new version needs to sit? Then sell it now. Just give the original buyer back their deposit.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 10:12 AM on May 8, 2018

Echoing all of the above. And, as someone who makes calls with people all the time for my job, one unanswered call and one text isn’t really radio silence. People are BUSY and non concrete timelines don’t register for a lot of people.

YMMV but in my world: [calling every day, leaving a voicemail every few days, sending texts to confirm that you called and didn’t go through, with no response to any of the above, for more than 5 business days] is the level of non response needed to consider it radio silence.
posted by seemoorglass at 10:19 AM on May 8, 2018

Response by poster: Pig Tail is sort of hitting the nail on the head with the main reason I don't wanna wait long...this is a huge item and I really don't have the room to store both of them. I can do it if I have to but this is why I set up a buyer in advance so that I could move one item out and the other in. The money is not really an issue. I think I'll find another buyer willing to pay what I want as I'm selling at a very fair price.
posted by ljs30 at 10:20 AM on May 8, 2018

I think I'll find another buyer willing to pay what I want as I'm selling at a very fair price.

I think first you need to call the guy with the deposit and let him know exactly when you want to schedule a pick-up. It's quite possible that it's not clear to the buyer that the item is actually ready for him now.

Call again, give him a timeline to get back to you for pick-up and be clear that if he doesn't reply to you, the item will be sold to someone else. I wouldn't sell it to another without making another attempt with this buyer.
posted by vivzan at 10:27 AM on May 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

You are getting good advice about letting the depositor know (vivzan). You need to be careful because the damages to the depositor/buyer caused by your failure to complete the transaction can be considerably more than the sales price you have agreed upon. His damages will be based on the cost of obtaining a replacement item and attendant expenses. Since you are "selling at a very fair price" and the item apparently is not that common replacement could be costly.
posted by uncaken at 10:38 AM on May 8, 2018

>>I'd like to schedule a time for them to pick up the item ... About 5 days later I called and left a message. No reply.

You've already done the notifications everyone is suggesting you do again. You don't need to keep waiting. If you or the buyer didn't specify some specific period in your contract/agreement, I can't see why you can't just sell it now. Then again, IANAL.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 11:11 AM on May 8, 2018

For what it's worth, I think it would be a technically acceptable but dick move to drop the buyer after just five days (which barely counts as radio silence), considering the he's been accommodating with your months-long schedule and customs delays.

I'd give him at least another week to get in touch, and you should try calling at least once more before letting him know in writing that if you don't hear back within X days, you are assuming he's no longer interested.
posted by yeahlikethat at 1:15 PM on May 8, 2018 [3 favorites]

As someone who just spent 10 days unexpectedly out of commission, some in the hospital, I’d really like to stress that 5 days with no contact could be easily explained. I’d at least give another few days, and stress both in writing and verbally, the date it must be picked up by. This person has waited months for you.
posted by greermahoney at 2:37 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

There is a chance that spending the other $1300 is no longer feasible right now. You might want to offer them an out and refund the deposit if so.
posted by amaire at 6:24 AM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]