Well not really.
Here's me musing over what a strange animal old Gumtree is - not the billy tea and smoke variety, but rather the e-site which seems to operate like eBay for stolen goods. Perhaps not stolen in a literal sense but treated like they were in any given discourse leading up to a possible transaction.
What got me here? I will disclose that later but for now I can tell you that my Gumtree experiences have bordered on the truly whacky.
Starting off in all innocence a couple of years ago I made the mistake of advertising a complete set of Series seats (6 bits) for $90 - as background this contained one cushion that I had previously purchased from an AULRO-SLOW native for $45, and they were not torn or worn out. So, I thought this might be on the conservative side of things. Well after some time and several hints that I was being a bit greedy I let them go for $40...
Next off the rank was an unused digital SLR camera body that originally cost around $750. Asking $300 for it plus the chargers etc I was accosted by young Sanjay from Canberra who gave me what for as a racist for not selling it to him for $100 plus a lens. Needless to say I didn't, but it was instructive.
Well I'll move on past the heavy duty brush cutter etc that received a few sight unseen $10 offers - given to a best mate out of pique there were a few more run ins - but none more challenging than my encounter with young Russell from Woy Woy.
This one is a killer and needs some explaining because out of a thousand or so transactions on the internet this came the closest to a complete failure. It goes like this - having sold the S3 boat I decided to sell off some boxed and unused parts that had never been fitted to it, including LED navigation lights, a NZ built switch panel and a GME CD MP3 player face value in excess of $600. Put the navigation lights on Gumtree at $45 (half price) and the usual chorus of bottom feeders turned up offering the usual $5-$10. But amongst these appeared Russell who spoke very politely and wanted them for his yacht building project - no quibble as he recognised the brand and the good deal. Now fool as I am I happened to mention the other bits and sent photos etc to which I got an affirmative will buy the lot for $260 - too good to be true. Well, I boxed them up and took them to the post office ready for shipment once the funds had been transferred to my account. Now, bring on the milk of human kindness but I recalled that Russell had mentioned that his boatbuilder was keen to fit the kit that week and receiving an email that the funds had just been transferred I told the postmaster to speed it on its way..... I suspect you know what's coming but after three weeks there was nary a sign of the funds. So, a message or two were sent of increasing stridency hinting at an expectation of being paid - falling on deaf ears as it happens. So, a late night phone call revealed that it was all a mix up and the funds would soon be forthcoming - good intent possibly but nothing came of it. So, a threat of taking action to recover the parts or funds winged its way to Woy Woy and after another two weeks a deposit for 50% of the funds appeared. Some time passed including a note of bemusement as to how and when 50% of the debt had been agreed to without apparent action - so another threat (hollow of course since the small claims fee was a multiple of the debt - in NSW the odds favour the con) and, at last after nearly 5 months, the balance appeared.
OK, but why muse over Gumtree now?
Well this morning I decided to relist a good condition catcher for a Victa mower for $35 - recalling that pricing on Gumtree is not unlike the haggling scene from Life of Brian. Mid-stubby up pops a message from Les and Irene telling me that these can be bought at the tip for $2 - in fact, they had done so. Now, assuming that the well meaning Les or Irene were in all likelihood suggesting that I try the anatomically impossible, I responded to the effect that they should have bought two of them. Well, this didn't go down well with the self-appointed consumer watchdogs and the subsequent responses from L&I did little to dispel the suspicion that I was a rum sort of fellow taken to ripping off ill-informed lawnmower persons. Possibly true, but what the heck?
So there you have it - Gumtree has outlived its usefulness for at least one more citizen of the planet.
Skol.
Cheers,
Neil
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