MandoStrat as a tool of extortion

[mrmando]

So I've had this early '70s Fender Mandocaster listed for sale on my own site for a little over a year now. I found it shortly after (well-known young female mandolinist) emailed me out of the blue and said she was looking for one, but when I got back to her she said she'd already found another. So I listed it for what I think is a fair market price, a little less than vintage guitar dealers sometimes want, but still a healthy four figures.

Today I get an email from someone else about it, which I've already deleted, so I can't reproduce it word for word. In essence, it says, my husband and I fell upon hard times a while back and had to sell my beloved '66 Mandocaster, but now things are looking up and we've got some money set aside, but hey, we noticed that Fender now has an Indonesian-made MandoStrat, so that means your Mandocaster is utterly devalued, and if you won't sell it to us for $600 we'll just go buy a MandoStrat, and don't you dare email us back and call us cheap.

I think maybe this poor lady doesn't realize she sent me the same email a year ago.

If she and her husband were actually going to buy a MandoStrat, they'd have done so by now.

But I will respect her wishes by not emailing her back and calling her cheap. :whistling:

[nickster60]

Unfortunately when you sell thing you get the occasional oh woe is me. Some are genuine and most are scams of some sort or other.The world is full of some strange birds with some even stranger ideas.

Due to a upcoming move across country I have been selling things I can live without. I have been at it for about a year and between Ebay and Craigslist I would be happy to never sell anything again. It seems on Craigslist a used washer and dryer are universal currency. I have been offered at least 5 sets in trade for various items

[Turtle]

It's unfortunate that people are that way sometimes. Money will cause people to do all kinds of strange things...

[Freddyfingers]

I am glad to see I am not the only one. Either I get te typical "is this item available" or would you take 5 dollars for your 1962 Gibson es. I have had many offers for items I am selling , no washers just yet, but those would be a step up from what I got in the past. The best are folks that email you when the add goes up with a redicuoisly low offer. Then get angry when ou decline. Only to email you again a month later, forgetting they emailed you already.

[nickster60]

I think some of these folks just make ridiculous offers on everything. They must have some people who take their offers otherwise they would give up. We get these guys around here who try buy to vehicles boat and RV's from you.

They drive around and then start snooping around your yard trying to get you sell to them at a ridiculous price. I have thrown this guy out of my yard a couple of times and I told next time I wasn't going to be so kind. A couple of months later he was back in the yard looking at my RV. I let my Doberman Anya out and she chased him around the yard, I have to admit he was pretty quick. He jump my neighbors fence, he didn't know he had two German Shepard's. Brinks the big one came flying out the dog door barking and ready to go. He then jumped the back fence and ended up in the neighbors yard. He kind of just layed there for awhile, I wasn't sure if he was going to have a heart attack. I haven't seen him after that incident.

[Steve Ostrander]

What is it with the "Is the item still available?" question, then no further contact from them? I don't get it. Also, "I definitely want want it". Or, "I'm a solid buyer!" Or, "I'll buy it today!" Then no further contact. Buyers are liars.

[nickster60]

Phishing scams, they are trying to get your email address so they can sell it.

[MikeEdgerton]

Martin you're driving a hard bargain here. I'll give you $650.00 and two first round draft picks. That's as high as I can go :cool:

[MikeEdgerton]

Phishing scams, they are trying to get your email address so they can sell it.

There are a heck of a lot easier ways to get e-mail addresses but if you've got somebody that'll pay me for them I'll give you a bunch. Phishing is a little bit more than just getting an e-mail address.

[JH Murray]

As a pastor, I often get people coming in with their hard luck story looking for a handout. I had one gentleman show up needing bus fare so he could go home for his mother's funeral. A year later he came back in with the same story, not realizing he had already used it with us.

[nickster60]

A email address can open many doors nowadays

[David Rambo]

Unfortunately, many people have what I call a "rummage sale" mentality. We get that a lot here in Southern Minnesota. Lowball offers and then faked or real anger when you won't deal. Turns out that they are also in eBay and Craig's list, too.

[barney 59]

Maybe they also have a 1966 Telecaster. Offer them two new telecasters for their old and now virtually worthless telecaster! Some people start with ridiculously high asking prices and others with insultingly low offers. It's the name of the game. It can be a negotiating tactic but some people are just rude. I've had people wanting me to purchase items that I don't really want ---"Ya know I don't really want it and I don't want to insult you but since your pressuring me -- if by chance you were to sell it to me for say X then maybe I would become interested." Then they get insulted!

I've heard that story before---"now that such and such is doing a reissue of" --whatever--say a National Steel "the old ones don't have much value anymore"......
I've made low ball offers --well low ball to someone's inflated asking price but a price that the thing was worth to me and ultimately ended up getting it when the thing didn't sell.. and often didn't sell because the original asking price was so high that people that might have been willing to pay more than I was just walked away.

[MSalisbury]

Today I get an email from someone else about it, which I've already deleted, so I can't reproduce it word for word. In essence, it says, my husband and I fell upon hard times a while back and had to sell my beloved '66 Mandocaster, but now things are looking up and we've got some money set aside, but hey, we noticed that Fender now has an Indonesian-made MandoStrat, so that means your Mandocaster is utterly devalued, and if you won't sell it to us for $600 we'll just go buy a MandoStrat, and don't you dare email us back and call us cheap.

I think maybe this poor lady doesn't realize she sent me the same email a year ago.

If she and her husband were actually going to buy a MandoStrat, they'd have done so by now.

But I will respect her wishes by not emailing her back and calling her cheap. :whistling:

Perhaps you should email her back and tell her that you know of a Nigerian Prince who would gladly sell her a MandoStrat for $600. All she has to do is send you $100 up front deposit...

[F-2 Dave]

So I've had this early '70s Fender Mandocaster listed for sale on my own site for a little over a year now. I found it shortly after (well-known young female mandolinist) emailed me out of the blue and said she was looking for one, but when I got back to her she said she'd already found another. So I listed it for what I think is a fair market price, a little less than vintage guitar dealers sometimes want, but still a healthy four figures.

Today I get an email from someone else about it, which I've already deleted, so I can't reproduce it word for word. In essence, it says, my husband and I fell upon hard times a while back and had to sell my beloved '66 Mandocaster, but now things are looking up and we've got some money set aside, but hey, we noticed that Fender now has an Indonesian-made MandoStrat, so that means your Mandocaster is utterly devalued, and if you won't sell it to us for $600 we'll just go buy a MandoStrat, and don't you dare email us back and call us cheap.

I think maybe this poor lady doesn't realize she sent me the same email a year ago.

If she and her husband were actually going to buy a MandoStrat, they'd have done so by now.

But I will respect her wishes by not emailing her back and calling her cheap. :whistling:


Or you could trade it for a cow.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Magic Beans are a good investment...

[JeffD]

Magic Beans are a good investment...

:))

[mrmando]

Hey, here's a '66 Mandocaster in a no-reserve eBay auction. Should be fun. Maybe we'll find out just how devalued it is:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1966-Fender-USA-Electric-Solid-Body-Mandolin-with-org-case-birdseye-neck-/331124107978?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d1888eaca

[pfox14]

"cheap" no not cheap. Psychotic I think is the word you're looking for.

[mrmando]

Ah, here's a no-reserve sale of a '66 for $1,563 last November:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1965-66-Fender-Mandocaster-Electric-Mandolin-w-OHSC-NR-/251372868840?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a86fd94e8

So perhaps my asking price for my '72 could come down a little ... but not down to $600.