do people who advertise really want to sell?
Discussion
over the past week I've emailed 7 different folk about their cars. I've sent my number and asked "sensible" questions...
4 have no phone to even call and having been busy at work meant calling the others wasn't an option.
number of replies.....1 ! that said he would get back to me after Friday.
still no response from him despite me sending another email
what does a man have to do to get a TVR these days?!
4 have no phone to even call and having been busy at work meant calling the others wasn't an option.
number of replies.....1 ! that said he would get back to me after Friday.
still no response from him despite me sending another email
what does a man have to do to get a TVR these days?!
T350 / Tamora
outside possibility of a Cerb post 1999
trying to keep my options open by not thinking "must be a T350" as the market isn't exactly flooded at the moment.
not sure how many sellers are regular PHers as there aren't always username links.
outside possibility of a Cerb post 1999
trying to keep my options open by not thinking "must be a T350" as the market isn't exactly flooded at the moment.
not sure how many sellers are regular PHers as there aren't always username links.
Edited by Chewitt on Sunday 25th July 17:58
I agree its a problem.
Email is def the way to go, in the initial stages of buying you can save yourself so much time cut and pasting select questions to several buyers. If they don't answer or your not happy with the answers or worse still they want to discuss your questions move on to the next one.
When I buy a car I want to email some sensible questions that I would like answered before I speak to a seller. I don't think it is unreasonable to want to know what state the chassis is in and if the car has been rebuilt,etc, before I pick up the phone.
What I don't want is someone wasting my time trying to SELL a car to me, to be fair dealers are the worst offenders of this. I want to buy and decide for myself not listen to the drivel that pours from a salesperson mouth. I'm currently looking for a TVR and a cash buyer, I've spoke to three dealers ask me how many have tried to sell me finance! Why the feck would I want to pay stupid APR if I have the cash, I rest my case.
Seriously email does tend to remove that aspect of things and leaves the buyer in control. Which is where they should be.
Good luck in your search there are plenty of desperate sellers out there and I'm sure you will come across one with a bit of persistance. Getting a good TVR is bit like finding a great job, don't expect to secure one in a week unless you're extremely lucky, realistically, a few months.
Email is def the way to go, in the initial stages of buying you can save yourself so much time cut and pasting select questions to several buyers. If they don't answer or your not happy with the answers or worse still they want to discuss your questions move on to the next one.
When I buy a car I want to email some sensible questions that I would like answered before I speak to a seller. I don't think it is unreasonable to want to know what state the chassis is in and if the car has been rebuilt,etc, before I pick up the phone.
What I don't want is someone wasting my time trying to SELL a car to me, to be fair dealers are the worst offenders of this. I want to buy and decide for myself not listen to the drivel that pours from a salesperson mouth. I'm currently looking for a TVR and a cash buyer, I've spoke to three dealers ask me how many have tried to sell me finance! Why the feck would I want to pay stupid APR if I have the cash, I rest my case.
Seriously email does tend to remove that aspect of things and leaves the buyer in control. Which is where they should be.
Good luck in your search there are plenty of desperate sellers out there and I'm sure you will come across one with a bit of persistance. Getting a good TVR is bit like finding a great job, don't expect to secure one in a week unless you're extremely lucky, realistically, a few months.
blackpoolrocket said:
I agree its a problem.
Email is def the way to go, in the initial stages of buying you can save yourself so much time cut and pasting select questions to several buyers. If they don't answer or your not happy with the answers or worse still they want to discuss your questions move on to the next one.
When I buy a car I want to email some sensible questions that I would like answered before I speak to a seller. I don't think it is unreasonable to want to know what state the chassis is in and if the car has been rebuilt,etc, before I pick up the phone.
What I don't want is someone wasting my time trying to SELL a car to me, to be fair dealers are the worst offenders of this. I want to buy and decide for myself not listen to the drivel that pours from a salesperson mouth. I'm currently looking for a TVR and a cash buyer, I've spoke to three dealers ask me how many have tried to sell me finance! Why the feck would I want to pay stupid APR if I have the cash, I rest my case.
Seriously email does tend to remove that aspect of things and leaves the buyer in control. Which is where they should be.
Good luck in your search there are plenty of desperate sellers out there and I'm sure you will come across one with a bit of persistance. Getting a good TVR is bit like finding a great job, don't expect to secure one in a week unless you're extremely lucky, realistically, a few months.
AgreedEmail is def the way to go, in the initial stages of buying you can save yourself so much time cut and pasting select questions to several buyers. If they don't answer or your not happy with the answers or worse still they want to discuss your questions move on to the next one.
When I buy a car I want to email some sensible questions that I would like answered before I speak to a seller. I don't think it is unreasonable to want to know what state the chassis is in and if the car has been rebuilt,etc, before I pick up the phone.
What I don't want is someone wasting my time trying to SELL a car to me, to be fair dealers are the worst offenders of this. I want to buy and decide for myself not listen to the drivel that pours from a salesperson mouth. I'm currently looking for a TVR and a cash buyer, I've spoke to three dealers ask me how many have tried to sell me finance! Why the feck would I want to pay stupid APR if I have the cash, I rest my case.
Seriously email does tend to remove that aspect of things and leaves the buyer in control. Which is where they should be.
Good luck in your search there are plenty of desperate sellers out there and I'm sure you will come across one with a bit of persistance. Getting a good TVR is bit like finding a great job, don't expect to secure one in a week unless you're extremely lucky, realistically, a few months.
Email is a good way of obtaining more 'initial' information (service history, photos, etc) that may not be in an advert before deciding whether or not to take things further and make a call.
In my opinion its lazy of the seller not to check and respond to emails but there you go...maybe they don't want to sell afterall!
Good luck in the search
i sent around 15 emails via sales platforms as pistonheads, classic cars for sale, autotrader in the last 3 weeks and i got 0 replies!!!
especially for non-uk people writing an email is easier than speaking in a foreign language to the seller on the phone. so thats why i prefer email contact in the first step too. also sendng detiled pictures of a car will only work out by email!!!
interestingwise when i phoned some of these sellers they told me that they never have received an email from me.
so could be that their spam filter is set too sensitive (which is a stupid excuse imo) or pistonheads (and the other sales pages) didnt forward my mails.
especially for non-uk people writing an email is easier than speaking in a foreign language to the seller on the phone. so thats why i prefer email contact in the first step too. also sendng detiled pictures of a car will only work out by email!!!
interestingwise when i phoned some of these sellers they told me that they never have received an email from me.
so could be that their spam filter is set too sensitive (which is a stupid excuse imo) or pistonheads (and the other sales pages) didnt forward my mails.
Why does the internet breed so many nobs!
To buy a car
You look at an advert. You suss out a few pics. You then read the description, then after calling and speaking to a real person you go and look at the car with cash in your pocket or a cheque book so you can return to collect the car when the check has cleared the account.
If people are genuine then generally if they want to buy something they speak briefly and go and look.
Far too many nobs want to play e-mail table tennis. It is also my experience that their are many e-mail table tennis players who really are only interested in collecting pictures and wasting peoples time.
These days I would sooner loose a money trading my cars in against dealing with the plethora of scammers, wierdo's, pic collectors and indecisive nobs who seem to frequent the internet.
Last thing I bought was a Dodge van some 300 miles away in Southampton.
I was able to suss out from the 1" square advert that I was interested. After a 10 min telephone call I then new I wanted to see it. After a 1hr £75 quid return flight I wrote a cheque. after a week had passed and the cheque had cleared I took a one way flight and drove the van home.
TVR's are all the same, bits of tube stuck together with a placcy body on top and a choice of 3-4 engines (depending on how old you are going) How many e-mails do you need before you go and look??
To buy a car
You look at an advert. You suss out a few pics. You then read the description, then after calling and speaking to a real person you go and look at the car with cash in your pocket or a cheque book so you can return to collect the car when the check has cleared the account.
If people are genuine then generally if they want to buy something they speak briefly and go and look.
Far too many nobs want to play e-mail table tennis. It is also my experience that their are many e-mail table tennis players who really are only interested in collecting pictures and wasting peoples time.
These days I would sooner loose a money trading my cars in against dealing with the plethora of scammers, wierdo's, pic collectors and indecisive nobs who seem to frequent the internet.
Last thing I bought was a Dodge van some 300 miles away in Southampton.
I was able to suss out from the 1" square advert that I was interested. After a 10 min telephone call I then new I wanted to see it. After a 1hr £75 quid return flight I wrote a cheque. after a week had passed and the cheque had cleared I took a one way flight and drove the van home.
TVR's are all the same, bits of tube stuck together with a placcy body on top and a choice of 3-4 engines (depending on how old you are going) How many e-mails do you need before you go and look??
TVRinBFG said:
I've found that the Pistonheads email facility doesn't work properly. I can't send any emails through Pistonheads (none will arrive) and I often get customers asking why I've not replied to their emails (which ain't arrived, although others do).
I have the same problem and I suspect many others do too, although they might not realise it.I e-mailed a guy about a car and never got a reply, so eventually I rang him via that premium rate 'phonesafe' number and he'd not received any e-mails at all.
Anyway, we ended up doing a deal and that was that.
heightswitch said:
Why does the internet breed so many nobs!
To buy a car
You look at an advert. You suss out a few pics. You then read the description, then after calling and speaking to a real person you go and look at the car with cash in your pocket or a cheque book so you can return to collect the car when the check has cleared the account.
If people are genuine then generally if they want to buy something they speak briefly and go and look.
Far too many nobs want to play e-mail table tennis. It is also my experience that their are many e-mail table tennis players who really are only interested in collecting pictures and wasting peoples time.
These days I would sooner loose a money trading my cars in against dealing with the plethora of scammers, wierdo's, pic collectors and indecisive nobs who seem to frequent the internet.
Last thing I bought was a Dodge van some 300 miles away in Southampton.
I was able to suss out from the 1" square advert that I was interested. After a 10 min telephone call I then new I wanted to see it. After a 1hr £75 quid return flight I wrote a cheque. after a week had passed and the cheque had cleared I took a one way flight and drove the van home.
TVR's are all the same, bits of tube stuck together with a placcy body on top and a choice of 3-4 engines (depending on how old you are going) How many e-mails do you need before you go and look??
Bit of a polarised view isnt it?? To buy a car
You look at an advert. You suss out a few pics. You then read the description, then after calling and speaking to a real person you go and look at the car with cash in your pocket or a cheque book so you can return to collect the car when the check has cleared the account.
If people are genuine then generally if they want to buy something they speak briefly and go and look.
Far too many nobs want to play e-mail table tennis. It is also my experience that their are many e-mail table tennis players who really are only interested in collecting pictures and wasting peoples time.
These days I would sooner loose a money trading my cars in against dealing with the plethora of scammers, wierdo's, pic collectors and indecisive nobs who seem to frequent the internet.
Last thing I bought was a Dodge van some 300 miles away in Southampton.
I was able to suss out from the 1" square advert that I was interested. After a 10 min telephone call I then new I wanted to see it. After a 1hr £75 quid return flight I wrote a cheque. after a week had passed and the cheque had cleared I took a one way flight and drove the van home.
TVR's are all the same, bits of tube stuck together with a placcy body on top and a choice of 3-4 engines (depending on how old you are going) How many e-mails do you need before you go and look??
Email is an excellent way of getting information you want, in writing, that is accurate and detailed.
If i ask questions by email i would expect they are answered well, because the seller has time to do so, or he is simply not interested in selling. Over the phone, its sometimes quite difficult to come up with accurate and detailed answers.
It also provides evidence of communication and of what level of questions were asked by the buyer and what answers were given by the seller, and as such is some level of protection. Whilst i'd like to think PH is a safe place to buy, my car wasnt, and im glad i had the emails prior to purchase to back me up, in my case it saved heartache and my wallet.
All IMHO, but if someone cant be bothered with email, the same as if an advert has been written half arsed, i simply wouldnt bother either.
must agree with Robert!!
additioanly i want to add:
certain cars do get a lot of interest from abroad.
why should somebody travel over from abroad (cost and time involved) to clarify issues which should be easily solved by an email (e.g. furhter and more detailed pictures, detailed listing of service history and repairs etc.)
or lets say differnt: why should somebody from scotland drive down to cornwall for recognizing that the car isnt in a condition as described, but aditional pictures and infos would have avoided this disapointment.
the sellers are able to advertize at PH or ebay, so they use the internet for their benefit but when you ask them per email about further pictures or more detiled information the reaction is often "wilfull ignorance".
or often " sorry, i cant email you further pictures, the car is not on my premises", "i lent the camera from my neighbour", "i took the pictures with the camera from work"...bla, bla, bla!!!!
on the other side did this discussion only came up cause PH had some severe email problems?
but: why all my mail, to sellers from other british sales-webpages, didnt get a reply neither?
additioanly i want to add:
certain cars do get a lot of interest from abroad.
why should somebody travel over from abroad (cost and time involved) to clarify issues which should be easily solved by an email (e.g. furhter and more detailed pictures, detailed listing of service history and repairs etc.)
or lets say differnt: why should somebody from scotland drive down to cornwall for recognizing that the car isnt in a condition as described, but aditional pictures and infos would have avoided this disapointment.
the sellers are able to advertize at PH or ebay, so they use the internet for their benefit but when you ask them per email about further pictures or more detiled information the reaction is often "wilfull ignorance".
or often " sorry, i cant email you further pictures, the car is not on my premises", "i lent the camera from my neighbour", "i took the pictures with the camera from work"...bla, bla, bla!!!!
on the other side did this discussion only came up cause PH had some severe email problems?
but: why all my mail, to sellers from other british sales-webpages, didnt get a reply neither?
Edited by Comadis on Tuesday 27th July 12:28
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