buyer said the laptop was "so big"

[retire-early]

I met with a buyer today for a $50 used laptop.
I was taken aback by his complaint that the laptop is "so big".
Yes, the laptop is big and bulky.
It weighs about 6 pounds.
However, the screen is unblemished and the battery still holds 100% of original capacity.

Given that most people don't bother reading the complete description what can I say in the listing to prevent this from happening again?

.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I met with a buyer today for a $50 used laptop.
I was taken aback by his complaint that the laptop is "so big".
Yes, the laptop is big and bulky.
It weighs about 6 pounds.
However, the screen is unblemished and the battery still holds 100% of original capacity.

Given that most people don't bother reading the complete description what can I say in the listing to prevent this from happening again?

.

If you haven't done so, I guess I would list the year it was released in the title of your ad. For example:

2009 Dell Studio 15 Laptop

then say something like "sturdy, built like a tank" and then list the usual specs like CPU, memory size, hard disk size, etc. put the dimensions and weight.

 

[retire-early]

Terrific.
I made the changes.
The key is to list the year. That should eliminate many of the flakes.

 

[Marita40]

Lots of flakes on Craigslist. People don’t read. Besides being explicit in the ad about such things, you can reiterate it in a text, email, or phone call before agreeing to meet.

 

[retire-early]

Lots of flakes on Craigslist. People don’t read. Besides being explicit in the ad about such things, you can reiterate it in a text, email, or phone call before agreeing to meet.

This was on Facebook, but the same flakes.

I did tell him if he wanted slim and light, go buy a Chromebook
or the $180 Gateway laptop from Walmart.

I wonder in what reality he was living in.

 

[Aerides]

doesn't matter what you list or where you list, people do not read. But do say it's a brick and weighs 6lbs.

Personally, meeting people in person to make $50 sounds too much risk and bother.

 

[retire-early]

doesn't matter what you list or where you list, people do not read. But do say it's a brick and weighs 6lbs.

Personally, meeting people in person to make $50 sounds too much risk and bother.

I wouldn't mind giving it away to someone who really needs, but I have no way of knowing.
Interestingly enough, some non-profits won't take an old laptop like this.

.

 

[CardsFan]

Personally, meeting people in person to make $50 sounds too much risk and bother.

+1

 

[easysurfer]

My kind of laptop.

I like a laptop that isn't so small it won't disappear in my hand as I type .

 

[COcheesehead]

doesn't matter what you list or where you list, people do not read. But do say it's a brick and weighs 6lbs.

Personally, meeting people in person to make $50 sounds too much risk and bother.

As a one off event I’d agree, but we look at selling stuff as a bit of a hobby. We sell mostly on eBay, but also FB for stuff too big to ship. We sell a few things a month. We make a few thousand dollars a year and look at the proceeds as fun money.

 

[mountainsoft]

Lots of flakes on Craigslist. People don’t read. Besides being explicit in the ad about such things, you can reiterate it in a text, email, or phone call before agreeing to meet.

Yep, I've sold lots of stuff on Craigslist, and no matter how many photos or detailed specifications I provide I get repetitive questions.

For sale: Black 1976 VW Rabbit, excellent condition, runs great, no problems.

Q1: "What year is it"
Q2: "What color is it"
Q3: "Does it run"

etc...

I see that a lot in responses to my company newsletter too. I provide explicit instructions on how to upgrade, and yet numerous people email asking how to upgrade.

People just don't take time to read anymore. The typical texting and twitter attention span of 160 characters or less. Even then you have to include a poop or eggplant emoji to get their attention.

 

[COcheesehead]

I didn’t think anyone used Craigslist anymore. FB Marketplace gives the buyer and seller more visibility. You know who they are and they know who you are.

 

[latexman]

What’s the operating system?

 

[retire-early]

As a one off event I’d agree, but we look at selling stuff as a bit of a hobby. We sell mostly on eBay, but also FB for stuff too big to ship. We sell a few things a month. We make a few thousand dollars a year and look at the proceeds as fun money.

I don't want to give it away for free since I put some of my own brain equity into it.
Besides, the local non-profit that provides computers to needy families want laptops with at least an i3 in them. Sheesh.

What’s the operating system?

Windows 10.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I don't think most people have a good idea of what 6lbs. really is. I think the year, the descriptive adjectives like "tank", and maybe photos of it with a CD or 3.5" floppy on top will give people a better idea. That would also attract buyers who still have floppy disks.

 

[JoeWras]

What's this thread about? TL/DR

 

[retire-early]

What's this thread about? TL/DR

How to fix greedy silly people.
The mitigation only partially works.

He wanted a $200 laptop for $50.
I am on eBay quite a bit, and even the junk is going for over $75.
It is crazy.
Someone paid $80 including shipping for a HP Stream with 32GB eMMC hard drive.
With that size hard drive it will be almost impossible for Windows 10 to update especially if they install lots of software programs on it.

 

[statsman]

I didn’t think anyone used Craigslist anymore. FB Marketplace gives the buyer and seller more visibility. You know who they are and they know who you are.

About 6 months before we sold our house and moved 1,700 miles back in 2018, our Sony rear projection LCD TV in the family room failed after almost 14 years of use. Knowing we would be moving later in the year, we didn't want to purchase a new TV and have to ship it and risk damaging it.

So, we checked eBay and Craigslist for an used TV that was in good condition that would get us by until after the move. Right away, we found a seller on Craigslist about 30 miles away with the exact same 55" TV that was in our bedroom and about three years old. They were selling it for $400 plus shipping. We inquired and asked about a local pickup. They ended up shaving $50 off of the price of the TV since we would pick it up ourselves. It was in very good condition.

Flash forward almost 4 years later, and that TV is still with us in the family room of our new home here in Central Texas.

 

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

How to fix greedy silly people.
The mitigation only partially works.

He wanted a $200 laptop for $50.
I am on eBay quite a bit, and even the junk is going for over $75.
It is crazy.
Someone paid $80 including shipping for a HP Stream with 32GB eMMC hard drive.
With that size hard drive it will be almost impossible for Windows 10 to update especially if they install lots of software programs on it.

My new hp stream with 32 gb (ram not expandable and no hd capability) ran out of room with the first or second win10 upgrade. Does make a decent linux machine and the the slot works with a 256 gb sd card but unable to boot there. An older hp stream I acquired from son I was able to upgrade the ram and install a hd in after removing a blocking plate so possibly the person bought the older one?

 

[retire-early]

My new hp stream with 32 gb (ram not expandable and no hd capability) ran out of room with the first or second win10 upgrade. Does make a decent linux machine and the the slot works with a 256 gb sd card but unable to boot there. An older hp stream I acquired from son I was able to upgrade the ram and install a hd in after removing a blocking plate so possibly the person bought the older one?

I hope the people buying these Streams realize that they may be stuck with a laptop where Windows 10 cannot be updated.
If so, they may get very frustrated.

 

[rk911]

I met with a buyer today for a $50 used laptop.
I was taken aback by his complaint that the laptop is "so big".
Yes, the laptop is big and bulky.
It weighs about 6 pounds.
However, the screen is unblemished and the battery still holds 100% of original capacity.

Given that most people don't bother reading the complete description what can I say in the listing to prevent this from happening again?

.

howz about...

Yes, the laptop is big and bulky.
It weighs about 6 pounds.
However, the screen is unblemished and the battery still holds 100% of original capacity.

i have found the same thing to be true. regardless of whatever details i put in the ad i get questions about the details.

 

[Sojourner]

I am on eBay quite a bit, and even the junk is going for over $75.
It is crazy.
Someone paid $80 including shipping for a HP Stream with 32GB eMMC hard drive.
With that size hard drive it will be almost impossible for Windows 10 to update especially if they install lots of software programs on it.

I suspect that anyone paying $80 for an old "junk" laptop probably wants it for parts. It can be very difficult to get things like memory modules for old laptops, and I imagine some folks would rather pay $80 for memory than $500+ for a brand new laptop.

 

[NW-Bound]

Maybe stress in the description that this is a big mean laptop, not meant for weaklings.

 

[athena53]

Yep, I've sold lots of stuff on Craigslist, and no matter how many photos or detailed specifications I provide I get repetitive questions.
<snip>

I see that a lot in responses to my company newsletter too. I provide explicit instructions on how to upgrade, and yet numerous people email asking how to upgrade.

People just don't take time to read anymore. The typical texting and twitter attention span of 160 characters or less. Even then you have to include a poop or eggplant emoji to get their attention.

I've gotten frustrated with the Craigslist people who e-mail me and ask for the address. This is all Free Stuff so I just put it at the end of the driveway and the first person to arrive gets it. The address is in the ad. All I can figure is that they want me to e-mail back the address so they can click on it on their phone and get directions. Too lazy to type it in, I guess.

 

[Marita40]

I often sell things on Craigslist. The most frequent annoying response is, "Is X still available?" even when I am very clear in every ad I place that it IS available as long as they are still seeing the ad.