Why are you selling.........? Is this a new kind of scam?

Got a question.........sometimes on very high dollar or rare stuff, like real estate, vintage cars, or collectables it would be very appropriate for the buyer to want to ask why you are selling something. I get it, you are selling a very rare fully restored and collectable car, so the buyer is wondering what would make you want to part with such a car. Having an upfront understanding of this could help you to negotiate further, especially if you are truly interested.

However on just regular stuff like trimmers, lawnmowers, snowblowers, home and consumer electronics, etc that I am selling, I am noticing more and more people on CL and FB asking "May I ask why you are selling this?". Is this some kind of new scam that I am unaware of? Often these are legit people with legit area codes in their phone number, or their profiles appear legit. But in most cases I do not get a response back. In some cases I get an "Ok thanks anyways" reply. What are they looking to collect from me by replying to them? Why would they need to know the "why", and then not inquire further?

Or on another side, would my answer deter them from purchasing it?
I pre-empt this by saying the reason why in the ad.
 
1) Want to use cash for something else, like other investment that takes less effort or different risk profile
2) Got tired of keeping it around unused and taking up space
3) No longer need them (sold the house and moving to apartment, etc)
4) Wife forces me to
5) I had my fun, and got bored of it, want something different instead.
 
Got a question.........sometimes on very high dollar or rare stuff, like real estate, vintage cars, or collectables it would be very appropriate for the buyer to want to ask why you are selling something. I get it, you are selling a very rare fully restored and collectable car, so the buyer is wondering what would make you want to part with such a car. Having an upfront understanding of this could help you to negotiate further, especially if you are truly interested.

However on just regular stuff like trimmers, lawnmowers, snowblowers, home and consumer electronics, etc that I am selling, I am noticing more and more people on CL and FB asking "May I ask why you are selling this?". Is this some kind of new scam that I am unaware of? Often these are legit people with legit area codes in their phone number, or their profiles appear legit. But in most cases I do not get a response back. In some cases I get an "Ok thanks anyways" reply. What are they looking to collect from me by replying to them? Why would they need to know the "why", and then not inquire further?

Or on another side, would my answer deter them from purchasing it?
Interesting answers here.....don't think I'll be buying anything off this forum :rolleyes:

As a buyer I will usually ask, except where the answer would be obvious. When you do this enough times, a trend will become apparent, and if there is some obvious deception I won't pursue it. Not sure why many would take offense to this, often it turns out to be that the item simply didn't meet the owner's expectations.
 
If the response isn't clearly specific to the item you're selling, it's a scam - they're at least trying to gather your information to sell.
 
I would add a quick reason in the ad why you’re selling and also say if the ad is up, it’s still for sale. It doesn’t stop the “is this still for sale” emails, but I’m sure it helps for those who read it.

If you ignore too many people, I imagine they can flag you for being non responsive. Maybe not?
 
I think there are many people out there who simply have so much money they could give it all way and still have more coming in. So they don’t care what anything costs.

I sold a $28 cd for $180. I sold a hair trimmer for 3x its cost. There’s something for everyone.

There are people who see a 48 mo 10k mile lease on a 2023 Tahoe for $1100/mo with $8300 down and they love the deal.

I will say our local dealer had 3 Tahoes and 2 Suburbans on the lot this past Sunday. That’s the most I’ve seen since the pandemic.
 
I’ve never had a negative experience buying or selling on CL over many many years.

As a seller I realize the emails will be rolling in that seem somewhat “off” or too vague. So when I email a seller, I close the message with my location, to both show I’m local and serious as well as for the seller to realize I’m not a bot. For example, I may end with, “Thank you, Jeff from Burlington”.
 
I pre-empt this by saying the reason why in the ad.
Yeah, it never hurts to put the answers to most reasonable questions in the ad. Take you 1 minute once and then you can ignore any questions that you've already answered. Also shows you know something about what you are selling. Why some people put "PM me for details" is beyond me, maybe they are car sales people who think they can sell you anything if they get you into the "showroom"?
 
Many listings leave out some critical details about what they have for sale.
If you want to sell it then answer the questions, if you want to collect it then don't post it for sale.
 
I think there are many people out there who simply have so much money they could give it all way and still have more coming in. So they don’t care what anything costs.

I sold a $28 cd for $180. I sold a hair trimmer for 3x its cost. There’s something for everyone.

There are people who see a 48 mo 10k mile lease on a 2023 Tahoe for $1100/mo with $8300 down and they love the deal.

I will say our local dealer had 3 Tahoes and 2 Suburbans on the lot this past Sunday. That’s the most I’ve seen since the pandemic.
We have one Yukon on the lot - no Tahoe/Burbs
Just back from Houston I saw a half dozen with paper tags on the road - even a couple Escalades and you know those are nutty $
 
I think there are many people out there who simply have so much money they could give it all way and still have more coming in. So they don’t care what anything costs.
that generally happens later in life... what I have learned is materialism is a sin.. and most of the crap I wanted and obtained was more fun wanting than actually owning..
 
Not a scam at all. Most people aren’t willing to divulge a bunch of details online on a post. But if you go inperson and talk to them, most people will usually let small things slip. “Oh, yeah, we did have the brakes replaced two years ago cuz a caliper was sticking…” or “oh yeah, my wife did hit the trash can as she was backing out a couple years ago…”
 
👆🏻

Exactly - don't respond. Sometimes I think "good manners" obligates people to respond but try selling stuff online and you'll quickly tire of being nice (I do have manners too).

yep. I've told more than one prospective buyer I would throw something in the garbage before I sold it to them. That usually gets their attention.
 
It's not an unreasonable question and I sometimes ask it just to see the response although I don't expect an honest answer. I'm not sure why you suspect a scam.

I buy a lot of older used motorcycles and after I have completed the transaction I like to ask the seller about hidden gremlins. I know what I've bought but sellers can and will disclose stuff after they have cash in hand that was not in the ad. I have often gleaned useful knowledge that helped save me time and aggravation.
 
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