A "Word" About Buying & Selling Airsoft Goods

[Slate]

Boys and girls, there is something truly exciting about participating in a sale of goods. That being said, there are a few certain "niceties" that are expected of the buyer and seller that are good practice for anyone.

To the Seller:

When posting your thread about your item, it is always a good idea to use proper English and grammar to the extent that you are able to. For example:

Nothing is "for sell" it is "for sale".

When it comes to splitting your sale into it's major parts, I find it easier and more efficient to combine it all into a single thread, but have that thread split into categories (Guns, Gear, EyePro, etc. etc.). That way, everything is found in a single place. That, however, is entirely up to the seller.

A good seller knows when to stop pushing their item and when to give a potential buyer time to think about the product. Many sales have been stopped short because the seller is unable to shut their trap about how great their product is.

A great seller knows the true value of their product. It is highly doubtful you will get anything close to the full retail price for something that has been used. Much like a car, a gun loses roughly 20-40% of it's value as soon as it arrives in your posession. Keep that into consideration when deciding whether or not to sell your gun, as it may be a while before you are able to afford a new one. What you do to your gun and how you treat it will also affect it's value. Like a car, very few guns are an investment with profit potential.

Adding "incentive" items is a great way of pulling in sales. Putting your products into packages and lopping off a portion of the price is, in general, a good idea for selling your product quickly.

Airsoft is a game played by many age groups. Be careful when selling to minors, try to make sure they are trustworthy and have secured permission of their parents to buy your products. It's not your responsibility to ask the parents but theirs, so be sure you reinforce that to the buyer (Mirakaksi)

To the Buyer

Lowballing is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of trying to sell an item. You waste your time, and the sellers, by offering a price that you know to be much too low. For example, asking someone to sell you their custom painted Systema PTW M4 for $150 is, quite simply, insulting. There are of course certain exceptions such as how fast the seller would like to get rid of their gun and what they determine to be "lowballing" (D. Smitty). By the same token, if you don't have money ready to send to the seller, don't bother making an offer (Mirakaksi). If you were the seller and your offer would be insulting to you, then don't ask someone else to accept the same offer (Arbee).

Much like the seller, be sure you try and use proper English and grammar in making an offer. Show the seller respect, and you will receive respect in return.

Try to Personal Message (PM) all offers to the seller, and ask questions in the sale thread. If you have a question, more than likely there are others who would like to know the answer. PMing offers allows the seller to keep offers organizes in the event that multiple offers are received.

If a seller has explicit instructions in their thread regarding: payment, shipping, package plans, parting out, etc. like listed in the Sale Template, do not try to get around them. Sometimes the seller is willing to work something out, but always be cordial and polite when asking.

The biggest lesson is to never asume anything about your seller. Someone with a positive seller rating will try to keep that rating. A new seller might be just starting out. All told, be cautious of anyone you do not know personally. This will result in a lower amount of "scams" and poor salesmen.

PayPal is a great way to sell and purchase airsoft goods from known people, and some companies. When sending money through paypal without an official invoice or link, be sure and send it as "Payment Owed". This will automatically factor in the "Paypal Fee" (2.9% + $0.30) to the money you send out. Since you are the buyer, the seller should not lose money from their asking price. It is also very frustrating to have to ask someone to send an extra $4.50 or whatever amount the fee takes out.


As always, keep this in mind while buying and selling something: It is meant to be a fun experience. If it's not fun, like most things in life, then you're doing it wrong and should rethink your decisions.


Cheerio!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Slate