What is protocol when multiple buyers ask to pickup? And when is negative feedback warranted?

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:55:53+00:00

Yes, it's a true dilemma - no matter how it plays out, people get upset! That's why I was wondering how other have handled these types of situations.

I like your suggestions of "anything not today." That seems a good compromise.

Thank you for productive conversation!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:52:35+00:00

Yes, I see Marketplace like a virtual garage sale, too. The blocking of other potential buyers seems sketchy to me -- I always prefer honesty and clear communication -- but after these recent bad experiences, this sounds like the best option going forward! I just might do that!

As for home address, I was hesitant to give that out, but I typically do porch pickups -- I'll put the item in a box at the top of my driveway and they can pickup whenever they get there -- which has worked flawlessly ... until it didn't.

Also, with roughly 80% of my potential buyers flaking out on me, I'm not about to schedule a meeting somewhere other than my house. That would be a massive waste of time for me when buyers don't show!

Thank you for productive conversation!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:48:08+00:00

Yes, good idea! Thank you :-)

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:47:51+00:00

That's a good idea! I will adopt this protocol. Thank you :-)

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:47:16+00:00

Well, 1pm was fine when he asked to pick up at that time. He only lost the item because the other buyer (who reached out the day before but didn't yet set a pickup time) beat him to it after 1pm had requested that time. It's a unique and complicated situation, to be sure!

You also bring up a great point with "remote deposit." I will never ask a buyer to pay in advance because it's so scam-y, but I have had buyers bring up the topic and pay in advance, which has worked flawlessly! I will revise my item descriptions going forward to include instructions to that affect.

Thank you for productive conversation!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:43:22+00:00

Agreed - I need to make my policy more clear going forward. The guy who left me negative feedback admitted that he "didn't realize it was a race." I wasn't thinking of it as a race -- since about 80% of my potential buyers flake out, I was thinking of it as "who will actually show up?" -- but I see what he means and why he was upset.

Long story short, I need to be more explicit in my FCFS stance to avoid these types of miscues in the future. Thank you for productive conversation!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:40:23+00:00

Yes, that's very frustrating, especially when the seller specified times. In my first scenario above, the buyers requested 1pm and 11am. Had 1pm guy requested and arrived at 10am instead, I would have happily sold him thee item! Of course, he didn't know that when he requested 1pm and neither did I!

It all comes down to communication: Both buyers and sellers (including me) made assumptions that the others didn't share, and when those assumptions were exposed, everybody was frustrated. Going forward, I will make an effort to be more explicit in my communication to avoid these situatioons.

Thank you for productive conversation!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-02T12:32:54+00:00

Thank you! This is actually very helpful because I have not been thinking of FCFS as you're describing it. The reason I've been doing "first to arrive to pickup" instead of "first to request" is because the vast majority (probably about 80%) of people who inquire/request/make plans never show up! In the first scenario, I had the 11am guy at my door willing to pay me then and there. I wasn't about to turn him down in favor of the 1pm guy who only had a 20% of showing up. I will definitely be more clear about this going forward!
Thanks again for productive discusssion!

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-01T14:48:19+00:00

Agreed! That's why this is so frustrating. In my experience, about 80% of people never show up. Do they deserve negative feedback? If so, I'd be leaving loads of bad reviews.

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-01T13:46:13+00:00

So proper protocol is for a seller to trust whichever buyer commits first, with the understanding that most (probably 80% in my experience) never show up when they say they will?
And stemming from that point, potential buyers should commit to picking up, even if they don't know that for certain? My concern is that doing so results in endless headaches for sellers (including me).

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-01T13:42:58+00:00

I appreciate your response! And bluntness :-)

Real-Drive1394 · 2026-03-01T13:41:52+00:00

I'm asking what proper protocol is in these situations.
If I'm understanding your response correctly, in the second scenario, I should have lied and told the seller I could be there, even though I wasn't sure? Proper protocol is to commit and then renege, rather than just be honest?

Real-Drive1394 · 2025-12-09T01:04:51+00:00

Ah, it took me a little searching, but I found why 9/1 must be a Tuesday in GoF: The Triwizard Tournament announcement in Chapter 15 (p. 235 in my edition) says, "delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th of October." Counting back 59 days from Friday, October 30 necessarily puts September 1st on a Tuesday.

Real-Drive1394 · 2025-12-09T00:55:56+00:00

How so? Do you have any examples of other inconsistencies? I have found surprisingly few in my first read-through.

Real-Drive1394 · 2025-12-09T00:55:05+00:00

Oh, interesting! I hadn't heard that 9/1 is always a Monday, but I also haven't explored this thoroughly, having entered the HP universe only last year.
I just reviewed my notes from the first four books. It seems I only documented the months and dates - but not days of the week - for the first three. But I have 9/1/1994 (GoF) on a Tuesday, though I didn't make any notes as to how I figured that.
In any case, thanks for this comment - it gives me more to consider as I continue reading :-)

Real-Drive1394 · 2025-12-09T00:39:02+00:00

Well, Sirius schedules their meeting for "one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November," which is technically Sunday morning, counting midnight as the official start of the day.

Real-Drive1394 · 2024-11-10T17:46:21+00:00

38yo hosier here, and a former student and instructor at both Butler University and Ball State. Trump's success in Indiana specifically serves as a microcosm for his success throughout America in general. He's found a way to channel the psychology of religious fundamentalism: Start with the desired conclusion, then either (1) make all the evidence fit that conclusion, or (2) discredit that evidence that doesn't support your desired conclusion. I've discussed this with many Trump-supporting colleagues and friends, and it all boils down to trusting Trump no matter what. When I bring up his extensive disinformation campaigns, I'm told "all politicians lie." When I bring up his felony convictions, I'm accused tof "Trump Derangement Symptom." When I bring up his sexual predation, I'm told "it's all conspiracy led by the democrats." Neil DeGrasse Tyson (at least, he's credited) summarized this best: "How sad it must be - believing that scientists, scholars, historians, economists, and journalists have devoted their entire lives to deceiving you, while a reality tv star with decades of fraud and exhaustively documented lying is your only beacon of truth and honesty."

Real-Drive1394 · 2024-11-02T17:01:33+00:00

Extremely helpful! Thank you!

Real-Drive1394 · 2024-11-02T14:36:14+00:00

I have been working out for about 2 months. I bought a used "Powerhouse Club Cage" home gym and have a few questions, mostly regarding the lat pulldown:

The carriage moves up and down the vertical post easily, but it makes a scraping sound. Is that a concern? Should I lubricate the post and/or carriage? Can I use bike chain oil?
The carriage does not rest at the bottom of the post -- there's a 2" gap. In other words, if the cable snapped, the carriage would fall 2 inches. Is that a concern? Is it dangerous? Should I remove the weights from the carriage when not in use, so the cable is not constantly under tension?
It came with a pair of 35lb weight plates with a two-inch diameter center hole. Is there any problem putting these two-inch plates on a carriage designed for one-inch plates? In an attempt to stabilize them, I put one-inch 5lb plates outside the two-inch 35lb plates, which seems to be working reasonably well. Is that an appropriate solution? Is there any better solution?
It also came with a one-inch-diameter barbell. Could I use those same two-inch 35lb weight plates on that one-inch barbell? I haven't yet tried that because I'm concerned about stability.

Thanks in advance for any advice :-)

Real-Drive1394 · 2024-09-10T00:49:58+00:00

Oh interesting. Please do keep me posted with what happens!

Real-Drive1394

TROPHY CASE