"Trade Only" Nonsense

Sort of a question, mostly a rant though.

Can someone explain the mentality of posting something "for sale", but will only accept trades? It seems like you're drastically reducing your chances of actually getting rid of said item. You see it a lot with ricer kids selling various parts, especially rims. I can almost understand that, since most of them aren't wealthy and/or smart enough to have an extra set of wheels and apparently steelies are a foreign concept unless you're running them without hubcaps ironically. However, what totally blows my mind is when people try to sell $10K+ vehicles the same way.

This rant is brought to you by the only guy selling an S2000 on ATL Clist with a hardtop... for trades only. I guess I need to go buy a car he wants instead?

Probably stuck with no cash/credit to purchase another vehicle before the vehicle for trade goes. Probably not enough cash/credit to have the vehicle in the first place.

In reply to Mitchell:

probably owes 15k to the bank for said s2k.......

I agree, it's stupid. I was looking at a miata that was the same deal. I asked the guy and he said it was his only car, so he didn't have time to shop for a car after selling. I found a better Miata....

Idoit kid probably hoping he can get some other idiot kid to give him something more valuable in exchange for his piece of crap.

I've done it as an experiment to see what sort of interesting things I could get for a running car I didn't really want, need, or have much money into (but was definitely not junk). I was looking for something cool to pop up like a surprise. An old watch... road bike? A shotgun? Tools? A more interesting project car? What I got was riff-raff offering me their junk and trying to get something for nothing.

Since the results were generally poor I ended up trading for cash in the end anyway.

I find it's often advantageous to post for sale for cash... but note that you WILL accept trades/partial trades.

If i hadn't posted the MSM like that, i'd still have it, since it was apparent that nobody had $14k cash laying around for a 10 year old Miata.

i have listed vehicles for trade only, although they werent worth anywhere near $10k.It was all within a year of moving away from home and out to indiana for work and being fresh out of college i didnt have money to buy another car then sell mine.

i traded my audi a4 for a landcruiser because i needed to have room to move bigger items since i didnt know anybody in the area yet. then after i bought my first house i traded the landcruiser for a f250 so that i would be able to haul stuff for home repairs/landscaping etc.

given the right price i probably would have sold them outright but at the given time being without a vehicle wasnt much of an option. but these were pretty average everyday vehicles traded for other average vehicles, i feel like trading from a car to a suv/truck or vice versa based on your needs inst unusual. but with a specific kind of vehicle trying to trade for another specific vehicle is a waste of time

When browsing Craigslist, "trades only" means, "won't pass inspection".

Swank Force One wrote: I find it's often advantageous to post for sale for cash... but note that you WILL accept trades/partial trades.

I'm in complete agreement. That works out great sometimes.

In reply to edizzle89: That's probably the most reasonable explanation I've heard so far. I'd gander most of them are closer to the first few responses in the thread though.

Honestly, I just think people are lazy and/or broke. Unfortunately, they have absolutely zero obligation to make my life easier.

The opposite thing seems to happen to me - I advertise something for sale for a dollar amount, and people call up wanting to trade all kinds of goofy junk.

When I was Elise shopping, I found one on CL "for trade" in Glendale, PRC. Being quite familiar with the area, I contacted him and offered to "trade" for this stuff called "cash." He wasn't really interested. Weird.

it is usually done with a S10 or a camper, toy nobody wants to buy......so you trade it to somebody for something they cannot sell.

In reply to stuart in mn:

That's why I always put "WILL TRADE ONLY FOR CASH. EXISTENCE OF LISTING INDICATES ITEM IS STILL FOR SALE." at the bottom of every CL ad. Then add to that all caps mini rant if I see a pattern any other stupid questions for a particular thing I'm selling, like when people think I'm some sort of living Hollander interchange manual wanting to know if some related engine will fit in some car I'm selling with a blown engine.

I posted my 2002 F250 (XLT Lariat, crew cab, short box, 4x4 FX4, 7.3 PSD, basically the most desirable Brodozer model Ford Powerstroke ever) for trade for a similarly equipped 7.3 Excursion. Got precisely one person who understood the ad. And no, its not that it wont pass inspection or I dont have the cash for something else, I actually wanted an Excursion when I bought it and got it for too good of a price to pass up.

To me, trades happen unexpectedly- I'll go to look at something for sale (usually parts), start talking to the seller and find out that they're looking for something I have that I don't really want anymore. Everybody wins.

I recently traded a wrecked (but drivable) Miata for a different, newer Miata with a dead engine. Then I sold the second Miata for cash.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: wanting to know if some related engine will fit in some car I'm selling with a blown engine.

The answer is always yes. With enough cutting, welding, time and knowledge anything will fit, so I always tell them yes.

I listed a car for sale, didn't get any reasonable offers, but ended up trading for a kart that was worth more than the car. Currently I'm considering listing my Civic for trade, because my practical, automatic, 4 door, sedan may net a less practical, manual, 2 door, fun car. I really don't have to get rid of it or need cash (which is why I usually sell things). Of course I'll include a cash price but that always gets lowballed. Sometimes trading gets better results.

I always imagined the "Trade Only" sellers being like Homer Simpson...

Me: I know your ad said "Trade Only," but I would like to offer you $1500 for your rust-free Miata with hardtop and blown engine.

Seller: Aw, $1500!?! But I wanted a pressure washer, a quad, or things that go "bang."

Me: $1500 can buy one or more of the items you desire.

Seller: Explain how.

Me: Money can be exchanged for goods and services.

Seller: Woo hoo!

There might be a different explanation, too - in states where you have to pay sales tax even on private vehicle purchases, if you trade a vehicle you might only have to pay the sales tax on the difference in value and not the full amount.

Of course if we're talking $1500 Civic here, that might not make much of a difference.

In reply to The:

S10, camper, or else BBQ grill, or quad that needs a "little work."

In reply to Klayfish:

Since even idiot kids rarely trade their best stuff away and all parties are hoping to trade up instead of across or down, it seems like the most common end result is both parties feeling cheated.

I get what the OP is talking about. If you search for "civic" or "honda" in the Orlando or Miami craigslist it will be all "Trade only." You ask what they are looking for and if they would take cash and their replies (if you can comprehend it) is usually them wanting something more valuable. I.e. I want to trade my 97 civic hatch with an h22 for a pristine AP2 S2k but if you want to buy it $12k will do.

BoxheadTim wrote: There might be a different explanation, too - in states where you have to pay sales tax even on private vehicle purchases, if you trade a vehicle you might only have to pay the sales tax on the difference in value and not the full amount.

everytime i have traded we just did the paper work as if we just bought each others vehicles, and left the dollar amount blank on the title so each party can choose how much they "paid". i think my f250 was $10 lol

ae86andkp61 wrote: all parties are hoping to trade up instead of across or down, it seems like the most common end result is both parties feeling cheated.

most of the time this is correct with people wanting to trade up without adding any cash, but ive found that if you really just want to trade across it can take a while to get a good straight across trade. i think my landcruiser was listed for 3 months before i finally got an offer for something that i saw as equal value. but i have always tried to trade straight across with no expectations of trading up

edizzle89 wrote: everytime i have traded we just did the paper work as if we just bought each others vehicles, and left the dollar amount blank on the title so each party can choose how much they "paid". i think my f250 was $10 lol

here, the state tells you how much the vehicle is worth … you're allowed to dispute that amt. but you have to jump through some hoops to get the amt. reduced

In reply to wbjones:

never heard of that before, but I have only lived in 2 states...