So some of you may remember a posting on here for a yellow 22" kettle in Duluth. This ad had not gotten a whole lot of interest for the most part. It was listed at a "Packer grill" I know that myself and Greg (glrasmussen) had emailed him and expressed interest. The original listing price was 50.00. The kettle was in good overall condition.
I was to be up in northern, Wi. for vacation and wanted to pick it up. Greg (not to my knowledge at that time), had plans too. Basically a first come first basis. So a day or two prior to heading up to Wisconsin, the seller of the grill called me to say that the grill was still available as of now, but the price had gone to 150.00. I asked him what happened? He told me that he had been contacted by another interested buyer in Georgia. He said this person was asking him many detailed questions...about what was on the top vent, and other odd questions of great detail. This person offered him more money than was being asked, and still wanted it shipped at an additional cost of course. The seller told me he wondered why someone in Georgia would want a grill in Duluth, and have it shipped so far away. What happened was the seller went online to do some research on what exactly he had after what he thought was an odd request for someone to show so much interest from so far away. Detailed questions, willing to pay more than the asking price, and knowledge of this "basic grill" far more than any novice would know...single handedly caused the seller to investigate this grill. He found our site and learned that a yellow Weber is pretty rare and collectible.
I spoke to Greg after this and told him the buyer raised the price to 150. Greg wasn't happy when I told him what happened. He wasn't going to pay that much, either was I. I spoke to the seller again and said I was still interested, but not at 150. I told him he wasn't likely to sell this grill to anyone for that price plus shipping on top of it. Before I went up north, I spoke to Greg and asked if he minded if I continued to negotiate with the seller. He told me he didn't mind since he wasn't wanting to pay that much.
I spoke to the seller again and made him another offer, he accepted it, but told me if someone came before I got there and offered him his asking price, he would still sell the grill to that person. Fair enough. So that next week I headed up there and met the seller. Nice enough guy. I sat and talked with him for awhile. He told me the guy from Georgia was still trying to get him to sell it to him for more money than the asking price (even though the seller told him he had a deal worked out with me), but they couldn't come to an agreement on the shipping charges. So long story short here, I got the grill (for another member).
I guess I would say if you are dealing with someone that has a grill you really want, and if it happens to be older, there really is no good that can come out of throwing your knowledge around about something rare or uncommon. All you will do is tip the person off and make them question what exactly they might have. It ended up costing one of our members some extra cash. But anyways, I got this grill despite the person from Georgia
What a pleasant vacation story........ 8)
Glad you got it Jeff. We are all after vintage kettles but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about acquiring them.....
I was in Duluth and seen that grill on CL for $50 on the 31 then $150 the next day i wondered wth was going on ! Glad ya got it !
That's strange. Someone needs to read the kettle etiquette thread!!
Georgia huh?...Imagine that ::) Glad one of the good guys got it though. I understand prices rising due to more interest and exposure, partially due to our site. We really need to stop and think before we contact sellers 1/2 way across the USA and offer stupid amounts of money.
Glad you got it jeff, sorry to hear you had to pay more than expected.
"my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."
I do think a lot has to do with our site, plus other sites as well. Our site focuses most on the collectibility of these grills. We show the most pictures of rare stuff to and get lots of comments that lurkers read too. I don't think one person is solely responsible for the price escalation though...we (this site) has opened a lot of eyes on what a fun hobby it can be to cook on something and own something different than the basic black kettle.
(http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3045/xfq6.jpg) (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/xfq6.jpg/)
Thanks for the story jeff. I think many of us are not at all suprised at the details.
Others will never understand how gratifying it is to share a weber grill with other friends rather than to aquire them from all the far reaches of the land for themselves.
Glad you got the yellow...... but What a shitty thing to do!!!
Part of the fun is jumping in the car and driving to see the goods waiting in the driveway of the seller :)
:(
glad you got the kettle.
but lets keep in mind we don't know how much of what the seller told you is true.
I once had a car salesmen tell me that he had a solid offer from someone via email that morning that was VERY interested in the car.
What he didn't realize, was that very interested emailer was ME - and I had never made any offer.
I confirmed it later that night when the salesmen emailed me (not making the connection) and told me that a very interested buyer checked out that afternoon.
The salesmen admitted to fibbing to the potential buyer (me) about the email buyer (me) putting in an offer in an effort to give me a chance to match that offer.
But then he took it one step further and told me that the in-person buyer (again, ME) ALSO made an offer.
people do shitty things when there's money involved.
none of us have all the facts. :)
we all like kettles
lets play nice :)
Thats fine. All info from the seller gave me was unsolicitated regardless. He said details about the questions that were asked of him about the grill that no novice could come up with on their own. He also mentioned nothing of what the other potential buyer offered, other than more than the asking price.
I worded the original story on the vague side for a reason, not to indite anyone directly, but to point out that an out of towner gave up too many details to the seller. Everyone is free to create their own conclusions.
Or delusions...
We need photos of what u "snuck" out of Wisconsin. Guess he didn't have enough coin to "power lift" this thing to Georgia. LOL.
I can't believe Casey did that to you guys! WTF!
We don't know the person that was interested with deep pockets! Surely can't be Casey, he has no money, just a sharp tongue! :)
Jeff, Congrats on the purchase. I will lie low, but I know your telling the truth. I to spoke to the owner and can verify your findings in your one on one conversation. He did offer me a lower offer, but I am about collecting and cooking. I have a Yellow, this one was a tick out of the back yard, I had a agent in the area prior to all the hoopla, but never received a response, until the price went to $150. He did his research prior to my received call. I would have had a Yellow available to a WKC member, I'm sure at a lower price than your purchase price. Better yet, probably an even up trade, for no out of pocket for either party.
Jeff, I'm glad you got it. :) Its too bad that there's been some price gouging and sneaky backdoor operations going on with some of these grills. >:( Like that NIB yellow 2 weeks ago back east jumped from $30 to over $400 in less than 30 minutes? What the hell!?
Score 1 WKC!
Quote from: Troy on August 21, 2013, 04:00:48 PM
glad you got the kettle.
but lets keep in mind we don't know how much of what the seller told you is true.
Well, based on Jeffs post, which part do you think of the sellers story may not be true? Do you think he made up the location of the remote interested pary? Or do you think Jeff did?
Do you think the seller made up what parts of the kettle the remote interested party was looking for details on (such as the vent) or do you think Jeff did?
I am not trying to start a scuffle, but your car example and this one are not parralells. In your car example, you WERE both parties. in this example, Jeff knows he was not! Indeed, we lack full information on this instance, and the seller may very well have been giving fibs.
But.... On the other hand, we do have soem historical data to go on. And we would all be foolish to ignore that data as it piles up.
I trust that Jeff is giving us some straight talk and not trying to point fingers.
I'm glad he got the grill, but would rather see the seller get stuck with it and realized he was being a bit outrageous on the price.
We can all put a fantastic value on something.. but i prefer sentimental value and a great story than just another hunk of metal in hte shed.
Thanks for sharing Jeff.. We can all learn from this. 8)
Quote from: G$ on August 21, 2013, 07:58:37 PM
Quote from: Troy on August 21, 2013, 04:00:48 PM
glad you got the kettle.
but lets keep in mind we don't know how much of what the seller told you is true.
Well, based on Jeffs post, which part do you think of the sellers story may not be true? Do you think he made up the location of the remote interested pary? Or do you think Jeff did?
I believe the location was accurate. Harris reached out to this guy and asked questions, even tried to get it shipped to Atlanta.
There's no crime in that.
Quote
Do you think the seller made up what parts of the kettle the remote interested party was looking for details on (such as the vent) or do you think Jeff did?
I'm sure Harris asked very specific questions. I probably would too if i were preparing to pay the high cost of shipping an unseen kettle to me.
Again. There's no crime in that
Quote
I am not trying to start a scuffle, but your car example and this one are not parralells. In your car example, you WERE both parties. in this example, Jeff knows he was not! Indeed, we lack full information on this instance, and the seller may very well have been giving fibs.
But.... On the other hand, we do have some historical data to go on. And we would all be foolish to ignore that data as it piles up.
I do not think this historical data pile is as big as you think it is. Most of the events that have been discussed regarding similar scenarios are full of a LOT of speculation and very little fact.
Minimally related - of the 4 fake bait ads that I ran (and told no one - I'm sorry, it was shitty of me to do) - NONE of them were discovered as fake, and none were posted here. However there were WKC members who reached out to me letting me know the value of the grill.
That person will not be named - but it was NOT Harris.
On the topic of interstate purchasing - it's not a crime.
On the topic of asking questions - it's not a crime.
Logically - it doesn't matter HOW the seller realized his item was valuable.
If he had simply done a google search - he would have learned the same thing and you guys wouldn't be screaming "FUCK YOU GOOGLE"
I have spoken with Harris regarding these situations.
He understands that his methods were less than considerate and beneficial the community.
He's working on his ways and he IS interested in helping the community (he has passed more grills on to WKC members, without profit, than he's picked up from craigslist)
He's offended people. He realizes it. He's working on it and committed to being more helpful to the WKC.
He needs to be treated fairly and this bullshit needs to be put to rest.
It's all in the past, and the WKC is ready to move on.
For what it's worth, I once stole a drunk guys boots.
It was a shitty thing to do, I still feel bad about it.
I haven't stolen anything else since.
Drunk people feel confident passing out around me. :)
Please.
Let's stop fanning the flames.
Your story made me laugh Troy.
Also, thank you for apologizing for Harris. That was nice of you.
Quote from: G$ on August 21, 2013, 09:18:16 PM
Your story made me laugh Troy.
Also, thank you for apologizing for Harris. That was nice of you.
That reminded me, I'm pretty sure karma got me back.
probably that same year i passed out drunk and woke up missing my belt.
I was probably 18 or 19 at the time and really into harleys and skateboarding. My pants were WAY too big and i wore a big heavy chain wallet. (seriously, had to weigh 8 pounds)
I had to manually hold my pants up all day until I could get home :(
I thought it was called "drinking too much then falling asleep" rather than passing out.
Quote from: G$ on August 21, 2013, 09:30:53 PM
I thought it was called "drinking too much then falling asleep" rather than passing out.
That's only for Brian when he's drinking daiquiris and at a jimmy buffet concert i think.
Stop the harrisment!
Looks like were all gonna have to post 4 fake ads if we want to find out anything!
On a side note, someone stole my belt once while I was drunk sleeping too!
This original thread was created, as titled to be lessoned learned. If I might change one thing, it may have been not to put Georgia down, but maybe a southeastern state, or maybe Canada. I put Georgia down to make my point of why the seller thought it so odd to have some dumb old grill sent there all the way from Duluth.
I will point out there is nothing wrong with acquiring a grill from somewhere far away from where you live. I'm sure certain grills are harder to find in some small rural town, and especially if you live in Canada. Heck, some of my grills were sent to me. My personal Yellow came from Cali about 5 years ago! I contacted the seller, offered their asking price, and paid what shipping came to. I got lucky. Some people naturally don't want the trouble of boxing something like that up. Ultimately, its how you go about doing it. No need to disclose unnecessary details about the grill to show your knowledge. Example. It might be a Wooddale. Just ask, "I can't see from your photo, but does the top vent say anything on it?" "Any letters? Arlington Heights, Palatine, Wooddale?" "Oh...Wooddale? Ok, well does your grill have any rust around the leg sockets or top handle...no, it doesn't? I'm interested in buying your grill then"
Its all about your stealth and technique! You may not even need to offer more or have an agent work for you! Only reason an agent is helpful is to hopefully get it packaged good and ready for shipment. Good luck and happy hunting! :)
Quote from: Jeff on August 22, 2013, 04:09:44 AM
This original thread was created, as titled to be lessoned learned. If I might change one thing, it may have been not to put Georgia down, but maybe a southeastern state, or maybe Canada. I put Georgia down to make my point of why the seller thought it so odd to have some dumb old grill sent there all the way from Duluth.
I will point out there is nothing wrong with acquiring a grill from somewhere far away from where you live. I'm sure certain grills are harder to find in some small rural town, and especially if you live in Canada. Heck, some of my grills were sent to me. My personal Yellow came from Cali about 5 years ago! I contacted the seller, offered their asking price, and paid what shipping came to. I got lucky. Some people naturally don't want the trouble of boxing something like that up. Ultimately, its how you go about doing it. No need to disclose unnecessary details about the grill to show your knowledge. Example. It might be a Wooddale. Just ask, "I can't see from your photo, but does the top vent say anything on it?" "Any letters? Arlington Heights, Palatine, Wooddale?" "Oh...Wooddale? Ok, well does your grill have any rust around the leg sockets or top handle...no, it doesn't? I'm interested in buying your grill then"
Its all about your stealth and technique! You may not even need to offer more or have an agent work for you! Only reason an agent is helpful is to hopefully get it packaged good and ready for shipment. Good luck and happy hunting! :)
Well said Jeff. Even at that, I take chances. If it is $25.00 or under, I take the risk and purchase sight unseen. My Wood Dale is a great example, $25 sight unseen. With Google, the more questions asked, will have them doing research. Hence the Yellow. Just IMO. Reach out to a fellow member or post in a trade section that your interested in a particular grill. This communication is happening on Ebay purchases here, you see other members standing down for fellow members. I see know reason, why this can't work on CL posts abroad.
So here are some pics of it. I didnt even clean it, maybe a quick wipe off on the lid. I hope the soon to be new owner doesn't mind, but I had to cook on it, I have a feeling it may never see charcoal after this again! Never cooked on my own yellow, but had to see this "orangy" color it takes on! Judge for yourself!
Fire it up!
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000165_zps1b3f5dfd.jpg)
Starting to get the coals going
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000168_zpsea5cbfe6.jpg)
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000167_zpsd0e098a1.jpg)
Getting hot
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000169_zps4f53c065.jpg)
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000170_zpsdf6458b3.jpg)
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000171_zpsa21b6212.jpg)
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000172_zps8030736f.jpg)
And yes, I cleaned the grates off when I was done!
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000173_zpsa3adaad6.jpg)
The soon-to-be new owner must have some kind of dirt on you for you to give it up Jeff. That thing is a gem!
That thing is beautiful! Thanks for sharing the pics.
Quote from: MartyG on August 22, 2013, 09:37:19 AM
The soon-to-be new owner must have some kind of dirt on you for you to give it up Jeff. That thing is a gem!
I have one already! :)
Man, that thing is nice. I'd love to have a lemon like that! ;D
Quote from: Jeff on August 22, 2013, 09:44:56 AM
Quote from: MartyG on August 22, 2013, 09:37:19 AM
The soon-to-be new owner must have some kind of dirt on you for you to give it up Jeff. That thing is a gem!
I have one already! :)
That's exactly the kind of dirt I'd like to have on me! ;D
Thanks for grabbing that for me Jeff. I don't mind that you cooked on it. It was worth it for scientific purposes. :)
that is beautiful.
someone find me a freaking yellow!
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000172_zps8030736f.jpg)
Not Quite, Bub!!!!
HOTTER !!!!!
VVVVVVVVV
(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd520/1buckie/1st%202013%20chicken/8-4-2013%20Surf%20Turf%20Orange/8-4-2013SampTurfOrange021.jpg)
I should pull mine out.. I mean my yellow 22, you bunch of sick.... Anyway, nice grill! Someone will be happy to have it.. 8)
The more photos I see the more I want a yellow...
Quote from: 1buckie on August 22, 2013, 10:37:37 AM
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq142/A_Tame76/Yellow%20Duluth%20Kettle/IMG_00000172_zps8030736f.jpg)
Not Quite, Bub!!!!
HOTTER !!!!!
VVVVVVVVV
(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd520/1buckie/1st%202013%20chicken/8-4-2013%20Surf%20Turf%20Orange/8-4-2013SampTurfOrange021.jpg)
Have you tried using it yet Buckie?
Wow that is really nice jeff. Who wouldn't love one of those!
I want a yellow so bad! That is just awesome!
Quote from: Duke on August 22, 2013, 12:59:06 PM
Have you tried using it yet Buckie?
Seven heat sets and three cooks.....just peachy...... 8)
So is there a wait list we can add our names to with Jeff for one of these?
Ken
Quote from: Troy on August 21, 2013, 10:04:06 PM
Quote from: G$ on August 21, 2013, 09:30:53 PM
I thought it was called "drinking too much then falling asleep" rather than passing out.
That's only for Brian when he's drinking daiquiris and at a jimmy buffet concert i think.
For the record it was a fantastic giant frozen strawberry margarita, and it was at a Trans Siberian Orchestra show. And in my defense they were an old metal band in the 80's called Savatage.....
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk 4
Quote from: zavod44 on August 23, 2013, 03:01:57 PM
Quote from: Troy on August 21, 2013, 10:04:06 PM
Quote from: G$ on August 21, 2013, 09:30:53 PM
I thought it was called "drinking too much then falling asleep" rather than passing out.
That's only for Brian when he's drinking daiquiris and at a jimmy buffet concert i think.
For the record it was a fantastic giant frozen strawberry margarita, and it was at a Trans Siberian Orchestra show. And in my defense they were an old metal band in the 80's called Savatage.....
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk 4
Whatever makes you feel better about it.