"Still Available"

The most common question in Carousell : "Still available?"

"Still available?" - that's probably the most common question I get on my carousell listings.
And it is also the question that irks me most.

It is so common that I wonder why the Carousell team still has not added a "Still Available?" button next to "Make Offer" button....it would make things much easier for these dumb asses with no brains to think.

Of course its still available lah, duh. 

Why else would it still be on Carousell without being marked as sold?
And if it is marked as sold, why are you still asking me this stupid question?
Unless you are asking me about my eligibility, then I would say, its none of your business!

What happens after the answer?

(Note to Carousell app developer team : Should also look into adding a "Yes, it is Still Available" auto-reply function for frustrated sellers)

Okay, maybe you are too kind-hearted or have an imaginary Gold Customer Service Carouseller badge pinned on your chest and you want to be nice to answer all questions, no matter how stupid they sound. Or maybe you are just too desperate to get rid of your stuff.
So, you take the time to answer these dimwits with a "Yes" answer. But what happens after that - Buyer makes offer at your desired price, you accept, exchange contact numbers, arrange for meet up, item gets sold, both parties happy and go home and leave each other a positive rating?

Nah!

I can confidently say that 80-90% of these idiots who ask "still available" will M.I.A. (Missing in Action - that is, disappear without a sound) instead of making an offer to buy your item.

Why no sound no picture now that I tell you that the item is available?

I put forward 3 conspiracy theories of the mystery of the missing Carousellers who ask "still available" :-

1) They will kickstart their 5 year savings plan to buy your item once you reply them in the affirmative. Meanwhile, they will not continue their conversation with you because they need to be out there earning bucks to buy your thing, remember?
Once they raise enough money, they will surely come back and buy from you, they will one. Or when your forgot all about it, whichever happens earlier. Just wait....

2) Carousellers who ask the question "still available" are just hoping that you would answer "No", so that they can convince themselves that they have saved some money because the item they wanted is sold out. They don't really want it and just want your answer to justify to their inner selves why they didnt make that purchase.
When you replied with Yes, you actually screwed up their inner peace. They are in a state of denial. They didn't get the answer they wanted to hear, so now they are avoiding you like the plague. You just mindfucked somebody, you horny devil.

3) They want to sell the same item as you on Carousell. Asking this question is doing competitor research. If you said "Yes", they will lower their selling price to undercut you, if you said "No", they will up their selling price.

4) They just have too much time on their hands and have nothing to do. If you can pick into the minds of such individuals and ask them why, you will probably get 1 of these answers :-
"Anyway, asking questions is free of charge right?"
"Ask already means must buy from you is it?"
"Cannot stand people asking you such questions, then don't sell on Carousell lah"
"I ask still available but I never say I want to buy what."
"I wanted to ask if you are still available cos I need to find a wife."


So whether or not you wish to answer this question the next time you get such a message, I'll leave it to you. Or you can prove my statistics wrong by dutifully marking down how many percent of such "still available" questions end up in actual sales transacted for you. If you managed more than 50% hit rate, I would say, good for you, you have fate with dimwits (I meant it as a compliment, really!).

Do share your "hit rate" with these "still available" Carousellers here.