BUMP This! Buy and Sell Acronyms Defined – Part I

This post is part of our ongoing series on buy and sell acronyms. For more lingo, check out parts two and three. 

Think you’ve been buying and selling long enough to give this post a pass? Think again. Just last week, VarageSale’s own Chief Mom got a surprise when she learned the actual meaning of BUMP. Like many of us, Tami thought the term meant “to be moved up.” Makes perfect sense since bumped items are moved to the top of the feed, right? Well yes, but… wrong! In the world of buying and selling, BUMP is an acronym that stands for “bring up my post.” Mind blown.

Yep, there’s a definite learning curve when it comes to buy and sell lingo—and new terms keep popping up all the time! But don’t bother grabbing the dictionary because it just won’t help. Instead, we offer you the ultimate of cheat sheets.

 INT: Interested

While browsing the feed for the latest Gucci purse or Apple device, it appears that many buyers get too excited to write out a sentence—or word—in full. We imagine the evolution of this term to look something like this:

 

We can only guess that one too many buyers lost an item to that gal who never worries about proper sentence structure or spelling. 😉

 PMs: Personal Messages

Not to be confused with premenstrual syndrome, PMs are your ticket to securing a deal. If you fall head over heels for an item, simply send a PM to the seller—they will usually get back to you right away if they want to make that sale. (A word of warning to sellers: Some buyers will “lose INT” if you don’t respond to their PM within 59 seconds.)

 OBO: Or Best Offer

You know that dining room hutch you’ve got your eye on that’s just way overpriced? Well, if it says OBO beside it, you may just be in luck! In this case, if no full-priced offers come in, the next highest offer (yours?) will be accepted. But beware of sellers who use OBO on all of their posts. Similar to the auto response to “How are you?”, OBO can be the “fine” of the buy and sell world. Many say it but don’t necessarily mean it.

 NIL: Next in Line

The concept of lining up is very important when it comes to buying and selling online. Preference is typically given in the order that interest is expressed or to whichever buyer can pick the item up first. Whatever the case, when someone attempts to jump ahead, all hell breaks loose! Don’t mess with the first come, first served rule! You will be tagged, called out and publicly ostracized. This experience can be more painful than a real-life elbow to the gut, so don’t take your chances.

 GUC: Good Used Condition

This gets a little tricky because “good” is subject to interpretation. One person might think it means an item is practically brand new while another may consider a shirt with only three stains to be in good condition. And in case you’re curious… the synonyms for “good” include: acceptable, exceptional, favorable, marvelous and satisfactory. No wonder everyone is so confused!

 NWT: New With Tags

This may seem pretty straightforward to you, but it may not be so obvious to others! If you’ve marked something as NWT, this means there’s a price tag still physically attached to the item. Literally. Others may think it means that it’s new and there was a tag—but that should really be classified as NWOT. Oh, and it may go without saying but, don’t go selling items you’ve collected à la Winona Ryder circa 2001!

 NWOT: New Without Tags

You purchase an item, remove the tags and, for whatever reason, decide not to keep it (usually because a picky child refuses to wear it, or because they are two years old and just don’t like anything). Repeat after me: A NWOT item has never been worn. NWOT is not an item that could probably pass as new even though your child wore it twice.

 MPU: Must Pick Up

Warning: Some buyers find this concept quite upsetting! They feel that the seller should be willing to meet them halfway. It’s a tough one to understand. If they were going to buy the item at a store, they would not ask the clerk to drive 15 minutes to meet them. And when it comes to lugging a living room set to a halfway point, it can prove pretty much impossible for anyone who isn’t a bodybuilder or doesn’t own a moving van.

 PPU: Pending Pick Up or Porch Pick Up

a) Pending Pick Up
This item has been spoken for but is yet to be picked up. The truth is, it’s never a done deal until you’ve got the money in your hand and the buyer has driven away with the item. People on buy and sell sites have been known to suffer from commitment issues, so don’t ever let a PPU deter you from expressing interest. Imagine being number seven on a list and ending up with the item because so many people bailed. It happens.

b) Porch Pick Up
This item is left on the seller’s porch in some sort of elaborately fashioned storage device. Whether the post box, a locker, or a good old fashioned Rubbermaid container, each item will have its own special home, where the buyer will leave their money in exchange for the goods. No small talk, no awkward inspection of the item while the seller watches, no last minute low ball offer, no drama!

 ISO: In Search Of

When people are looking to buy something specific, they can get a little ridiculous. It’s like they’ve been granted permission to ask for anything they can possibly dream up. “ISO iPad – Excellent Condition – MUST be under $100” isn’t a rare sighting. In case you were wondering, I’m Shamelessly Oblivious is not what ISO means!

Now that you’ve learned a few abbreviations, click below to sign up and put them into action.

 

 

P.S.Do you have an acronym to add to our list? Share it (and its definition) with us in the comments below!