When is a deal/sale a SOLD?

[3weddings]

We were purchasing a laptop from the BST section and because the emails back and forth were well after 8pm (even though my husband had indicated he would go then too), the seller and I decided on tonite after work at a location he felt convenient to both of us.

We exchanged phone numbers, and hubby had planned to meet the seller at said time/place.

I get a PM this morning that the buyer was backing out, because he may well have gotten the asking price for it and should that deal not go through we could have it.

He even went so far as marking the sale pending in his thread.

I realize that the sale was not completed and that the seller can do what he wants....but if you ask me, it's simply unethical! :mad:

[ramaslamma]

Welcome to RFD, such things occur all the time. Be glad, the person didn't stand you up before meeting up i.e. no show, and or scam you of a product. Unfortunately, such things are a normal course with respect to RFD.

[7jaii]

Different RFDers agree on different sets or principles so there are many circumstances when deals fall apart. At the end of the day, if you feel it's unethical then we need to examine their intent and agenda.

Did seller intend to honour your agreed upon price? Did he purposely mark it "pending" so it would bump his thread and garner more attention/higher bids.

Most RFDers agree that we shouldn't charge above our posted prices. Sellers also don't alter final agreed price after we've factored in delivery & pickup time. Unless there are circumstances outside our control, sellers & buyers should keep their promise. On RFD that's what separates good sellers from bad. We can't control everything but if we agreed on price then pending delivery, it's yours (even if my brother offers me $10 more).

Revoking a transaction the next day is poor trading unless you receive a reasonable explanation. I suggest that your seller deserves a "Neutral" feedback linked backed to this thread (considering all your communications).

On the other hand there are exceptions: "if money wasn't exchanged" is the most popular and accepted argument. If buyer took too long to pickup, if seller refuses to provide contact info, if buyer renegotiates pricing or contacts other sellers before pickup to gain more competitive bids... These are common examples when trades break down.

At the end of the day it cuts both ways and RFD protects buyers more than sellers. Buyers want a good price and functioning item, sellers don't want to be low-balled or no-showed. Believe me, life is easier as a buyer...but I do sympathize with your situation.

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[DaVibe]

I hate people like that. Honesty with the best thing and people don't see that and hide information ... doesn't work out in the end.

I would have mentioned "So listen, don't rush into this because I have someone else giving me an offer, they might offer more than you are and I'm going to sell it to them" ...

What's wrong with that? It's honest, it doesn't string you along and if anything, gets you to move your behind to make the purchase ...

I don't know, that's how I look at it anyways ...
Unfortunate that people have to lie or change their plans when you've already gone out of your way for them. It's like they don't realize that, only thinking of themselves.

[Clockwork]

I have bought and sold many things over the years, and believe that once you agree in principal to an amount, it is a done deal. Of course opinions vary but your entitled to believe what you want and it is hard to determine what is right and wrong if you think about it. I think your right, and this person is just dishonorable even though it is a hard decision to make when someone offers you more money to honor a deal it is not a legal contract. Personally I would honor the deal if it was my situation but again it is my opinion which doesn't help your situation. Get over your hard feelings and find a better deal, I bet you will.

[rems]

a Sale is sold when someone gives an offer and that offer is accepted.

[Acuratl]

..but seriously if it's that good of a deal or you're scared that someone else might offer higher just do the deal right away asap!

[balou911]

you all have good ideas/ideals, but i can tell you from experience, that an item is sold only when paid for.

Ive learned to reserve the right to withdraw from selling/buying an item up until the very last moment.

a wise man on rfd once said - "first to pay, not first to say".

Only a few times have i spoken with plp who were very specific with what they wanted and when, who use terms like - i want 100%, meet today/tomorrow, pickup and cash in hand.

most plp use terms like - im interested, maybe later this week, and meet somewhere, wait until payday, i have to ask etc etc.

thats my 2cents.

[Setz]

Numerous times when I am pending purchase of an item on RFD, the user may say "oh, user x has offered me 5$ more, want to go higher?". At this point I remind him that RFD is not an auction site, as it's usually just a bait to get me to pay higher.

An item is sold when the other party actually has the item, but I think pending sale should be a solid agreement, and backing out should only be done by the buyer, not the seller.

[CPU2K]

I agree with balou911... too many tire kickers out there...

[3weddings]

..but seriously if it's that good of a deal or you're scared that someone else might offer higher just do the deal right away asap!

you all have good ideas/ideals, but i can tell you from experience, that an item is sold only when paid for.

Ive learned to reserve the right to withdraw from selling/buying an item up until the very last moment.

a wise man on rfd once said - "first to pay, not first to say".

Only a few times have i spoken with plp who were very specific with what they wanted and when, who use terms like - i want 100%, meet today/tomorrow, pickup and cash in hand.

most plp use terms like - im interested, maybe later this week, and meet somewhere, wait until payday, i have to ask etc etc.

thats my 2cents.

In our case, it was after 8pm on a Monday nite, and we offered. The seller declined.

On a side note, his threads were locked shortly after, and I did receive some very informative PMs from people who knew the seller, almost advising us not to purchase from him.

[markymark]

works both ways... multiple times i've had buyers say... "for sure for sure for sure I'll take it, Please don't sell to anyone else"... i went as far as being nice and decline other offers, then they don't show.


like a previous poster wrote... first one that comes with cash in hand.

[skewed]

I would post their username here and warn people about their practices. Backing out of a deal where both parties agreed is poor trading therefore people should be aware if certain people pull this stuff off.

[HowEver]

I've been stood up when going to meet people who agreed to buy things from me, I've had items mysteriously no longer be sold to me after the person agreed on a price (or I simply said I'd pay their asking price and they agreed), I've been haggled with after someone agreed to my price... and more.

RFD sellers aren't stores and we can't hold them to the same or comparable standards, even if we hope they will do the right thing, but we don't have to keep dealing with those people.

Plus, everybody makes mistakes from time to time. It's not the Spanish Inquisition. It's just unfortunate. The seller in question in this thread didn't scam anyone, they just inconvenienced them. It's sad but not criminal. You'd think if it was a family or personal reason, they would have told you... or at least went to the trouble of making something up.

Whether their username gets posted depends on the OP.

[murdoc2k]

a Sale is sold when someone gives an offer and that offer is accepted.

Nicely put. If someone gives you an offer you as the seller have to make a choice 1) Accept the deal 2) Decline and wait for a better deal.

Holding buyers to try to gain a "higher bid" is unethical. The original buyer who's interested now doesn't know wheter or not he/she will get the deal or not. You're wasting their time and putting them in a stand still for your own purpose.

Bargain only happens if 2 or more people are interested in what the seller is selling.

The phrase "pending" I find now is vague because it could mean there's a deal pending or it could be pending as in waiting for payment.

I think that RFD should have a status system that sellers are obligated to put on their BST thread to indicate the 4 phases of a sale

1) Available 2) Deal pending 3) Payment Pending 4) Sold

This way, there'll be less arguments.

[Super strokey]

I classify a deal as sold when teh cash is in hand. Ive had way to many people say "i will 100% take please put in on hold for me!" and then never get back to me, back out, or make up an excuse. Happens all the time and i lose sales because of it. Cash talks 100% plain and simple, of course this isnt a firm rule as many people ive held things for weeks for them cause i knew they could be trusted or that we had an agreement and i trust them. Guess it just works out that way.

[Super strokey]

Numerous times when I am pending purchase of an item on RFD, the user may say "oh, user x has offered me 5$ more, want to go higher?". At this point I remind him that RFD is not an auction site, as it's usually just a bait to get me to pay higher.

An item is sold when the other party actually has the item, but I think pending sale should be a solid agreement, and backing out should only be done by the buyer, not the seller.

Ive had that before too, this is when i insist they sell it to that other person as its such a good deal lol. They lose my business and the business of the supposed person.

[1ton]

Everyone has their own code of ethics towards situation like these and it really depends how they deal with it. If the deal has already been agreed on and technically 'sealed' it would be very unethical to back out whether buyer or seller if either were to be offered a lower/higher price. But once again if the deal has not been confirmed yet and the seller has been offered a higher price, it is by all means the sellers choice to take either the higher offer or the original.

That is just my two cents but I believe that would go with a lot of people. Also like everyone has been saying 'first to pay, not to say' applies as well, but usually always depends on seller if they want to be nice or not and hold the item.

[jerryhung]

Mostly when I see the real cash from whomever shows up first

Unless it's from a reputable buyer who is sending money as soon as he/she can over EMT/PayPal

[CHINAdeals]

diff' for diff' sellers

when i'm selling, it's sold when i've confirmed the deal over the phone generally.. i'll hold the item if i sense the other party is reputable

i find it best to deal with people who will always update you on the situation regardless (tell me its sold even though the post is a few days/mths old).. just so you know what's going on

[mpc2323]

This is standArd practise and should not be looked down. The seller must have had tens or hundreds of offer and buyer suddenly stops communicating.

[bembol]

To be honest, I had a few items that I wanted to back out but didn't because we agreed on it.

If you set a date, time and place IMO it's considered SOLD.