Big-G
My recent experiences where even more frustrating.... I never meet anyone at my home if it can be avoided, as I want to protect my wife and kids should I get a bad apple form the bunch, so I usually arrange to meet at my church. When I recently put my Orange Micro Terror up for sale, I received something like 12 or so different enquiries about it, to the point that I couldn't keep up with all the replies...
Then one of the first guys made a firm commitment with me to meet at my church to try it out through the cabs I'm also selling, of which he was interested in too... So I get all my required gear together, and head off to my church, which is a good 20mins drive away (each way).... And guess what... No show...
In fairness, he contacts me via email and asks if we could rearrange for the following day. Being the kind of guy I am, I agree, as having kids, I know that life happens, so following morning comes, and I get an email to say 'sorry can't do today hows tomorrow'. Since I hadn't left for the church at the point of receiving the email, I again patiently agreed to meet on the following day.... Agian... No show... Eventually an email came through that he'd only just woken up!
So at this point I started negotiating with some of the other interested parties, some of which had found other amps, and some of which just didn't reply.... Then the original guy got back in touch and told me that the following lunchtime he could come by. SInce I'd had no firm responses after all the initial interest, I agreed once more, and thought 'This really is the last chance now'.
So this time he did show, and played woth the amp for a good 15 mins, even plugging in his own FX pedals to try them out, then tells me he'll have to speak to the wife, but he'll give me a firm answer by that evening, one way or another....
And yes you guessed it... By the following morning, still no email! By this point I'd lost out on at least another two potential sales! SO I eventually email the guy to say 'I assume that not hearing from you means that you are no longer interested?' Two hours later, I get a reply telling me that his wife didn't see the need for him to have another amp.
This nealry drove me over the edge! The reason being, and the real bit I don't get... If you have gone through the trouble of putting someone out, not just once, but four times, surely you should have asked the wife if you can part with the cash first?
I mean, giving some benefit here, I quite often contact people when I have an interest in an item to gather info, and see if the items worth trying to gather the funds for, but I would never arrange to actually see the item unless I was sure I had the available cash to buy it! I just wouldn't put people out like that! I often wonder about the mentality of people today? Were they born with no manners?
Interestingly, I had a few mails that wanted to meet me on some random corner in CT city centre. And others from across the other side of the country who wanted me to give them my banking details, before we'd even agree'd to a sale! I generally steer clear of that, which is one reason I prefer local only sales. At least off Gumtree anyway.
I have to agree that morally what has happened in your case is wrong, but in the eyes of the law, I think it would hold even less weight than trying to use the 'gentlemens agreement' clause?
It does leave a bitter taste in the mouth, but its best to let that go, and not hold onto it. It'll only do you more harm in the long run... Long after the sellers forgotten about you.
Cheers
G!
costafonix
Yep, I also had a similar experience (sadly from a forumnite) that 'definitely' wanted the stuff, I turned down all the other offers, and then the excuses started "I dont have cash, can we make it end of the month when I get paid?", then it was "my mother/aunt/cousin/father-in-law can't give me a lift",,, then it was "I have to work late this week", and so it went on for a couple of weeks, and each time it was "But PLEASE keep it for me as i'm DEFINITELY going to take it".
turns out months later that he never did take it and I eventually found another buyer.
SO,, the policy now is 1st come (with the cash) 1st served
IceCreamMan
Those ppl i know i would keep an item for ...if someone wanted first dibs i would give tem that but if someone else came up with the cash i would give the first dibs person a period of time then sell.
those i dont know , well it gets tricky i spose ..... money in the bank is what funds GAS not stories .....
on gumtree.....well there its open season unfortunately ..cant place any faith in ppl u dont know that may or may not come trhough ..
must say generally i have not been messed around ,here or on gumtree.
flatfourfan
ethics kind go out the window when someone pitches up with cold hard cash on your front door.
My advice for any sort of great deal is if it's important enough or if the deal is just too good to miss on, then either go there yourself or have a mate pop by to close the deal and make it official.
A deal isn't done in my books until the cash in the hand.
