Sellers last minute panic
 

Is it ok to back out of a sale at the last minute because you realize it would be almost impossible to replace your "" keeper ''

daniel

Probably. If they have already paid you I would be very apologetic. You could always make up an excuse that you found a crack or something and can't sell it. On the other hand you can just tell the truth that you had second thoughts. If you still feel guilty give them an extra $20 on the refund.

I think you should ask the buyer first.
~Bob

Might sit bad with a potential buyer , but, a persons gotta do what a persons gotta do.
Just tell them, sorry, you've reconsidered your options.

I had the opposite happen. Had agreed to buy and was all prepared to meet the seller and that morning had second thoughts and called it off.

Until the guitar has changed hands, you can back out and issue a refund.

I would find it to be poor form after money has changed hands, since the buyer will be out a large amount of cash for a few days or maybe a week waiting for the refund to process. You might get negative feedback.

But if you're concerned about losing the instrument, sounds like that's a risk worth taking.

Yes it’s okay to do it. However, just be aware that certain buyers, such as myself, will not forget and it will be the last transaction we do together on the AGF.

I'm of the mindset that the whole "keeper" thing is a myth. This would be especially true on any instrument I've ever had where I even had even a passing thought on selling. I have always had the thoughts return and none of the instruments in question are still in my possession. I've also yet to experience regret on selling any instrument ever in my possession.

I will give you this though, the decisions have proven much harder when they are acoustic guitars. Guitars where you can find a suitable or exact replacement are easier to say goodbye to (like electrics or carbon fiber guitars). The advice given here is reasonable if you've already gotten cash in hand.

I would understand this completely and if I were the seller, would probably be too embarrassed to list a guitar on here again.

There are three answers: The moral/ethical answer and the legal answer. And the notion that law was created in under the shadow of ethics and morality.

Legally and ethically, a verbal agreement is a contract and should carry as much weight as a written contract. The concept is that of "offer and acceptance". However, our latter-day culture has warped the spirit and practicality of verbal (or even written) agreement. Legally a buyer could sue to enforce the agreement, but in practical terms in most cases it isn't financially practical as the legal fees are often exponentially greater than the deals they are meant to protect.

While you could just back out of the deal, using any reason you choose, the cleaner way would be to have the consent of the buyer to allow you to back out of the deal.

Only if the buyer agrees to cancel the sale.

Yes, it is. Come on people, we're talking about a guitar, not a kidney...

No... We're neither talking about one's guitar or kidney... We're talking about one's WORD and how much value THAT has.

I see folks here and other sites post on a fairly regular basis that a guitar is still for sale because a deal had fallen through for one reason or another...maybe the buyer had over estimated his ability to pay, changed his mind, who knows?

So, as long as money hasn't exchanged hands I see no reason for moral or ethical outrage because a seller decides he'd rather not sell a favorite guitar...

I can honestly say that I would be disappointed if a guitar I really wanted had been taken off the market for this specific reason at the last minute, but I'm certainly not going to get all torn up about it, and angry at the guy who really didn't want to let his guitar go...

All the usual disclaimers, this just how I personally feel about the topic...

C’mon.... remorse is common in many transactions on both ends - houses, cars, guitars....

Give yourself a break - you changed your mind. Be honest and likely the buyer will understand. Whatever it is you are selling is likely one of many - the buyer will find another out there.

Don’t pay attention to the sanctimonious among us - changing your mind is not a violation of any law or an egregious dishonesty.