Sellers last minute panic

[LikeASir_]

As a buyer, I’ve definitely backed out of one or two deals last minute. As long as no money has been exchanged yet, no reason the seller can’t too.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

What is it about guitar players?!

I'm confused. So... you don't play?

[TDavis]

I have a statement...and a serious question.

First, I’ve had it go both ways. We’re all human and create personal bonds with guitars. I’ve had a seller back out on a sale to me, but I got over it. I backed out of a sale once, and for much the same reason...and the buyer understood. It’s about not taking life so seriously that something like a guitar ruins a relationship.

Now...the question. In a post above, a member makes a suggestion that, if you’re the seller...you could lie & say the guitar had a crack in it and you’d feel bad about selling it. What? So, it’s ok to lie in this kind of a transaction where all we have is mutual trust? To me, that’s horse crap! Be an honorable person, and just flat tell the truth. What goes around comes around...every time!

[LikeASir_]

Originally Posted by Ozarkpicker

I have a statement...and a serious question.

First, I’ve had it go both ways. We’re all human and create personal bonds with guitars. I’ve had a seller back out on a sale to me, but I got over it. I backed out of a sale once, and for much the same reason...and the buyer understood. It’s about not taking life so seriously that something like a guitar ruins a relationship.

Now...the question. In a post above, a member makes a suggestion that, if you’re the seller...you could lie & say the guitar had a crack in it and you’d feel bad about selling it. What? So, it’s ok to lie in this kind of a transaction where all we have is mutual trust? To me, that’s horse crap! Be an honorable person, and just flat tell the truth. What goes around comes around...every time!

It’s not right but it’s not like the buyer would know you’re lying. The end result is the same, the guitar doesn’t get sold.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by M Sarad

....There are many challenges for both buyer and seller.

I'm honestly interested in this statement. What are the challenges? This is how I see it.

Seller: Decides to sell, places item for sale, waits for acceptable deal, accepts money and ships item.

Buyer: Decides to buy, finds item she/he wants, makes acceptable deal, pays money, waits for delivery.

I see no challenges here - unless one of the two principals reneges.

[Jim Owen]

What if the buyer sold his/her guitar to scrape together the coin?

I stopped eBaying after two buyers changed their minds after the auction ended—in both cases, I lost money. If I make an offer and it’s accepted, I pay up.

It’s either for sale or not. You had the opportunity to pull it before it sold.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by LikeASir_

It’s not right but it’s not like the buyer would know you’re lying. The end result is the same, the guitar doesn’t get sold.

Words fail me.

[Dustinfurlow]

Have been on both sides of this and I personally think as long as money hasn’t been exchanged you’re clear to back out without any sort of judgement. Yeah, it may cause some irritation to the buyer but it’s your guitar and guitars - for many of us - are an important source of our happiness.

I think it’s bad taste to back out once money has been exchanged, that goes for buyer or seller. I’ve had to do it before on Reverb and was lucky they didn’t leave a bad review for me since I changed my mind after I paid. The biggest consequence is the buyer/seller will never do business with you again, it’s not likely they’ll make a post about you but word can travel quick on this forum when something distasteful occurs in regards to a sale/trade.

[DenverSteve]

As always herein there are a wide array of conscience. Some say - bad form don't back out. Others say it's okay as long as no money has changed hands. Surprising to me are the answers justifying deceit by lying or deciding it's okay because as the seller it makes you feel better if you keep the thing you offered up for sale. You either keep your word and fulfill agreements or you don't. If you don't it doesn't really matter why. However, one needn't seek validation from others when one does something they know is wrong. Getting support from "the usual suspects" isn't the best endorsement. From some of the answers, I have found a few I wouldn't do business.

[TokyoNeko]

I've had the other problem; buyers reneging.

On the last guitar I tried to sell (through CL), we agreed on the price, date/time, location, everything.

I take time out of my schedule to meet up, get to a coffee shop, order food/drink (because it's the right thing to do), and wait. 15 minutes before the scheduled meetup, I get a CL mail from the buyer saying he bought a guitar from GC. No apologies for a last-minute notice or anything like that. So in the end I lost money, and wasn't happy about it.

[RP]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

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

Then maybe this thread belongs in Open Mic....

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Jim Owen

What if the buyer sold his/her guitar to scrape together the coin?

I stopped eBaying after two buyers changed their minds after the auction ended—in both cases, I lost money. If I make an offer and it’s accepted, I pay up.

It’s either for sale or not. You had the opportunity to pull it before it sold.

Life is tough sometimes. It's not a completed sale until it you get the guitar. How did you lose money on ebay? Ebay does not charge you if a buyer changes their mind. I know because that just happened to me last week.

[thechariot1x]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

You either keep your word and fulfill agreements or you don't. However, one needn't seek validation from others when one does something they know is wrong. Getting support from "the usual suspects" isn't the best endorsement. From some of the answers, I have found a few I wouldn't do business.

I'd like to suggest this is going too far, and is frankly a little insulting. I was very tempted to fire back, but I'd rather just kindly suggest that there is no call for insults and inflammatory language. I consider it that way because you're not responding to any of the arguments, just trying to undermine those you disagree with because we're just "the usual suspects" who "know we're doing something wrong" and you "wouldn't do business with us."

Secondly, I would I suggest that I obviously don't think it is wrong. Furthermore, nothing regarding behavior is as simple as a straight up dichotomy like that you either always do x or you never do y.

[M Sarad]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

I'm honestly interested in this statement. What are the challenges? This is how I see it.

Seller: Decides to sell, places item for sale, waits for acceptable deal, accepts money and ships item.

Buyer: Decides to buy, finds item she/he wants, makes acceptable deal, pays money, waits for delivery.

I see no challenges here - unless one of the two principals reneges.

Looks like you found a challenge

[Jim Owen]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Life is tough sometimes. It's not a completed sale until it you get the guitar. How did you lose money on ebay? Ebay does not charge you if a buyer changes their mind. I know because that just happened to me last week.

When the buyers cancelled, I contacted the next highest bidders with second-chance offers. Both had bought other items.

I resisted one item (no charge to me). It sold for far less than the “buyer’s” bid or the second chance bid. The “buyer” cost me the difference between what it sold for and the other bids.

I decided not to relist the other guitar. This was about the 4th or 5th canceled bid I’d had.