Sellers last minute panic

[Earl49]

About 30 years ago a fellow club member was selling a .22 target pistol that I really wanted (S&W model 41). We made a deal, but he got cold feet. I let him back out of the deal, but proceeded to beat him in every succeeding match with what I had already. Never did get that "upgraded" pistol.....

[Hoyt]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

There is no online equivalent to shaking hands.

Sure there is, when you type “Deal” or similar.

[billyg]

Lots of posts and opinions here, and, quite frankly, most are pretty good even when they disagree. From a legal perspective, I would argue that there is a difference between a "contract for sale" and a "completed sale."
If two persons agree on a sale, they have a contract. While there doesn't have to be a writing to have a contract, there usually does have to be a writing for transactions over a specified amount (state law) IF parties wish to enforce the agreement. So there actually is a difference in my opinion between a contract or agreement and an enforceable contract.
Seller and buyer here reached agreement and probably had a contract. But, if there is no writing, buyer would have a tough time enforcing the contract against a recalcitrant seller. UNLESS, buyer took some acton to his financial detriment. Then the remedy is likely $$$$, not necessarily forcing seller to send the actual guitar.
However, once money changes hands, or the guitar is shipped, the legal situation changes. Money changing hands doesn't make the agreement, but it does move the transaction toward a completed one and enhances ones ability to enforce.

Having said all of that and way too much...for me, if a transaction hasn't cost me money, or even if it has cost me a little, I have tended to cut other parties slack on these forums or even on Reverb as long as they communicate. These are strange ways to buy and sell guitars. I shipped a guitar to California that was shipped back; I had another "agreement" on that same guitar and it was ready to ship when the guy asked for me to cancel the Reverb transaction because his wife had effectively vetoed the sale. In both cases, I was probably more interested in ensuring I treated the other parties with respect and we both got a deal (or didn't) we could be comfortable with.

[XYRN]

I was the seller in a similar situation.
A very good friend of mine was smitten with one of my two Kennedy's and at that time it was mostly a case queen and my interests were more focused on the electric guitars I was building (partscasters) so I agreed to let him have a trial week with it, and we'd already agreed on terms/price but I was clear that this was a trial period and no money had changed hands.

I dropped it off at his place and watched him play it some, and I started to feel like I was watching someone kissing my girl.

As I drove home I was already feeling uneasy and that feeling worsened in the following days.

I was about to email him about my feelings when my inbox showed one from him fawning over the guitar and how much he loved it and that he was going to play it until his son graduated HS in several years then gift it to him and thanking me and so on, now I felt even worse.

I called him back, to have a voice connection, and told him I couldn't sell it - he was devastated and told me so.
I told him that I understand this may strain our friendship but that it would be worse if I went through with the deal.

He took it really hard but was a man about it.
Things did feel weird between us for some time but the bad feelings have passed, I believe.

Be honest with the buyer, and yourself.
You already have an emotional connection with it, whereas at this point the other person has only an aesthetic/sonic attraction to it.
If the deal isn't done, you have a choice.