Venting a bit about a dropped deal

[Ivo]

So I've been looking for a PSP Slim that is permanently hackable, couple of days ago saw an ad for one for 110 Eur with a 4GB stick, an original game and it was supposedly CIB with no scratches or dead pixels in screen. It is a decent (but not tremendously incredible) deal here in Portugal. The seller suggested to meet today and after arranging the place yesterday by mail and SMS, I sent him an SMS today a bit before lunch confirming I'd be there on time at 15:00 (3 pm, the arranged time).

The guy messages me back saying that he has another buyer, and that if I still want it I need to give 120 or more. I basically messaged him back saying that in the ad and in an SMS he sent me before he confirmed the price as 110, and that I thought he should honor that after we had agreed to meet.

You can guess the ending I think. He told me its 120 or no deal, and I told him no deal as who knows when I actually get there maybe he thinks he should charge me 130 instead.

Now is it just me, or is that a scummy behavior from him? I wouldn't do that to a buyer I had arranged to meet already if I was offered 120. If he wanted to sell it off auction style he should have put it in an auction site in the first place. I don't even know if he actually has another buyer (I can imagine he does, as 120 for the package is not outlandish at all) but I don't like having this kind of bait n' switch done on me and therefore I'm not matching that anyway. I guess I should just be glad that I didn't end up going to the meeting place, and I think if I hadn't messaged him today he would have sprung the surprise on me there (which would totally suck as I was going to go there absolutely on purpose and it is not on the way home or anything like that).

Just venting a little bit. I'm a bit upset with having been put in this position at all. Imagine that I match the 120 - now he screws the other customer as well and tries to get 125 or 130? Yuck.

Ivo.

[lisalover1]

You made the right choice; you shouldn't have to deal with a sneaky seller like that.

[thecommontask]

Yeah that's a shitty position to be in. Unfortunately the only rules of conduct that can guide a transaction like this are one's own moral code. Apparently this guy is a bit of a jerky haggler so it's best to move on and look elsewhere. Sorry to see this happen to people.

In the states there's a show called "Pawn Stars" about these guys who run a pawn shop in Las Vegas. I really hate watching it because people who have no idea what they have come in there and say I want to pawn/sell this thing here. So the owners of the shop either know what it is oer they have an expert come in to give them a value range of the item. Long story short the pawn shop is always being dicks and offering the customer less and less for their valuable items. It saddens me to see this sometimes.

[Luke]

In the states there's a show called "Pawn Stars" about these guys who run a pawn shop in Las Vegas. I really hate watching it because people who have no idea what they have come in there and say I want to pawn/sell this thing here. So the owners of the shop either know what it is oer they have an expert come in to give them a value range of the item. Long story short the pawn shop is always being dicks and offering the customer less and less for their valuable items. It saddens me to see this sometimes.

Great Show.
Even if you don't like the owners of the pawn shop, you can learn a lot about negotiations from watching it.

A few years back my buddy Paul went to sell his old car stereo to a pawn shop, and I tagged along. Paul out the stereo on the shops counter, and the owner said "First one to talk loses". Paul replied, "Huh?". The owner then said, "$15". Paul didn't sell it.

Another tactic I've heard is the buyer asking, "What is the lowest possible amount of money you'd take for this?". If the seller says $20, then the buyer offers $10. It's kind of a slap in the face.

[Anayo]

I would have done the same in your situation.

This is yet another reason why I liked the Buy/Sell/Trade section on Racketboy so much.

[gtmtnbiker]

I can understand this situation. My philosophy is that the first person who closes the deal wins. If the seller offers it and then another buyer swoops in and offer more, why shouldn't the seller go for the better offer?

Recently I bought a second Wii (it's hard to find a good deal on Craigslist lately). I saw one that was nearby where the guy was asking for an offer on a Wii with 3 controllers & 7 games. He said someone offered $175. I needed to do some research and then came back the next day stating that I thought $175 was a fair offer. Then the day I was going to buy it, someone offered him $250. I told him that was high as I could go and that he should take the better offer. Later on that day, he said that the guy backed down (went with a PS3 instead) and that I could have it. So I bought it that night. Ultimately I got the Wii with 3 controllers for $75 after reselling the games. Sweet deal.

[Ivo]

I can understand this situation. My philosophy is that the first person who closes the deal wins. If the seller offers it and then another buyer swoops in and offer more, why shouldn't the seller go for the better offer?

Recently I bought a second Wii (...)

I guess the definition of "closed deal" is at stake in your post. It is rather different if I hadn't committed to the purchase, and I recently had a similar situation where I needed to evaluate the thing for myself and I said it "if you get any other offers meanwhile of course feel free to take them" - because I had not committed myself to buying.

This wasn't ebay or an auction site, and the deal was to be made in hand. But if it *was* in ebay I think it is fair to say it would be equivalent to a "Buy it now" and I had already pressed the button and committed to buy, only I hadn't had the chance to pay yet and had agreed with the seller to pay at 15:00 therefore he hadn't shipped it yet either. In that case is it not a closed deal? I would say it is!

I think your case with the Wii is a different story in that he asked in the initial ad for offers. I don't know more details about your case. Also, in your case the seller was offered a larger % off - in cases like that I would be a bit more understanding (say, someone offered the seller 200 Euros. In such a case I can put myself in his place and understand why he broke the deal with me, even if it is still a bit nasty, but for someone to offer him such a big difference it would also in principle mean that I was ripping him off even if he had set the price too low unkowingly).

I'd like to note (I think I hadn't said this) that when I contacted this seller initially, he himself suggested to do the deal on Friday (2 days from the initial contact), and he messaged me yesterday responding either to my mail or another message saying (loosely translated) "Yes tomorrow at 3h at *PLACE*. Ok? The price is 110." (3h meaning 15:00 or 3pm).

If that is not a closed deal I don't know what is.

Ivo.

[noiseredux]

Ivo, that definitely sucks. I guess that's why this forum is so great. We've sort of built up a little community of traders that CARE about making a trade fair and keeping their reputations in good standing.

[17daysolderthannes2]

I think age/financial status has alot to do with it sometimes. For instance, if this was a teenager without a job (or a minimum wage job), I could see them wanting every last penny out of it. On the other hand, an adult with a career wouldn't even want the hassle of going back and forth between buyers like that. I also find adults tend to have a stronger "oh shit, this guy would pay more, but I already promised the other guy, so I gotta honor that" whereas teens tend to be self-centered and only care about what the bottom line is for them. This is why I don't date girls younger than 22, they are the most selfish cunts on the planet.

Sometimes it can also be a case of "I've tried to be nice and I just get screwed over, so fuck everyone, I'll do what I want." I've had generosity thrown back in my face a number of times, sometimes in a very big way (I don't think anyone has ever paid me back when I loaned them money), so I tend to be reserved about how outgoing will be, especially for people I don't know or don't know well. That said, I wouldn't back out of a deal like that if I had promised the buyer he had it, that's just bad business.

[Ivo]

I think age/financial status has alot to do with it sometimes. For instance, if this was a teenager without a job (or a minimum wage job), I could see them wanting every last penny out of it. On the other hand, an adult with a career wouldn't even want the hassle of going back and forth between buyers like that. I also find adults tend to have a stronger "oh shit, this guy would pay more, but I already promised the other guy, so I gotta honor that" whereas teens tend to be self-centered and only care about what the bottom line is for them. (...)

I think you are right, and I presume this guy is young-ish (but I have no idea). On the other hand I have some suspicion that he either works at / is partner at / or runs a small mobile phone shop in the small shopping center where the meeting was to take place (because he suggested in front of the store as a meeting place and he has other ads and auctions about mobile phones) - after he backed out on the deal for curiosity sake I looked for his mobile number on the web.

Ivo.