Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Deals Made with a Hand Shake?

I've made many. I well recall one with bankers that was dishonored quickly without notice.

Handshake deals, any stories?

I sold my street bike over the phone. It's kind of a rare motorcycle. A guy from MN sent me a certified check after having someone he knew come take a look at it and send photos. He and his wife are supposed to come and get it around the end of the month. They will ride it back to MN, hitting some sights on the way. For a month I've had his money, the bike, and the title. He said he could tell I was trustworthy from talking to me. I think he's a bit lucky myself!

Usually how I do business.

Getting the short end of the stick is the rare exception, rather than the rule.

Agreed to buy a cabin with a few other guys. 2 of us went and met with owners. Discussed things and agreed to buy.

The 2 of us got back and were informed the other 3 individuals no longer wanted to be in the deal. Guy I was with started fretting and asked, what do we do?

Told him I was sticking to what I committed, and that was to buy. Not the sellers' fault our guys got cold feet. The intended cost tripled from what I had planned.

Among honorable men, a hand shake is really all that is necessary.

Been looking for a house for over a year. No luck. Happened to be driving down out road and see an old fsbo sign leaning up against a tree, not really pointed towards the road. Take note of address and start prying into who it might be that owns and how much land.

Contact the owners and ask if they were selling. Said no they weren't but had been considering. Wife was about to retire. They discussed, and said they'd consider selling. Let us come see the interior a week later. I asked him what his price was. He told me. I shook his hand and said we'd buy it.

Contacted my lawyer and put a rush on him to get a contract before the seller could back out because it was a lot of money, but a really good deal. Sitting in said house as I type.

Ha...I sold a 4 runner to a fellow, he paid me and I haven't seen him since, it was a month ago and no papers were signed.
We shook hands to cinch the deal so.....thats the contract and I will honor my end.

Bought 2 new pickups and a new Moto Guzzi over the phone .

Bought a cabin onna lake in Northern WI. in '67, over the phone.

I'd rather do a handshake contract with an honorable person than a hugging a stranger who doesn't know how to respect personal space.

I've made short sale deals with bankers with a handshake AND a written confirmation on their letterhead that they disowned. Bankers are some of the most unethical pukes I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

On the other hand, I've made multi 6 figure deals with business associates that flew like an eagle and made everybody $$$.

When I got out of the army in 1969 I went to work with a old line southern company ran by gentlemen, you didn't need their hand shake their word was good as gold. over the next 15 years I changed jobs a few times moving up the ladder and business ethics were much the same but then I got into the turnaround, M&A business and every thing changed. No one's word was good, if it wasn't in writing and you were willing to sue you might get enforcement. I quickly learned there was no such thing as a friendly banker. I retired at 55 and have gone back to just dealing with people I know & trust.

Last time I tried that, it didn't work out so well. I contacted a local man (black fellow in his forties) who advertised that he removed trees. He came over, saw the job, talked about all he would do for me (take the huge dead oak down, chop it up, put it in a pile, and clear an area around it, ready for burning). Then we negotiated price, and shook on it. He came over with a partner, took the tree down nicely, in exactly a direction that avoided damaging structures and fencing (impressive), and then asked for his money. I said the best I could do was to give him half, since he hasn't finished the job we discussed. He became furious, insisting that nothing was ever mentioned about anything other than bringing it down. I held my ground, till eventually he agreed to take half, and he'd come back another time to do the rest. Well he came back with heavy equipment and cut some of it up, and piled most of it together, but not nearly like he described. However, just to get rid of him, when he said he was done, I wrote him the check for the remainder.

But having things in writing avoids problems like this. People often remember handshake deals differently from each other when it comes time to get paid.

Since moving to NWO, we've been involved with 2 major purchases that were started as handshake deals.

Bought both our home & current business, as private sales & comfortable in both.

I don't think that I have ever sealed a deal with a handshake, but I have sealed many with only a verbal commitment and have never been disappointed.

Bought a house on a handshake. I didn't find out until a couple years later that the seller had another interested party approach him after we'd shook hands, and before we put any pen to paper. He could've worked it in his favor, but he didn't.

But to be fair, it didn't have the same amount of commas as some of you high rollers here. lol

2 weeks ago had a local guy approach me to buy a trailer. Agreed on a price and he reached into his wallet to leave a deposit. I shook his hand and said no need. My handshake is my word. Spent the next day emptying the trailer. Took all of the shelving out as per his request. Had to rearrange everything in the garage to fit the stuff from the trailer. Called the guy and left him 3 messages over the next 2 weeks. No response. I guess keeping his word Isn’t as important to him as mine is to me.

Hand shake is your word.

The only people who require a paper are the ones you can't trust. They don't trust you because they know who they are and figure you are the same.

Maybe. (Certainly it would not be necessary with my friends).

But, maybe they've just been on the bad end of a deal that didn't have the terms clearly understood by everyone.