I have an item for sale, a member PM'ed me an offer that I accepted. After a couple days the member backed out. Here's a PM trail (redacted). Is this a little weird or Am I off base? I stated several time in the PM's that it was not a big deal, but if you are not serious, why make an offer?


Buyer: Looking for something for a .243 and have found a few options.Was wondering if you would do $xxx on it?


Seller: $xxx works for me. Can do paypal if you pay fees xxx.com or a money order or personal check. Whichever is easier for you.


Buyer: Let me do some thinking.If you sell it beforehand no problem.I’ll get back with you on it.I appreciate the offer.


Buyer: I’m gonna pass cs.Thanks for the offer and good luck with your sale



Seller: No problem.

This is the first time I have ever had someone make an offer, have me accept the offer, then back out?

Hope you find what your looking for.



Buyer: cs,like I stated I had several options I was looking at.I’ve had the same model Viper at one time.Loved everything about it except the reticle would disappear long before the glass left you guessing.90% of the time it worked,but in South Alabama where I hunt, the last 15 minutes of daylight are crucial for mature bucks.I held out for an offer on a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 that a buddy of mine had made me in passing.He backpedaled on it till yesterday.Once again I appreciate the offer.



Seller: Like I said, no problem.

But you may want to 'Not' make an offer if you are not serious.

I'll start a thread and see what CF members think.




Again, not really a big deal, but feels a little off in the etiquette department to me. What do you think?

I think if that bothers you, the internet is not a good place for you to sell things.

It’s definitely strange , but what isn’t these days?

Been on both ends of this. Water under the bridge, repost and sell to someone who wants it.

Been played on the same game a number of times, tire kickers that aren't really sure what they want.....not sincere buyers. Walk away and don't deal with him, surely will have a problem of some kind anyway.

I've has a number of guys ask me to "hold" the item while they think about it, along with the Classic private PM "I'll take it"..... but refuse to post publicly where others can see it, thus have nothing to lose by backing out.

19 years on this site with countless transactions in the classifieds. This is the first time I've accepted an offer then had the buyer get cold feet. Just lucky I guess.

been through that a couple of times with a few folks-some even worse than what you describe...I just block them and move on

If this is the worst thing to happen this week, consider yourself winning. Now if a tree falls on your house and Fed Ex shows up and kicks your dog, you got problems.

At least he responded.
Often they just go silent.

People are stupid, even if they have some money in their pocket.

When somebody is like that, sell to somebody else.
But remember who backed out and never sell to them.

IMHO..........

if a guy is shopping for an item, and agrees to buy it.
Should something better (quality or price) come along, he should still follow through.

Save yourself worries and try to avoid personalizing on either end - it's a simple business situation but remote/internet methods bring in ambiguity and ??.

You're not wrong but it is what it is.

Count your blessings because you are not out anything. Relist and sale it to responsible buyer. Good Luck

Maybe something else came up in the meantime that he had to prioritize the money for. Like an ill child or gasoline or whatever. I wouldn’t consider it a conspiracy, or even let it bother me at all. Such is the classifieds.

I don't like men shopping like women (change mind, send stuff back n forth etc).

I wouldn't interpret the prospective buyer's statement to be any kind of commitment to buy. He was wanting to know if his prospective offer would be viable, and that's as far as he went.

I have had a couple of commitments to buy fall through, one time followed by a pack of lies. I will not deal with that individual. The lies DO bother me but I can understand a guy simply changing his mind and if he doesn't try to hand me a bunch of BS excuses, then I don't see a point in making a fuss about it.

I DO request a publicly stated commitment to buy, though, most often. That keeps EVERYBODY honest and the transaction above board.

I see an offer made for $XXX, nothing more. Definitely not a commitment to purchase.

I have made offers when I wasn't 100% but generally word it like, If I were to commit would you take $XXX???

No different than dealing at a gun shop and asking if they would take $XXX. Doesn't mean you will take for sure.

Was dealing on a rifle with a member. He PM'd me that he could not go through with the deal because his wife was in a car accident and needed to put funds toward that. I understood, told him the rifle was in my safe and will be there when he is ready. Life happens, I get it. This one just feels strange.

Heck I change my mind all the time. I buy, try, sell - all the time. Part of the fun.

Happens all the time. People jump around on several forums, Ebay, Gunbroker, etc. Watch multiple items then throw offers at everything they are looking where they can offer a lower price than asked.
Then they often get an offer accepted, back out, and play sour grapes. LOL

Best in many cases to list the price as firm, and then adjust the price down the road if needed. At least that weeds out the tire kickers or someone looking for a steal.

I can see where that could be the case. Does seem like a waste of everyone's time though.

I guess I have done enough dealing on cars, trucks, guns and other items that I see it as part of working a deal.

Look at a car, try to get bottom dollar then go to another dealer and see if that can be beat. Same with guns if more than 1 of what I want available.

I had a fellow say ‘I’ll take it’ , then tell me a few days later he first had to sell a couple of guns. That deal never materialized!

From reading the PM's, it doesn't sound like he ever committed to buying it. He just wanted to know if you would take a certain amount. Then he could make up his mind. I don't think that is strange at all.

Side note.

It's the WTB ads that piss me off.

Have a WTB ad, potential seller says he has what you, PMs are swapped with a price and I will take said item. Some other asshat PMs the seller because he saw seller had what I want in open forum on my WTB ad then seller backs out on me and sells to other guy. Have several on ignore because they backed out on me or they used my WTB ad to get gain. One of them has a decent rifle for sale right now that I would love to have but no way.

I don't see how that could have been considered a firm offer. He wrote that if you sold it before he decided it would not be an issue.

The "buyer" in question never posted on the thread "I'll take it", it's all BS until he does......he was lookin & tire kickin, if he was serious a request for you payment info would have been discussed immediately.

I've had more problems with guy's posting "they'll take it", and have even paid for the item......then realize it's left handed, and was stated so with pictures multiple times including the title

He offered the payment options to the buyer. I don't think your reading comprehension is very good, Brother.

At least you didn't have a tire kicker threaten you.

Person local to me put up a Pistol on another site at a below going rate price to get rid of it quickly. A potential buyer posted publicly "interested in buying but need to check a few things and I'll get back to you" I posted immediately after "I'll take it now" publicly and in a PM to seller. Seller posts sold to me. Tire kicker sees messages little while later and goes apechit physically threatening harm to me and the seller that he was first in line and had first right of refusal and some other bullschit. I told him to meet me at the gun store at the agreed upon time with the Seller and we'd hash it out. Never showed and Site Owner banned the longtime member.

Poor form, but that’s about all I’d take from it.

My comprehension is fine thank you, the buyer never made his move and paid. When I want an item, I post I'll take it and pay immediately..... I buy and sell on 15 sites or so.

Why bring up the concern over payment options being discussed?They obviously were. Practice reading, brother. Stop asking how high when ribka says jump, and you’ll have more time to practice reading.

They wanted to think it over and were fine if you sold during that time.

I see a tentative offer. Not a commitment.

Same way I read it. No offense to the OP / seller, just a neutral third party observation.

No offence taken. I just have never offered someone a price then not purchased said item when the price was met. It was not a 'What's your best price?' type of PM. It was 'Will you take $X for your item?' I agreed. Maybe it shocked him that I accepted the offer?

I'd put that guy on ignore.

If you ask me to accept an offer and I do, we have a deal.

I could care less what other irons a buyer has in the fire and him putting this out there means he is trying to use your goodwill in his favor.

Agreed. Any other interpretation is just being obtuse.

I agree. A simple, "hey would you consider selling it for this much", isn't an offer and commitment to buy. It's just asking a question as to whether a seller would consider selling at that price or not. Kind of like asking how low will they go on their price. I do that all the time at gunshops. Now, if I said, I'll give you this amount, if you wan to sell it at that price. Then you enter a deal that you should not back out of. It's like you are committing to buy at that price/point.

^^

This is a waste of time.