PSA: Honor your WTS deal too much to ask?

Mtn_Guy

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I made a deal with a member on their WTS ad yesterday. We agreed on price, we agreed on location to meet, and we agreed that I would reach back today to dial in plans to meet up.

After reaching back to the seller today, they backed out of the deal, stating :

“Actually I just got another offer for the [Redacted Item] from a member a little closer and closer to my asking price so I'm gonna go with them for now.…I just got a better offer from someone else I'm sorry”

So, I offered the seller this option:

“look, I get it… but when you make a deal, you honor that deal…even if a better offer comes along 5 minutes later. We left thing with an agreed price and location to meet, and plans to dial in final timing today.

so I’ll be honorable and offer you a deal since you’re backing out on ours —

1. public shaming?
2. Negative feedback?
3. Or reconsider our deal as originally agreed?

choice is yours…”

So what say you NES… negative rep? Post their User Id here?

The seller has replied:

“Public shaming? I'm sorry but I've had numerous people back out on deals with me and never threatened them with negative feedback and public shaming. I understand your upset and I apologize again but I feel as if I should be able to choose who and how I sell my items.”

So what does the brain trust think…?

I honor my deals. Maybe that is too much of an expectation?
 
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If it were me, I’d just say “good for you.” And leave it at that. I’d never do it, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it’s really worth getting upset over so long as it didn’t cost you any money or real time.

but then again, that is what the feedback system is for and it is kind of a scummy move
 
Goose rules apply?
IBTL

Meh, not even. The Goose rules WTS posts are ones I skip over. Agreeing to a deal and then backing out should be a universally recognized dick move. It’s one thing to back out after showing interest, people’s circumstances change. It’s entirely different to agree to a deal and back out for a better offer.

F-that nonsense.
 
I've been on boths ends of sales such as yours. From the buyer end, I've made deals and had better deals come along quickly after. Never had the desire to sell my integrity for a few bucks, so I've always honored what's already been agreed on. From the sellers end, I've had plenty of people do to me, what was done to you. My advise is to stick to your deals on either end. It feels good, to like who you see in the mirror, every morning.
 
If there was a clear understanding on both your parts that your price was 100% agreed upon, then in MY mind the deal is completely done. When I'm selling, if I agree to a price, that thing flips to "SPF" that same night. Actually, this very thing has happened to me twice as a seller; both times, I honored the deal I'd originally made because, to me, that was "a deal."

I approve of the three options you provided, OP, except that I'd leave out the "public shaming" aspect. Negative feedback is public shaming.
 
Agreed that if the seller has confirmed acceptance of your offer then the deal should be final. That is like an online handshake and should be honored. I would be skeptical of doing business with this person if I was next in line. My .02
 
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If there was a clear understanding on both your parts that your price was 100% agreed upon, then in MY mind the deal is completely done. When I'm selling, if I agree to a price, that thing flips to "SPF" that same night. Actually, this very thing has happened to me twice as a seller; both times, I honored the deal I'd originally made because, to me, that was "a deal."

I approve of the three options you provided, OP, except that I'd leave out the "public shaming" aspect. Negative feedback is public shaming.

This is indeed a form of public shaming, the neg-rep being the mark. However, I’ll give OP props for not outright outing the offender. I’ve seem some way too detailed screen grabs that are borderline doxxing from prior incidents.
 
Id give the negative feedback, and explain why in the post......
we are seeing a new generation of less honorable people........

I sent the seller this thread so they can see what the brain trust thinks of their actions…

Also, they can comment here publicly or anonymously if they want.


Seller has been a member since 2019, 25 messages, 22 positive feedback and no negative feedback (*yet*) 😉
 
This is indeed a form of public shaming, the neg-rep being the mark. However, I’ll give OP props for not outright outing the offender. I’ve seem some way too detailed screen grabs that are borderline doxxing from prior incidents.

I agree. It's good to give the seller a chance to man up.

Unless it's a Flobert parlor rifle. Then? Normal rules don't apply. Those things are WAY too desirable to be logical about.
 
I would have honored our agreement unless, under very strange circumstances, I had totally miss-priced some collectible piece by a couple of grand. And I don’t mean some generic firearm like an AR15, etc. But I’d feel compelled to renegotiate and take less as we had a “deal”.
 
IMO this is what the feedback system is for.

Yes, and I'd add that the feedback system ought to be viewed as business, not personal. This doesn't need to be mean-spirited, hence why I don't think public shaming is needed. The point is that future potential buyers need this deal as a data point when deciding how to go forward in spending their moolah.
 
I might be rabbit holing here but I think things like this also open up some integrity questions. If someone balks on a deal just to make a few more $$, what else is ‘acceptable’ to them to either disclose or not about the item if either affects getting a few more $$ in his pocket.
 
Yes, and I'd add that the feedback system ought to be viewed as business, not personal. This doesn't need to be mean-spirited, hence why I don't think public shaming is needed. The point is that future potential buyers need this deal as a data point when deciding how to go forward in spending their moolah.

Fully agree. I also agree that a thread like this every now and then serves as a reminder for some, especially newer members, that despite all the shit-posting there is indeed a sort of community here, regardless of how dysfunctional it appears most the time. We may be socially awkward and bankrupt, but dammit we still have a few morals!

Edit- holy run on sentence batman. I be handing out commas like candy corn on Halloween.
 
Fully agree. I also agree that a thread like this every now and then serves as a reminder for some, especially newer members, that despite all the shit-posting there is indeed a sort of community here, regardless of how dysfunctional it appears most the time. We may be socially awkward and bankrupt, but dammit we still have a few morals!

Edit- holy run on sentence batman. I be handing out commas like candy corn on Halloween.
Well said.
 
I might be rabbit holing here but I think things like this also open up some integrity questions. If someone balks on a deal just to make a few more $$, what else is ‘acceptable’ to them to either disclose or not about the item if either affects getting a few more $$ in his pocket.
The online out would be if they had a clause in the ad stating that they would cancel a deal if a better offer came in. Personally I would honor whatever agreement I made. I sold a bunch of stripper clips on Ebay and the package was wrecked in shipping, I refunded the money because it wasn't worth getting a bad review even though the buyer said that he wouldn't do that to me.
 
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