seller etiquette
I have been reading here for a decade, first recent post under my newly found login.
I have contacted a seller about a subwoofer for a fair price. I asked if local pickup was an option. I got a response that it was. I wrote him that I would drive up, from 2 hours away, in 3 days. I told him I don't want to disturb him by plugging it in, I would just pay and pick it up, as I'd trust his word that it works. I was ok paying full price.
I then yesterday afternoon got an email that I needed to pay asap or he'd sell it to someone else as he got another offer. I didn't read the email until this morning when it had already been sold.
Is this normal? Fair? How could I have avoided it? Should have offered to pay in advance? Should he had been waiting for my response and payment for a little longer?
What it means is that once you have paid, the seller is compelled to consumate the sale. So if you want something, pay for it. That is how the current systems are designed. Is that more clear? Had you paid, in all likelihood you would be listening to your subwoofer rather than questioning the moral compass of your seller. This in no way is meant to justify any behaviors; it is meant to explain, how as a buyer, you have the ability to shape the outcome of the sale. |
@viridian that’s not how my brain and moral compass works but thank you for the explanation. I think it is fair to assume that when a local pickup is arranged, the point is to bring cash, look at the goods and then go on our merry ways. I could be mean to a lot of people without any consequence, I can put dog poop bags in my neighbors’ mail box but I will not do that because I am a decent human being. I would rather bake a cake and put that in their mailbox. Telling the user what guarantees a sale (e.g. I might change my mind at any minute, if you don’t pay now is a swell approach) Lastly I still don't know what the feedback has to do with it. |
since you were not going to even test the unit at the sellers locale, why not just pay in advance? We once saw a piece of furniture we wanted. My wife likes to ponder, so she told the store owner that we would be back in a few days to buy that floor sample. We returned to find that was sold the previous day. Neither of us blamed the store. A bird in hand, etc. I don’t see any difference here and at least you were notified before making the drive |
