why are sellers to be trusted, but buyers are not?

@larsman 

That isn't an analogy, it is a fact, and was a legitimate response to your question. 

I don't think your response was legitimate response. Here is why:

You are physically present at a restaurant. So if you eat and try to leave, you will be caught and handed over to the cops. And there are CC TVs all over watching you.

And when you order online food, you pay for it first and then you get the delivery. And even when you have the option of paying at the door and don't end up paying, you know you are going to get arrested - and you know why .😉

@jond - True, SOP way back when. I had forgotten all about that.

Credit card purchases.

With credit card purchases, it is pretty easy to contest a charge. In my experience, as a buyer, card companies have always sided with me. Why? Because at the card company. I am the valued customer.

Considering that I use my cards every day, for everything from gasoline to HiFi, I never pay first. Well, yeah; I agree to pay, but if I don't want to, I don't.

if you eat and try to leave, you will be caught and handed over to the cops

1. irrelevant

2. does not happen

So, still a perfect rebuttal. I also bought a car that I only paid for 2 days after I drove it off the lot. There are a ton of examples. 

This simply seems like wishful thinking that sellers should act like X, and buyers like Y.

Unfortunately in our small niche market both sellers and buyers vary greatly from dependable/fair to scammers.

@herman - The item and the money are of equal value.. so why is one party to be trusted and the other is not? Why does the seller always insist on waiting to get paid before they ship? Why doesn’t the buyer insisting on getting the item before they will pay for it?

…Why should I trust them if they don’t trust me?

simple. These are Your personal rules which you judged as “fair” and not anyone else. People have different priorities that often change with time and circumstances