grrr.... The inconsideration of people can be aggravating

What do you do when you are selling something and make an appointment with a perspective buyer?
Found an 81 650 Maxim in CL for $450. Emailed the guy with my ph# and he called 4hrs later. He said he worked 2nd shift so I would have to come the next day. "What time works for you ?" I asked. between 11:30 and 2:30 he says. I asked if 11 would be ok and he says yes, but not any earlier because he gets up at 11. He also asks if I can call before I get there to make sure he is up.
So I take off today and am 2 blocks from his house when I call at 11:03 and he says "Oh...just sold it and they guy is loading in his truck right now :evil: You're kidding! Nope, he was the second guy to look at it today and he bought it.
I was kinda steamed. I really couldn't afford it right now but that would have been a great bike for my wife. I guess I'm just too old school. If I make an appointment w/someone I would tell any prospective buyer that tries to 'cut' in line " cby coming early, that I have another guy coming to look at it at the time I told everyone to be here."
jeesh...try to respect someone's request and ya get the shaft.

I told the buyer about xjbikes forum...so maybe we'll see him here and I can razz him...lol... j/k

 

Similar thing happened when I bought my bike only I was the buyer. I drove about 60 miles to get it. I told the man on the phone before I left my house I was coming to buy it, cash in hand, and that I would be taking it home for sure. It was not running and had the carbs in a box.

He still had other people coming to look at it after I got there. One showed up as I was strapping the bike down to my trailer. He was not pleased.

 

Yep, that kinda thing never ceases to amaze me... I've had it happen any number of times. I ask "well, why did you have THEM come earlier, but you told ME not to come before such and such." I never get a straight answer. It really frosts ya when it wasn't YOUR choice. I mean, if I couldn't get there any earlier, I wouldn't EXPECT the guy to hold it for me. But if HE gave me the time to be there, well then....

Oh well. What comes around goes around. Karma is a bitch, and all that...

Kirk

*EDIT*: gameover, I wouldn't have believed you any further than I could throw you. If I had a nickle for every time some joker has told me he's on his way, cash in hand, to buy it fer sure, then stiffed me.... well, I'd have a lot of nickles.

 

I hear ya, having had a couple of experiences like that and also holding a car for someone because I said I would despite having ppl offer me even more than asking price. the way I see it you could consider yourself lucky. If he is that kinda guy, he probably wasn't very considerate when it came to maintaining the bike either.

 

EXACTLY my point!

I don't fault the buyer. He seemed nice enough. I even helped them load it into their truck. The guy who was helping the buyer seemed to be in kinda of a hurry... I think he was afraid the owner was gonna realize he was giving this bike away at that price and would change his mind...lol either that or I'd offer the owner more for it. I could have easily brought it home and sold it for $700-$750 the next day... oh well...

 

Been there myself. So, I make it a point that if I make arrangements for someone to stop by, that 1- I am here 2- NObody else gets a chance until after that time 3- if someone else stops by or calls, I tell them that there are people coming at a certain time, they have first choice, and I take a name and number to call later, and I DO call to let them know EITHER way.

Dave Fox

 

one in the hand is worth two in the bush, first come first served, show me the money, the early bird catches the worm.
someone knocks at your door and wakes you up with a fist full of money, do you say no thanks i'am going back to bed for awhile, come back later

 

Well, yeah, that's all true, of course, but in this example, the SELLER told him not to show up before 11am. So, our hero shows up at 11am, and finds he's third in line!! Our hero would've certainly showed up earlier if the SELLER had said so... Makes all the difference in the 'frustration' factor.

As I told gameover, when someone tells me they're coming to buy, I take it with a HUGE grain of salt. But on the other hand, I DON'T let someone else come until the first guy has either had his chance or stiffed me. And even then, this is only a 'hold' for a few hours. I'm not gonna hold everyone else off for more than a few hours. Not like "I'll be there this weekend - don't let anyone else buy it..." That, I don't do.

Ah well. Deals come and go. There'll be another one coming along.

 

oh hell yeah, you say "sir keep your fat box o' dollars, I gotta guy that TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE he might swing by later and was thinking about putting a check in the mail for me. Sorry you have to take your stacks of cold hard cash all the way home with you but I just gotta honor the agreement I kinda made"

j/k... sorta. I'm always very clear in my ads that "first cash takes" and try not to double book appointments, let everyone know when their appointment is in line and call to cancel the minute it sells. I also don't let myself get in a rush to sell something. This could A) drop my selling price and/or B) cause me to lose my scruples and become one of those shady punks just to make the sale. A sucks, B aint cool at all.

I once responded to an ad for a free CB450 and some parts just minutes after it was posted (I've been known to RSS "free"). Emailed the guy, he emailed me his phone number, I was already on the road headed toward his general neighborhood when I called for directions. Told him I'd be there in half an hour. Called again to tell him I'd be there in ten minutes. Got there and he had about ten emails in the mean time but I was first on the scene. Turned out he had made 4 runners out of 5 or 6 parts bikes. He gave me two BEAUTY tanks, one set of matching side covers, a bunch of new in the package cables, cool set of clubmens... all for the service of hauling off a titled roller with no compression on one side.
Kept the clubmens and sold the lot the next week for $300.
That's how ya gotta do though. Be ready to camp out at the guys house and catch him going for the morning paper or else have the calm to let it go and move on, wait for the next one. (which it seems ya sure do, joking about it and all)

but yeah, a courtesy call woulda been nice but then he JUST sold it. He couldn't really have known the guy ahead of you wouldn't pass and then you take it. Ah well.

 

But that's the thing - there wasnt' supposed to BE a guy ahead of him... The SELLER told our hero what time to be there! And that NO, our hero MUST NOT come earlier.

So, our hero gets there at the SELLER-DICTATED time, and finds the seller has slipped in another buyer!

Otherwise, I'm right there with you - first cash takes, and promises can go whistle Dixie... But, it wouldn't be right for ME to tell somebody "No, I get home from work at 6pm, don't come sooner" and then when the 6pm buyer gets there, tell him "Well, I got off work earlier than I thought, and meanwhile, somebody else came and bought it..."

 

yeah, the dick move there is the trickery. Seller shoulda let him know there were others coming (take the handicap outta the race?) and generally just been above the board with everyone involved.
Buyers and sellers should always put themselves in the other one's shoes and think about how best to handle it from all angles. Pretty good rule to live by in most parts of life really. Shit like that is what my handle is about...
Getting people to hear "hey jackass, chill a minute and be cool" by any means necessary. 98% of the time it's simple diplomacy and calm acceptance.

 

wow... never been a hero before lol...
but yeah that's what my beef was. Now , I could have been a d*ck and ignored what the seller asked and just gone there at 9:30 or 10 which, would have been MUCH more convenient for me. Or if I had know he was telling EVERYONE to come at 11 I would have gone at 10:30.If I had just told the guy "I'll be there sometime before 2:30" then yeah...first come first served.... looking back in retrospect I should have messed with the seller's head while I was there. I should have pulled him over to the side and said... " Ya know...I figured there would be a lot of interest in this bike at only $450. I was prepared to offer you $650 for it if the thing even ran...oh well.." 8) lolol

 

You should have totally done that!!!
F that guy!!
I would have messed with the buyers head too.
"He was trying to sell it to me for $250"
"I figured something was wrong with it when HE dropped the price...lol

 

LOL! I love it!

The only thing like that I ever do is when I sell something, and the next guy calls, sometimes they'll moan and groan about missing it (like it was MY fault), and I mess with 'em and say, yeah, too bad I didn't know you were interested, because I wound up coming WAY down off my asking price...

Sheesh - as often as I seem to buy and sell, you think I'd be more charitable with my fellow man.....

 

I'm on both sides of this fence because I've been in both pairs of shoes. I had a ford 302 I was selling and had a buyer that sounded like he was gonna jizz on the phone when I told him I'd hold it for him for him at his convenience. Of course he didn't show. 2 weeks later after it was sold he got pissed at me. I told him I had a lot of interest and he had his chance. Money talks.

On the other hand I've told people before I had cash in hand and had something sold from underneath me. It sucks but all you can do it keep your eyes open for another hot deal.