£70 or nearest offer, above £70

[TimR]

This isn't new. It's always been the case. He even had the grace to come back to you and ask if you wanted to make a better offer.

No money had changed hands and you didn't have a contract with penalties attached for non-delivery.

Someone else needed the pedal more urgently than you did. He may have had a gig this Saturday and his had failed. Who knows. He's paid a premium for it, for whatever reason.

Next time make it very clear that you want it taken off the market, you consider it a binding contract and you require it urgently. That might make the seller think a bit more carefully. Whether you can enforce it would be another matter.

Alternatively he may have just been fishing for a higher price. As a previous poster said, it's not uncommon when selling a house to say you have other buyers interested willing to pay the asking price.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1504868221' post='3367860']
This isn't new. It's always been the case. He even had the grace to come back to you and ask if you wanted to make a better offer.

No money had changed hands and you didn't have a contract with penalties attached for non-delivery.

Someone else needed the pedal more urgently than you did. He may have had a gig this Saturday and his had failed. Who knows. He's paid a premium for it, for whatever reason.

Next time make it very clear that you want it taken off the market, you consider it a binding contract and you require it urgently. That might make the seller think a bit more carefully. Whether you can enforce it would be another matter.

Alternatively he may have just been fishing for a higher price. As a previous poster said, it's not uncommon when selling a house to say you have other buyers interested willing to pay the asking price.
[/quote]

It doesn't bother me that much Tim and evidently it's a more common practice than I had thought. I was more amused than annoyed. As someone else has pointed out, there are others available for the same price. It was the principle. Whenever I've offered anything for sale on the forum, Ebay, Gumtree, Facebook or wherever, once I've said to someone, 'It's yours', I consider that a gentleman's agreement, to coin a phrase and the item is no longer open to offers. I have been in this situation myself and have had to say, 'I'm sorry, it's sold'. Maybe I'm just an old fart with old fashioned views and values

[TimR]

No not old fashioned. Some people have always been like that. You just have a different set of values. Probably best you don't try and start a business.

[Al Krow]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1504873273' post='3367928']
It was the principle. Whenever I've offered anything for sale on the forum, Ebay, Gumtree, Facebook or wherever, once I've said to someone, 'It's yours', I consider that a gentleman's agreement, to coin a phrase and the item is no longer open to offers. I have been in this situation myself and have had to say, 'I'm sorry, it's sold'. Maybe I'm just an old fart with old fashioned views and values
[/quote]

Good for you and I, for one, would much rather do business with someone like you who is prepared to treat others as he would like to be treated himself and then find that I'd be delighted to recommend you to others etc. A good reputation actually has a lot of economic value (it's essentially what a brand is - a promise of quality and trust). The opposite, where someone is prepared to shaft someone else for a quick buck and not keep their promises, is equally true.

We have been offered gigs where we could have made nearly double on dates we had already been booked. We turned them down on principle, although I'm sure we could have made up same lame excuse. Some things are worth a lot more than a quick buck: trust, long term relationships and a good reputation in my book all fall into that category.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Al Krow

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1504873273' post='3367928']
Whenever I've offered anything for sale on the forum, Ebay, Gumtree, Facebook or wherever, once I've said to someone, 'It's yours', I consider that a gentleman's agreement, to coin a phrase and the item is no longer open to offers. I have been in this situation myself and have had to say, 'I'm sorry, it's sold'. Maybe I'm just an old fart with old fashioned views and values
[/quote]

Same here - thats how I always viewed it but sadly it isn't like that with everyone, I have had that several times, even on here.

[lojo]

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1504765172' post='3367077']
Why put '£70 ONO' if you then get offered £65 & £100 and accept £100. Any idiot can tell you that £65 is nearer to £70 than £100 is to £70!
[/quote]

Nice thinking

Had a similar thing when I used to quote for small jobs , quote £250 and they'd only want to pay £200 saying it's only £50 less , ok then let's make it £300

[tonyquipment]

If I'm buying on gumtree I would make the offer and when it comes to the "when" part, I say I'll be there in 10 minutes so there's no time to backtrack and change minds etc

The guy was just being greedy and had plenty of time to talk himself out of the sale.