Commitment to Buy

I've always had impeccable transactions across many shave forums.
You do get the occasional query followed by indecision or a rejection, sometimes you get
outright trolling from guys who are enraged you didn't sell to them, or pulled your item (without committing
to anyone) and revised the price upward, or aren't selling at the price they want to pay.... sometimes you
get stupid questions like does this come in a box even though you haven't shown or mentioned a box....
but that is the cost of BST access and not having to pay double fees to eBay and PayPal.

As a rule, owners can do whatever they wish with a product they've purchased. And buyers can also do whatever
they want. What you cannot and should not do is misbehave after a sale is agreed to....that is egregious. If someone
says they're going to buy from you and are dragging their heels, never send a follow up message, as they might take it
as leverage to haggle. Simply ignore them and sell to the next person who asks.

I would say that overall I've dealt with some very, very nice folks and happy to say that each and
every piece I've sold has found a good home.

This idea is new to me: retracting items, after receiving interest, then relisting at a higher price. It seems rude to use responses to a sale post as justification to ask for more; kind of an awkward semi-auction.

The reason I see it as negative is that I see the listed price as the seller's side of a sale agreement (which just hasn't been completed by the other party yet). You don't see anything wrong with it, so could you explain your thinking?

This idea is new to me: retracting items, after receiving interest, then relisting at a higher price. It seems rude to use responses to a sale post as justification to ask for more; kind of an awkward semi-auction.

The reason I see it as negative is that I see the listed price as the seller's side of a sale agreement (which just hasn't been completed by the other party yet). You don't see anything wrong with it, so could you explain your thinking?

Both buyers and sellers have the right to change their mind.
Sellers list items on BST and lower their prices on them all the time, some sellers receive interest from many on
a certain item and then decide to hang on to the item. So I see nothing wrong with increasing price on an item,
especially when the seller receives new information about the true value of an unobtainable and rare item.

Now, if a seller received interest and committed to sell...and then rescinded the offer....I think that would be a valid reason
to gripe about the seller.

This idea is new to me: retracting items, after receiving interest, then relisting at a higher price. It seems rude to use responses to a sale post as justification to ask for more; kind of an awkward semi-auction.

The reason I see it as negative is that I see the listed price as the seller's side of a sale agreement (which just hasn't been completed by the other party yet). You don't see anything wrong with it, so could you explain your thinking?

Both buyers and sellers have the right to change their mind.
Sellers list items on BST and lower their prices on them all the time, some sellers receive interest from many on
a certain item and then decide to hang on to the item. So I see nothing wrong with increasing price on an item,
especially when the seller receives new information about the true value of an unobtainable and rare item.

Now, if a seller received interest and committed to sell...and then rescinded the offer....I think that would be a valid reason
to gripe about the seller.

IMO when a seller posts an item for sale at price X, that is a commitment to sell at price X.  Perhaps not a commitment for a LONG time, but definitely a commitment for a reasonably short time.  Also perhaps not a commitment to sell to a known-to-be-flaky buyer, but definitely a commitment to sell to someone who has kept his or her nose clean.  If the seller needed more information about the true value of an unobtainable and rare item, then he or she should have gotten it before posting the item for sale.  Alternatiely, they should have posted in a venue that supports auction formats, since auctions are designed to determine what the traffic will bear.  Doing otherwise is jerking around good faith buyers, and is no more acceptable IMO than what happened to the OP.

Anyone here been at a garage sale and paid more than the seller was asking for an item?

IMO when a seller posts an item for sale at price X, that is a commitment to sell at price X.  Perhaps not a commitment for a LONG time, but definitely a commitment for a reasonably short time.  Also perhaps not a commitment to sell to a known-to-be-flaky buyer, but definitely a commitment to sell to someone who has kept his or her nose clean.  If the seller needed more information about the true value of an unobtainable and rare item, then he or she should have gotten it before posting the item for sale.  Alternatiely, they should have posted in a venue that supports auction formats, since auctions are designed to determine what the traffic will bear.  Doing otherwise is jerking around good faith buyers, and is no more acceptable IMO than what happened to the OP.

IMO:
If the seller closes the BST ad without confirming the sale to any interested person,
then the potential transaction is cancelled, with no liability on either party.

If the seller then waits a few months and then re-posts the item to BST at a higher price,
that is PERFECTLY valid. No rule, spoken or unspoken, has been violated. The only thing hurt
are the feelings of one or two buyers who are sore they didn't get the item. Usually their response
will be to moan endlessly about it and try to disrupt any impending sale.

I do agree that a seller should not start off with one price and then raise it in the same listing....
then it starts to resemble the auction format which is so problematic for many.

Since this thread has gotten off track from what I first posted, I feel a need to clarify.  I had a buyer commit to buying an item from me - after  I had already lowered my asking price twice from what it was originally - and then just go silent after I sent him my PayPal address for payment.  Not a word from him now in the last 4 days.  That is what I am calling rudeness.  I never  increased my asking price on the item.

Since this thread has gotten off track from what I first posted, I feel a need to clarify.  I had a buyer commit to buying an item from me - after  I had already lowered my asking price twice from what it was originally - and then just go silent after I sent him my PayPal address for payment.  Not a word from him now in the last 4 days.  That is what I am calling rudeness.  I never  increased my asking price on the item.

I never meant to suggest that you acted less than impeccably John, and I am sorry if anything I posted suggested that to anyone. I was responding to Tester's post thinking (however misguidedly) that our posts were on point, completely unrelated to your behavior, and absolutely uncritical of you.

Not to be mean spirited, but shouldn't such behavior be reflected in feedback ? I'm not saying for someone who merely sends an inquiry, but for someone who 'commits to buy,' and doesn't follow through, other members should be forewarned that the individual is not responsible/dependable.

That's not mean spirited. Buyers who act like idiots should be called out for it. If they don't want rocks thrown at them, then they shouldn't jerk people around.

If the seller closes the BST ad without confirming the sale to any interested person, then the potential transaction is cancelled, with no liability on either party.

If you mean there are no takers and the ad is closed, that makes perfect sense. If the seller closes an ad after a buyer has agreed to purchase the item, then that seller is behaving badly. They can then expect to be crucified by a justifiably angry buyer.

IMHO, if a seller offers something at price X, then they should sell it at price X. If no offers have been made, they have every right to raise or lower the price. If someone agrees to buy the item, then they should pay for it ASAP. It's called adulting.

If the seller closes the BST ad without confirming the sale to any interested person, then the potential transaction is cancelled, with no liability on either party.

If you mean there are no takers and the ad is closed, that makes perfect sense. If the seller closes an ad after a buyer has agreed to purchase the item, then that seller is behaving badly. They can then expect to be crucified by a justifiably angry buyer.

IMHO, if a seller offers something at price X, then they should sell it at price X. If no offers have been made, they have every right to raise or lower the price. If someone agrees to buy the item, then they should pay for it ASAP. It's called adulting.

IMO, you are echoing the viewpoint of a buyer who feels wronged if their over-eager cries of
I'll take it....tell me where to pay are not followed up by the seller (when new information of the product's value
comes to light). If you were to put yourself in the seller's shoes, it also may not sit right if they mistakenly sell
a product at 60-70% of its market value...and allow the buyer to then sell it at a higher price or trade it accordingly.
The point is: the owner of the item decides its fate....no one else. And if others feel hurt, then c'est la vie.

Of course, this only underscores the point that sellers have a responsibility to perform due diligence on the value
before listing an item. However, it does not rise to the level of a 'crucifixion', as you suggest.

Not to be mean spirited, but shouldn't such behavior be reflected in feedback ? I'm not saying for someone who merely sends an inquiry, but for someone who 'commits to buy,' and doesn't follow through, other members should be forewarned that the individual is not responsible/dependable.

That's not mean spirited.  Buyers who act like idiots should be called out for it.  If they don't want rocks thrown at them, then they shouldn't jerk people around.

If the seller closes the BST ad without confirming the sale to any interested person, then the potential transaction is cancelled, with no liability on either party.

If you mean there are no takers and the ad is closed, that makes perfect sense.  If the seller closes an ad after a buyer has agreed to purchase the item, then that seller is behaving badly.  They can then expect to be crucified by a justifiably angry buyer.

IMHO, if a seller offers something at price X, then they should sell it at price X.  If no offers have been made, they have every right to raise or lower the price.  If someone agrees to buy the item, then they should pay for it ASAP.  It's called adulting.

I refuse sales to anybody who uses this term.