Balking On A Clear "I'll Take It" ... Grounds for Negative Feedback?

[Guyon]

I know I may be opening a can of worms that's more trouble than it's worth. However, in the past week, there have been a couple of cases in GB&U where a buyer has clearly posted an "I'll take it" in a sale thread and then balked on said sale.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=767707

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=769813

In both cases, the quasi-buyers have shown little or no understanding that backing out on a deal in that fashion hurts the trust and the overall function of the Exchange. In the latter case (second link), the quasi-buyer held up the potential sale of the knife for three weeks with no communication to the seller. (He claims a system glitch ate his message saying that he was no longer interested.)

I understand that legitimate reasons for backing out of a sale come up, and that's always been worked out between buyer and seller. But in the two cases above, the "buyers" clearly posted "I'll take it," and traditionally, that phrase has been the signal of verbal contract requiring commitment to pay.

Winning an auction on eBay and not paying leads to negative feedback. The question has come up as to whether it should qualify here as well. I don't know, but I wanted to see. It may be more of a headache to moderators than it's worth, but I do know we want to stop flaky "buyers" from posting clear "I'll take its" and then ignoring the consequences of that statement.

 

[leatherman]

There is a legitimate argument there, and one that I think should be discussed.

And

To add to that I'd love to be able to report people who order a custom made item only to "pass on it" after said item is finished and its time to pay up. One in particular was over 300 bucks in total.

A contract is a contract however you look at it, and to balk costs everyone involved.

 

[Brennanscott]

Negative feedback for sure in my opinion. The "buyer" is showing negative traits immediately after the deal is struck.

If we don't have honor here, we have mutiny.

 

[Parasitic Psycho]

I agree that an "I'll take it" should be considered a verbal contract and backing out should deserve some form of recourse. However, a negative mark may be a little harsh. When I see negative I immediately think thief or scammer. Technically they didn't do anything other than waste the sellers time. If that was an offense in everyday life, no one would have a clear record...

 

[alex]

Any seller that allows a knife he has for sale to be held up for 3 weeks, especially when dealing with a noob, is an idiot. Any deal I have ever done as a seller needs to be confirmed and paid for within 12 hours if using Paypal and I tell the buyer as much or the next guy in line gets the item. If I know you or you have a proven track record I may bend that rule but I have never had to do it.

Leaving negative iTrader feedback for a transaction where nothing was lost but time will increase the negatives of many needlessly especially with as many whiners as we seem to have. At worst it would be a neutral rating if it was to be allowed. If a buyer flakes then just post about it in the GBU forum. That's what it's there for. Then just move on to the next buyer.

 

[tundratrader]

Yes

These forums take a lot of trust to do business. It takes quite a bit of trust to pay for something and know you are getting the item. It takes trust to trade knives. It takes trust to make successful passarounds work. If you dont have trust you dont have anything. If we cant trust that someone will go through with a purchase we all loose.

I have come close to saying I'll take knowing it would take me a day to scrounge the money or sell a blade or two but I didnt because I didnt want to risk loosing trust. We all know the same knife will be sold by someone else later in that week or later in the day if it is a popular knife. Very good chance a better price can be had or maybe a sheath thrown in but maybe not. Regardless it isnt worth pissing people off shopping around and jerking them off on money they might need. Especially if you are buying the knives for profit and to flip!

Anyways that is my rant. You will all soon realize I have poor writing skills. I just learned a minute ago that right clicking the word is a spell check.


Take Care All,
Zach

 

[Guyon]

Technically they didn't do anything other than waste the sellers time.

Leaving negative iTrader feedback for a transaction where nothing was lost but time

Keep in mind that sometimes more is lost than just time.

Buyer A says, "I'll take it."

Seller requests payment.

Buyer B comes along and says, "I'd like to buy the knife."

Seller says, "Sorry, the knife is already sold."

Buyer A says, "Ooops. Changed my mind."

Seller tells Buyer B knife is available.

Buyer B says, "Sorry. I found another knife in the meantime."

 

[Parasitic Psycho]

I've had that happen, guess what though, buyer C comes along and actually purchases the item and all is well. Still not out anything but time and an opportunity to sell sooner. He's not ripping anyone off...

These people should just learn to type "Email sent" and communicate what would work for them through Email/PM. It is basically calling first dibs for negotiating, which in my case, usually ends up being a deal. However, when there is no deal to be made, no one is upset and there is no confusion.

GB&U seems to be the only way to call these people out and maintain the integrity of the rating system. I don't know about anyone else, but before I accept a deal, I check their itrader and then search their name in GB&U anyway. It's been pretty effective for me so far.

 

[JTR357]

I agree it should be viewable on their feedback.

Negative may be a little much though,since no transaction was actually made.Maybe a neutral feedback stating something like-"backed out of deal,with no good explanation"

 

[Guyon]

I've had that happen, guess what though, buyer C comes along and actually purchases the item and all is well. Still not out anything but time and an opportunity to sell sooner. He's not ripping anyone off...

These people should just learn to type "Email sent" and communicate what would work for them through Email/PM. It is basically calling first dibs for negotiating, which in my case, usually ends up being a deal. However, when there is no deal to be made, no one is upset and there is no confusion.

GB&U seems to be the only way to call these people out and maintain the integrity of the rating system. I don't know about anyone else, but before I accept a deal, I check their itrader and then search their name in GB&U anyway. It's been pretty effective for me so far.

Two issues:

1. Sometimes folks are hoping for money sooner rather than later when they sell their knives. A buyer who delays that process with a fake "I'll take it" is eating up time and is an annoyance.

2. I'm not sure, but can non-paying members use Search? I'm not positive that GB&U history is available to all.


Look, the system as it is tends to work okay, but I raised this issue because some Registered Users don't take "I'll take it" seriously. If the claim for purchase is unambiguous and the buyer doesn't follow through, I think the "buyer" deserves a ding.


Edited to add: I don't know about everyone else, but my time is valuable to me. I've got better things to do than fool with buyers who don't follow through.

 

[ruisseau de montagne]

Two issues:

1. Sometimes folks are hoping for money sooner rather than later when they sell their knives. A buyer who delays that process with a fake "I'll take it" is eating up time and is an annoyance.

2. I'm not sure, but can non-paying members use Search? I'm not positive that GB&U history is available to all.


Look, the system as it is tends to work okay, but I raised this issue because some Registered Users don't take "I'll take it" seriously. If the claim for purchase is unambiguous and the buyer doesn't follow through, I think the "buyer" deserves a ding.

I have no dog in this fight...
point 1 is a biggie as I suffer from the need it now malady and while a day or two isn't a big deal...stretched further- I'm sunk. Maybe an icon that checks a balked sale or leads to a 1 to 3 strikes rule?
Point 2 ...yes we can use the search. Not sure either how far back is allowed- some forums ,only paid membership gets access to archives(which I've found is where All the good stuff is).

 

[nate1714]

"I'll take it" is a verbal contract in our forum setting. I would say that it would warrant negative feed back. That being said people have to back out of deals due to situations in life. Keep that in mind.

 

[Guyon]

"I'll take it" is a verbal contract in our forum setting. I would say that it would warrant negative feed back. That being said people have to back out of deals due to situations in life. Keep that in mind.

What if the situation is "I was looking at another knife" or "Sorry, I found it cheaper"?

 

[bigcountry1315]

I was raised that my word is my bond. If I order a knife or anyother product I already have the money set aside for it.I do realize that life happens but come on in the exchange if you say I take it that means you have the money to pay right now. It is not like a custom that you order and are waiting 3 to 6 months and something drastic happens then you let the maker know ASAP. Just my 00.2 cents gentlemen.

Mike

 

[Ken44]

If you aren't 100% positive you should never say the "I'll take it".

I can't think of many "situations" that could develope before you send PP, or a usps mo that day, or next morning.

Saying "I'll take it", and not doing so is grounds for bad itrader IMO.

 

[din]

I was raised that my word is my bond. If I order a knife or anyother product I already have the money set aside for it.I do realize that life happens but come on in the exchange if you say I take it that means you have the money to pay right now. It is not like a custom that you order and are waiting 3 to 6 months and something drastic happens then you let the maker know ASAP. Just my 00.2 cents gentlemen.

Mike

exactly. "I found it cheaper," is no excuse. if you want it at a lower price then keep shopping before you contact the seller. if you want a knife but need a little time then send an e-mail or PM to the seller and ask if you can work out some terms before you say that you'll take it, they might be amenable but it isn't fair to the seller or other potential buyers when you drag your feet.

 

[guns_and_labs]

"I'll take it" is a verbal contract in our forum setting. I would say that it would warrant negative feed back. That being said people have to back out of deals due to situations in life. Keep that in mind.

I would agree that it's a virtual contract, and negative feedback is warranted.

On the other hand, as an occasional seller, I had one guy post "I'll take it" but within a couple of hours send me an email asking to withdraw. Since I had a backup offer, I let him off. But that's my discretion as the seller.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

many situations are case specific.

"i found it cheaper" is not a valid excuse for backing out. feedback and backlash are to be expected and are warranted.

beyond that, it is up to the seller to determine if the reasons are valid and if they want to call the buyer out.

we are not running businesses here, so i don't accept the term "customer". im a trader, sometimes its for money sometimes its for goods.


and i can sell or not sell to whomever i like, and the same is true of buyers.

 

[Lapp_Dance]

Another forum I use also has a widespread equipment exchange. Balking on a deal with no legitimate proof and reason why awards the balker a -1, and if I remember correctly, any two balks removes the user from the forum.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

what is also unfortunate, is we now will have to post very specific rules in every thread since so many newbies dont read the exchange rules.

1. it you want it, post "ill take it".
2. wait for my response either in the thread or via pm/email.
3. "ill take it" means you will pay asap.
4. if there is any chance you will not pay, do not post "ill take it".
5. i can chose not to sell to you for any reason. if you are on my ignore list, i will ignore posts in any of my sales threads.
6. i will not back out of selling once i have said "its yours".
7. you will not back out of buying once you have said "ill take it".
8. if you back out, i will determine whether the reasons are valid.
9. if i dont like your reasons, i have the option of starting a gbu thread.
10. if i accept your reasons, i probably wont start a thread in the gbu.
11. if the knife has not been received in 3 days, dont panic.
12. i may or may not answer pm/email quickly. dont panic.
13. getting cold feet is not a valid reason to undo any transaction. im not your father, im not going to make sure you are spending responsibly.
14. if buying my knife means you may not eat for a few days, you probably shouldn't buy my knife.
15. do not ask for a 30% discount on my knife.
16. do not offer me 10 crappy knives that are the dollar value equivalent of my knife.
17. anyone may use this list, however incur a 10% fee from all sales payable to me.
18. i have the right to ammend this list of restrictions at any time, for any reason.
19. enjoy my sales thread, and thanks for looking.