PM's versus I'll take it

etexas

etexas

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Jun 23, 2012
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Sorry, I sold knife per a PM.


What's the rule on this. I thought it was "I'l take it" was the commitment right here in public for all to see with a time stamp and the PM was discussion or follow-up without cluttering the thread. This happened to me and I keep seeing it happen to others to their amazement thinking they won. Also, sorry you lost, I sold it on another forum just a minute ago.
 
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There is no requirement that buyers post within the ad to purchase. (The trader rating feedback system cannot be used unless there is a post made in the thread, though)
Also, there is no "rule" that states the first person to claim automatically gets the knife. Sellers can sell to whomever they choose, and many will opt to sell to a paid member over a registered member if both have expressed interest.
 
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So basically like a private club silent auction with no time line or transaction visibility or accountability to others.
 
etexas etexas I replied to your post in my sale thread. You can read my response there but it's pretty much what hhmoore typed. I'm glad you posted something here, this is a more appropriate place for your question and you will get far more eyes on the question.
 
I guess the problem I have is you state the seller can sell to anyone they want. It seems to me when you put it up for sale, you just released the sale to the general public and whoever is the first to commit should have the first shot at the purchase. You could then apply some discretion to this person. When you post in the thread, it is now time stamped and states a commitment you are willing to give the posted asking price. Using PMs, you could have a silent auction going on in the background. I don't like it, but I am not trying to judge. Just trying to understand where I can play to win! At an auction you have visibility to your competition.
 
etexas said:
So basically like a private club silent auction with no time line or transaction visibility or accountability to others.
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Private club - not exactly, but membership does have benefits. Many of us support this site, both in the form of paid memberships and participation. Relationships are formed through interaction in the forums... and it is not unheard of for a seller to give preference to a co-participant, a previous customer, or another paid member.
Silent auction? no
Timeline? No. I've seen items sold weeks, even months, after being posted.
Transaction visibility? Why? As previously stated, that isn't required.
Accountability to others? As mentioned by benchwarmer380, it's a private transaction between two individuals. There is no need for it to be public, nobody to whom the parties need to be accountable except each other.
 
It's not a big deal - I usually like to Pm my interest - and perhaps in your case the person who PM'd to seller was first to make a commitment to purchase.

I have lost out on great knives because I was asking questions when someone else posted the ITK post - just the way it goes.

Good luck, and don't give up - there are a lot of great knives that become available here.

Maybe do consider getting a basic membership - that might help if there is some unspoken "club" - which I would perhaps unknowingly be a member.

best

mqqn
 
I don’t think it’s really a private club, or even that most sellers only sell to paid memberships. Every deal I’ve been first worked out fine. I’ve missed out on a couple that were sold through PMs and a few that I was literally a few seconds behind the first dibs. I never had someone say they wouldn’t sell it to me because I’m a lowly registered member.


Some times you lose out on the sale, and whether it’s because you were in fact not the first is something you have to get used to. Sure, there are plenty of deals that I wish I was a bit quicker on the draw, but I don’t hold it against the seller or the system.

Edited just to say that I wasn’t trying to make it sound like you were holding it against anyone, of course.
 
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etexas said:
I guess the problem I have is you state the seller can sell to anyone they want. It seems to me when you put it up for sale, you just released the sale to the general public and whoever is the first to commit should have the first shot at the purchase. You could then apply some discretion to this person. When you post in the thread, it is now time stamped and states a commitment you are willing to give the posted asking price. Using PMs, you could have a silent auction going on in the background. I don't like it, but I am not trying to judge. Just trying to understand where I can play to win! At an auction you have visibility to your competition.
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The seller selling to whom they chose is a problem?

The first to commit DID get the first shot to purchase, it just happened to have been sent by PM rather than a post in the thread.

I highly doubt auctions happen in PM as there are much better platforms for that. Most are here to move some items and they'll generally go to the first buyer that comes along.

You can play to "win" just as you are, you just have to be quicker on the trigger. Being more interactive on the forums or having a paid membership may help too as people tend to be more comfortable dealing with others they're familiar with or have a vested interest. If you're buying knives it is especially worth it. It is literally less than $1 a month for a Basic Membership.

May the odds be ever in your favor.
 
Side note: Don't be afraid to claim seconds. My brother's gotten a handful of good stuff here from deals where the first "I'll take it" fell through for whatever reason.
 
etexas said:
I guess the problem I have is you state the seller can sell to anyone they want. It seems to me when you put it up for sale, you just released the sale to the general public and whoever is the first to commit should have the first shot at the purchase. You could then apply some discretion to this person. When you post in the thread, it is now time stamped and states a commitment you are willing to give the posted asking price. Using PMs, you could have a silent auction going on in the background. I don't like it, but I am not trying to judge. Just trying to understand where I can play to win! At an auction you have visibility to your competition.
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1st don't worry about missing a knife. There will be more chances.
2nd. in most cases it is going to be the 1st to claim the knife, though that may be by PM . Some like to keep their buys private or they may have had a ? before buying.
lastly You do get to choose if you want to sell to a person or not. Usually this is no problem, but if I feel that the buyer is going to be a hassle dealing with and the transaction is doomed to fail (and I get the knife back) why would I sell to them. Not to mention if I thought the buyer might be a scammer. I like to be fair, not stupid.
 
ncrockclimb said:
OP goes on ignore list.
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OP asked for advice in response to a complaint from one who hoped to buy a something it already sold to someone else. It happens. Hence the law in all states that the contract of sale is only formed when the seller accepts the prospective buyer's officffer to buy. And you put him on "Ignore"?
Welcome to "ignore."
 
benchwarmer380 said:
Side note: Don't be afraid to claim seconds. My brother's gotten a handful of good stuff here from deals where the first "I'll take it" fell through for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

This, I've gotten a few nice ones when the original "I'll take it" fell through, for whatever reason. I've had people claim an item and then take their sweet time PM'ing me information which is why I no longer require it. I go to whoever contacts me first, no matter the method. PM's are time stamped too.

In the case of my sales thread, the guy that got the Hess first beat the guy who posted in the thread by nearly 45 minutes. Not even close. It also helps that it was a paying member that I've had good dealings with in the past so I even had the knife shipped before payment. Building relationships on the forums matters too. I wouldn't advise this to everyone but I literally shipped an item to the guy the day before from a trade deal, and we've traded a few other things over the course of a year or two.
 
Yes the OP of this thread was neither the seller nor the buyer of the mentioned thread. Simply asking for further clarification or if there was a site rule.
 
etexas said:
I guess the problem I have is you state the seller can sell to anyone they want. It seems to me when you put it up for sale, you just released the sale to the general public and whoever is the first to commit should have the first shot at the purchase. You could then apply some discretion to this person. When you post in the thread, it is now time stamped and states a commitment you are willing to give the posted asking price. Using PMs, you could have a silent auction going on in the background. I don't like it, but I am not trying to judge. Just trying to understand where I can play to win! At an auction you have visibility to your competition.
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Simple, at law you make an offer and hope the seller accepts = sale!

But I should talk. I expect politicians to be honest 25%of the time.:confused:
 
To clarify my previous post, as others have stated, in MOST cases it is the first claim that gets the prize.
Speaking from my own perspective, I generally give PMs a priority over emails - mainly because I'm likely to see PMs first - so there is automatically a bias toward paid members (I don't accept posted claims).
 
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