Long story short, I made a deal via email with a forum member (Coconutfilipino) for a trade for the Spyderco Rainbow Spyderfly I had. The knife was listed on the Bladeforums and also listed yesterday on Ebay (My first mistake, selling in two outlets). So via numerous exchanges over the past few weeks, Coconutfilipino and I strike a deal in the AM today, my balisong for his microtech plus some cash. He replies saying he'll send the cash later tonight.
So at this point, 1. I have made a deal with the forum member for a trade, and 2. my knife is still listed on Ebay (Second mistake, I should have taken it off ebay).
Well, then a bunch of things happen: 1. I get a very nice offer on the spyderfly on ebay, 2. I send an email to the forummember informing him of the offer and saying that I would really like to take it because I really need the cash. (Third mistake, entertaining another offer on a item that is already pending).
To give a bit of short history of trying to sell this blade, I had had two other forum-members with whom I had lined up trade deals and cash plus trade deals that simply backed out at the last minute and now do not respond via email. So I was a tad cynical and really just itching to have money in my Paypal account (Fourth mistake, never sell under desperation because desperation can lead to greediness).
To conclude, after sending the email to the forum member informing him of the fact that I had received a very attractive offer on the listing (I had listed a day before making the deal with him), I accepted the offer from the Ebay member (The big mistake). This is the crucial decision where I did the wrong thing. I should not have been greedy and accepted the offer. I should have held my end of the deal with the forum member and forgone the extra $150 or so. Another strange thing happened, literally moments after I accepted the offer and the Ebay buyer paid via paypal, Ebay deletes the listing from my account and messages me informing me it violated their policies. So now I have the Ebayers money in my account and the Ebayer has no record of ever having paid for it (at this point, I do not have the cash part of the trade yet from Coconutfilipino). Needless to say, I got in touch with the ebayer via phone and worked out that little detail.
At the end of the day, the $150 or so extra that I made and the time and hassle I saved in this trade (I would have turned around and sold the Microtech form the forum member) was not worth disappointing the forum member and going back on a pending trade. No matter how cynical I had become in trying to trade/sell this knife after two failed attempts, that doesn't mean I have the right to get desperate and jump on the most attractive offer. Bladeforums is not run like an auction, and I should have not kept two open outlets for selling this knife.
I made a lot of mistakes in this situation and I won't make them again. I just want this little situation to serve as a reminder to me and as a cautionary tale to anyone who might end up in a similar situation as me.
I have offered the forum member my apologies over email and they are understandably very disappointed. I have also offered a free knife as a small token of my apology (which will not make up for the loss of a very rare and collectible knife).
So at this point, 1. I have made a deal with the forum member for a trade, and 2. my knife is still listed on Ebay (Second mistake, I should have taken it off ebay).
Well, then a bunch of things happen: 1. I get a very nice offer on the spyderfly on ebay, 2. I send an email to the forummember informing him of the offer and saying that I would really like to take it because I really need the cash. (Third mistake, entertaining another offer on a item that is already pending).
To give a bit of short history of trying to sell this blade, I had had two other forum-members with whom I had lined up trade deals and cash plus trade deals that simply backed out at the last minute and now do not respond via email. So I was a tad cynical and really just itching to have money in my Paypal account (Fourth mistake, never sell under desperation because desperation can lead to greediness).
To conclude, after sending the email to the forum member informing him of the fact that I had received a very attractive offer on the listing (I had listed a day before making the deal with him), I accepted the offer from the Ebay member (The big mistake). This is the crucial decision where I did the wrong thing. I should not have been greedy and accepted the offer. I should have held my end of the deal with the forum member and forgone the extra $150 or so. Another strange thing happened, literally moments after I accepted the offer and the Ebay buyer paid via paypal, Ebay deletes the listing from my account and messages me informing me it violated their policies. So now I have the Ebayers money in my account and the Ebayer has no record of ever having paid for it (at this point, I do not have the cash part of the trade yet from Coconutfilipino). Needless to say, I got in touch with the ebayer via phone and worked out that little detail.
At the end of the day, the $150 or so extra that I made and the time and hassle I saved in this trade (I would have turned around and sold the Microtech form the forum member) was not worth disappointing the forum member and going back on a pending trade. No matter how cynical I had become in trying to trade/sell this knife after two failed attempts, that doesn't mean I have the right to get desperate and jump on the most attractive offer. Bladeforums is not run like an auction, and I should have not kept two open outlets for selling this knife.
I made a lot of mistakes in this situation and I won't make them again. I just want this little situation to serve as a reminder to me and as a cautionary tale to anyone who might end up in a similar situation as me.
I have offered the forum member my apologies over email and they are understandably very disappointed. I have also offered a free knife as a small token of my apology (which will not make up for the loss of a very rare and collectible knife).
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