This company had a 39 Ford 4dr convertible basket case for sale. I saw the ad in the local freebie trader on Friday. I left three messages for the guy and sent a couple of e-mails on Friday. He calls me first thing this morning (Monday) and says that the car is still for sale. I tell that I want it and arrange to drive the four and a half hours from Indy to Michigan to buy it. We agree to a time and everythings good. Well after driving 150 miles, I get a call from him on my cell saying that he just sold the car to a walk-in and that I'm outta luck. Needless to say, I was super disappointed. Not only becuase we had an oral agreement but I even cashed my CD early and took a hit to buy this car. I know, it's not yours until its in the garage. But why did the guy set up a time for me to meet him so I could buy it if he sells to another. It just doesn't seem right to me. It seems like double dealing to me. I'm out a days work, two tanks of gas, 5 hours and 300 miles. Rant over.
That is ****py. If you're mad enough you could maybe small claims him for your lost time and investment (gas, CD penelty, lost wages, etc...)
That does kinda ****. The greed factor is always a bummer in this hobby. When the guy agreed to a selling price to you and made arragments for a sale, and you picking it up it should have been the end of it. I agree the guy was out of line. I had a similar deal with a guy on a 32 5 window. We were in the middle of the deal and I was to call him when he got back from out of town to come and look at the car. We had been talking for over a week. I get a call from a friend that I had told about the car and he said it was on E-bay. There is way more to this story that I won't bore you all with but it was kinda the same deal.
I ain't taking sides,,,but you should have wired him a deposit,,,,,, You called him and said you were coming and wanted the car,,,,,,If I had sold ever car somebody called and said they wanted,,,,,I wouldn't have to relist 3 or 4 times,,,,,,, The old if ya snooze ya loose story,,,,it's a shame and I hate it for ya Trying to give the guy a bad rap ain't cool,,,,and he did call ya before you drove the rest of the trip,,,,,,there is a lesson there ,,,somewhere,,,,HRP
It's cool that the guy called you to tel you but even nicer would have been if he called to say "I have ready buyer here who'll pay $**x.**. Are you willing to pay more?" I've had experiences like this too. It ****s but what can you really do??
A deal is a deal in my opinion. Remember the ole' handshake back in the 30;s being good as gold, if we dont have that, what good is our word. Sure its abused, but those people should get smacked too...if a guy is going to drive that far to look at a car, say he is going to buy it, the common decency is to hold it, not sell....if the other buyer wanted it that bad, he could have waited in line... I think the seller is in the wrong and should have his mouth punched in. Just my 2 cents worth.
Trying to give the guy a bad rap ain't cool? Why not? I agree, he should have wired a deposit, but that other dude is still an ***hole. He made an agreement with this guy, took off work, and was 150 miles into the trip and the guy just sells the car out from under him without even calling him first? That is just plain inconsiderate. Knowing that he was driving a long distance to get the car, common courtesy would dictate that he should at least be contacted before the vehicle was sold to someone else. What ever happened to HONORING AND AGREEMENT, or TREATING OTHERS THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. Have these concepts become irrelevant or something?
I feel for ya -but remember this- 3 things that wait on no man.... "Death" -"Taxes" -"And a good deal." I have been stood up on a lot of would be sales and appointments in the past,so I am kinda jaded ,I suppose!
So you told the guy you wanted it and was coming to get it, or coming to "look at it"? Huge difference. At least he called you. Also, If while you were on the way there he would have called you and said "I have a guy here that will give my $**** more then you were going to give me, will you be willing to pay more?" you probably would have cried "scam", I would have... From a sellers point, I also have had people tell me they wanted something and was on the way, only to not show up at all. I call them up and they give me some story. Reality? They changed their minds, didn't really have any money, or found a better deal. The deal ain't done until the money changes hands and the stuff has left. At the same time, that other guy would have been waiting until I called you to see where you were. If you were on the way, he would have waited. Then again, you have heard the saying "cash in hand is better then two in the bush." Gene
I guess I have been on both ends of the ****ty stick. I have gone to see cars with an agreed on price, and upon arrival A) Seen a half dozen other guys there too, ready to have an impromptu auction, B) Go check it out, agree on aforementioned price, say I'll take it, and seller has "other buyers coming too" C) I go look at it,want it, and its already sold D) I buy it from the guy. As a seller, guy comes, gives agreed deposit. A long time p***es because I like to give dude the benefit of the doubt, meanwhile other buyers come and go. Guy flakes, I have his 100 bucks and the car. Put **** on ebay, people offer a cash price, I let auction end and buyer flakes out.Cash price guy bought another car in the meanwhile. So do you hold out for a guy thats coming to look? I would, but I would say to hurry the F up or its gonna be sold. I would never sell anything if a guy was on his way to see it. If a guy sends a deposit, all other deals are on hold until he renigs. But i will keep contacts for other buyers. Your seller should have done things differently, but some guys have no patience and the dollar is their keeper. My word is it. Others dont keep their word. With every deal you learn something about people. Just add this one to your list.
What ever happened to HONORING AND AGREEMENT, or TREATING OTHERS THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. Have these concepts become irrelevant or something? Amen to that!
Fellas, this is ridiculous. I agree that it ****s that you lost the deal and a few bucks in the process, but another guy came along first and paid first, and got there before you did...I don't see where the problem is here? Would you tell a guy who is standing there, with cash in hand that you won't sell the car to him because you have a PROSPECTIVE buyer coming to look at it? **** NO! You take the sure shot sale and get rid of the car. If you wired a deposit, it would be a whole different story. If you got there and decided not to buy, then the seller is out a sale after he chased away a buyer. No different than punks calling dibs on parts here on the HAMB, then backing out of deals after they realize they don't have the money. No dibs for me, my parts get sold to the first person that puts money in my hand, that way there are no hard feelings...drag your feet...lose the deal. that simple.
Hey, I think the dude should have called you to confirm you were actually coming before he sold the car. He could have told the other guy to come back or call back and if the its still here, you get next shot at it. But I have been on the other side also. Someone calls to say they are coming and never show up or drive by and don't stop or whatever. It ****s. But I had a funny story when I bought my roadster. It was in a free paper, penny saver or something. I went and looked at the car and p***ed on it. About two years went by and I drove out to this little town where the dude lived and looked over the fence and the roadster was still there. I went back with my trailer, knocked on the door and offered the dude 2 grand less than he wanted for it 2 years ago and he took it. Hell, he started it up and I drove it on my trailer. That was in the early 80's and I still have it. This probably doesn't make you feel better but thats my story.
Precisely. The seller had a moral obligation to do much better than he did.But I guess he didn't really have any morals after all.
I know some people put a line like this in their ad: "First $1500 takes it". That means the first one to lay those greenbacks in the seller's hand gets it. I don't know enough about this deal to really say one way or the other, but the "cash in hand" method is how I operate. I'm suspecting that the seller didn't have any moral obligations. Not unless there was some SPECIFIC deal worked out to safeguard against the buyer driving 500 miles (or whatever) to pick it up. And by the way, if I was driving that far, I'd damn sure work out a safeguard. Maybe a deposit, maybe....??? I've had folks promise me all sorts of things. "I'll be there on Weds. to buy it." "I'll buy it as soon as I get paid". All sorts of things. I've turned down a guy with a checkbook in hand....cause he didn't have cash. He never came back and I don't give a ****. Money talks and ******** walks. In the world of business deals, thats the way it goes. There are just too many flakos out there jerkin' everyones chain.
Ive sold lots of stuff and had people say they were coming to look at somthing the next day, then ive had people come up and want to buy it, i always tell them i have someone comming to look at it and if they dont take it then its yours. If they really want it they'l waite just like they do here when you sell somthing, you get a half dozen people waiting in line to see if the first one is going to take it, how would it be if the next thing i sell here i say first one to get me the money here gets it. The GUY DONE WRONG!!
Well a person can't very well say the "first one with the money" gets it when you are dealing on the internet. You could wind up with 5 people PayPalling you all at the same time. It would be a mess refunding everyone's money.... On the HAMB, the dibs system kinda makes sense. In my opinion its because of paypal that it makes sense. We aren't talking about HAMB deals here. If I sell something on here I will hold it for a while (about a week). If I don't get paid, I move on to someone else who wants it. Its a different ball game. When a car is on my front lawn for sale. I don't care if you say you're driving from China to come and get it. If there is cash staring me in the face and they guy has a trailer ready to haul....its GONE. Its only theory though as I've actually never really been able to sell anything. I'm too honest when it comes to describing the condition of my vehicles. Nobody wants them.
YA THINK? I didnt mean really try it!! If someone tells me to drive that far and they sell it out from under me they need there *** kicked! Just my opinion.
I think in all fainess the guy should have waited if it is worth the money it would sell even if you turned it down It wasn't a life or death situation and by agreeing to drive he had to know you were serious about it=even a deposit aint no good if the guy is greedy=had that happen to me all it takes is a little talking and bump the price and you get your deposit back with a lotta wasted time n effort
Bottom line is he made a deal. He has no morals, and if you deal like he does, regardless of getting screwed in the past, you don't either. What goes around comes around, so if he's used to getting screwed this is probably why. When the other guy with cash showed up, the seller should have told him, regardless of how much money he had, that he had a buyer and if the buyer didn't show up as scheduled then the car was his. As Tony Montana said: "I only have two things in this world, my word and my balls, and I don't break them for nobody"
UHHHH... ********... If someone is buying something from me and they tell me they are on their way and we set a time I WILL NOT sell it until the agreed upon time comes and goes... IF you do otherwise you are an *** plain and simple...
Tony Montana brings up a good point. But many of us have had people who were supposed to come look at parts or cars, or supposed to buy something never act on it. Though it's ****ty to have something sold out from under you, I can certainly understand where the seller is coming from here. Nothing says "I'm serious about buying the car" than wiring a deposit. Money talks, ******** walks
That's just not right. I made a deal with a fellow on Craigs list to buy some machinery he had. He set the time and date to pick it up for three days from when we talked. I show up 15 minutes early onlt to see them loading one of the machines in some one elses truck He didn't even offer an explanation. Just wanted to show me what was left.
This RANT brings a few good things with it. #1-How to buy a car that one REALLY wants. If they have a good Idea what it is w/o being able to see it in person. They have to go with their heart and buy it or @ minimum, place a deposit by wire transfer or priority mail. #2 Have a friend,relative or even a HAMB brother (or sister in Brandy or TLC's case) who has a digital camera, go look @ it for you asap, email the jpgs & contact the seller of what your intentions are now that the vehicle has been viewed online & you have a better idea of what it is that you are looking at. #3 Get there before all of the vultures start circling. Case in point#1 I bought a car that was equally the same distance if not more that you had to drive. The ad was placed in the local paper in his area, I recv'd and email from my brother stating "No new car new progress, It raining, BTW saw this in the paper, 34 Hupp 3W-Looks like a Ford $****X.**." I got off line asap! called him right up & said that he had to go see this car now!,He says "Man, what's up?", I explained to him that this was a Hupp that was based on Murray/Fords 33-34 3 W tooling. I tool learned a thing about this after I saw the car in photos next day'd to me by my brother after I already had him take a $1000.00 non refundable deposit out to the guy that I had wired to my brother. I did have a pot to pee in let alone buy another car, but I wanted this car bad so I did it on a credit card check, paid it off within a year and now have the car that I will work as a "Dare to be Not So Different"project. It ain't happening anytime soon, but it's here. Case in point#2 -Sellers perspective: I have a 32 Brookvkille paneled roadster on all gennie ch***is, This car wil not leave my place until all of the money has been received by me as the seller. An offshore buyer is interested and is to send me a non-refundable deposit in US currency before I ever consider it sold. @ that point a time line will be implemented with terms & agreements stipulating the balance due,shipping arrangements paid by buyer & ***le transfer. I could go on here, but I won't Just chalk it up to a lesson learned & if ya want it bad enough, jump on it before it gets away.
OH BOY cheer up .. it was a pile .. Sounds like you were a back up buyer all along??? sad and it will leave a sour taste for while.. as others have stated a hard lesson this time.. at least call him direct and vent a little and tell him you had the money he got or more! .. .only if he has not any other good rod material!! I have had 2 guys almost come to blows in the garage while we were signing the ***le over in the kitchen over a car i just bought... the girlfreind is takin pics and a guy walks in and says" he'll take it" while a another catches the owners wife in the front yard and is handing her money....they start bumping bellies ... while we comenced loading the loose parts they went away swearing.and slinging gravel out the drive. Had I hesitated 1 more minute or asked for a lower price... a nice 35 V8 fordor slant back rust free from colo. would be somewhere else and I would been swearing and beatin my dash. In the future Have them repeat the arrangements and finalize the deal ... again/ question his options ..???? BEST OF LUCK I HOPE YOU FIND ANOTHER PAPERDOG
Maybe you could have let him know that you were more than just a casual tire-kicker. Tell him that you cashed a CD. Call and tell him you've loaded up your trailer on a day you took off, with cash in hand, and are on your way. I'm sure that if he had known all that he would have told you that a) he will hold it or b) that someone else is coming to take a look, to hurry and get your *** there first. If you told him all that and he still sold it, he's a jerk.
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