Sellers who sell out from under you...

Only to have the person who sold it out from under you reoffer the item at a 200% markup...

Just happened to me, I went FIRST and saw an 84 Fiat X1/9 over the weekend, offered trade + cash, as well as a straight up cash offer for what the guy was basically asking, only to say he wanted to give the 2nd guy a chance (I DROVE 60 F-ING MILES TO SEE THE DAMN THING!). I couldn't believe it and asked him to call me if the guy offered more.

I call back Tuesday, "Sorry I went with the other fella."

I look at CL 10 minutes ago, it's in Alpharetta for $1500 FIRM!!!

The dude only has a basic idea of what's wrong with it from what the PO told him.

I brought a battery along, inspected, turned it over, figured out in 10 minutes what it needs!!!!

Sorry, that just really grinds my gears...

Happened to me once, but for a pretty $$ car. It was listed in an online yahoo auction (many years ago). I took a day to drive out-of-state to look at the car. Later that week I went to the bank and went through the trouble of securing financing. I bid on the car and I won it. Then the seller refused to sell it to me and instead sold it to someone else outside of the auction. Pissed me off, but there was pretty much nothing I could do apart from filing a complaint on the auction site (which is the same as doing pretty much nothing).

Tell him you know what he needs to fix it, and you're not telling him. Tell him you know what he paid, and when he wants to get out from under it for that, give you a call. Then forget about it.

These are the kind of guys who think they know everything. When they feed you a line of bullplop, don't bother arguing, just smile and nod. It's shiny happy people like this who don't stay in 'the community' for too long - he's just an underinformed speculator that thinks he bought right for a quick flip. He'll either have a lesson to learn when he loses money on the deal, or he'll benefit from the 'greater fool' theory.

Either way, it ain't worth getting your blood pressure up.

I've had a bunch of jeep engines disappear the day I was going to pick them up. Not exactly sold out from under me, but it's starting to get frustrating.

oh damn, is that the one i just sent you? damn! sucks...

In reply to DukeOfUndersteer:

Might be, I can't check my personal email till later this evening after I leave work, but yeah, that's the one I commented on you posting last week!

In reply to Raze:

ya, i just sent you that listing probably 20 minutes ago. Real doucher that guy is

It's cool, what's odd is I really want a 124/2000 spider but this popped up so I figured I'd be able to live with it knowing it wasn't exactly what i wanted, funny how that worked out...

I HATE WHEN IT HAPPENS!!!

When I was shopping for a 4wd Civic Wagon I had 6, count them S-I-X, wagons sold out from under me. Most of the time for a lower price than I was offering.

I took it as a sign and now own a subaru

Funny thing is, if the new owner was one of us he'd be bragging about it.

In reply to Keith:

I had planned on it I wanted the car for BABE and GRM $2011...

Well, if you didn't offer what the original guy wanted and the other guy did, then that's your fault. You sed: "offered trade + cash, as well as a straight up cash offer for what the guy was basically asking". What is "basically asking"? Either you said "What do you want? OK, here's the cash" or you didn't. If you didn't and the guy said "I'll just wait it out" then it's your fault for blowing the deal. If I was the seller of some Fiat and some guy offered to trade me something or offered "basically" what I wanted, and I had another buyer coming to look, I'd wait too.

Hess is right.

That's not selling out from under you. That's just selling. He was not obligated to take the first, or any offer.

What I hate, and this has happened to me 3 times in the last year, is I negotiate a price/deal on something, we agree on the terms, set up the meeting, or transaction, and call it a deal. Then they email you back a few days later and tell you they've sold it to someone else.

Selling out from under you is when you sit at a Burger King parking lot at a date and time agreed upon by both parties after I told the guy I had cash and was definetely there to buy....and the seller never shows. My wife calls after I've been ther almost 30 minutes and says I just got an email from the guy saying the part is now sold, no other explanation. I called the guy to tell him what I thought of his actions, he wouldn't answer.

Ah, glad to get that out, I feel better now. Thanks guys, online therapy!

zomby woof wrote: Hess is right. That's not selling out from under you. That's just selling. He was not obligated to take the first, or any offer. What I hate, and this has happened to me 3 times in the last year, is I negotiate a price/deal on something, we agree on the terms, set up the meeting, or transaction, and call it a deal. Then they email you back a few days later and tell you they've sold it to someone else.

The flip side of that is when you're the seller and the guy never shows. I never hold anything without a deposit. If its not worth it to go get it right away then you take your chances. If its too far theres always PayPal. The first guy with CASH gets the item, period. I've had way too many "confirmed deals" flake and never even call back to say they bought something else.

There it is....no deposit means he has squat, so if he got offered a cash deal, he (and I) is going to take it

Dr. Hess wrote: Well, if you didn't offer what the original guy wanted and the other guy did, then that's your fault. You sed: "offered trade + cash, as well as a straight up cash offer for what the guy was basically asking". What is "basically asking"? Either you said "What do you want? OK, here's the cash" or you didn't. If you didn't and the guy said "I'll just wait it out" then it's your fault for blowing the deal. If I was the seller of some Fiat and some guy offered to trade me something or offered "basically" what I wanted, and I had another buyer coming to look, I'd wait too.

I'm aware it's not really selling out from under, and I know there's no contract, he should have mentioned he was entertaining offers, but it was shady and I needed to vent, especially since it popped right back up on CL...

As for the exact details of the deal he was asking $600 but was "very negotiable" so I said will you take my trade plus cash? he said i'd be interested. I said would you take this much and put $500 in his hand, he said yeah but I got another fella coming so I'll get back to you, I mean it was surreal, I persisted and said I'd pay him $600 but he said he'd wait till after the other fella came, so I took my money and left. I couldn't believe it, he mentioned nothing about it on the phone.

All he had to say was he was entertaining offers, period.

Raze wrote: Only to have the person who sold it out from under you reoffer the item at a 200% markup... Just happened to me, I went FIRST and saw an 84 Fiat X1/9 over the weekend, offered trade + cash, as well as a straight up cash offer for what the guy was basically asking, only to say he wanted to give the 2nd guy a chance (I DROVE 60 F-ING MILES TO SEE THE DAMN THING!). I couldn't believe it and asked him to call me if the guy offered more. I call back Tuesday, "Sorry I went with the other fella." I look at CL 10 minutes ago, it's in Alpharetta for $1500 FIRM!!! The dude only has a basic idea of what's wrong with it from what the PO told him. I brought a battery along, inspected, turned it over, figured out in 10 minutes what it needs!!!! Sorry, that just really grinds my gears...

Well, it looks like he did not accept either of your offers since he decided to meet with the second guy. If he said that it was a deal (agreed to your terms), then sold it to another (without a lengthy time period in between the agreement and the actual sale to another person) then you are due the benefit of the bargain (the money he sold it for over what you offered). But, that is only if he accepted your offer initially. It sucks, but no contract was broken here it sounds like. Remember, the contract is the agreement between two people (meeting of the minds); the piece of paper is only proof of the contract.

-Les

Probibly for the better.

Remember; time wounds all heals!

I always look at a missed opportunity as "It wasn't meant to be". I tend to wonder if the universe is protecting me, it helps.

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

zomby woof wrote: Hess is right. That's not selling out from under you. That's just selling. He was not obligated to take the first, or any offer. What I hate, and this has happened to me 3 times in the last year, is I negotiate a price/deal on something, we agree on the terms, set up the meeting, or transaction, and call it a deal. Then they email you back a few days later and tell you they've sold it to someone else.

The flip side of that is when you're the seller and the guy never shows. I never hold anything without a deposit. If its not worth it to go get it right away then you take your chances. If its too far theres always PayPal. The first guy with CASH gets the item, period. I've had way too many "confirmed deals" flake and never even call back to say they bought something else.

If they had wanted a deposit, I would have. We agreed on the terms, and it was not required. It's not like they didn't know who I am, or my reputation.

My point, a deal is no longer a deal. People don't seem to honor a deal anymore.

Don't know why you'd regard a car you didn't pay for as yours just because you drove 60 miles to look at it and offered less than what was being asked for. It wasn't yours, and wasn't sold out from under you. It's never sold until money changes hands.

If I understand the story correctly, someone now is offering for twice the money you think they paid for it. Good for them. That's what all car dealers do, buy low sell high. It's a very good business practice.

aussiesmg wrote: I always look at a missed opportunity as "It wasn't meant to be". I tend to wonder if the universe is protecting me, it helps.

This is exactly how I feel now

In reply to foxtrapper:

Actually, the guy is now offering it for twice original asking after conferring with two potential buyers.

aussiesmg wrote: I always look at a missed opportunity as "It wasn't meant to be". I tend to wonder if the universe is protecting me, it helps.

What about when the universe lets you pick up a rolling money shredder?

I feel ya man. It's frustrating. This is one of the downsides to the new online car market. A lot of people are looking at the same cars, and you don't know what they're offering the seller. Something else will come along!