Some traders!

[HumblePie]

I've been off and on visiting these forums for near a decade now and it still amazes me how "badly" even older traders in the for sale forums handle situations despite have a bit of heat. I'm not going to name names at this point, and I don't think this is something I can leave bad feedback on the person for but here's the situation.

I'm scrolling through the for sale forums looking for a couple items. Spot an thread for a video card I want at the price I want. I send a message to that person offering to buy it. Get a response back going sure but he only accepts money orders since he's been burned on paypal. I don't have a problem with that so we swap and verify information. This was sunday night. I told him since we are doing money order and the money I was going to PAY for the parts is sitting in paypal, I had $500 in paypal, if he wouldn't mind waiting until either paypal transfers that money to my bank account or I get paid on Wednesday (which is today).

He says he has no problem, and will mark the thread as the item being pending a sale.

So assuming I'm getting a video card now in time for my next lan party, I'm happy with myself.

I wake up this morning, head to the post office, get in line to order a Money Order, and grab my pocket PC phone to look up the address he gave me through the private messages. When I log into the site, I notice I have a new PM from him that he sent late Tuesday night after I went to bed stating.

"Hey man, I found a local buyer and I don't want to deal with the shipping so I'm selling it to him. Hope you understand."


Now at this point I'm a bit ticked of, enough to write this rant anyhow. We never actually started the exchange of goods or money so I guess there is not "Deal" to leave feedback through heatware on... but this crap is annoying. He gave me his word he was going to sell it to me, and I took his word on good faith. If I had written down his address when I went to the post office instead of using my pocket PC phone to look it up online, I would have been screwed out of the charge for the money order, shipping, and have to deal with the hassle of canceling everything or risk the guy getting the MO and cashing it.

People suck.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'm sorry you're disappointed but, thats all it is. If no money changed hands, there are no damages.

 

[BigJ]

A lot of people have strict policies that if you do not pay, you're not entitled to the product. What you essentially did was call "dibs" on the product.

 

[newb111]

Originally posted by: BigJ
A lot of people have strict policies that if you do not pay, you're not entitled to the product. What you essentially did was call "dibs" on the product.

I can understand this argument with an instant payment like paypal, but when you ask someone to send a money order, it changes. He could have already sent the money order, which I consider a heck of a lot more than calling "dibs"

 

[HumblePie]

Originally posted by: newb111

Originally posted by: BigJ
A lot of people have strict policies that if you do not pay, you're not entitled to the product. What you essentially did was call "dibs" on the product.

I can understand this argument with an instant payment like paypal, but when you ask someone to send a money order, it changes. He could have already sent the money order, which I consider a heck of a lot more than calling "dibs"

Glad someone else saw the situation as I do. I could literally have sent that MO off this morning and the "money" would have exchanged parties at least making it a "deal" and one I would have left him bad feedback over. I just got lucky I have a phone that lets me check the web with unlimited access so I could look for his address and get his last message to me. Had this been a deal that I went through a couple years ago when I didn't have such a piece of tech, I would have came into the post office with his address and info written down on some paper instead and that money order would be in the mail by now.

No, at this point, there is no deal as I sent no money and he sent no video card. But it could have been ugly and that is the point I'm trying to make.

Guess I'll stick with paypal transactions then from now.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: newb111

Originally posted by: BigJ
A lot of people have strict policies that if you do not pay, you're not entitled to the product. What you essentially did was call "dibs" on the product.

I can understand this argument with an instant payment like paypal, but when you ask someone to send a money order, it changes. He could have already sent the money order, which I consider a heck of a lot more than calling "dibs"

The OP said the MO would be sent if and only if either the money came from Paypal or he was paid on Wed. Paypal takes longer than Monday to Wednesday to transfer money. So the earliest it would be sent was Wednesday. If the OP somehow managed to send it out before then, then he would've been the one not sticking to the agreement

Until there is a Paypal confirmation or DC# and MO#, there is no deal for a lot of people.

Also, I'm not saying I agree with the other trader. Personally, I would've waited until Wednesday and if he didn't pay, then sell locally.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: HumblePie
Glad someone else saw the situation as I do. I could literally have sent that MO off this morning and the "money" would have exchanged parties at least making it a "deal" and one I would have left him bad feedback over. I just got lucky I have a phone that lets me check the web with unlimited access so I could look for his address and get his last message to me. Had this been a deal that I went through a couple years ago when I didn't have such a piece of tech, I would have came into the post office with his address and info written down on some paper instead and that money order would be in the mail by now.

No, at this point, there is no deal as I sent no money and he sent no video card. But it could have been ugly and that is the point I'm trying to make.

Guess I'll stick with paypal transactions then from now.

And then he would've dinged you for not communicating properly and checking your PMs. So in the end you both get bad heat and you're the one who lost the MO transaction fees.

Before you pay, you check your PMs or e-mail one last time.

 

[amdskip]

Pretty crappy if you ask me, been there and done that though.

 

[Safeway]

I think the trader was in the wrong. For all he knew, there was a money order in the mail.

 

[Kelemvor]

Edited since I didn't type what I was thinking the first time around ...

I would have wrote him back and said you had already mailed the MO and you want him to stick up to his end of the bargain or to be willing to cover the fees you had to pay to get the MO.

If he then said Fine you can have it, great. It he says no, then oh well I guess and dont' worry about it.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: newb111

Originally posted by: BigJ
A lot of people have strict policies that if you do not pay, you're not entitled to the product. What you essentially did was call "dibs" on the product.

I can understand this argument with an instant payment like paypal, but when you ask someone to send a money order, it changes. He could have already sent the money order, which I consider a heck of a lot more than calling "dibs"

yup, If we agreed on terms of payment, and he goes off to sell it to someone else, I would be a little peeved.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
I would have wrote him back and said you had already mailed the MO and you want to be compensated for the fee you had to pay since you had a written agreement (PMs) that the item was yours.

If he then said Fine you can have it, great. It he says no, then oh well I guess...

So you would've tried to scam him out of the fees associated with the money order?

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
I would have wrote him back and said you had already mailed the MO and you want to be compensated for the fee you had to pay since you had a written agreement (PMs) that the item was yours.

If he then said Fine you can have it, great. It he says no, then oh well I guess...

So you would've tried to scam him out of the fees associated with the money order?

another one to add to the do not trade list?

i also wonder how many of the people here saying there's nothing wrong with what the seller did would be saying the same thing if it happened to them? i highly doubt it.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
I would have wrote him back and said you had already mailed the MO and you want to be compensated for the fee you had to pay since you had a written agreement (PMs) that the item was yours.

If he then said Fine you can have it, great. It he says no, then oh well I guess...

So you would've tried to scam him out of the fees associated with the money order?

Just realized I typed that wrong...

I meant tell him you expect him to hold his part of the bargain since you paid out for the item.... THen if he says OK, you send it and get the item. If he says no, then you haven't really bought it so oh well...

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: pontifex
i also wonder how many of the people here saying there's nothing wrong with what the seller did would be saying the same thing if it happened to them? i highly doubt it.

You mean me? And like I said I'm not supporting the seller. I'm saying that a lot more people are going by the rule that if they don't have the money in their hand (not literally, but MO# or Paypal #), the deal is open to anyone.

I already said I would've waited until Wednesday for the deal to complete, and if the buyer didn't pay up then sold it locally.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: pontifex
i also wonder how many of the people here saying there's nothing wrong with what the seller did would be saying the same thing if it happened to them? i highly doubt it.

You mean me? And like I said I'm not supporting the seller. I'm saying that a lot more people are going by the rule that if they don't have the money in their hand (not literally, but MO# or Paypal #), the deal is open to anyone.

I already said I would've waited until Wednesday for the deal to complete, and if the buyer didn't pay up then sold it locally.

i'm not pointing to anyone in particular. i just see this type of thread often and just by what i see on atot, they'd be complaining also.

 

[Injury]

Money talks, and the person that's first to pay talked faster.

He sent a PM before you had planned on sending the money order, so you can't say that he screwed you over.

Yes, you were inconvenienced, but that's one of the prices of online trading. Go to any store in your town and ask them to hold a hot item for you for a few days and see what happens.