BST "I'll take it"

[Regentag]

I have seen this type of sales post as well - rare, but at least once.

"For Sale: Ray-O-Vac CrapLite 2D. As new in cellophane bag with hang tag. Price: $1.69 includes worldwide shipping. E-mail ONLY to [email protected] to purchase this light. Posts of any kind in this thread will be ignored."

I'm paraphrasing, but that was the essence of the post. The seller made no bones about it - who ends up the light is solely at the seller's discretion, and no one in the forum is privy to the process. At some point, the seller posts "Light is sold - Thank you".

It appears to go against the grain on CPF, but there are many, many things that are sold in this manner - Homes, for example - or basically anything in a classified ad in the paper. For one thing it protects the buyers privacy in a transaction. The "community", knows it sold and at what price (at least the 'asking price') - is it really anybody's business who the new owner is?

Obviously, if it is an "attractive light" (not a Ray-O-Crap), the seller has to deal with the overhead of replying to all those E-mails, but he does have the possibility of getting a higher-than asked for price, and in an ethical manner (back to the real estate analogy), or he may have to settle for a lower price...

I'm not saying that I support this method of selling over the "breadcrumbs to the pigeons" system, but as a buyer - I do prefer the privacy this method offers, and in this regard I know that I am not alone. Certain people get a reputation over time, especially with high profile buys, that is hard to shake. This may drive prices up for everyone on the board as a result.

Cheers,

 

[tvodrd]

Having completely skipped page two of this thread, It seems to me that when a seller specifies the first "I'll take it gets it", The first "I'll take it post" trumps any "I'll take it, pending" posts!!" Homework not done, you lose! Posting "I'll take it" means PP cocked and UNlocked! I consider backing out of an "I'll take it" post extremely unethical! Sympathies, Mac, and I hope my buy didn't contribute to your posting this thread. (Actually I seriously doubt it! )

Larry

 

[bjn70]

I don't think there is anything wrong with "first I'll take it". If done through this forum then everyone can see what is happening and who is in line in what order. If the seller decides to do this by email instead of the forum and states so, then that is OK too. That way he can be the decider of who is in line.

If a person offers something and states a price, and another person states acceptance of the offer, then that is a completed verbal contract. In some places it would have the force of law behind it. If a seller decides to do the "I'll take it" thing, then they should honor it. I responded to a sale one time and a later responder upped my offer. The seller went past me and sold to the later person. This was for an inexpensive item that I didn't really need, so I didn't let it ruin my day. If this had been for an item like an automobile or a house, then I would have been in court enforcing our verbal contract. I'm not a lawyer and realize that in some places it doesn't work that way, but I'm pretty sure that where I live it does work that way.

If a person wants to take time to ask questions before committing, then he is running the risk that someone else will buy the item out from under him. I don't know how an interested buyer can have the seller reserve the item until he is ready to commit. Some sellers may not want to do this and it isn't fair to them to have them wait when there are other buyers with money in hand waiting to complete the transaction right away. But this is the business of the seller. If a seller wants to conduct his sale by email exclusively then only he knows what responses he is getting and he can decide who is a serious buyer and who is not, and who he might want to hold the sale for while answering their questions. I would suggest that everyone who wants to do something other than wait for an "I'll take it" maybe should conduct their sale strictly by email.

 

[Regentag]

I'm not bitching about *YOU* specifically I just used that situation as an example. Again today same type of "I'll take it crap" on another deal I was making for 3 weeks.

- Mac

"I don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip up..." - General Buck Turgidson

Pass the popcorn!

 

[Icebreak]

I've seen the circus. Not fun. Sometimes scary Alice Cooper clowns would perform.

When the "I'll take it" guideline was implemented it solved a lot of problems. It is a guideline and not a rule. I think it works well as long as people abide by their word. Very clear. "I'll take it" means I'll take it.

On one sale thread I asked for an email pic. Then another member (not seller) posted a picture. I replied "I'll take it if your light is the same model as memberX's pic." When I posted that I knew I had no claim to the light. I sweated it out for 20 minutes or so until the seller posted that it was the same. Then I posted "I'll take it." A little stressful for me but it was easier for the seller. Had someone posted "I'll take it" before me...oh well...thems the breaks.

I've sold only three items on BST. On one of them a member PMed me that they wanted to pay using a method other than PayPal. I let him know I would consider it. Later another member PMed me that if the light wasn't sold by the next day they would buy it. It didn't sell that day. The first guy asked me about my decision and I had to tell him I needed a few more hours...that someone had promised to buy it. Time went by. I'm sure the second guy must have been at work so I didn't get any responses to my PMs. So I told the first guy I'd accept his alternative payment method. The second guy was well intentioned. The first guy was well intentioned. The slow response from the second guy slowed things down a little and this sale had only 5 interested people so it wasn't as complicated as some sales I had seen years ago.

It was a bit of a pain but as a rookie seller, I felt an obligation to be fair to all. No one got mad. The buyer got a great light. I got my asking price. The back up buyer was totally cool with it.

Auctions are no longer allowed so you can't say "make an offer". Gotta state a price. I suppose you can have a silent auction by saying "PM or email only" but that could be viewed as a work around to the NO AUCTIONS rule. Frankly I don't know if "PM or email only" is against the rules.

I miss the auctions. They were fun. I won only one, came pretty darn close on a few. I don't know why auctions went away. I can only guess they were causing admins and moderators headaches. Anyway, they were fun.

The first time I saw a huge price on a light it went for $601.00 and this was a long time ago. We all enjoyed the auction. I suspect that fellow wouldn't sell that light for $1601.00 today.

Recently I typed:

"No trades.

First "I'll take it" gets it.

If you prefer PM that's fine but if an "I'll take it" gets posted before I can indicate a pending sale the "I'll take it" wins."

I felt like that was a fair and reasonable way to sell a light.

 

[cqbdude]

I completely agree with cmacclel...

This just happened to me just recently...here is how it went down...

I found a light that was for sale..but the description was very little so this is what I asked in my pm..I also replied on the thread "pm sent" .

Quote:
Originally Posted by cqbdude
Hello ,

Before I say Ill take it..would like to know if its dual stage and if it comes with the charger and rechargeable batteries.

Thanks,

Raul


This was the answer that I got..

(edit out the name) threw down the first unconditional "i'll take it," so to be fair it should go to him. if he backs out i'll let you know. thanks for the interest.


Mind you the seller didnt even say anything about the first unconditional " ill take it " has priority..

I pm'ed the seller back but never got a respond back...

It did bother me a little bit...not because I didnt get the light ..but the way it was handled..

I think this "I'll take it" crap is getting out of hand.

"I'll take it" simply means the seller does not want want to be bothered answering any questions. Now when someone says "I'll take it" their under the assumption that the item is theirs even if there are other people talking to the seller in the interested in the thread. This is the only forum I have ever seen that is run by the "I'll take it" method. I find this method insulting to buyers with questions.



Mac

 

[Icebreak]

cqbdude -

I would like to venture a guess.

Because "I'll take it" has become an accepted method for some time now and at this point, almost a tradition; I think it's possible that some may post a BST thinking "I'll take it" is implied.

However, everybody doesn't know about this guidline propelled tradition so maybe it's best for sellers to be clearer and state it if that's the way they want to handle the sale.

Your post points out a significant flaw in a sometimes unstated and supposedly understood community selling convention.

Believe it or not, once there was a dispute because a seller posted "The first plain vanilla ' I'll take it ' gets it". Someone thought that a "plain vanilla I'll take it" was different from a regular "I'll take it".

Best to be clear, I think.

 

[CroMAGnet]

:thinking: Popcorn Anyone?

 

[Billson]

I've noticed over the past few months that majority of the sales threads don't have pictures anymore. I remember when I first joined around 2 years ago that probably 99% of all BST threads included detailed pictures. Nowadays, some people don't even bother to fully describe the item let alone take pictures. For example, not everyone knows what a McLux PD is unless they have been here for at least some time not to mention that the McLux PD has numerous variations like led bins, color, tritium, etc. It's the obligation of the seller to answer questions first if he's too lazy to make a properly formatted BST thread.

 

[Mags]

I think the "Ill take it" should only be used when the light is verified as new by the seller. Only at those times can a person be sure they will receive exactly what they are paying for (unless it is a dishonest seller). If it is used, or has been used at all, the buyer or person interested in the product has the full right to ask a question about the item.

 

[cqbdude]

Point Taken and Understood Icebreak....Thank You...

I also explained to the seller that...I didnt try to change the price and didnt add any condition to the sale but merely asked some question before buying the light. But I didnt even get a respond... must need the money quickly..

No matter because I was able to purchase a similar light with the needed accessories for less the next day from someone willing to answer my questions..

Hey I just noticed....Im a Flashaholic now....:rock:

Whoooo........hoooooo......I guess my paypal account is empty..:lolsign:

Thank You All and the CPF ...

 

[Dawg]

I don't know if you guys remember that TnC X-bin I sold on eBay for a new record price, a few months back...

I actually had people telling me to remove the light from the auction and just say that someone else bought it at another place. They wanted me to lie so they could buy the light.

Amazing. To some people, CPF is about getting the item and that's all. I have no problem with that but it is not what keeps me coming back to CPF for almost 2-years now. It's the amzing kewl and bright friendly and helpful people. It's the CPF collective as I call it and it still lives on.

Yep, Used to get that all the time when selling on ebay too. I will not lie, cheat or steal for myself, let alone some petty greedy bastid. I frankly cannot believe the greedy gall of some folks.

 

[Dawg]

This was probably the best thread I have seen since arriving at CPF. There are some really neat people here. The LifeNRA raffle proved that. This thread proved to me that you guys are not quite as anal as I thought. On the other hand, it was very revealing. So revealing that some of us need to change our underwear.

 

[cy]

hey mac, just took a look at your last sales post selling your cooool.. laser.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/122295

you go into nice detail concerning laser, but no picture (link is provided w/pic) and most importantly. No instructions on how you are going to decide who wins sales.

don't know about you. but I've been involved in way too many deals. where split seconds decides who wins the super cooool light.

yes, if seller declares first "I'll take it" leaves no doubt who wins the deal.

what's more important is for seller to declare up front, how winner will be decided.

if seller wants option to mull over emails who wins.... say so up front. no hard feelings when all knows rules of sale. unlike some sales I've seen where tempers flared...

and by the way, no one is telling you to use "I'll take it" that's the seller choice and I would not want it any other way.

IMHO, it should be a requirement for seller to state how winner is decided.

 

[LifeNRA]

This thread proved to me that you guys are not quite as anal as I thought.

Thanks ...............hey wait a minute :lolsign:

edit: I just noticed my avatar changed. The Avatar Fairy has struck again!

 

[LEDcandle]

Well, maybe it's like shopping in a store. If you see something in the display and you walk over to ask a sales assistant some questions and someone else sees it while you are gone and confirms he wants it with another sales assistant; who deserves it?

I know this is CPF and it is thanks to the community spirit that we've come this far. Of course, there is a lot of commerce involved too. Commerce is always ugly, especially when there's high demand and low supply.

If we follow line of interest, what if the line decides they don't want it anymore during that period that the 1st guy is asking questions? And if the 1st guy backs out, the seller doesn't get to sell the item which he might have if he had let it go via the "I'll take it" way.

Not that I'm saying its a bad way but I guess its not as 'clean' and 'decided' as "I'll take it".

Buyers circumventing this by intentionally saying "I'll take it!" to get first dibs and then backing out might deserve a Jeer if its not a legit reason. I'm not sure if it's contractual in any way, but it is a gentleman's agreement to follow thru.

So there are ugly sides to all methods. But I guess the seller has the right to decide how he wants to sell his item as long as he doesn't back out after he has made an agreement with someone.

 

[DonShock]

Well, maybe it's like shopping in a store. If you see something in the display and you walk over to ask a sales assistant some questions and someone else sees it while you are gone and confirms he wants it with another sales assistant; who deserves it? .......

I had something like that happen in a store. I had seen a glass sculpture I liked but it was a little expensive so I was debating about getting it. When I finally made up my mind and went back to get it, some kid had it in his hands and was trying to get his Dad to buy it for him. Dad said it was "too expensive, put it back". As soon as the kid returned it to the shelf, I picked it up and took it to the cash register. As soon as I started to walk away from the register, the Dad throws out a comment about how I "grabbed it out of his kids hand". Of course when I immediately said if he was that upset I would gladly give it to him for what I had just paid for it, he didn't want to do that.

When nobody else was interested, he felt it was too expensive and he didn't want the item. But as soon as somebody else had purchased it, he felt "cheated" out of it and decided it was my fault. I don't understand that kind of thinking. When I initially went back to the shop and saw the sculpture no longer on the shelf, I blamed myself for not taking it earlier when I first saw it. I didn't go running up to the kid and dad shouting "I saw it first". I waited until they made their decision without any input from me.

I think sometimes this is what happens here. People who are unsure about a purchase commit to an item just because somebody else is interested and then change their mind and back out, causing problems for the seller and for the others interested in purchasing the item. Or they start feeling they have a claim on the item before they have made any actual commitment to the seller. Neither one is the sellers fault. Of course, any seller who won't give the buyer the info he needs to make an informed decision or who doesn't follow through after he makes a commitment should be avoided like th plague. I keep a list next to the computer of people who I won't buy from or sell to because of how they've dealt with me or others. Most are on the list because of several instances of money paid / no item recieved. But there is also a smaller list of individuals who have exhibited the lack of consideration for others that I think makes CPF a great place to do business or just hang out.

 

[Lurveleven]

I have yet to post a sell thread, but if I'm doing it one day, the rules would be a lot different from what we normally see. They would go something like this:
"Post your interest in this thread if you want to buy the light, the post must be made 3 days from this thread was posted. After 3 days I will contact one of you to arrange the deal."

The reasoning behind this rule is that it will give buyers time to think before they buy if they really want the item, and there will be plenty of time to ask questions. Some people are less online than others, so those would also have a chanche of buying, instead of just the same small group getting all the good deals. In most cases I would do a random pick among those wanting to buy. But this rule would also protect myself since I can exclude people I do not want to deal with, without having to announce it to everyone. It would also allow me to choose to sell to someone that has helped me out with something before.

The only concern I have with the above rule is that if other people were using it, it would be easy to be filtered out from many sales being a non-US buyer.

Sigbjoern

 

[greenlight]

Sounds like some children that didn't get the toy they wanted. I browse B/S/T every day and don't buy anything. Yet I constatntly see deals I would/should/ have taken. Oh, well, my loss. If you want the toy, call it! I want it!! Otherwise, watch as other suckers line up. I keep watching B/S/T for the one that got away... but I may not act when she bites!

-------------------\

BTW.... what's the average number of posts per user for the respondants to this thread? It must be WAY above average.

 

[cy]

that's what so sweet about how cpf is put together. sell can decide how ever his/her sales thread will be done. declare how it's gone to be done and everyone stays happy

b/s/t is the glue that holds cpf together. liquidity is everything! how many other hobbies do you know where most of the time, one can recover 90% or so of $$$ spent. further if you purchased wisely, one may even come out ahead.

with the large number/$$$ of transactions that flow thru cpf everyday. there's going to be friction, like it or not there are certain customs that develop. first person to post "I'll take it" gets it, is one of those.....

I have yet to post a sell thread, but if I'm doing it one day, the rules would be a lot different from what we normally see. They would go something like this:
"Post your interest in this thread if you want to buy the light, the post must be made 3 days from this thread was posted. After 3 days I will contact one of you to arrange the deal."

The reasoning behind this rule is that it will give buyers time to think before they buy if they really want the item, and there will be plenty of time to ask questions. Some people are less online than others, so those would also have a chanche of buying, instead of just the same small group getting all the good deals. In most cases I would do a random pick among those wanting to buy. But this rule would also protect myself since I can exclude people I do not want to deal with, without having to announce it to everyone. It would also allow me to choose to sell to someone that has helped me out with something before.

The only concern I have with the above rule is that if other people were using it, it would be easy to be filtered out from many sales being a non-US buyer.

Sigbjoern