Ethics and Race car sales (long) Saturday April 5th, 2008
 

Just need to vent (whine a little if you prefer).

Wondering how others might view this situation. I finally found what I thought might be the car that fit the criteria I had been seeking. By the way, it was not found on this forum.

I had called the owner on Wednesday, got some information. One question I asked him, "had you gotten any bites on the vehicle", HIS reply, to quote; "only calls, one no show that had wanted to see the car". He emailed me some photos and a lengthy detailed description of the car.

I proceeded to return him another call, made arrangments with a friend to go look the car over with the intention of purchasing it this Saturday (today). Lo and behold, last nite at about 10:30 pm, I get a phone call. He informs me, he had just sold the car.

On the one hand, who am I, it is his property, which he has every right to do with as he wishes. I can accept that. Maybe he just needed the money that bad, who knows. At least he had the courtesy to inform me before I had undertaken a trip. The whole thing digs at my craw.

Alot of you here seem to be "sellers" of cars and goods. How do YOU handle these circumstances. If someone has made an appointment to look at your goods, someone else swoops in before the first person has the opportunity to make you an offer, what do you do?

Would you just take the money, tell the other potentioal buyer to go pound sand, which essentially is what this guy did to me. Or would you have waited for the first person to make his offer. Going back to what I said , maybe he just was desperate for cash.

I've read numerous instances of sellers complaining about buyers being tirekickers. I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum, I'm a potential buyer that is starting to take umbrage with sellers! If you DO have people knocking down the door to purchase something, tell us that. Granted, I'm not out anything but a little inconvenience, I haven't lost ANY money. I still feel like I got screwed over.

well its a raw deal but as some one trying to sell on rj i got to tell you i havent yet. i have had several things posted on rj and i have talked and got e-mails from all kinds. i have wasted days waiting on people to show up to look that never did. dont take it to heart if there is a real person right here right now with money you just about have to sell. you just dont know who you can beleive anymore. im not saying you arent an honest buyer i dont know you but i think you understand what im getting at. i wish you luck in your search.

Sales
 

It's not just RJ this happens on to start with. Being on both sides buying and selling. He said he had phone calls prior to your's

If I had a dollar for every time someone said the check was in the mail. I really would not have to sell any parts. Can't blame the man for selling his car to someone there with CASH!

If you like it, you better be on the ball and go and get it before it's gone. I am looking for another tube chassis car. I found one on RJ 2 weeks ago. About a 800 mile trip one way. I talked to the guy on Friday night, called on Saturday. No reply, got e mail Sunday morning said the car was gone.

Good luck

Robert,
I feel your pain brother! I have a first come, first served policy. I do know what you mean though, I am a serious buyer as well. The ones that really tick me off are the ones that don't bother to tell you they sold it. At least the man called you. Have sat and waited on the " I will be there first thing in the morning" guys I have no clue how many times. I do know when we find the deal we want, we do not wait, simply for the reason you just experienced. On occassion we have waited a couple days, but that was gut instinct only. The man with the first cash gets the car/part. Good luck finding your car man!! By the way, what kind of car are you searching for?
Later,
Rudy

Almost the same thing happened to me. I wanted a one ton truck that i saw on e-bay. It was for sale locallyin Des Moines so I called the guy and set up an appointment for next day. Next day we took off for Des Moines, get about half way there, the guy calls on my cell and tells me the truck sold at 10pm the night before. I sympathize, with the way you feel.

suicidebomb

Really can't blame the guy for selling the car. He might have told the guy that you were coming to look at it, You show up and don't buy it and then the original guy changes his mind. Then the guy is still stuck with the car. Maybe next time you could wire the guy a small deposit to hold the car (maybe $100) untill you got there, but if you don't buy the car he keeps the deposit. Just a thought.

Ya it is a shame you didn't get the car .
But on the other hand it is hard not to take the cash when it is in front of you .

I have a truck for sale never advertised it anywhere just let people know here locally and the word got passed around fairly quick .
I got a call from a guy about a 100 miles away said a friend of his told him about the truck and he wanted it this was on a Tuesday in the mean time i get a call from another guy in the next town over that has a 1 ton truck that he wanted to do some trading on and i told him that there was a guy supposed to be here Saturday to buy the truck and if he didn't take it i would let him know .
well the guy called me about 4 times telling me he was coming then no more calls and he didnt show .

i called the other guy back with the 1 ton truck and he already traded it off so it is a deal where it's just hard not to sell when it's in front of you .

Hope you find you a car and i feel for ya.

I just had kinda the same situation... I had a daily driver for sale, and was going to use the money to buy a truck from a fellow down the road.

I told him I would have the money Sunday by 2p... this was on Friday... He had no calls on the truck.

Low and behold the guys come and pick up the car and I call him at 1p Sunday with cash and he says they just left with it, and he ended up selling it for 200 less than he told me...

I was mad for a minute, but being a seller as well I know that when someone is there with cash and makes a fair offer, you HAVE to sell it... If I wanted it that bad I should have gave him a 100 or so to hold it...

anyways I hope you find what you are looking for!!

Wow I feel better venting on a Sat morning..lol

after years of dealing the same thing comes to mind---first one with cash gets it!!!---you should have sent a small holding deposit[ which i do offer at times to sellers]---AT LEAST HE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO CALL YOU AND DID NOT JUST LEAVE YOU HANGING :oops: :oops: :oops: --- LIVELY

Ran into a similar thing with a 4-wheeler I was selling. Was for sale for a couple of months with no calls. Then on a Thursday I got a call from a guy that said he could meet me 1/2 way the following Monday to get it and he seemed seroius so we had a tentative deal. Friday another guy calls and says he wants it. I told the 2nd guy that someone was supposed to get it Monday and I could call him back if it didn't work out. This guy tells me he wants it for the weekend and will come get it in the morning and asks about 1st come 1st serve kinda deal. I didn't want to screw the 1st guy over so I told the 2nd guy I would think about it. I tried to call the 1st guy back, left a message and when I didn't hear back from him a couple of hours later I called the 2nd guy back. I still have the 4-wheeler. In the future I will tell any potential buyers that the 1st guy to show up with cash in hand will take the item. I think if you have made a deal and someone is on the way it would be wrong to sell an item until after the buyer was supposed to be there but other than that 1st come 1st serve.

car
 

I would have told the other guy to call me back tomorrow to see if the car was sold or not, i would have given you 1 st shot since you were first.

My take:
 

Well, I can see both sides to this. I believe I alluded to that, in regards to, yes, it is his vehicle, he can do as he wishes. And yes, in the past, I've experienced the "I'll be there first thing in the morning routine", wait around all day and never see the person. Agree, he had the decensy to call me.

On the other hand, I was brought up in a world where, if a man gave you his word, you were bound to that. I see it in the everyday world now, that isn't so, it's every man for himself.

I will address one thing. Giving anyone I don't know a money deposit for something I've never seen, you can forget that. There's absolutely nothing out there, I need/want that BAD!! I can get over hard feelings, but none of you are getting any money from me unless we shake on a deal.

I may offend some but this attitude of "whoever gets there first" sounds more like the dealings of con men and shysters or white shoed used car salesmen. I'd really like to believe that isn't so. Also, the viewpoint is from my side of the fence. Those that sell alot have a different view and their own tales of woe.

All things aside, I'm just a little P---ed off and bitter. I'll get over myself and life wil go on. I do appreciate the opinions and feedback. It gives me, perhaps some insight as to the thinking of others I'm bargining with out there today.

What really makes this bad, this is the third vehicle I've lost out on. Maybe my wife is right, perhaps I just wasn't meant to get reinvolved in this again. I'm not ready for that rocking chair, just yet.

yeah its makes you feel like crap to lose a deal..but i will have a car for sale in the future when market comes back around to a sellers market..i will have a 1st come 1st serve policy.....only thing that will hold my car is a reasonable (non-refundable) deposit..unless there is something i did not tell you about car.....i have lost too many sells in the past waiting on someone to send money or never get to my place to view car as they said they would..

Had a guy 2 weeks ago jerk my chain about buying a carb..( Money order was in mail) so he said.....never got here......it was a carb for $1,000...not the most money in the world so i didn't mind holding for him...but something up in the potential thousands..1st Money gets car...including deposits.

You might wanna consider looking for something closer to your home.to where you can be there in 1/2 hour,,cause the "NO" deposit steadfast..may not play in your favor....did you say "3" deals gone to the way side ?...would they have been lost if you or the money ( deposit) got there sooner ?..As you say we live in a different world today...what difference would a handshake make with someone anyhow ? My opinion only..




ps....i do not see where BAD ETHICS was the issue..Just SMART BUSINESS....iF anything,, he used good ETHICS by calling you to inform you it was sold..

this deal could have been a lot worse for you if you had driven there and could not get an answer are call back...

Brian

Deal
 

Heres the Deal!
With all of the TIRE KICKERS,you know the Guys that WASTE Your Time!Usually on the Computer,Not the Phone!
I wish i had a DOLLAR for every Time SOMEONE was going to Buy?Would NOT NEED to Sell anything,I could just Through it in the Can!
So,with that said?When a CASH Customer comes around............SOLD!
The WORLD is FULL OF WANTABEEES!
Later
G 8)

yeah i have sent what seems to be thousands of pics and never hear anything else. have made several trades and never seen or heard anything else. i drove an hour and a half to look at a car made a trade that i thought was a done deal roller for roller the guy wanted to come to my house and me help pull his motor and trans and put back in my car for him. i waited all day had help here waiting with me the guy never showed up and wouldnt answer my calls. this same guy called me 4 times wanting me to come look at his car wanting to trade the day i went to him i thought it was a done deal he traded with a guy in alabama instead or any way 2 days later the car i traded for was for sale in alabama so you just dont know who to beleive until it is done and for that reason i must say first come first serve..

You might be chasing that elusive car you want for a long, long time if you are not willing to fork over a $100 deposit. I find it difficult to expect a man to hold a car for anyone that won't give a deposit. I know you say, I am not giving my money to anyone I never met. Then you should ALWAYS expect something to not be held for you. As for not giving your money until you shake a a mans hand, then the deal wasn't done until then either. But, one thing is definite, you have lost three deals by your own admission, maybe time to take some advice.You snoose you loose!
I really hope you find a car Robert!! Good luck man!
Rudy 8)

Guess I'm just a whiny little snot
 

I see where this is headed. Time to accept this like a man and move on. I started this thread but this will be my last post to it.

Thanks to everyone for both the advise and opinions.

Mr. Swartz, hang in there, and don*t give up your search. Perseverance, will pay off in the end. My wife tells me," If it doesn*t happen, it wasn*t meant to be." Its always been good advice for me, I hope it helps you. You*ll find your car!

suicidebomb

Dont feel bad just go back to the classified's and look again, thats half the fun, last I looked there were thousands of cars for sale on this site alone, surely a better one will cross your path. If this really is the 4th one you've missed maybe you need to reassess the way you do business. I'm really not trying to be a dick here just commenting on your situation.

sales
 

I saw an add for a 47 ft pace in Penn. I live in 60 miles south of New Orleans. I had no problem with the price, I just asked the guy if he would work with me on the expenses. Ended up knocking $700. This was Sat., told him I could not get the $ till Mon. Called and left Monday, called him along the way so He knew I was coming,and everything went fine. Man I would have been Pisted to go that far and it not have been there. :D

Ya can't blame the guy really....suppose he turns down the money from one guy because he was waiting on you...you show up and say " Naa...I'll pass." now he has to hope the other guy is still interested if not he is stuck still trying to sell it. Now if you had given him a deposite that would be different.

JMO