Sorry to hear that. My uncle has a blue/white '54 that has a nice patina/survivor look to it. It's just been sitting for years, and I guess he's fine with letting it sit for more. Maybe if someone comes along with a crazy offer he'd sell. I've dealt with stuff like that, had stuff sold out from under, been told be back later to buy it, etc. It'd be nice if people were just more honest, but that's just too much for some.
No- that's not a deal. The car was at auction. If it was sitting in his front yard with a big ass sign in the window, then you would have had a deal. But it was in an auction, and you were in fact asking him to break the rules of the auction. Look at it from the other angle. Let's say you - as you say - struck a deal with this guy. If *I* had been the high bidder at the auction's end, then I also had a deal with this guy- and since my deal would have been bound by the terms and conditions of the auction, my deal would be 'bigger' than yours. ...and as the seller, I wouldn't pull the listing at all - when the auction was over, the winner would be the winner, and in the absence of an auction winner then a deal could be made - once the car was no longer at auction.
Have you ever heard of " sold pending payment " you really should of gave the guy a chance to give you a deposit . Or Call him and say I have another buyer if you dont send the deposit . I guess a mans word went out in the 50s also . To bad ?
Sight un-seen 2,000 mile away deal? You never know what a car will looks like - been there - less than satisified.
1st one who shows up with the cash gets the deal - Period. I always tell people that so they understand. I've had way too many people say they will show up with the cash so I hold it for them and then they don't show. If you want to buy a car or car parts have the cash ready and don't waste any time getting there. The early bird get's the worm - as always.
This reminds me of a car that I was following on e-bay. The car had one day left on the auction and was pulled. The lady sold the car for less than what I was going to bid but I am one of those that don't bid on it until the last few minutes. I was pissed. Told the lady that also. But hey, I guess I should have tried to buy it out from under the auction. So there, I snoozed and I lost out on the deal. Second half of the story, I found another car like that one a couple of years later and bought it on e-bay. Neal
I believe a person is only as good as his word. If you make an aggrement to do a deal stick to it. If you need money to hold something than say so. Be clear about your expectations and timelines. This is how I have completed many deals and has treated me quite well .
What if the seller kept his words and the buyer changed his mind at the last minute? Works both ways, you know. Money talks, B.S. walks!
Same thing happened to me a few months ago. I did the "buy it now" thing for a '29 closed cab pickup. Firmed up the deal by phone and a couple hours later...just before I hit send on Paypal...he called and said someone else saw the auction, called him and offered him more. Crappy deal but, as others have said, it ain't done till the money changes hands. It's not the way I do business but ethics nowadays are far different than they used to be. In fact, ethical behavior is a dying concept.
The feedback is great..I see both sides...Honestly..Money ends a deal..Hotrodprimer ...I know pay pal works 24 hours, but only when you are close to a computer..Wish I had one at the time..Jamoke..Im more like you, I am a man of my work and I know..."How does someone know that over the phone.." but that was the way I was raised..You are only as good as your word..A handshake = a contract, well not these days.. Or even as some of you would say, as good as money in the hand at the time. There will be another time, another car..
Obviously the OP is a good guy and thought he bought a vehicle. Sadly...a bunch of aholes ruined this kind of thing for everybody and now money talks and what you saw means zero.
If I believed every potential buyer that said I'm going to I would never get rid of anything. Had one guy make an offer on the phone,drive 300 miles with trailer then get here low-ball on the price so I just called the next guy in line,he was here in 15 minutes ,loaded it up and the 1st guy had a long empty ride home. Used to be a mans word was good back before cell-phones and the internet. Now you don't even know if half the junk for sale really even exists. You'll find something else but shop in person,not on E-bay.
I've had a deal go the other way. Buyer said he wanted to buy my car and to please take the sign off (it was a swap meet). I agreed, pulled the sign and left. He shows up later in the day with his brother, hemming and hawing. I put the car away and said goodbye. The next buyer said he wanted to buy my car, he just sold his 427 '63 Galaxie. Great, the day he was suppose to picked up, the oil line broke, so I called him and told him I needed to fix the oil line and replace the carpet. He still wanted to buy the car and offered a deposit. I refused the deposit and told him the car was his. He also made a list of things he wanted down, he would pay extra, so I agreed. When the car was done, he backed out of the deal, saying he had a family emergency. (Grrrrrr). I ended up selling the car to my neighbor for $2000 more than I was asking. It taught me one thing, people aren't reliable and I will always get a non-refundable deposit in the future.
if i say its a deal, its a deal till you break it, period sad to say even in a small world like this message board you can see how many people make excuses why their word isnt worth squat. keeping car up for sale? first come, first serve? nothing wrong with that, I tell people that all the time. ive had people offer me more money for cars, offer to beat the fella i said had a deal with to my house, doesn't happen in my house. last thing i'd ever want is for anyone to be able to say my word and handshake doesn't hold full value.
When I bought my '59 F100 in January, I got a pic from the guy on Sat. night. I knew it was "the one" if everything was as good as it looked on the pic. I got up on Sunday morning at 5AM to hit the road and go look at it with deposit money in hand. I wasn't (and didn't) going to let it get away. I also had him sign an agreement for the purchase of the truck while I was there so nothing could go bad on the deal... You got to move and you also have to dot your I's and cross your T's. Anything less and what happened to you can and will happen. Stevie
Ohhhhhh the times they are a changing. It sure ain't like it use to be when your word meant something. It's all about the all mighty dollar now a days.
I agree. And I still operate this way. And I'll set a time line as to what I expect. And as long as the buyer keeps in contact with me should there be any changes, I will wait the week that the buyer and I have agreed. If somebody else calls in the meantime, I tell them I have made a deal , and if the sale falls through, if they would like to leave me their contact info, I will put them on the list. If no sale, I call the interested people in the order in which they called. My saying is treat people the way you want to be treated. I am sure you'll find another 54 Chevy and good chance it will be better than the one that got away. Good luck.
To take this further, I make sure to put it in writing the balance due, and the deadline for full payment with buyer & seller signatures. Takes any negotiating off the back end of the deal, and give the seller some leverage for a timeline. It's unfortunate, but it's just that way. After my Dad & Uncle died in 2011, I found myself having to move & sell 11 cars. Sold a few on the HAMB, some on Ebay, and a couple locally. I never end a listing before I have a deposit, and I never talk to the next potential buyer until a deal has gone bad. Protects the buyer & seller. As a buyer, I don't expect any special treatment until I put $$ in the seller's hand. If you're a serious buyer, you have to be ready to immediately put the money down or risk getting screwed. Unfortunate reality, but reality nonetheless.
Not sure why you just didn't put a bid on it since it was listed anyway. If I was the seller I'd have reservations since you are cross country. Would have been a fun road trip though. Bummer cause you can keep updated on this post but not on that deal! TP
I agree totally. Money is hard to come buy. Maybe he really needed the money. If it wasn't ment to be then find another. Jay
Trouble is that there are just as many people not standing by their word when they say they want what you have and will by Saturday.....then never show. The right thing for the seller to do is to say that until some sort of payment is received it is still for sale.
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