How long is long enough?

[Byte Stryke]

How long will you wait for a buyer to reply after the "I'll take it" PM before its too long and you move on?

In my Case I received a PM, returned his cal the same day, I Left a message. I waited 24 hrs, called back and left another message...
No Contact.

What's etiquette here?

[hurley842002]

To me I guess it would depend on how badly I wanted to sell it. I normally don't sell a particular firearm because I WANT to, its usually because something has come up, or there is another firearm that I want more. So i'm usually fairly motivated to sell, and in your case I'd move on to next in line. You've been more than fair. Guess that didn't really answer your question, Just my opinion.

[cstone]

24 hours without contact seems to be a reasonable period of time. If you have left a voice msg, exchanged phone numbers in conjunction with the ability to PM, there really isn't a reason not to communicate. I assume you have checked the feedback for the member.

[MrPrena]

I would say 24hr to 48 hr would be reasonable. This is another reason, I post huge terms and condition.

[<MADDOG>]

I concur, 24 hrs with message seems to be reasonable.

[JohnTRourke]

for me I 'm a pretty reasonable guy
but if you post SOLD, or I'll take it or something similar that makes me take it off the market.

then by god, you have committed to buy it. (not "i want to look at it or questions, but actual sold/i'll take it")

if you don't respond after 3 or 4 days

1. it's going back on the market.
2. You're getting a minus 1 on feedback.

24 hours isn't enough time. Maybe they disappeared for the weekend, someone got sick, etc. but 3 or 4 days is plenty of time.

Make sure you leave negative feedback if it turns out that way too, people need to know who is stand up, and who is just a scumbag.

[Hoser]

Same thoughts here. 3-4 days. Your word is your word.

[argonstrom]

for me I 'm a pretty reasonable guy
but if you post SOLD, or I'll take it or something similar that makes me take it off the market.

then by god, you have committed to buy it. (not "i want to look at it or questions, but actual sold/i'll take it")

if you don't respond after 3 or 4 days

1. it's going back on the market.
2. You're getting a minus 1 on feedback.

24 hours isn't enough time. Maybe they disappeared for the weekend, someone got sick, etc. but 3 or 4 days is plenty of time.

Make sure you leave negative feedback if it turns out that way too, people need to know who is stand up, and who is just a scumbag.

Agreed.

[Ah Pook]

As a seller;

If buyer sends an "I'll take it" and I respond to that, I'd expect to hear back the same day. By late morning the next day. 3-4 days for a response is too long. Am I just an impatient SOB?

As a buyer;

If I send an "I'll take it" and may not be able to respond in a timely manner, I will mention that I may be out of pocket and slow to respond. I just see it as a common courtesy.

YMMV [Slap]

[OgenRwot]

I would have to go with 2-3 days as well. Especially around the weekend. Could be up skiing somewhere w/ poor service and no PC.

[Byte Stryke]

I want to thank everyone for pointing out some very valid points.
Yeah, with the points brought up I am going to wait until noon Monday.

I figure that's enough time.

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

24-hours. They shouldn't reply with I'll Take it, unless they are ready to respond with payment ASAP. I'm the kind of guy that needs to take care of deals yesterday. If I offer to buy something I will pay the second they get back to me and I'll be waiting for them to get back to me. There is no delay if I'm the buyer so I like it the same way when I'm selling.

[steveopia]

for me I 'm a pretty reasonable guy
but if you post SOLD, or I'll take it or something similar that makes me take it off the market.

then by god, you have committed to buy it. (not "i want to look at it or questions, but actual sold/i'll take it")

if you don't respond after 3 or 4 days

1. it's going back on the market.
2. You're getting a minus 1 on feedback.

24 hours isn't enough time. Maybe they disappeared for the weekend, someone got sick, etc. but 3 or 4 days is plenty of time.

Make sure you leave negative feedback if it turns out that way too, people need to know who is stand up, and who is just a scumbag.

I agree with this. I didn't a little bit ago and would've leaned towards the 24-48 hour period but an experience made me rethink that.

A guy told me that he wanted to buy something off of me. I said great and sent him my phone number. He didn't call me for a week and I had sent him a few more emails. I was getting ready to go with a different guy and the original calls me up. He was very apologetic and told me that there was a family emergency that required his attention out of state. Was it true? I don't know. I just felt bad for being so irritated with this dude when he had some stuff going on.

Point is, you never know what's going on with someone. They may be a flake. That may be genuine. It's a gamble. It's all about what your expectations are and if they've been properly communicated IMO.

[mtik00]

I think all of this discussion on the topic (and varying views) leads me to believe that:
a) As a seller you should always list your expectations for the buyer (24 hours, 3 days, etc) (CYA)
b) As a buyer, it would be a good idea to PM with any issues that you know about (e.g. I'm heading out of town this weekend).

The most important part is (a). You really can't expect the buyer to know your terms if you never stated them.

[theGinsue]

I wasn't the guy Steopia mentioned, but I was in a similar situation this past August/early September.

Someone had something for sale that I really wanted and expressed interest in (although I never fully committed to an "I'll take it"). I know this seller was as hopeful to sell it to me as I was to buy from him.

Then, I got a call at work to get to Kentucky NOW as my mother-in-law was dying. I didn't have time to follow up with the seller for almost a week. I felt horrible and worried that he was passing up other opportunities to sell the item to make the sale with me.

With all of the expenses of the trip for myself, 2 kids, and my daughters fiance (airline tickets, etc), plus the costs of a headstone, partial burial expenses, funeral/casket flowers, I found myself $4k+ in the whole from where I had been just 1 week prior. Now, I didn't have the funds to purchase the item.

The seller was FANTASTIC with handling all of the events and was very understanding. I still felt/feel lie poop for leading him on and not following through wit the purchase, but I just couldn't swing it.

Yes, sometimes unexpected events occur and can ruin a perfect sale. I know that, had the seller chosen to sell to someone else right away after not hearing back from me for 24+ hours, I wouldn't have begrudged him one bit.

Byte Stryke - I know the thread you're referring to and if I were in your shoes, I'd probably give him until noon (or 12:03 for instance) to respond. That is more than fair on your part. If you haven't heard anything by then, move to the next buyer in line with full knowledge that you gave the buyer every opportunity.