Question for the Mod - CLOSED

[cfortune]

I've only had one bad experience on here.

I worked out a deal to take time off to meet with someone and inspect/purchase what they were selling the next day. I had offered to buy the item that night if they got back to me in time to get to the bank before they closed but the seller contacted me about 15 minutes after 6 PM so no dice there (amount was too much for my daily ATM withdraw limit). I get off work after using PTO on short notice only to have the guy say "Sorry, sold it last night". He didn't think that should require a phone call. Now it was a great deal on a gun and I was bummed I wasn't going to be getting it. But I was absolutely pissed that I put my neck on the line at work asking for half the day off on extremely short notice for something to most managers wouldn't be worthy of leaving work.

To me, that's totally unacceptable.

[JoeT]

another gun forum I'm on uses "Goose Rules" (a member by the name of Goose posted this on one of his ads and it's become "law")


The Goose's Disclaimer:
First and foremost if you want something I am selling then say “I will take it”. I do not consider questions or inquiries as a commitment of any sort. Terms like “I am interested” mean nothing. The fact that we may be having a dialogue does not mean that I am waiting for you to make a decision. The person who steps up and says “I will take it, when do we meet” closes the deal.
• I expect you to read the ad. Every single time I sell anything I get at least one and usually multiple questions about something that is already stated in the ad. Yes it has a 5” barrel AS STATED IN THE FREAKIN” AD!
• I expect YOU to know that you want the item. I am not a store. Do your own research and visit a gun shop if you just want to handle a particular gun. And no I will not meet you at your club so you can try it out to see if you like it. Of course you get to inspect the gun before you buy it, but barring a mechanical or condition issue I expect you to buy it. If you are not sure then do not waste my time. I once met a prospective buyer at the range so that he could try out a revolver I was selling. After trying it out and BSing for more then an hour he simply said that it just did not fit his hand right. WTF!
• If you want to negotiate that is fine, but do not start out by telling me that my price is too high. This is not a good way to make friends and influence people. I have never made a dime on any private sale ever. In fact I routinely lose money and have often cut deals for a friend. I may be asking more then you want to pay, but the price is never too high. Also as stated in the first item above I do not consider negotiating a form of commitment. If you are in the process of offering less then I am asking and someone else says “I will take it” then you lose. Don’t bitch at me.
• I reserve the right to sell to whoever the hell I want. Having said that I scrupulously sell to the first person who makes a firm commitment. Provided that person does not piss me off. Such as demanding that the transaction take place that day, when it does not work for me. Also do not assume that just because you are the first person to post a reply on the forum that you are also the first person to contact me directly. Not everyone posts a reply, some folks just PM an “I will take it”. I am not obligated to justify anything to some guy I have never met who demands to know why he did not get the deal when he believes he was the first in line. You may also rest assured that if you take that tack that you will also not be first in line if the initial deal falls through.
• Do not agree to a deal on line and then offer me less when we meet. If that happens the deal is over, no matter what. A deal is a deal. The time to negotiate is during the initial transaction, once the deal is made that’s it.

[SideShow Bob]

Someone needs to sticky "The Goose Rules" so that when an ad is posted the poster can just say" Goose Rules Apply."

[jerrymrc]

Someone needs to sticky "The Goose Rules" so that when an ad is posted the poster can just say" Goose Rules Apply."

Sticky's are not read as it is.

[cwripinz]

Someone needs to sticky "The Goose Rules" so that when an ad is posted the poster can just say" Goose Rules Apply."

^^X2!!^^ I LIKE IT!!!

It's amazing how just a little 'civility' goes a long way.

Additionally: If I see your item posted and then I snoop around and find virtually the same item for substantially less... providing you with links to these comparatives and then asking why yours is so different is NOT AN INSULT... NOR IS IT A SLAM. Take a freakin' chill-pill, bucko! It is, instead, a very reasonable question. Maybe... like I discovered in a couple of deals... there were key facts that the poster inadvertantly failed to disclose. After the disclosure of said facts, the comparatives were no longer true comparatives. Twice now... with a little more info... I agreed with the OP and met their asking price as they were indeed screaming deals! The flip side of the coin is that I have had a seller call me everything his pea-brain could conceive of because he felt that I was low-balling him... even after I provided Local Links to the exact same item being offered. Hey, I agree... it was HIS SALE to run as He Saw Fit. However there is no need to spew vitriol! Even if you feel that you are being "low-balled", a simple "No, thanks" or "I'm sticking with my price" is quite sufficient.

[SideShow Bob]

Sticky's are not read as it is.

Ain't that the truth, especially if the title says "Must read and Acknowedge !."

[theGinsue]

hahahahaha - Sounds like you feel our pain!

[alan0269]

Hmmm, "Goose" sounds like he would fit in here. His rules sound just like what the rest of us have said previously, either in this post or another on the site that previously covered the topic. It all boils down to integrity - either you have it or you don't.

[Colorado Luckydog]

Hmmm, "Goose" sounds like he would fit in here. His rules sound just like what the rest of us have said previously, either in this post or another on the site that previously covered the topic. It all boils down to integrity - either you have it or you don't.

X2

[stove]

When I post a gun for sale here, I generally post it on Armlist or gunbroker, too. I clearly state, if I have it up for auction, that I will entertain offers until the first bid post on gun broker. If I get an offer, I suspend the auction. If I get a bid, I mark the post sold pending funds. If I have it here and Armslist or another forum, I reply in order received, PM, E-Mail or Forum post don't matter, and I sell to the first person who offers my asking price. Unless they turn out to be someone I don't want to have my gun.
I see a lot of post here that state, "First I'll take it, takes it." I don't like to go that route myself, buying or selling. So I don't put that in my post.
I want to look a fella in the eyes and shake their hand before I decide to make a deal, buying or selling. If they don't like the item or I don't like the buyer we are both free to walk. I think that is fair.
The gun I recently sold, which I believe prompted this discussion, went to the first person who responded. He paid what I was asking, after inspecting the gun, and showing me his LE credentials. I walked away happy and I'm pretty sure he did too.
On an auction site, I've agreed to sell the the highest bidder when I open the auction. I'm ok with that because it goes through an FFL. I would never agree to sell, to any joe with cash, on a gun board. Even the fine upstanding folks here