Are gentleman's agreements a thing of the past, or did I expect too much?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

That buyer then messaged me and said that he wanted all the other pinback buttons and not the one I wanted, and we could talk later about selling me the one I wanted when I was no longer at work.

I don't think you have a valid complaint because you didn't have a deal. He could've "talked" with you and thrown a ridiculously high offer at you, which would've fulfilled your agreement with him and still left you pinback-less.

His brother wanting it wasn't something he could've foreseen, so I don't think he sounds like a jerk either.

[gonefishin]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I don't think you have a valid complaint because you didn't have a deal. He could've "talked" with you and thrown a ridiculously high offer at you, which would've fulfilled your agreement with him and still left you pinback-less.

His brother wanting it wasn't something he could've foreseen, so I don't think he sounds like a jerk either.

I agree with Mark. Sadly, I can't really find fault with the auctioneer or the buyer. It's unfortunate that your work came before the auction. Good luck down the road.

[Topnotchsy]

It sucks to have something you wanted come up in auction, take the step to have the auctioneer move the time, miss it, have another chance, and then have that slip through your fingers. Especially on a rare PC item, that stings.

I agree with a few others though. The fact that the auctioneer moved up the auction or sale definitely didn't mean that no one else had a right to pursue the item. And since you did not have a deal worked out with the buyer, I also don't see him as reneging on a deal.

Frustrating sure. Could he have communicated better or held his tongue initially. Of course. But not sure that makes him dishonest etc.

I'd ask him to just connecct you with the brother and see whether there is a chance to work something out now or later.

[SyrNy1960]

For me, if my brother told he wanted it, I would have told him “Sorry, but I already committed to sell it to someone else.” That would be the right thing to do.

[edtiques]

Originally Posted by SyrNy1960

For me, if my brother told he wanted it, I would have told him “Sorry, but I already committed to sell it to someone else.” That would be the right thing to do.

You're 100% correct. They were already spoken for.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by SyrNy1960

For me, if my brother told he wanted it, I would have told him “Sorry, but I already committed to sell it to someone else.” That would be the right thing to do.

Originally Posted by edtiques

You're 100% correct. They were already spoken for.

Thank you. That's how I feel as well.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

It sucks to have something you wanted come up in auction, take the step to have the auctioneer move the time, miss it, have another chance, and then have that slip through your fingers. Especially on a rare PC item, that stings.

I agree with a few others though. The fact that the auctioneer moved up the auction or sale definitely didn't mean that no one else had a right to pursue the item. And since you did not have a deal worked out with the buyer, I also don't see him as reneging on a deal.

Frustrating sure. Could he have communicated better or held his tongue initially. Of course. But not sure that makes him dishonest etc.

I'd ask him to just connect you with the brother and see whether there is a chance to work something out now or later.

The auctioneer hadn't set a price yet, so when I asked him to run this item first for me as I was at work, I expected him to give a number and that I'd have a chance to take it or pass. If I was in an auction and someone asked for something (as I've seen in the past), I would have waited for them to pass before pursuing.

I didn't have a deal worked out, but he messaged me offering to sell it when it arrived and then went back on that without giving me the chance to buy. That's a shitty move in my book.

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I don't think you have a valid complaint because you didn't have a deal.

Agree that we didn't have a deal, but he did offer it to me and never gave me a chance to purchase it.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

Agree that we didn't have a deal, but he did offer it to me and never gave me a chance to purchase it.

I'm curious if you're seeing this as a one-way street or a two-way street.

Suppose he called you to offer the item as agreed, and then said the price was way higher than what you expected. What would you have done? Paid much more than it was worth, or decline to purchase?

If the latter, couldn't he have claimed, as you are now, that he had agreed to sell, and you had agreed to purchase. but now you are backing out of the sale?

That's why I say, since you hadn't agreed on a deal, with terms (price) specified, he didn't renege on anything. I assume you were reserving the right to "renege" if his ask had been too high, right?

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I'm curious if you're seeing this as a one-way street or a two-way street.

Suppose he called you to offer the item as agreed, and then said the price was way higher than what you expected. What would you have done? Paid much more than it was worth, or decline to purchase?

If the latter, couldn't he have claimed, as you are now, that he had agreed to sell, and you had agreed to purchase. but now you are backing out of the sale?

That's why I say, since you hadn't agreed on a deal, with terms (price) specified, he didn't renege on anything. I assume you were reserving the right to "renege" if his ask had been too high, right?

Interesting thought. If he requested a ridiculously high price, I probably would have tried to negotiate a more-fair price. Unfortunately, he never gave me that chance because he declined to sell as he had indicated that he would. I guess my declination would have been dependent upon what number he actually came up with.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

Interesting thought. If he requested a ridiculously high price, I probably would have tried to negotiate a more-fair price. Unfortunately, he never gave me that chance because he declined to sell as he had indicated that he would. I guess my declination would have been dependent upon what number he actually came up with.

So, you're saying you reserved the option to not buy. Why didn't he (in your opinion) have the option to not sell?

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Mark17

So, you're saying you reserved the option to not buy. Why didn't he (in your opinion) have the option to not sell?

Not buying never came up. My last intent was to buy. His initial intent was to sell and then he pulled back. He contacted me and made the offer to sell.