Any Tips on Buying?


I’ve had only good experiences buying and selling on Audiogon, but need to share an experience and ask for advice.

I found a hot-ticket item on the first day of sale and knew that it would be snatched up quickly (Cardas Golden Ref. PC), but there was a poor description of the item and no photo. So I sent a message to the seller, who had good feedback, for a better description. He responded and I went to click Buy it Now but it was sold at that moment.
(the listing switched to Expired before my very eyes).

Please don’t tell me “snooze you lose” cause I already feel that way.
So would it be better to Make An Offer, and then ask my question? If I don’t like the info regarding the item, then can I just back out of the sale? This is the second time I’ve lost out on an item by using the Ask a Question option.

What would you do?
128x128lowrider57
Maybe so. Better safe than sorry. No deal is binding no matter what anyone says or thinks. It's your money and you can change your mind. Sooner or later there will be another deal. Use paypal with a CC attached to it. If the item is not to your liking, call the CC company and demand a chargeback, before the item is shipped. If the item is as described and the deal is good for both you should stick to the deal, even if you find another for less money. Just trying to be fair. You should never buy something(or be obligated to) with no picture and the seller should understand this. The only way the buyer should take a chance is if they really want the item and accept the fact that the seller stated selling as is.
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When buying and selling used gear with individuals online you are trading away the boring certainty of a retail purchase for the chance of getting something exotic, interesting, perhaps no longer available and possibly a real bargain. The certainty is gone, the risk is high but the reward is potentially great. There's also the thrill of the hunt. You can't have it both ways.

To answer your question, no, I would never make an offer and then back out of the deal. Despite a small percentage of people here who don't seem to have the same ethical standards as the rest, this is a community based on trust and honorable intentions.

Far more often than not I've been well rewarded by going with my instincts about what's a good deal and what's not when the feedback of the seller is good. I can't count the number of deals I've missed because I hesitated too long, but I can tell you about quite a few remarkable purchases I made because I just went for it.
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I don't like backing out of a deal either, but not all sellers are honest, and I'm not one to get stuck just because of ethics. Ethics can't get you a refund.
Even if you "Made An Offer" the "Buy It Now" takes precedent over that offer. You still would have lost the sale.