Frustration with buyers who make offer, then don't


Has anyone else experienced the frustration with buyers who respond to your ad then don't respond after you've contacted them?

Example: A buyer responded to an ad I ran with a offer that was $1000 below my asking price. (My asking price was nearly 50% less than the full retail price). After I responded that I am interested in discussing and leaving the buyer with my phone number, I never heard from them again. No phone call, no e-mail, no "thanks, but I'm no longer interested".

I have always tried to operate in good faith and with honesty in all of my dealings. However, I don't know why someone would make an offer, then no longer respond.

Should I give the "buyer" a negative feedback? Unfortunately, I have had many similar experiences and each time I leave negative feedback for a "buyer" who operates strangely, I end up getting negative feedback myself which does not accurately represent what really occurred in the
course of events.

Your comments will be appreciated. Hey, maybe it's me???
128x128gerryn
Let me start by saying. Slow down you may be getting a little to excited. I read your feedback file and it's not looking so good. In this game you take your lumps as you go and move on. At least you still have the gear and are not out any cash.

People have been burned for thousands of dollars on the Internet buying and selling. You think you’re ticked because someone backed out of a deal. Wait till someone sends you a fake money order for 10K or you send them 5K and never here from them again. Then you can leave negative feedback.

I won't mentioned people buying with stolen credit cards and a half dozen other scams. Just be careful. Take it slow and easy if you get to excited you will eventually come out the loser. RELAX!!! your still winning:~)
The mystery of the disappearing "buyer" or "seller." It's one of the few "pains in the butt" of our hobby. But it's worth putting up with.
Not to much to add to Driver, Cornfedboy, Rosstaman. It comes with territory. Upside is the net lets you buy at 50% of retail. You have to live with the downside. Its a pain that not everyone is courteous, but a deal that falls apart with a jerk is probably better than a deal that you think went thru with a jerk.
I must AMEN what glen said! I suspect you're not in sales? If you've encountered what potential buyers (and even sellers from buyers stand point) can be like over time, you'll know exactly what I mean! You come across all sorts for sure. Trust me, don't sweat the small stuff!!...and this is definitely small stuff! People are fickle, hesitent, unsure (about a lot of things), intimidated, insecure, moody, flakey, and on and on (of course, they're a lot of nice things as well, it's just all mixed in!...people!). When you consider that that person on the other end of the email has all these questions and instabilities about a given large dollar transaction to begin with, it's really to be expected (IMO) that you'll get people changing there minds, and swaying back and forth on purchasing decisions. And yes, even after they said, "I'll take it!!!"...Been there a few times.
Hey, let's face it, on the internet, where people are sight-unseen, if you didn't get taken, and you eventually got what you wanted, you shouldn't even bat an eye at all the rest. Just consider you're self fortunate. There is a rather diverse and large mix floating around out there, just expect all the unexpected's and consider it the norm.
In the end, it's reall simple, a deal isn't a deal until it's a done deal, and the money has changed hands! So expect to see it all if you stick with this selling stuff long enough...it can get weird.
Gerryn,

It's funny, but I had to re-read this thread a couple of times to have it sink in. It's about frustration not bad buyers. I suggest you look at what frustrates you, not other people.

You say, "I always try to operate in good faith".
You might have said that you always act in good faith.
I get the feeling that you're working way to hard on how you feel while for me the issue would be, how do I sell my extra piece of audio equipment?

Yogi said it all. It ain't over, till it's over.

Bill E.