Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion integrity

Got to love this. Pump advertised on Craig's list last night $500.00. Emailed this morning and said that I would pay the price and bring cash because I was close and could pick up this morning. Gave a phone number to call. Seller called and we made the deal, gave me directions and said he would wait till the bank opened at 9 o'clock.

Called back in 10 minutes and said that it was already up to $800.00 on ebay and he did not check that this morning. Said that he could not sell me the pump at that price he had listed. There is nothing in the Craig's list ad that said it was on ebay.

I said that you are not selling this pump for the price that you advertised right ? His response was sorry.
Where is our integrity and and honor.

a hand shake or most peoples word
isn't good anymore, not like it
used to be...

It fell out of the trunk on the way to the bank!

I think he is doing the right thing. It would not be fair to the eBay bidder if he ended auction

Craig, I was provided with a lead last week about a Tokheim 39 and a Pepsi Vendo 81. Called the lady in Maple Valley, WA and made the deal with her. Went got the US money, daughter took a day off work as she was going to accompany me on the road trip. Made hotel reservations.

She calls me back the following morning and tells me the pump and machine sold. I inquired what do you mean they are sold??? She stated she got $700.00 more that morning from someone that just stopped by.

Later, I found out it was someone I knew that bought the items. She had contacted them after she had agreed to sell them to me and it was for only $200.00 more.

I was pretty ticked off. I went ahead with the road trip anyway and lined up some other buys.

She was in her 60's. No excuse, for her behavior. It seems like, I run into this moral decay of integrity and core values on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this seems to be the new norm when conducting business for most people.

integrity is spelled w/ $$

Yes, got an email back from the seller who said that he was a Picker and does it for a living. He was sorry, but had it listed in other venues and cancelled the Craig's list ad that was the end of the story.
I understand about the price on ebay thing, but what about as persons word on a deal.
I left it at, It is going to be a life lesson for you and you will not make the mistake again.

Craig, you didn't make a mistake. It's impossible to weed out these people. The only way for it never to happen again is to quit making deals and buying items but we all enjoy doing it 99% of the time and deal with ethical folks. I learned a long time ago that if I buy or sell anything online or over the phone that it's not a done deal until i have the item in hand and paid for. Doesn't make it any less frustrating when you get an ***** though....

This hobby is so much about the money anymore it's getting a bit disheartening for people like me that don't care about the value necessarily, but about the history I (we) are saving.......greed has all but erased the word integrity these days.
Darin

When you say "Deal" as the seller it is sold! NOT I'll sell it to you unless I get a better offer!
The Washington state "lady" with the gas pump and Pepsi machines should have told the next person "They are sold already."
It is so very disheartening and frustrating that dishonesty, lying, cheating, stealing have become so accepted!
Fortunately MOST people still do the right thing!

I don't get it. Everybody bitches if an auction ends early on eBay. This guy obviously was going to end the auction and sell it, BUT when he seen it had bids, regardless of what they are, he did the HONORABLE and ETHICALLY CORRECT thing and honored his commitment to run his auction to the end and respectfully called the craigslist buyer and informed him of the situation.

If an oldgasser was the loser on the eBay end and it was yanked to sell to a craiglist buyer the bitching would all be swayed the other way.

Kudos to the ebay seller for honoring the bidders on his auction.

The lack of integrity today is very sad. We can't make someone else do the right thing.... BUT, Situations like this could be limited if eBay would operate like all other auction houses - once an item is listed for sale, it stays for sale until stated ending time of auction. No sob stories about your dog eating it, dropping and breaking, etc.... Only exception would be if a Buy It Now option is exercised (through eBay, NOT ending early) or the reserve is not met. If you decide to commit to an eBay auction, it stays on. Don't put it on Oldgas or Craig's while its on ebay - other than to refer people to eBay (hopefully its on Oldgas first :)). Sorry to hear about your trouble Craig.

If your shopping off the internet, (or even if it is a fresh lead) then you better be faster to the item, with cash, than ANYONE else.
It just is what it is nowdays because many sellers are figuring out that they have something that is worth something more to someone else than they thought it was, so, sometimes it pays off and they will stick to their word but 95% of the time someone is faster and sometimes it's by only seconds because they lived only a block away. CL asks for a address for all the ads now and some buyers just show up when they see a ad that is close to where they are. Then a seller who committed to some one over the phone is faced with the decision and usually quick money wins out.
Good luck next time Craig & Dave!

KZ100:
I understand what you are saying, but that was after he made the deal on the phone. Should we all just say well I have to check whatever and my wife before a deal is ok to make? It is the first deal that is done and committed to that I am speaking of. By the way he called me again to say that I could not prove we had any deal, even though I had the emails, directions, and phone call times with the original email saying I will pay what you want, pick up in morning with cash in my file.
It is the fact that a deal was made, and as I explained to him that now it was a life lesson that check all or list all venues to avoid this problem again. I am sure he will be doing just that.

Actions mentioned above are not limited to this hobby or even collecting. It is with life in general. Employment jobs promised then given to a friend or family member. Rental apartment unit promised then given to someone else who offers $50 a month more in rent.
I don't count on anything being mine until I have it in my possession.