Estate Sale Frustrations

[beaumonde]

Larry, let's have the link...please!

[Andersun]

In my defense:

Thank You though.... I was so struck by your hateful response and the truck tire rubber burning that I did a bit more research and will be auctioning it off instead to the highest bidder, rather than the guy with a roll of hundreds. Had you been a bit nicer in addition to being patient, I would have taken your name and number and contacted you, as the next in line if the original deal had fallen through. Always best to be above all kind, I'm thinkin it must have been sleep deprivation. I also can imagine it must be very difficult to be a collector these days, dog eat dog world for sure! Let me know if you'd like to be kept in the loop on the auction info.

Bla bla bla BALONEY!

[larryh]

Larry, let's have the link...please!

Yikes, I screwed up big time, its not the machine but one on the order of it but not as fancy... Sorry for the false alarm.. I guess if you wish you can view this machine which in a hurry I mistook for the one in question.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 089wt_1141

Larry

[tomwil]

Mistakenly thought the machine was up on ebay, so I tried to delete this post but couldn't figure out how to remove the whole message.. sorry..

I couldn't find it on eBay either.

Since the original Craigslist ad has been deleted by the author, here is a copy of that ad.

Also, note that the phonograph is conveniently eliminated from this later ad.

[brianu]

The two posts above are a little confusing to me since they seem to make reference to events that aren't mentioned elsewhere, but I'd like to comment on them, as best as I can understand them.

It seems that the seller placed an ad stating specifically when the sale would take place, then sold a very desirable item before anyone had a chance to see it, other that the one person who basically jumped in line. This is presented to us as ethical behaviour because it was what was best for the seller, and anyone else would have done the same thing (I can only imagine the public reaction if a government contract was given in the same manner). Truly, this is some new meaning of "ethical" that I'm not familiar with.

As far as the remark about being kind, yea the tire screeching was probably over the top, but it was what was best for the disappointed buyer, and anyone else would have done the same thing, so I guess that makes it socially acceptable behaviour.

Regarding being kept in the loop for anything you'd be selling; I'm not a potential buyer, but if I was, you strike me as just the sort of person that I would not care to buy anything from. Rather, you come across as someone who would do anything to come out on top, (you've already, if I understand you correctly, jerked the rug out from under at least two potential buyers) and then present some fol-de-rol about how you behaved ethically.

at the risk of sounding contrary - because I'm not at all looking for a fight or to argue for the sake of arguing - but I'm really just not understanding all of the animosity that I'm reading in this thread. and just in case, I'll throw out the disclaimer that I don't know the seller, or any of the buyers, and I have no interest in buying the phonograph being discussed (and we really should keep that straight, that this is a phonograph, just an interesting old record player that someone is selling, apparently for a relative, as part of a larger garage or private estate sale, government contracts and the laws - regardless of ethics - that govern them are really completely irrelevant).

I mean, so many of the comments about the original poster's situation just sound kind of petty and a bit covetous. it's certainly frustrating to miss out on an opportunity to buy something you want. but it's kind of silly to try to use some loose reference to ethics to justify a person's anger and frustration - and temper tantrum, if he really "burned rubber" screeching away from the place in his truck - over not obtaining something he felt some special entitlement to. this phonograph, this possession, was not his, it belonged to the seller... and so far as the comment about the tantrum, the screeching away in the vehicle, that that was ok because anyone else would have done it and it was probably what was best for the buyer? I don't see how that makes it ok at all. and what about what was best for the other person, the seller, the actual owner of this machine? if he could sell it for more money to someone else or in some other way, wouldn't that be best for him? and who are you to tell that person how he can and can't dispose of his belongings? and so far as ethics, laws, etc... there was no contract here, this wasn't even an auction - where the merchandise is handed over to a third party to take care of the sale, in accordance with both the auction's rules and any applicable laws. maybe I'm just missing something, but I just don't see what the big deal is here.

[larryh]

I may be missing the point, but in my case was well as the poster I rather feel that when an item is advertised as to be sold at a certain time and you make a good effort to follow the rules as set out in the ad, then a violation of that is somewhat unfair to the rest of the potential buyers. Sure its only "stuff" and generally speaking your not going to take it with you, but we all know that in a auction setting such as ebay plenty collectors are willing to go to some surprising extremes to get the item they wish, generally by paying very well. Collectors will always be competitive. Luckily I have not had the funds to pay prices for most things that many do, so I am limited to finding and settling for things that are lower on the totem pole of prices, but still provide me with much entertainment. Its the music I tend to enjoy and the mechanical machine doing it I guess, but it doesn't have to be the 6,000 rarity to make me happy.

[brianu]

I'm in total agreement with you on the last few sentences - the music, the machines, the fact that to enjoy them you don't need a $6000 machine, or a $6000 machine that you found before anyone else on craigslist for just $600. I also agree that people should adhere to whatever rules apply in an auction setting, but that's why I stressed that that just didn't seem to be the case here. that a person is going to open his home, garage, property, whatever to sell a bunch of things at a certain time isn't really a rule, especially for your typical garage sale. I mean, what if the person wakes up sick or oversleeps, can he not start his 8 a.m. announced sale at 9 a.m.? and what if someone else was there at 8, then left, then you got there "late" around 9 and bought something that that guy wanted (and showed up a little later to buy). even disregarding all of that, what if the original poster on this thread showed up and the machine was there... there's no guarantee of anything, that the buyer and seller would reach an agreement, or even that the seller might decide, as I've seen before, you know what, that's been in our family for quite a while now, I think we'll hold onto it - would that be against the rules too? again, auctions are a bit different. but with these private garage sales and yard sales and the sort, I thought the only real rules - if they're rules at all - were first come first served, money talks, and especially, I think, nothing is yours until things change hands and until that time, the seller can decide to do whatever with what's his just the same as the buyer can walk away in full control of his money.

[larryh]

Your right in the aspect that at a sale such as a garage sale everything is up to chance and the person that out wits the others in some manner is likely to be the winner. its one reason I hate garage sales. Unless your truly driven, or extremely lucky its often a total waste of time to make the trip and usually I don't. But once in a while one sees something very nice an at least around me, no one else wants it. A walnut victor comes to mind, that last year went for 75.00 and sat for two days before anyone bothered to buy it. I liked it, but I just didn't need another machine even though I knew it was interesting. I have seen several things the past few days that appeal to me at reasonable prices, but I always consider the room it takes up, the records I have either parted with it might have needed or how many machines can I play at once. At that point I often just pass. That along with wondering if the drive really is worth it should as you say, the terms get changed in the middle of the trip..

[Swing Band Heaven]

The fact that they pre sold the item and then according to the earlier poster have now decided to auction the item (thus dissapointing two sellers already) tell me everything I need to know about this person and business deals. They should of made up their minds how they were going to sell the item before they started the process of selling. Best to avoid this type of sellers - you may think you have bought something from them (in the case of the early caller) and then they whip the rug out from under you. Best avoided in my opinion.

[ColoradoPhonograf]

Well, I am the original poster of this thread. I still stand by my assessment of the situation. I will to my defense say that there was nothing hateful said. Once she Pronounced it was already sold. I told her that was "low". If she would have simply said "I have already received a call about it, if it doesn't work out I will take you name and number and call you". I would have been fine with that. To offer something to be sold beginning at a certain time....that's all I expect. I don't mind losing out to another collector, it was the way it was conducted that spoiled it. And now to decide to pit one collector against another collector in a so called auction. I wonder about "invisible " bids a person might be falling for.

And yes, I will confess, I did storm off once I got in my truck. I'll go plant a tree this afternoon to make up for it.

ColoradoPhonograf