Used sled rant!!!!!

[CANOPY SAM]

So I'd secured a deal on a 4-place trailer and a really nice used AC long track 2-up. Been waiting about 10 days now to go and pick it up today.

Called the guy this morning to confirm the pickup time was still on, and he drops a bomb on me! "Sorry, my Mom sold it to someone else on Tuesday."

My family had already been making plans for long winter weekends of riding trails over in the Chippewa, and enjoying our new sleds and trailer to the fullest this winter!

Is this normal when buying used equipment from someone? You agree to a deal, and then they sell it to someone else without even letting you know?

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I am PO'd! Maybe it's just me, but I think this is about as low as a person can get, and his account on the used sled HSOforum has a big lovely "Verified Account" next to it, like he's some kind of really reliable seller. I'd say he's nothing more then a liar.

[DTro]

I’ve bought and sold a bunch of stuff off hsolist and I can tell you this, I never expect the deal to be complete until money has changed hands and have learned to never trust anyone.  Its so sad but true.

 

If you are planning on buying a sled, have cash ready to go and be ready to pull the trigger instantly.  I know guys that have even tried to buy sight unseen only to have the thing gone when they get there because the guy got a slightly better offer.

 

Its so frustrating and I can sympathize with you for sure.   Good luck on the hunt for another one

[Deet]

Either he got a better offer or an offer from someone that he [or his mother] likes more than you. (No offense).

Either way, wrong move, and it really stinks to be on your end of that deal.

First off, if you guys made the deal, than it should have been a done deal. BUT then say he got a better offer after the deal with you, and gave in to the temptation to take more money - a lot of people would/will do that. The right thing to do would have been to contact you upon receiving the other offer. If it was a higher offer, then you should have been given the chance to match it. At the very least, you should have been notified right away that he had another potential buyer, and that you would be impacted.

[BoxMN]

That stinks Canopy Sam. Hope you find another rig soon, you will! I understand your frustration and anger.

But for those private sales with someone you don't know, I always get over there right away, as you never know when this will happen. From their side, I have had people back out on me too, when they said they were going to buy, and I turned buyers away. Which is why I always let buyer know, first $xxx in my hands gets it, I don't care who it is - but I let them know that too.

Too bad a verbal handshake can't work, but cash in hand is what I trust. Good luck finding the next one, you will probably find an even better deal, I hope you do! But pick it up right away if you do.

[mrklean]

Very typical for craigs, i buy and sell a decent amount of stuff on there i love the 20 emails i get right away wanting to buy then the 0 responses i get when i want to meet up to complete the transaction

[CANOPY SAM]

I appreciate the words of consolation guys, but honestly, I was ready to go on this deal immediately. Cash in hand. It was the seller that needed a little time to get it ready to go. He gave me the time, date, and location to meet. I've called a couple times over the last week to ensure the deal was still on.

I honestly don't see any excuse in this at all! He should have called me if they had another offer. I would have jumped at the chance to raise my bid. This was a smoking deal on a great used trailer, and a matching sled to another I just bought for my wife. Our family was so excited to close this deal so we could spend weekends riding together, all of us.

There is absolutely no way he could have questioned my intention of paying CASH for this deal, and/or not showing up. I've got half a mind to call him back, tell him that his Mom better get ahold of the other buyer, and make this thing right!

I haven't been this ticked off in a long time. I would NEVER screw somebody like this. Evidently the "Verified Account" signature for a seller is absolutely meaningless?

[Macgyver55]

This is probably worse than the deal that my brother just went through. I had found a used wheeler for him on the list and told him to move on it right away because it was a good deal if it was as advertised. He drove a considerable distance, it was in very nice shape and proceeded to make a deal. This was on a Sunday, so he of course didn't have the cash but left the guy a check for a few hundred to hold it until Monday. Well it seems that the guy must have gotten a lot of calls and decided that he wasn't asking enough. He called my brother and said he would send back the check unless he wanted to pay a few hundred more to get it. Admittedly it was still worth it since we had been looking for some time, and it was in very nice condition, but what a rotten thing to do after making an in person "handshake deal". He ended up giving him more to get it but the guy couldn't even look him in the eye when he picked it up!

[Shack]

It's a two way street. When selling I always go with first come first sold to with "cash" in hand. If not I have lost out on buyers before. Then you have to relist and yada yada. I do inform those that put deposits down or can come over in a few days that the item is still for sale and it could sell. They can take it or leave it to chance.

When buying I do not even respond unless I can be there today with cash in hand and it's not sold before I leave.

Sucks but there will always be a better deal or customer coming very soon.

[BoxMN]

I appreciate the words of consolation guys, but honestly, I was ready to go on this deal immediately. Cash in hand. It was the seller that needed a little time to get it ready to go. He gave me the time, date, and location to meet. I've called a couple times over the last week to ensure the deal was still on.

That is different, and knowing the above I agree with you. If the sled is still in his possession it should go to you, if you were ready to pick up right away. Good luck either way.

[wmw]

now that the snow is here they know that they can get more money for it, I bet you see it for sale next week. that's no excuse what they did was unethical. blaming mom LAME.

[Meat-Run]

Did you get the trailer though?

MR

[DTro]

WOW, that is just wrong Sam

I'd be pssst too...

[aanderud]

Sam, that sucks that they not only didn't want your cash immediately, but that they couldn't have at least called you before selling it to someone else. However, one thing I think you might have been able to do and might think about in the future is putting down a deposit that is essentially a good-faith demonstration on your part that you're going to for sure still be buying that sled when it's ready to go. Sign a purchase contract with him describing the deposit that was put down and the date that you agree that he'll have the sled ready for pickup and when you'll have the remaining money for him.

Sort of like "earnest money" when you put a purchase agreement on a house, in a way, only on a smaller scale. Both sides at that point have committed to the sale. Yeah, the sale could always go through if the buyer doesn't come to closing with the balance, but at least the seller is prevented from selling from someone else in the meanwhile. If the buyer doesn't come on the prescribed date, the seller keeps the deposit and sells it to someone else.

When selling I always go with first come first sold to with "cash" in hand. ... I do inform those that put deposits down ... that the item is still for sale and it could sell. They can take it or leave it to chance.

Not sure what you mean about selling it out from under someone who has put a deposit down. If I put a deposit down on something I'm buying, it would be only for one reason -- to have the seller guarantee he is holding it until some specified time (usually when the bank opens), after which I must give him the rest of the money immediately, in exchange for the item. Not sure what the point of a deposit is if it isn't to hold the item.

As a buyer I also expect (and put in writing) that any deposit I put down is guaranteeing me first crack at that item, as long as I follow the rest of the contingencies on the contract. However, I also understand that it is non-refundable, meaning if I don't show up with the rest of the cash by that agreed-upon deadline, the seller would be able to keep my deposit AND sell it to someone else if they so choose.

[DTro]

Funny actually because there was a case on Judge Judy today with the exact same issue.

Judy screamed at the guy "YOU DON'T TAKE A DEPOSIT AND THEN SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE, THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF A DEPOSIT!!!!"

[Eric Wettschreck]

It's a raw deal Sam, that's for sure. This may or may not make you feel any better but I've been ROYALLY cornholed over internet sales deals in the past, so I understand your "Verified Awesome Dude" frustration.

Some people are not the most honest people, you know this.

In the end, think of it this way...............It's machinery. There will be other machines for sale out there. You have cash, someone has the machinery, the deal will come.

Still...........what a suckey thing to do. And blame the mom?????? Please.

[CANOPY SAM]

No, I didn't get either the trailer or the sled.

When I called this morning the first thing he said was, "Sorry, my Mom sold it on Tuesday." After choking back a couple less then cordial words I said, "Well, what about the snowmobile?" He said, "Oh yea, that went too, sorry."

I'm over it guys. Aanderud, as always you have spot on advice on business transactions. I should have offered a deposit. I should have just gone down there immediately instead of chancing losing the deal. I trusted the fact that after I made a solid offer he called me back and said, "it's yours". We agreed on a meeting place, a form of payment, and I assumed it was a lock.

I guess I'll know better next time. Just never had anyone burn me like this before. Seems like integrity is in very short supply these days.

[Shack]

Yes BA, that's what I meant.

I forgot to put in about a final date and time being past first when I have taken deposits in the past.

Amazingly the two true deposits I have taken for items I was selling have failed. The one was a check I ended up mailing back on a travel trailer and the other was a $100 cash deposit on a four wheeler taken from a young guy I never heard back from even after attempts at contacting him. Both verbal and non-refundable but I sold the items right away and figured it was better karma to give the deposits back.

My experience has been that deposits aren't worth the hassle and I don't take them but instead tell the buyer to just check back when they have the funds and if it is not sold then it is theirs.

[fishersofmen]

My brother went to buy a car the guy said it would be there ready to go. When he got there another guy was there looking at it and the seller tried to get them to bid on it Lol.

[Walleyehooker]

Probably not the same as your case but Ive been stroked by too many internet shoppers so its the first one with the cash in hand that gets the goods. Im sure this last dump of snow peaked the interest in people for snowmobiles and if I was selling a good sled right now I would be asking more this week than last week.

[ChuckN]

It was the seller that needed a little time to get it ready to go. He gave me the time, date, and location to meet.

What a rotten seller. List something for sale that isn't ready to be sold?

However, I've run into people who list things for sale that have no intention on selling the item. They will tell you lies that it sold, and then you see them have it in their possession at a later date. It's like they want to know what it's worth by people's interest.

The Mom excuse has me wondering...