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The deal went bad!!
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35 posts in this topic

If you strike a deal with a man, does his wife have veto power over it? I'm pretty sure he couldn't sell their house without her permission, and imagine what would happen if she sold the art without consulting him? That might make a fun Peoples Court.

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26 minutes ago, grapeape said:

I agree that I could have bid. It was the principle. We had a deal. It wasn’t spite. I weighed how much I wanted the pages vs. how I felt about him breaking the deal. In the end I didn’t want them.

Fair enough.

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54 minutes ago, AJD said:

It's amazing how many of these deal breaker guys throw their wife under the bus in the process...

Their wife??  Some of this slime would throw their grandmother; their mother; their kids; and or the family dog under the bus...

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3 hours ago, AnkurJ said:

This goes back to 2005/2006. A collector/dealer had a piece I loved and I was working out a deal for it. 
I was speaking to someone I considered a friend and told him about the piece and how I was trying to get it. Two days passed and I contacted to the dealer to discuss further. He told me it sold. My “friend” drove down and bought the piece the day before. Needless to say I was stunned. Lesson learned. That “friend” is now a dealer and I refuse to deal with. 

That wasn't a "friend", that was an opportunist.  This guy was your "friend" because he felt that he could use you in some way or get something from you.  Once that happens or you make sure that it doesn't happen, he doesn't need you as a "friend" anymore - the phone calls and emails stop.  I've had that happen to me and it's happening to me as I write this.  Nobody's fooled me yet...(tsk)


 

Edited by pemart1966
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18 hours ago, grapeape said:

This is a story about heartbreak. I’m looking for others. I did not mention the artwork involved in this deal gone bad. Use your imagination.

Anyone care to share a time a deal you were working on went bad? I have one. Last year at the LA Con my buddy and I saw a guy asking about talking to a dealer to find out what his art might be worth. The guy at the booth was covering for the dealer who was at lunch and knew nothing about the art. So the guy was walking away and I approached him. I asked if I could see what he had and he pulled out two pages.

When. I saw them I almost dropped dead. They were pages from a book I've wanted for years. Almost as if this was a candid camera prank.

He bought them from a comic store 30 years ago for $20 and $15. “I’m thinking they are worth more now.” “What $150 maybe?”he asked me.

I shook my head.

“No those are much more highly valued today.”

My mind raced as I tried to find the right price but I couldn’t bring myself to rob him. 

“So what, like $500 for both of them?” he asked me.

“Would you sell them?“ I asked

I don’t know. I don’t need the money but my kids have no interest in them. If I die they won’t know what to do with them.”

I had $2000 cash on me so I made him an offer on the spot. He looked stunned but he didn’t take the money. I decided to be magnanimous and I introduced him to a dealer friend I thought would give him the most for the pages. I introduced them and they talked but the guy decided to hold on to them.

Before he left I chatted with him and we exchanged phone numbers. I said,”if you decide to sell would you give me a chance?” He agreed.

Come the new year I reached out and he said he had decided to sell. 
“Because you didn’t take advantage of me and made me an offer well over what I thought they were worth, I think I should  give you a chance.”

So we went back and forth and he decided on $4000. I agreed and we live 2 hours apart. I offered to ride up and pay him cash in a safe pubic place and he agreed.

”I just want to know, are these for you or are you looking to resell them for more money?”

I told him honestly that they were for my personal collection.

He told me “I’m glad to sell them to you.”

”You were honest, you offered me a fair price when we met.” “You even tried to help me make more with the dealers when I wasn’t sure I wanted to sell.” “Your honesty means a lot to me.”

”I’ll see you at 11am tomorrow.”

I went and got the cash and told the wife we were taking a drive Saturday. We’d make a day out of it. Later that night I got a call from the seller.

”I feel bad but I have to back out of our agreement.” “My wife thinks they might be worth more.” “We really don’t need the money.”

I was devastated. The deal was done save for the exchange of cash for art. He backed out. I bit my lip and wished him well. 
To get to the $4000 valuation during negotiations I had told the seller in my opinion that if he took them to auction he might get between 5-6K or he might get less. I explained he’d pay 10-28% BP and then 10% California sales tax so....

Well the pages sold for $5500

less 20% BP = $4400

less sales tax $550 on price with BP or $440 on price less BP

= either $3,850 or $3,960

It’s not a lot but poetic they he took less money by breaking our agreement.
 

I did not bid. No matter how much I had originally wanted him his decision to break our deal soured me on them.

I know a lot of interesting comments may be coming for or against the seller.

Im sure some of you think I’m a great guy for being honest and some will call me a chump.

Me I’m just sad I didn’t get the art I desired.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

asks grapeape, already knowing the answer.

 

Sorry to hear this.   Unfortunately this happens all the time.   

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A guy sold a page I was interested in on eBay which I did not end up getting.  I contacted him and he said he had a few more pages from the book but wasn't interested in selling them quite yet.  He had some other artwork that was higher in value he was looking to move first so I told him I would try and help him move those pieces if he could save the other pages from me.  I was reaching out  and really trying to work those other pages.  About two weeks later, he called me on my phone but I was eating dinner so I didn't answer.  I returned the call about an hour later and he said he didn't get an answer for me and he already sold them to another person.  Needless to say, I stopped helping him with the other pages.

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4 hours ago, joefixit2 said:

A guy sold a page I was interested in on eBay which I did not end up getting.  I contacted him and he said he had a few more pages from the book but wasn't interested in selling them quite yet.  He had some other artwork that was higher in value he was looking to move first so I told him I would try and help him move those pieces if he could save the other pages from me.  I was reaching out  and really trying to work those other pages.  About two weeks later, he called me on my phone but I was eating dinner so I didn't answer.  I returned the call about an hour later and he said he didn't get an answer for me and he already sold them to another person.  Needless to say, I stopped helping him with the other pages.

That is unfortunate. It’s not surprising to hear so many sad stories. I’m getting a lot of PMs but please all post here to share with everyone.

Also, my apologies to anyone who might thing ol 🍇+🦍 is a bit tone deaf with this post. I know corona virus has really shaken our country and the world.

in the grand scheme of things a deal gone bad pales in comparison to what many are going through right now. I pray all of you are safe and sound. That your families and friends are blessed and safe. That we all get through this together.

A Deal Gone Bad was just my humble contribution to get people’s minds off what’s going on for a few minutes.

Edited by grapeape
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17 minutes ago, buttock said:

Not art, but a "friend" I was meeting at a show asked me what I would be looking for.  I told him, so he got to the show early and bought up all he could find to try and flip to me. 

That is awful. I’m sorry. He should have offered to you the same as he paid. That person is a loser.
 

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On 4/5/2020 at 11:14 AM, joefixit2 said:

A guy sold a page I was interested in on eBay which I did not end up getting.  I contacted him and he said he had a few more pages from the book but wasn't interested in selling them quite yet.  He had some other artwork that was higher in value he was looking to move first so I told him I would try and help him move those pieces if he could save the other pages from me.  I was reaching out  and really trying to work those other pages.  About two weeks later, he called me on my phone but I was eating dinner so I didn't answer.  I returned the call about an hour later and he said he didn't get an answer for me and he already sold them to another person.  Needless to say, I stopped helping him with the other pages.

I had a similar experience with this guy. Grrr

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