When to walk from a deal 1 1

[Raze]

So I went in the shop today and the shop owner said that the seller would take the offer and the ball was in my court. I said that I think I would pass because I had more info and shared it with him. He agreed and said that the books have been in the shop for awhile, and that it was ok to walk away. I did wind up buying a book that I saw last week from him for around $100 today.

Since then Ive seen the responses from a few of you (a few who I respect without question) that I should go through with the offer if accepted, I even talked to a few friends and got the same answer from 2 out of 3 to honor the offer. Their opinions hit home, especially when thier tone of voice changed.

But with what I heard today from this post and from my friends one of them being a shop owner and hearing what they thought about it really had me thinking that I made a big mistake and I feel horrible and now have a guilty conscience and the need to make things right.

I have since called the shop and told him that I would and should have honored the deal and that I was sorry about this and that I would be at his store this week to buy them, he said that it really wasnt a big deal and don’t worry about it. I respect this shop owner so much that I feel like I let him down (and in a way let the boards down), wether I did he is acting like it is really not a big deal and doesn’t want me to worry about it. I have spent around $300 in his shop in the last month alone and love going to his store. I just wish it wasnt 40+ min drive.

I cant make it back today but I will go get them this week.

Yes I overthink (and maybe overshare) buying books A LOT when it comes to a high dollar purchase. I respect and value everyone’s opinion here thats why I posed the question.

[Doctor Dositheus]

I like to believe by honoring the offer good karma will come back to you.

[The Lions Den]

3 hours ago, Raze said:

So I went in the shop today and the shop owner said that the seller would take the offer and the ball was in my court. I said that I think I would pass because I had more info and shared it with him. He agreed and said that the books have been in the shop for awhile, and that it was ok to walk away. I did wind up buying a book that I saw last week from him for around $100 today.

Since then Ive seen the responses from a few of you (a few who I respect without question) that I should go through with the offer if accepted, I even talked to a few friends and got the same answer from 2 out of 3 to honor the offer. Their opinions hit home, especially when thier tone of voice changed.

But with what I heard today from this post and from my friends one of them being a shop owner and hearing what they thought about it really had me thinking that I made a big mistake and I feel horrible and now have a guilty conscience and the need to make things right.

I have since called the shop and told him that I would and should have honored the deal and that I was sorry about this and that I would be at his store this week to buy them, he said that it really wasnt a big deal and don’t worry about it. I respect this shop owner so much that I feel like I let him down (and in a way let the boards down), wether I did he is acting like it is really not a big deal and doesn’t want me to worry about it. I have spent around $300 in his shop in the last month alone and love going to his store. I just wish it wasnt 40+ min drive.

I cant make it back today but I will go get them this week.

Yes I overthink (and maybe overshare) buying books A LOT when it comes to a high dollar purchase. I respect and value everyone’s opinion here thats why I posed the question.

Well, I've got to give you one of these:  

[Raze]

33 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

Well, I've got to give you one of these:  

I care a lot about being upfront and honest and I am always willing to learn from my mistakes. Especially when a few close friends call me out. 
 

Even though the shop honestly dis not have a problem with me walking away my friend did point out that these books dont come up for sale often and that they fit my collection nicely.

 

[Raze]

11 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

The LCS should have just told you the books were consignment and the price is the price. Haggling on books you do not own is not an easy thing to do. Weeks means the offer was not accepted.

I walk away from deals all the time as the buyer:

-the grade doesn't match what I see

-the price is to high

-I don't want everything in the lot

-The seller isn't pleasant to deal with

As a seller I walk away often as well:

-the buyer expects a deal so they can flip it. I know what it is worth, why do I have to sell it to you at a discount?

-the offer is a lowball

-the buyer asked you to hold the book and they went to the ATM to get the money, then when they return (sometimes hours later or even the next day) they offer you less than the sticker. If you asked me to hold it you are buying it for the price on it unless we negotiated!!!

There are lots of reasons to walk away from a deal.

 

The grade doesnt match what I see. This happened to me earlier this week. 
 

I was at another LCS that was going through a short box of beat up readers, he said I could go through it and he would look them up if I found any. 
 

I did find a conan king size 1 a conan 3 or 4 and a marvel teamup 141 ( first white rabbit) i think. These were all beatup readers that should have been $2-$3 at best. The first book was the conan 3 or 4 and he graded it at a 4.5 because the staples and book were complete but it looked at best 2.0! He was using comicbook realm for prices.

I should have overpaid just to show and tell people what a 4.5 looks like at this store. I almost asked him to check ebay for ANY CGC 4.5 and see if it was close but didnt. That store is really overpriced because of their grading but its not the only store that was that problem in my area there are at least 3-4 that overgrade and then price according to that grade and their books just sit and they dont care. Id love to buy some of them but its not worth the time.

[The Lions Den]

1 hour ago, Raze said:

The grade doesnt match what I see. This happened to me earlier this week. 
 

I was at another LCS that was going through a short box of beat up readers, he said I could go through it and he would look them up if I found any. 
 

I did find a conan king size 1 a conan 3 or 4 and a marvel teamup 141 ( first white rabbit) i think. These were all beatup readers that should have been $2-$3 at best. The first book was the conan 3 or 4 and he graded it at a 4.5 because the staples and book were complete but it looked at best 2.0! He was using comicbook realm for prices.

I should have overpaid just to show and tell people what a 4.5 looks like at this store. I almost asked him to check ebay for ANY CGC 4.5 and see if it was close but didnt. That store is really overpriced because of their grading but its not the only store that was that problem in my area there are at least 3-4 that overgrade and then price according to that grade and their books just sit and they dont care. Id love to buy some of them but its not worth the time.

Sometimes you're better off by just walking away...

[F For Fake]

11 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Sometimes you're better off by just walking away...

Especially if it's a situation where the dealer has to "look up" the prices. I walk if stuff isn't priced, because the chances of scoring a deal are pretty much nil at that point. The odds that they can't grade, or will use outdated or incorrect information to base their price on, is very high. 

Dealers: price your  books!

[WolverineX]

Walk away when you make a thread about walking away

[BabaLament]

I've walked away as a buyer several times. This usually occurs when the seller as agreed to a price via phone or e-mail, but when I arrive to pay & pick up, suddenly the value of (enter item here) has been "re-evaluated" by the seller based on "I checked what these are going for on eBay."

Good luck with your eBay sale, and thank you for wasting my time. Have a nice day.

As a seller, I've not had issues, but I have a firm set of sale criteria. If its a local, in-person sale, I only conduct business at a bank branch. As an account holder, I call a day ahead & ask if I can borrow an office or conference room for an hour to conduct a private transaction. They ask the same questions each time: is it a firearm or weapon transaction, is it a legal item (who in their right mind would answer no?), and will the bank be involved (financing). After that its a matter of picking a location convenient to both parties, and a time. A nice, semi-public location, with lots of cameras to ensure no shenanigans. I think the location also helps to keep the mood professional.

As to eBay, I try not to use it much. I make my shipping & return criteria very clear in my listings. Granted, you're pretty much at the mercy of the eBay and/or PayPal terms of service, but I've not had issues to this point. 

Boardie sales have always been fantastic & trouble free.

[blazingbob]

40 minutes ago, BabaLament said:

I've walked away as a buyer several times. This usually occurs when the seller as agreed to a price via phone or e-mail, but when I arrive to pay & pick up, suddenly the value of (enter item here) has been "re-evaluated" by the seller based on "I checked what these are going for on eBay."

Good luck with your eBay sale, and thank you for wasting my time. Have a nice day.

As a seller, I've not had issues, but I have a firm set of sale criteria. If its a local, in-person sale, I only conduct business at a bank branch. As an account holder, I call a day ahead & ask if I can borrow an office or conference room for an hour to conduct a private transaction. They ask the same questions each time: is it a firearm or weapon transaction, is it a legal item (who in their right mind would answer no?), and will the bank be involved (financing). After that its a matter of picking a location convenient to both parties, and a time. A nice, semi-public location, with lots of cameras to ensure no shenanigans. I think the location also helps to keep the mood professional.

As to eBay, I try not to use it much. I make my shipping & return criteria very clear in my listings. Granted, you're pretty much at the mercy of the eBay and/or PayPal terms of service, but I've not had issues to this point. 

Boardie sales have always been fantastic & trouble free.

Interesting,  my new "customer pickup location" is Starbucks.  Support the local business,  grab a seat,  show comics/swap niceties and leave with a cup of coffee.

 

[Sweet Lou 14]

15 hours ago, Raze said:

I care a lot about being upfront and honest and I am always willing to learn from my mistakes. Especially when a few close friends call me out. 
 

Even though the shop honestly dis not have a problem with me walking away my friend did point out that these books dont come up for sale often and that they fit my collection nicely.

 

You did the right thing.  

As you've pointed out, you have an ongoing relationship with the shop owner, and the integrity you've shown in this instance will strengthen that relationship.  Who knows, they may be more inclined to give you a better deal on some purchase in the future.  Good karma, if you like.  

[Raze]

8 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

You did the right thing.  

As you've pointed out, you have an ongoing relationship with the shop owner, and the integrity you've shown in this instance will strengthen that relationship.  Who knows, they may be more inclined to give you a better deal on some purchase in the future.  Good karma, if you like.  

I have bought from him over the last 5+ years and there have been at least 2-3 times when I picked out books and didnt ask to make an offer and he took 20-30% off without my asking.

like I said he is awesome. He doesn’t open till Tuesday but ill get there sometime this week.

I also posed this question really to see what factors make you walk from a deal some i listed some i forgot but its still interesting to hear from people.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Raze

[batman_fan]

I won't mention the dealers name but I made an offer on a book.  He came back with a counter which I declined.  In my mind the deal was done but about two weeks later I get an invoice for the book at my original offer.  I ended up picking up the book but it was definitely an odd situation.

[Sweet Lou 14]

Just now, batman_fan said:

I won't mention the dealers name but I made an offer on a book.  He came back with a counter which I declined.  In my mind the deal was done but about two weeks later I get an invoice for the book at my original offer.  I ended up picking up the book but it was definitely an odd situation.

Yeah, that's not cool.  The dealer should have notified you that he's willing to sell at your original offer.  What if you were filling in a want list and had already managed to find the book elsewhere by the time he changed his mind?

[batman_fan]

Just now, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Yeah, that's not cool.  The dealer should have notified you that he's willing to sell at your original offer.  What if you were filling in a want list and had already managed to find the book elsewhere by the time he changed his mind?

That is my thought as well and I thought about saying not interested anymore but I didn't.

[Raze]

1 hour ago, batman_fan said:

That is my thought as well and I thought about saying not interested anymore but I didn't.

Did you still want the book? How did they send you an invoice,did they know to? Why did you decide to buy it and not walk away?

 

[batman_fan]

3 minutes ago, Raze said:

Did you still want the book? How did they send you an invoice,did they know to? Why did you decide to buy it and not walk away?

 

Yes, I still wanted the book but you move on emotionally once you think the deal is done.

Email notification for the invoice

I still wanted the book and I felt my original offer was reasonable,  About fair market.  The book was a high grade early Batman book.

[Raze]

10 hours ago, Wolverinex said:

Walk away when you make a thread about walking away

Yes! This is funny and true! 

But it also helps me try to defend my position or change my mind. My friends can be brutally honest to me which I’m grateful for but members here of the boards don’t know me personally and then they can speak more freely and maybe even more harsher.
 

And as I said I value the Community here on the boards and value everyone’s opinion, quite a few people here I may not have ever spoken to via p.m. but I have seen their posts and their knowledge is priceless!

[wombat]

Speaking in general terms I think if you make an offer you can pull it at any time before it is accepted. That's on them for not accepting it quicker. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

I've been mentally all-in on stuff before, and then when I get the cash, sometimes I just lose determination to complete the transaction. That's when I know that I don't think it's worth the ask.

I've put myself in good situations by doing that, though. I saw a book for $400, and thought, "next paycheck I'm buying it". Payday comes around, and I got cold feet. Then, 2 weeks later, I find the same item (or better) for $250.

It may not be that simple in your situation, here, but patience is a virtue. Buying in your comfort zone is important.