Online sales etiqutte?

[Perd Hapley]

I asked someone about an item on facesbook markitplace, and they said someone was coming over tomorrow night to see the item they have listed. I asked if I could come by tonight, and they said no, because the other person had responded to the ad first.

Is that a common practice, to make people "wait their turn"?

[charby]

Yes, online private party sales first one to message has first chance. Keeps it civil, first interested party may not be able to get there asap.

If you want to sell it to the highest bidder/first person, sell it at auction. i.e. ebay.

[Declaration Day]

That's how I do it, on the rare occasion when I list something for sale.

[Brad Johnson]

Yes. First come, first served. First persons to say they want it gets dibs. Move to next person in line if they decline or ghost.

Brad

[Nick1911]

In my opinion, depends on the seller.  Some folks prefer more of a first come, first serve approach, some will deal with people in the order they show interest.

I will honor appointments if they are already setup, and not "sell it out from under" another interested party.  Feels rough when you're on the other side of that deal.  Unless it's a free item, then it's first come.

[RoadKingLarry]

First come first serve.
First person to positively respond to the listing should get priority so long as their meet-up delay isn't too far out. And, the delay might have been due to the sellers schedule.
A polite response to seller from "not the first responder" (you in this case) might be something along the lines of "If your pending deal falls through I'd like to be next in line" with the understanding that you might not be 2nd or even 3rd in line.

[Perd Hapley]

Oh. OK.

Seems odd to me. If I'm selling something, I tend to give preference to the person who goes through the trouble of showing up in person. Happening to be the first to respond doesn't mean anything to me. That's just chance, and that person hasn't invested anything yet.

Also, I don't want to miss a sale I could have made today, because I'm waiting for someone who may or may not show up tomorrow.

[Hawkmoon]

I asked someone about an item on facesbook markitplace, and they said someone was coming over tomorrow night to see the item they have listed. I asked if I could come by tonight, and they said no, because the other person had responded to the ad first.

Is that a common practice, to make people "wait their turn"?

In my opinion, yes. First come (as in first-to-respond) gets first chance at the item.

It's been that way (in my life) since before Al Gore invented the Internet. The same question/situations would arise when we still had dead trees local shoppers newsletters and landline telephones. The first person to call got the first chance to look at the item. If he/she didn't buy it, then the next caller got to look at it.

[HeroHog]

First positive responder, with sellers approval, gets it. Should it fall through, the next one in line gets it is my policy generally.

If I want it gone NOW, I advertise it as "1st one to show up (with money in hand), gets it."

[Perd Hapley]

It's hard for me to believe that many people would really delay doing business with someone who's ready to meet, in favor of someone who might still be interested tomorrow. Whole lotta wishin for a train don't come. Or might come. Who knows?

Then again, I was stood up 3 or 4 times just trying to sell my wife's car last spring, so maybe I'm just jaded.

[zxcvbob]

It's hard for me to believe that many people would really delay doing business with someone who's ready to meet, in favor of someone who might still be interested tomorrow. Whole lotta wishin for a train don't come. Or might come. Who knows?

Then again, I was stood up 3 or 4 times just trying to sell my wife's car last spring, so maybe I'm just jaded.

I so seldom sell anything, and I'm probably a chump when I do.  First one who commits to actually coming and I agree has a lock on it.  Now, if first guy said "I'll be there Saturday", I might reply "I can't hold it that long; call before you come to see if it's still here."

I sold some 5-year old truck tires with less than 100 miles on them a few months ago, probably way too cheap.  First caller was from from Wisconsin; couldn't come until the next day after work.  (that's about 80 miles away)  I had 2 other serious inquiries the next morning that could come immediately.  They had to wait.  Wisconsin boy bought them.  I was glad to be rid of 'em because they were I size I couldn't really use anymore and I didn't want to eventually have to pay to dispose of them.

[K Frame]

"It's hard for me to believe that many people would really delay doing business with someone who's ready to meet, in favor of someone who might still be interested tomorrow."

It's called having some personal ethics and standards.

[dogmush]

Another vote for first to contact me gets first dibs.  The caveat is they need to make a firm appointment. i.e. I will come buy it in 3 days at x time.  If I have an appointment like that I will tell other people that contact me "someone is looking at it at (x) time, if they don't buy it I'll let you know."

I actually just did this dance with some LPVOs I have for sale.  Posted two, someone wanted to look at one, so I said sure I'll see you next Thursday.  Had to tell a couple folks in the interm that he was looking at it to buy on Thursday.

[French G.]

This is a big reason I hate that gun forums suck anymore. I sold hundreds of things on them long before facebook, paypal and all the other crap. Sold stuff in the local classified papers too, in person at race car flea markets, gun shows etc. You learn a lot about clear communication, honoring deals, bargaining etc. Nowadays the feral children selling on marketplace are like nails on a chalkboard irritating with their lack of grey market couth. I have to go a hundred miles out of my way to rescue my child's Christmas present from a marketplace seller, if they jerk me around I will have a lot more to say on this.

[Perd Hapley]

"It's hard for me to believe that many people would really delay doing business with someone who's ready to meet, in favor of someone who might still be interested tomorrow."

It's called having some personal ethics and standards.

Your ethics and standards don't make sense in this case. Not that there's anything wrong with doing things in that way, but to think you can set that as some kind of standard to hold others to is arbitrary hogwash. I've explained why I see things the way I do. What's the counter-argument? Or what's the moral claim of the person who happens to see a listing first? Where does that come from?

[K Frame]

It's called giving someone your word.

If you tell them it's going to be available on X date, if you don't put any stipulations on it (such as someone calling and coming for it sooner) and you agree to the time frame they've proposed, you've got a verbal contract.

I'm not sure why that's so difficult to fathom.

[MechAg94]

I have put hard offers above "interest" before.  I recall selling a pistol and I got 3 messages.  Two were just saying they were interested and one say he wanted to buy it.  I contacted the "buy it" guy first and sold it.  In my defense, I never made any promises to the others or talked to them.  Just let them know it was sold pending funds.

There was once I waited a week to sell a gun to the first contact.  Had 2 or 3 people making offers by the time I sold it.  Can't remember which gun that was.

I do recall contacting a man once about a CZ rifle in a local want-ads paper.  He said he couldn't meet me until Saturday so I said I would call him Saturday morning.  Saturday, he said he sold it Friday.  I have no idea if he had Friday lined up previously or not, he didn't say.  Probably best that I didn't buy it. 

[K Frame]

"I have put hard offers above "interest" before.  I recall selling a pistol and I got 3 messages.  Two were just saying they were interested and one say he wanted to buy it.  I contacted the "buy it" guy first and sold it.  In my defense, I never made any promises to the others or talked to them.  Just let them know it was sold pending funds."

And that is perfectly fine. You didn't tell someone to come buy and then sell it out from under him. Yes, he might only have been interested, but by telling him to come by you would be giving him implicit right of first refusal.

[Ben]

And that is perfectly fine. You didn't tell someone to come buy and then sell it out from under him. Yes, he might only have been interested, but by telling him to come by you would be giving him implicit right of first refusal.

I also don't see why this concept is hard to understand. It is "standard" most everywhere I have lived, regardless of "online" or not. I would say that maybe Perd's deal is that it's a millennial thing, but Perd is pretty old now. 

If your plan is to sell to whoever shows up first with money, then just stipulate that and you're okay.

[French G.]

A deal is a deal. Same with price. If you say I will take it then it is done at posted price. If it is low price shoot your shot at a negotiation at initial contact. If it is high value then set a time you will come inspect test drive whatever. But don’t agree to terms and then rehaggle. The only etiquette exception I see is when you put something for free. People getting free stuff worry the crap out of free sellers. It’s free. No long text exchange, no stupid questions, no holds just come get it. I got a bike for my kid free, gave the guy some honey as thanks.

[K Frame]

[Lennyjoe]

Some people will list FCFS (First Come First Served) or no holds.  Others are considerate enough to hold.  I’ve found that when posting on Farcebook Marketplace 75% will comment and not show, or beg you to hold and then make excuses and ask you to wait longer.  Now if I post something it’s FCFS and on my listing I say if it’s still posted it’s still Available. 

I am courteous enough to let others (who’ve messaged me on the item) know when it’s gone so they don’t waste a trip.