It's etiquette rather than a strict rule, but us good guys stick to etiquette as manners maketh a man.
what is going on? yesterday i tried to buy a scope,stated on the thread i was interested and sent a pm,someone stated on the thread his intent to buy,so sold to him,fair enough. today tried to buy an air rifle,I stated on the thread my intent to buy,was sold through pm
It's etiquette rather than a strict rule, but us good guys stick to etiquette as manners maketh a man.
Better to admit you walked through the wrong door than spend your life in the wrong room
As you only stated you were interested on the thread, and assuming your PM also showed interest rather than stating you would buy it, it would seem reasonable to sell it to the member who said "I will have it" with no caveats.
As for the rifle, it could be that the PM saying "I will have it" was received before you said the same in the thread.
You have been a bit unlucky but likely nothing underhand has happened.
I think that the rules need to be clarified and put in stone so this doesn't happen. The rule should state that an intention to buy should be stated on the thread followed by a PM confirming the intention ,this would show all interested party's that an intention to purchase is in the pipeline. This would remove any ambiguity in the sale or any disappointment for a prospective purchaser.
If someone sends me a pm stating interest/asking further info etc and a conversation ensues, even if someone then pms stating a firm ‘I will have it’ I will not suddenly sell to them if negotiations with the first person is still open.
It’s called manners, and they make the the man
from the forum sales rules page
4. Etiquette:
If any item you advertise here is also advertised elsewhere, please state as much in the advert. If you then complete the sale elsewhere, please update your thread here at the earliest opportunity.
When responding to an item for sale, the first unconditional commitment to buy should take precedence over statements of intent to purchase subject to a condition.
Asking for photographs etc, is not a firm commitment and the seller is under no obligation to hold the item, or sell it to that member if a statement to buy is made with a caveat attached, unless it’s by prior agreement.
We would much prefer that commitments to buy be made on the thread, to avoid any confusion or bad feeling, but ultimately it is entirely up to the seller who they chose to sell to, irrespective of whatever means is used to make that commitment. (PM email etc).
It is good manners and practice that once the item is sold, to go back to the original post and edit it to indicate this by typing SOLD into it. This saves users from trawling through pages of 'bumps' only to find that it's been sold and that they've wasted their time.
http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....sales-sections
If someone jumps on my thread stating ‘I’ll buy it’ over the top of someone requesting further info I’d consider it incredibly rude, forum rules be damned.
There's an old saying, 'all's fair in love and internet forum sales', or something very similar anyway
Whilst it can be irksome to miss out, a seller is at liberty to sell to whomever they choose. If I wanted to spend my time getting upset by ignorant behaviour and bad manners there is plenty more choice outside of the sales section and indeed outside of the internet.
My advice is to take a deep breath and move on.
Rich.
WANTED: Next weeks winning lottery numbers :-)
As per Steve V above, treat others as you would like to treated, it should be the first on the thread that is first in line, not deals done by PM but a lot of the sales threads post 2 is sold, so all done by PM.
I remember speaking to a seller for several days trying to arrange a day for me to visit, inspect & hopefully buy his rifle, only to be told someone had said they'd take it unseen by post he even had the nerve to PM a week later saying there was an "issue" with the post & he wished he'd sold to me
Also, if I want to buy an item and someone has already posted their interest or asking further information or pictures, I won’t jump on and say ‘I’ll buy it regardless “
I’ll post that if X doesn’t buy it, please consider me next in line. I’ve turned people down when they jump in with ‘I’ll buy it’ while still conversing with someone.