Am I being fair?

A few months ago I responded to an ad and was told by the seller that he had received so many responses he was going to turn it into an all out bid with the unit going to the highest bidder. I was somewhere in the middle of the responses so I bowed out. I informed him that this was not good practice and that he should consider each offer in the order received. He was a pretty nice guy and a bit overwhelmed by the situation so I just let it slide, but he said there were many upset people.

Paul, your situation isn't the same as the one I described. You were quite clear in your ad and haven't done anything wrong. Rest easy.

People don't read the descriptions...You could say it is in orbit and you would still get questions about the shipping costs.

While a "few" does sound fishy, it's your deal and you call the shots. You did list the preferred sale method, so that's it. Local sales are great, less headaches. While I do hate seeing "local sale only", such is life.

Some buyers seem to think that we are all professional sellers, and not the guy next door. We are not to be held to the same criteria.

Feedback is for after funds exchange hands, that's it. No exceptions. I would love to leave feedback about potential buyers "This guy sounds like a real idiot" but that's not what it is for.

Marty

Hdm - Because sellers can and often do handle the same policy so buyers don't complain.

There's a couple of times that I WISHED that I had sold to a local buyer.

More power to ya!

per audiogon guidelines feedback can only be given when a transaction has taken place- in this instance only the person that actually bought the amp can leave feedback. You have the right to sell to anyone you want to- if the first person to respond has negative feedback you are not obligated to sell to them, for example. The fact that you clearly stated in your ad preference given to local buyer should be self explanatory- I think you went out of your wat to be fair- I've made offers on gear for sale and never even received a response [not lowball offers, some for full asking price]. When you sell a popular item at a good price there will always be people who miss out- you can't please everybody. That's the long version- short answer to your question- yes, you are being fair. The people threatening to leave negative feedback are not being fair.