Conduct on Audiogon

Feedback is not appropriate in this case, due to the fact that a verifiable agreement had not been reached. Please note that Audiogon policy states that one of four events must have occured before feedback may be submitted:
- Buyer winning a bid at auction, if reserve is met.
- Seller receiving a bid at auction above reserve price.
- Buyer sending payment to a seller in a verifiable form.
- Seller shipping an item to a buyer in a track-able manner.

We understand the frustration that would be caused by the set of events presented in this thread. However, when dealing through a classified ad, there are too many variables in concluding WHEN an agreement has been reached. In the above described scenario, it appears that the seller was waiting for a final confirmation before considering an agreement to have been reached. Apparently, the buyer thought otherwise. Perhaps the seller should have indicated within the "I accept" email, that he is expecting a confirmation to finalize.

To us, this appears to be a case of a miscommunication, rather than a seller "backing out". It seems more a question of whether both parties "knew" they had an agreement or not.

We have been working on an online system that will better define the process of reaching an agreement through a classified ad. Admittedly, it is rather vague currently, as we have left it up to the two parties to negotiate in whatever manner is comfortable. We hope to have a formalized "offer-accept-finalize" method online within the next 2-3 months. Our apologies for not having something in place sooner. We are all learning as the internet keeps evolving.

You'll find out that it takes all kinds to make the world go round. His "10 minutes to respond" is QUITE ridiculous to say the least. Chances are, you'll come out better in the long run by NOT dealing with "Mr Impatient". When things "just didn't work out", i've always ended up finding a better deal on a similar piece of gear just a short time after that. Just look at it as "not being meant to happen" and count your blessings. It could have been a LOT worse. Sean
>
PS... I think that you'll find that most "regulars" on this forum and in the buying / selling section are quite good to work with.

According to your description of the transaction, you tendered an offer, and he accepted. By any reasonable standard, you had an agreement to buy his piece. It sounds like he got a better offer than yours AFTER agreeing to your terms, and, rather than do the honorable thing and uphold his agreement with you, he created an "out" for himself by suddenly requiring you to contact him in a ridiculously short period of time to "confirm." Likewise, if you had backed out after the seller accepted your offer, it would have been just as unethical (although buyers have done that to me before). For the seller to call what he did common practice at this site is weak justification for his actions. It's bad form no matter how you slice it, and Audiogon should permit buyers to document such behavior through feedback.

Sounds like you got the short end of that one. But as stated above if that is the kind of guy he is you are better off not dealing with him anyway. Once the seller had agreed to your offer he should have let all others know that the sale was pending. Good luck, hope you find a better deal soon.

I have been visiting this site for around a year. During that time I have generally agreed with the decisions made by the Audiogon staff - with a few exceptions. However, their response to this thread concerns me. While I understand that Audiogon exists to make money and that that will at times put them at odds with posters in these forums, their current stance makes me wonder about the integrity of their rating system.

If Bink's statement of the sequence of events is accurate there was no misunderstanding or miscommunication. The seller agreed to his offer and later decided to sell to someone else. Giving ten minutes to reply via email is ridiculous. I am disappointed in Audiogon's response and their stance on this matter.

Clearly, the rating system is worse than meaningless, it is misleading. Yes, there can be misunderstandings with respect to classified ads. But Audiogon has a responsibility, as the host of such ads, to investigate possibilities of abuse *before* posting responses. Audiogon, I hope you are reading this.