Why so many Flaky Buyers?

This topic really hits the spot!!!I've bought & sold maybe 40 items of audio gear using the net & if I see something that I want RIGHT NOW I'll email or call the seller to make the deal. If I'm not sure about the item I might ask the seller if they're the original owner=why did they buy it in the first place?, why are they selling?=too bright, too much power, not enough power, etc., to get a better understanding whether or not this piece will fit what I'm looking for.
I'm currently fielding questions from several potential buyers & have no problem answering each & every question with as much detail as possible & simply would like the same from others. Yeah, there are a lot of window shoppers, computers go down, things happen, so if contact gets broken off I'm not too concerned. I do always take the offers in the order received & when I answer my emails I point this out in order to be fair. Even after an item sells (and it always does) I'll have emails weeks later for the item. I just email back it's been sold & maybe add it sure is a nice piece, hope you get one, etc.
Also, I might ask if it's OK to pick up the piece as I travel a lot (I've done 7 FTF's) & also to see what kind of a response I'll get. A few times (on ebay) I requested in person pick up if I won an auction & never did hear back from the seller. Does that say something about the condition of the item or what?
One last thing. In the course of making the deal if something doesn't feel right then take heed & do not complete the transaction. This has been brought up before but is worth repeating.
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Flaky BUYERS? So right Lornecherry
You hit it on the head, get on the phone and talk, especially with the way I type. Not only that, if you always looking like I am, you never know what that person on the other end will tell you as far as what else they have. There is really not enough space to tell all the other stuff I have found in the course of finishing a deal and hearing, "Oh yeah, I wish I would post this so and so I never use" and such. Communication works.

Hey, i have to admit that i have "flaked out" a few times. Typically, it is strictly due to an oversight on my part. Between all the spam, communications related to my business, "talkin' jive" with my buddies, audio stuff, etc... I sometimes have as many as 70 - 85 emails waiting for me when i get home!!! Needless to say, i have to skip over some stuff without making immediate responses and come back to it later. If i have a few "downpours" of email in a row, it might take me a couple of days to sort through it all. More than a few times ( unfortunately ), some things have gotten lost in the shuffle.

By the time that i realize what has happened, the product is usually already spoken for or the seller may not feel confident in doing business with someone that "disappears" for several days. This is besides the situations that arise with computers going "haywire", server based problems, phone lines that act up, etc...

While nobody ( buyer or seller ) likes getting "jacked around", I guess that we need to take this type of situation into consideration and realize that some people are not quite as "addicted" ( to both the puter and audio ) as we are. Sean
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Something that Driver said about requesting in-person pickup of an item & then never hearing from them again struck me......Usually when I'm buying a used component sight unseen I request the Serial# from the seller. That is so I can call the manufacturer & ask questions about the version, any upgrades, has that unit been in for repairs, etc. You'd be amazed what you can learn from doing that. But a certain # of sellers never respond again, or get really uptight, when I ask them for that info.....I wonder why? Would be like buying a used car without getting the VIN# first in order to obtain a Carfax report......

Lots of thoughtful responses, but I'm sorry I don't agree with the many excuses some have given. Comparing selling used high-end equipment with selling new cars is hardly a valid comparison. Neither is the implication that since you are the buyer, you can do whatever you want, and that is your perogative. What ever happened to common courtesy & some degree of ethics? I guess that's kind of similar to much of the state of our society.

There are lots of 'buyers' out there who don't know what the hell they want to do. It almost seems like it is a game played for its own purpose. You don't email a seller saying you will buy the item, only to follow this with no replies or meaningless excuses not to follow through. Yes, things happen, and I fully understand that, but I can tell you that much of the time, it has nothing to do with this. Rather, there are other, less healthy dynamics in play here.