Classified, What does ( I'll Take It Mean )

I had posted : I'll Take IT " on a classified item on Long Range. I sent a PM' to the seller. He asked me if I could pay by electronic payment. I said I could not. I would send a USPS money order, or personal check. Which ever he preferred. Some time later he sent a PM back to me saying he had sold to some one else thru an electronic payment. That some else never posted a " Ill take it: on the listing. How does this strike you. There were no restrictions listed in the add about payment. Only the item for sale & the amount asked.

Strikes me as perfectly within his rights. He was not prepared to wait a week or more for you to mail him money, which may or may not ever show up. On top of that you offered a USPS money order which is easy to forge or a personal cheque that he has to wait to clear to ensure funds are good and which can be reversed for up to 6 months. Why would he want to do that when he had a buyer with cash in hand who would pay him immediately in confirmed funds.

it's their item to sell to whoever can pay them the soonest

Totally agree with others, no transaction, therefore no contract was entered.
When I was building rifles, the done thing here is to make a deposit, then progress payments, which I allowed, but if one was missed, work stopped until it was made, this IS a contractual agreement.
I never allowed 'credit', it is like lending out your tools, just don't do it!

Cheers.

The seller may not have disclosed, and it sucks that you missed on an opportunity you wanted. This is one of those "oh well...." moments.
I take it you've never sold anything on Craigslist? That's flake central.

Well, it's within his rights to sell it to another person if his preferred method of payment is not an option. ALTHOUGH, he could have been more tactful about it and message you back telling you that he wasn't going to sell it to you and told you why before selling it to someone else.

I agree with the previous posts. Waiting for a check to be mailed is archaic nowadays.
I never post "I'll take it" on someone else's add. When you hear about someone being scammed usually the victim posted that in the tread. PM the guy and Venmo him some cash. That's how people do business now.

Follow on question, who can't make an electronic payment in this day and age? Is it a moral objection or do you have trust issues?

Hespco said:

I had posted : I'll Take IT " on a classified item on Long Range. I sent a PM' to the seller. He asked me if I could pay by electronic payment. I said I could not. I would send a USPS money order, or personal check. Which ever he preferred. Some time later he sent a PM back to me saying he had sold to some one else thru an electronic payment. That some else never posted a " Ill take it: on the listing. How does this strike you.

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I know what you mean. I, too, prefer personal checks as payment but always offer to keep the item until the check clears. I did the same as you did, and the seller preferred e-payment; no big deal, I moved on. I only deal with outstanding LRH members. While I do not have many transactions, most of the sellers shipped the item before they received my payment. Mutual trust, respect, and two-way communication are needed to make a smooth transaction.

This payment preference form might be viewed as archaic or slow, but I have made friends in the process. This reminds me of my transaction with @Deputy819. For some reason, my personal check got delayed—IIRC, by a month. He had mailed out the item already, but we kept our communication constant. I sent another payment. Both checks arrived at the same time. He shared a videotape of him and his daughter burning one of the checks. That was epic!

Have found over the years it's always best to really spell out stuff in the add. My preferred method was always to specifically take time stamped pm with an ill take it as preference. With that said I'll always post sales terms upfront. Not an electronic payment guy either, has cost me buying and selling but such is the consequences of the choice. As long as it's stipulated clearly, saves the hassle of confusion.

Dean2 said:

Strikes me as perfectly within his rights. He was not prepared to wait a week or more for you to mail him money, which may or may not ever show up. On top of that you offered a USPS money order which is easy to forge or a personal cheque that he has to wait to clear to ensure funds are good and which can be reversed for up to 6 months. Why would he want to do that when he had a buyer with cash in hand who would pay him immediately in confirmed funds.

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Yep - how things have changed from the old days, when nobody trusted the internet and "real money" was the only safe method!

What is also annoying is when a guy tells you that he wants to buy your item and then never sends the funds. Then he ghosts you, finally he tells you that he changed his mind.
I've had this happen twice lately on LRH.
It makes you consider leaving negative feedback.

Electronic payment, ship item upon receipt. Deal done.

Probably more than you want to know ...from Chat GPT...

In most cases, advertisements (including classified ads) are not legally binding offers. Instead, they are invitations to negotiate or invite others to make an offer.
The seller is not legally obligated to sell the item to anyone who responds to the ad; instead, a buyer makes an offer to buy the item and the seller can accept or reject it.

Why Classified Ads Are Not Unilateral Offers
• A unilateral offer requires clear intent to be bound once the requested act is performed (e.g., returning a lost item for a reward).
A classified ad usually lacks this intent. It does not promise the item to the first responder but invites interested parties to negotiate the terms. Terms can include timing, method of payment, who pays shipping, etc.

A contract for the sale of the item is only formed when

1. A buyer makes an offer (e.g., "I'll pay $200 for the item").


2. The seller accepts the offer (e.g., "Deal, it's yours for $200").


Until then, either party can walk away without legal liability.