Maybe someone can share with me the proper process of buying items in the marketplace. It seems like the same thing is happening to me all the time.

Post in the thread "PM'd on an item" and I'm 1st in line
Send PM and wait

Get a response that 1,000 other people have already PM'd before me.
My rant is why doesn't the first person call Dibs or whatever you want to call it so the other 999 of us don't waste our time contacting the seller.Especially when I'm the first in line on the thread to claim it.

 

no such thing as 'dibs'. first contact via PM and then first to pay. just because you post doesn't mean someone had not already sent a PM and paid already

 

Yeah, I feel your pain, but as PGT said, just because you're the first to post in the thread, doesn't mean you're the first inline...I've missed MANY great items at awesome prices...

 

is for getting the front seat from you little brother....

No bearing on the real world. First to pay is the first to play....

That's how most business work...

Matt

FWIW, some of us don't really care to advertise our buying habits and never post in the for sale thread....

 

From just having gone through this from the receiving end. Posts in the thread are only read when you go to NAM and log on. I don't sit and watch marketplace posts.

PMs show up as email notices, which are more often checked by most people I know. Even after a PM, when 24 hours passes without a paypal arrival, I feel it is time to move to the next person who PM'd. Obviously, the larger the cash value of the item, the more I will trade emails and negotiate.

For something that is priced right, has a history of selling rapidly at the listed price, no one is going to get that item (Cup Holder) by lowballing, or sending paypal for $5 less than agreed on price. For me, that is an indicator to move to the next PM.

Odd items, or high dollar items, I think most people would consider reasonable offers. I will talk to you for a week if you want my towdolly!

We buy and sell all the time on Ebay, sold 2 MINIs, 1 VW Beetle, 3 boats and a bus conversion. And we sold and bought a house from Domuswap.com. This was a lot more rapid.

Thanks to everyone who expressed interest in the items that we listed. We were more than a little overwhelmed by the number of responses that we received. Especially me.

 

i agree.. you get sooo many tire kickers..

first one that pays.. gets it in my opinion..

 

I assume you're referring to this thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...85#post2198585

I'm sorry it worked out as it did. It looks like we both contacted the seller at about the same time -- only difference that I PM'd and then posted that I'd done so . . . while you probably did the opposite.
As others have explained, for several reasons, it is best to PM. Most sellers go by PMs -- not all buyers post on the thread.
My 02 cents, PMs are the right way to go: first to pay seems weird since you could potentially have several people send payment around the same time, and then people have to deal with retracting that.

I do agree with this:
. . .but as you can see, I did that within a minute of your own post. (I even posted again after sending payment to indicate I'd 'closed' the deal)

I hope this doesn't taint your experience in NAM so far and wish you luck with future purchases.

 

I think the common courtesy should be to PM, then post that you PM'd roughly at the same time. That way people know that there are people "in line".
The problem really comes when people PM but don't post, so the thread drops a little with no responses and it appears that no one is interested. Then the seller contacts the interested folk with a response of "had a lot of PMs" and it's a bit of a shocker.
Regardless, the marketplace is a free for all and the buyer makes the ultimate decision on who gets the item regardless of who was standing in line first.

 

Bingo +1

 

Thanks guys for your input. I agree with you except the first to pay thing. The seller should contact the first person for payment that way 20 people don't send payments all at once.
I guess I'll stick to buying with the honest people from EBAY. Oh,now that's funny!!!