What would you do?

[Alpo]

You are having a yard sale. You have a riding lawn mower for sale. A customer is taking it for a test drive, to make sure it starts and it runs and it steers correctly.

 

While he is driving around, someone else comes up and asks how much you want for the riding lawn mower. You give him a price and he says he'll take it.

 

Now the first man comes back and stops the mower and says I'll take it.

 

Who would you sell it to?

 

My next door neighbor was telling me this story a little bit ago, and her husband sold the mower to the second guy.

 

To me, it just seems proper etiquette and courtesy to let the first customer say yes or no. I went with a friend to look at a rifle one time. I thought the rifle was an extremely good deal, but my friend kept trying to talk the price down. I did not say anything. Stepping on my friend's deal would be the wrong thing to do. But he said that he would think about it overnight and he got in his truck and left. And I pulled out money and bought the rifle.

 

But I would not have offered to buy the rifle, even if the asking price, while someone else was working a deal. That just seems like a crappy thing to do.

 

I would have told customer number too that customer number one was looking at the mower, and if he did not want it at the asking price then customer number two could have it. But customer number one needed to say yes or no.

[Eyesa Horg]

+1

[Eyesa Horg]

Had a similar happen just last week. Someone was giving away a riding lawnmower for FREE on the Listserve. I replied with an "I'll take it" at 6:30 AM. Sent another message around supper time. The person replied that he was sorry and had given it to the LAST person to reply, as their email was at the top! 

I had done a Google search of the givers email address and he is a Professor at Dartmouth College!

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Had something similar in a sporting goods shop's rifle counter. 

2nd hand .338 WM TIKKA M695 with a MilDot scope being haggled over by a potential customer.

Nice long range moose rifle thinks I. (I have the same rifle in .30-06, but I'm seeing moose at longer distances that I felt stretch the .30-06)

Customer walks away, counter clerk puts the rifle back in the rack.

I waited a couple of minutes, browsing, then walked over and asked to see the TIKKA and a couple of others, then told the counter clerk, I'll take the TIKKA, hand over my Possession and Acquisition Licence and he starts the transfer process.

A while later, we're at the counter to pay for the rifle and the looker was behind us with a sad look on his face.

Took several moose with that rifle.

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I’d consider that the guy taking it for a test drive had first dibs at the price stated. If he quibbles at all it goes to the second guy.

[Cypress Sun]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I’d consider that the guy taking it for a test drive had first dibs at the price stated. If he quibbles at all it goes to the second guy.

 

This

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

3 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I’d consider that the guy taking it for a test drive had first dibs at the price stated. If he quibbles at all it goes to the second guy.

+1

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

I'm in the other camp. First one too say I'll take it should get it. A test drive is hardly a commitment to purchase at full price

[Pat Riot]

I would tell buyer #2 that if buyer #1 doesn’t want the mower then he can buy it. Buyer #1 was there first. 
 

 

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

You are not a buyer until you make an offer

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

How about if you're at a gunshow and stop someone to examine their rifle.  Common courtesy dictates  the person looking has the ball in their court and have first dibs even if someone darts up and says hey I'll buy that for whatever you want.   I tell interlopers to wait their turn and always have had owners tell buttinskyies to do the same.

[Alpo]

Had a woman offered me a Luger one time. World War II bring back. Did not look like it had ever been messed with. The blue was blue, the straw was straw. She wanted $600. And my hand was in my pocket pulling out my wallet when this other guy says, "Hell, I'll give you 650!"

 

I wanted to shoot him. You don't do that. When someone is working a deal, you stay the hell out of it

[Sixgun Sheridan]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:57 PM, J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE said:

I'm in the other camp. First one too say I'll take it should get it. A test drive is hardly a commitment to purchase at full price

 

How is the test driver going to make a counter-offer if he's still out driving it? If they're both standing within earshot of each other it's another matter.