P3D Re: Discussion in Sell 3D

[roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John W Roberts)]

>Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 09:49:27 -0700
>From: MarkKernes <MarkKernes@xxxxxxx>
>Subject: P3D Discussion in Sell 3D

>The first person to respond who shows some interest even if it is to only 
>clarify condition or other details about the item has first dibs on it.  

So if I wanted to, I could hover on the S3D list, and the instant an item
appears for sale, send back "I'm interested - let me think about it for a
few days", then I can ponder the purchase at my leisure, and everybody else
is locked out for a few days. That seems to me to be unfair to the seller
(especially on those occasions when somebody later sends in a message, "I
want to buy it, but I need it right now - a few days later and it won't be
any use to me". It also puts unneeded stress on the potential buyers who
didn't get the first word in - they *might* be able to get it later, but
they don't know. Also, suppose Dr. T and Dalia are offering similar items
(say Realist 2.8) for sale, and both are being held up by interested people
who have "dibs". I could put in firm offers for both, but if both dibs people
back out I might end up being committed to buy both expensive items. If I
put in an offer for only one, I might miss out on both of them. From a buyer's
viewpoint, I think it's usually much better to know as soon as possible
whether I'll be able to buy the item. (If an explicit reservation is agreed
upon by the seller ahead of time, that's different.)

Also as a buyer, I don't think an earlier lower-than-asking-price offer
gives someone the right to bid against the first person to make a
full-asking-price offer.

>There have been many times I've had to email someone to get more info before 
>committing to a purchase and I wouldn't have been pleased to have been bumped 
>just because someone said I'll take it.  

Perhaps in some cases you could make a conditional offer: "I'll buy it at
the asking price if it comes with a case and the user's manual" - that
way you've locked in an offer if it meets your requirements, and you're not
committed otherwise.

John R


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