[SEL] Dealing Etiquette

Sun May 24 12:24:09 PDT 2009

How told me about it Friday evening we agreed to price and then 
Saturday morning he backed out. No time to do anything. Mark

At 01:48 PM 5/24/2009, you wrote:
>Mark
>         The other fella may not have known another deal was in the
>works.  I'd place the majority of the blame on the seller.  Anytime that
>I make a deal with someone like your deal with this person, I give them
>a down payment.  If its over the phone I drop them a check in the mail
>the next day for a portion of the purchase price and quote the details
>on the check (for example, if I buy something for $1000 I might send a
>check for $200 and note on the "for" line "4 HP Stover engine, $800
>balance owed".  I've only had to call on this one time when I purchased
>an engine off a gent.  I told him when he priced it to me that it would
>be several months before I could pick it up.  He said no problem.  I
>told him I was going to send him $500 down on it and he said not to but
>I insisted and that when he got the check to please initial the memo
>line in regards to our deal.  When I went to get it I counted out the
>cash for the balance.  He said "you're $500 short".  I told him that was
>the price we agreed to.  I pulled out the canceled check and showed him.
>He apologized that he was wrong and everything was fine.
>
>Tommy Turner
>Magnolia, KY
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com
>[mailto:sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com] On Behalf Of Mark
>Shulaw
>Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 11:56 AM
>To: sel at lists.stationary-engine.com
>Subject: [SEL] Dealing Etiquette
>
>
>Hi All,
>   What ever happened to a little trading or dealing etiquette? When I
>came into the engine hobby back in the late 70s there was a few
>unwritten rules that everyone seemed to follow. #1 was, Never
>interrupt a negotiation in progress.
>#2 If a price is mutually agreed to the deal is done, neither backed
>out both honored the deal. These were amongst the top of the unwritten
>rules. Heres what set this question in motion. Friday I was talking to a
>
>fellow that I buy engines from occasionally (Nationally known US
>engine parts dealer fellow who shall remain nameless) and he told me
>of a engine he got the other day, It was for sale. I asked for a
>price and he quoted and after a few minutes of discussion of the
>engines condition I accepted the offer he made without dickering the
>price. It was a fair price and when a price is fair I do not like to
>dicker. Well I got the rug yanked out from under me. Remember he
>quoted me the price and I accepted that price. Then he called me
>yesterday to say he got a "Better offer then Mine" from another
>fellow and he accepted it. Needless to say I was a little browned off
>to say the least. First I told him was I had not offered the price
>that was agreed to, He had offered the price I accepted.  And that I
>had thought the deal closed. He didn't even give me the insulting
>courtesy of a call for a second chance.
>   Now when I offer someone a price and they accept it, that's it the
>sale is complete pending payment in a reasonable time period as they
>say. I do not yank the rug out from under them. What ever happened to
>integrity in engine dealing? Is everyone just throwing their word and
>honor out the window now? Its been getting worse for a few years
>now.  Its almost like there is no honor in dealing any more. Like a
>mans word means nothing.
>   Also these last few years theres a growing problem of people
>interrupting a deal in progress to butt in. Used to be the etiquette
>was if two people were dealing you stayed out of their negotiating
>till the dealing fell thru  then you could start to deal,  Or walk
>away if they come to terms. YOU NEVER BUTTED INTO the middle of
>negotiations in progress! The other fellow was there first. Did not
>matter if you would pay a higher price then was being negotiated!
>   What's the matter, Am I wrong now a days. Do I need to throw the
>old unwritten rules-integrity out the window and go ruthless?    Mark
>
>
>
>For those passed we remember this Memorial Day.
>
>Mark Shulaw
>454 Co. Rd. 33
>Bluffton, OH. 45817  USA
>
>Frappi at wcoil.com / 419.358.5206  Home / 419.516.2996 Ver. Cell. Hobby
>Collector and Dealer in Maytag Multi-Motor Engine parts.
>Check out the Maytag Collectors Club web site   www.Maytagclub.com
>
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For those passed we remember this Memorial Day.

Mark Shulaw
454 Co. Rd. 33
Bluffton, OH. 45817  USA

Frappi at wcoil.com / 419.358.5206  Home / 419.516.2996 Ver. Cell.
Hobby Collector and Dealer in Maytag Multi-Motor Engine parts.
Check out the Maytag Collectors Club web site   www.Maytagclub.com  