I just wanted to share an experience I had regarding the sale of an instrument today here on Marketplace. It is the 3rd instrument I have sold to fellow UU member. The first 2 went very smoothly, mainly because one person expressed interest, and the sale happened very quickly. The 3rd one was more chaotic and I believe I could have done a better job with communication. I hope by sharing my experience, others can learn from my mistake.
So it all started out innocently enough. I saw someone else's post saying they wanted to buy a Baritone. I replied to the thread saying I had a Kamaka HF-4. The original poster P.M.'d and we quickly determined my instrument was out of his price range. Then things got crazy. Within a few hours, I had 4 members express interest in my Kamaka HF-4. I tried to keep some sense of order in the process, but ended up having 3 people believing they were 1st in line to buy it. One of them even used this exact terminology "Please put me in line". Ultimately it sold in less than 24 hours, and at least one of the 3 who had expressed serious interest was left disappointed by the way I managed the process.
What did I learn? There is a protocol for when multiple members express interest in the same instrument. From what I can understand, based on chronological order, you should create a que, and allow the first person to decide/accept terms. If they clearly state they want it, then allow them a timeframe to decide/make payment. If they pass, then go to 2nd, and on and on.
Sorry for any disappointment I caused today!
So it all started out innocently enough. I saw someone else's post saying they wanted to buy a Baritone. I replied to the thread saying I had a Kamaka HF-4. The original poster P.M.'d and we quickly determined my instrument was out of his price range. Then things got crazy. Within a few hours, I had 4 members express interest in my Kamaka HF-4. I tried to keep some sense of order in the process, but ended up having 3 people believing they were 1st in line to buy it. One of them even used this exact terminology "Please put me in line". Ultimately it sold in less than 24 hours, and at least one of the 3 who had expressed serious interest was left disappointed by the way I managed the process.
What did I learn? There is a protocol for when multiple members express interest in the same instrument. From what I can understand, based on chronological order, you should create a que, and allow the first person to decide/accept terms. If they clearly state they want it, then allow them a timeframe to decide/make payment. If they pass, then go to 2nd, and on and on.
Sorry for any disappointment I caused today!