Card buying protocol on the board?

[Casey2296]

Ive been here a short time but all of my transactions have been smooth. If I see a card I want to buy I'll post to the thread "I'll take the Banks/Cobb etc." so the community sees it, then I PM the seller privately for payment instruction.

If I'm interested in the card, I'll PM the seller and ask for pics or questions. At that point I assume the card isn't sold to me since I haven't made a decision either way. If I don't get the card or a reply I just move on.

What you experienced is bad form/communication on the Sellers part but that is in the huge minority on this sub and doesn't happen often. If it's the transaction I'm thinking of the Seller presented in such a way that there was really no clear instruction, pictures, or specific prices in order to say "I'll take it".

[Yankees1964]

I don't sell much at all, but recently I sold a few to cover a big buy I was making. I will usually list here, Ebay and FB. If someone says "I'll take it", the first one on whatever place does that gets it. It hasn't happened to me, but I could see where someone on here could say they will take it and then someone on FB wants it. If I were the buyer and the seller had someone in another place that claimed it before me, then they should get it if they beat me or if I am still negotiating.

[oldeboo]

Yeah, it's tough if pictures weren't listed. Someone just must have requested pictures a tad earlier or bought sight unseen. Your chances go down without pictures in the posting, if clarification is needed on anything, you want to send an offer, etc. It's not uncommon for the good cards at good prices to sell within 5 minutes of posting. You could always say "I'll take it, pending pictures," that would work for me.

[Leon]

There aren't many rules because rules suck, generally. Act professionally, communicate well and PM me if there is any shadiness. Also, vet your trading partner. If you need to you can PM and I usually have a good idea. Caveat Emptor....and yes, first to say I will take it should get it unless there is an extraordinary reason. Be careful. If someone has 1 post and is selling something too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true.

These were from the BST, and originally from my first collection sale. I was the second owner of these cards, from an original family collections, and the 4th owner.

[drcy]

The general rule is the card is sold to the first person who makes an acceptable offer. I don't know why a seller would continue to advertise and send photos for a card that has been sold. A common problem for sellers is waiting around for querying or requesting potential buyers to make (or never make) offers and return (or never return) messages. Many people sell with a figurative (or, on eBay, real) "Buy it Now" button in the sale's description: First person to press the button, or email "I'll buy it", gets it.

Certainly, a seller can and some may say "Someone else emailed about the card first and I'll give him a little bit to respond," but it isn't a requirement

Though I understand and appreciate the OP's sentiments.