Correct forum buying/selling etiquette?

[Dusty Chalk]

Here's the thing -- half the time, when one makes a payment with PayPal, there's a small lag before the payment clears (unless one has chosen "instant payment"). I don't think 24-48 hours is an unreasonable amount of time to wait, considering eBay gives one 3 days to make contact, much less arrange payment.

But from the seller's perspective, as soon as you said, "do you mind waiting until tomorrow", you put the negotiating ball back in his court -- he can now do whatever he wants, including decline the whole sale. Especially if those things weren't discussed.

Now, you were asking about etiquette, so I answer the question: was it polite to do so? No, seller should have responded with "payment must be within 24 hours" if he was going to hold you to that, I.E. if he was hard up for the money.

I suspect you were first in line, and he got a better deal between the two messages, but that's entirely supposition.

[hirsch]

Probably been said before:

You can't change a deal once you've made it, from either side. However, if either party starts modifying the agreement after the deal is made, the other has a right to back out. If the OP needed time to raise the full price, then his response to the seller should have said so, and offered a non-refundable good-faith deposit. The OP might have lost the item to someone who was ready to pay right away, but would have also removed grounds for the seller to scrap the deal.

Dusty is right: 24-48 hours is not unreasonable, but not all people on the web are reasonable. I've been strung along so many times it's ridiculous. Think spending three-four days answering questions after a firm "I want it", and then having the buyer say he doesn't have the money (poor college student, sure) and can I sell for half the agreed price...while my other buyers have already been told a sale is pending. Happened a lot. These days, I'll only wait for people I know, or if there are no other buyers in line. Nothing says "I want it!" better than "You have cash!" from Paypal.

[PFKMan23]

While i don't know the details of this particular transaction, my policy is, unless stated and agreed to beforehand, when you pay it's 100% of the balance. I am also a person who has been strung along by potential buyers, so unless the person I'd be selling to is a friend, chances are, I won't wait and will just go to a person.