Selling Used Upholstered Furniture or Bedding

[quincy]

Also, is it legal to sell an item to someone else after I promised it the first inquirer online? For instance, Person A is the first to express and interest in an item for sale online. You set a date for them to come and look, however they don't show up. I email them and they have some lame excuse why they didn't show. This happens twice more, but they assure me they will be there tomorrow at 10 am. Meanwhile I get a mesage from Person B who says they can come right away since they live 10 minutes away. Am I still obligated to hold it for Person A?

No. There is no obligation unless you accepted a deposit from Person A.

 

[Zigner]

Also, is it legal to sell an item to someone else after I promised it the first inquirer online? For instance, Person A is the first to express and interest in an item for sale online. You set a date for them to come and look, however they don't show up. I email them and they have some lame excuse why they didn't show. This happens twice more, but they assure me they will be there tomorrow at 10 am. Meanwhile I get a mesage from Person B who says they can come right away since they live 10 minutes away. Am I still obligated to hold it for Person A?

Of course, once B has paid you and left with the item, you should contact person A and let them know that it's been sold

 

[quincy]

Of course, once B has paid you and left with the item, you should contact person A and let them know that it's been sold

That would be nice - even though Person A probably wasn’t going to purchase the furniture anyway.

 

[debodun]

Of course I would contact Person A even though they stood me up three times. This happened once when Person A showed up three weeks later. He was not happy and said he had first refusal since I told him he was the first one to express an interest, so I was obligated to hold it for him whether he took 15 minutes or 15 weeks to show up. My consolation was along the lines of, "You snooze, you lose. Whoever gets here first with cash in hand gets it." He said, "Get ready for BIG trouble!" Nothing ever happened though, but it made me wonder about a situation like this. Being an old lady and alone has disadvantages.

 

[quincy]

Of course I would contact Person A even though they stood me up three times. This happened once when Person A showed up three weeks later. He was not happy and said he had first refusal since I told him he was the first one to express an interest, so I was obligated to hold it for him whether he took 15 minutes or 15 weeks to show up. My consolation was along the lines of, "You snooze, you lose. Whoever gets here first with cash in hand gets it." He said, "Get ready for BIG trouble!" Nothing ever happened though, but it made me wonder about a situation like this. Being an old lady and alone has disadvantages.

If Person A threatens you, call the police.

 

[debodun]

Yep!

 

[quincy]

Yep!

It is also smart to have someone with you whenever you intend to sell an item, from your home or from another location. It is generally better to pick another location away from your home that is public and safe from which to make the sale - although this is, admittedly, difficult to do with large items like furniture.

 

[debodun]

Especially for an old lady. I've also tried meeting people and usually get stood up after waiting a long time in a hot or freezing car. Doesn't work for me, besides I have close houses on each side and I usually bring out the merchandise to the front porch, so we are outside is full public view and I am on the main street of town. I feel pretty safe. I only had that one problem customer. If they are really interested, they will come to my house. I need to add, though, that I am not just selling furniture, I have my whole parents house to clean out and some things just seem to good to put in a dumpster or give away (I could always use the money!) like original paintings (no Rembrandt's or da Vinci's), vintage glassware and china, tools and the usual household items.

 

[quincy]

Especially for an old lady. I've also tried meeting people and usually get stood up after waiting a long time in a hot or freezing car. Doesn't work for me, besides I have close houses on each side and I usually bring out the merchandise to the front porch, so we are outside is full public view and I am on the main street of town. I feel pretty safe. I only had that one problem customer. If they are really interested, they will come to my house

Okay, if you feel pretty safe selling that way. I am not an “old lady” and I still won’t give out my home address to strangers online. Just be careful - and call the police if problems arise.

Good luck.