am i a dirtbag?

[myntik1]

I posted this issue on KLOV a few months ago, but it still hasn’t been resolved.  I sold a game to a guy in early January on ebay.  The guy immediately sent me the payment.  I let the guy know what my schedule would be and I told him that  I’m home everyday after 5, and that since I was working on my basement I would be around on the weekends for the next month or so. I sent him my address and my phone number. He made 2-3 appointments to come pick the game up and no showed me.  I emailed him in Feb to say that I wanted the game moved so I wouldn’t have to put it in storage.  He claimed that he would be contacting me soon about picking up the game.  The same thing happened again in March so off to storage it went.  The other night I cleared out the storage unit and brought the game back to my house. So the missus says I should contact the guy and just refund his money at this point.  In my eyes I feel that the game is mine until the guy shows up on my doorstep to pick it up, and then we can talk about a couple of bucks and/or a case (maybe 2) of beer for storage and transportation fees.  I’m not going to refund his money at this point, and I don’t feel that it’s my job to hunt this guy down.  The old lady feels this is a dirtbag move.  My feeling is that you shouldn’t bid on something you can’t pick up. There was a 720 in Chicago I wanted around X-MAS, should I have bid on it and made the guy store it for me until I make my June trip out there? It’s been 4 months, at this point I feel like I’ve been free storage and I should be compensated.  Am I wrong?

[danny_galaga]

tricky one. i see your wifes point of view, but i'm inclined to agree with you. in fact, i say put it up for sale again. maybe you'll never hear from him again  if you do, refund him the money minus a reasonable storage fee.

maybe contact him one more time outlining that plan.

[bishmasterb]

I agree with Danny. I think the appropriate move is notify him that you're going to re-list the cabinet for sale in one week, allowing him to pick it up within that time if he chooses. If he doesn't, you'll refund his money (minus storage, re-listing and annoyance fees) when, and if, the cabinet sells.

There is definitely no reasonable expectation that money will be refunded months after the fact if the delays were the buyer's fault, without first re-selling the cabinet.

[saint]

I think you have no grounds for a storage fee unless it was so indicated in the auction. I would tell him you're relisting it, and then wouldn't bother contacting him again. If he doesn't pick it up and subsequently asks for it, you should refund his money minus any actual expenses (listing fee, Paypal transaction fee) that you can document.

[TOK]

I would call/e-mail and give him a deadline for pickup, say within 2 weeks or you're going to relist.
That way all the information is kind of out there.

Its amazing this stuff happens. My buddy sold a 10,000 dollar printing press and the dude paid and never showed up for it. He called the guy half a dozen times with no response before selling it to someone else. Amazing.

[Ginsu Victim]

It's not your fault the guy never showed up. He's an idiot for paying for something and not coming to get it.
Give him a deadline to pick it up. If he doesn't come get it, relist it, inform him it's been relisted, and move on. If he asks for the money back, give it to him.

[FrizzleFried]

You guys are all way too nice.  I'd contact the guy and tell him that his cab needs to be picked up in 2 weeks that I am moving and if it's not gone in two weeks it goes in the dumpster.  Sorry.

Then when the dude doesn't show up for two weeks,  give it to a friend or family member...it's been paid for.

[Ginsu Victim]

You guys are all way too nice.  I'd contact the guy and tell him that his cab needs to be picked up in 2 weeks that I am moving and if it's not gone in two weeks it goes in the dumpster.  Sorry.

Then when the dude doesn't show up for two weeks,  give it to a friend or family member...it's been paid for.

Give it to a friend or family member? You're way too nice.

See what I did there?

[shardian]

Give him a hard pickup deadline. If he still wants it and asks for more time, quote him a storage rate which will be deducted out of any future refund, or which will be due on pickup if he still wishes to pick it up. At this point, I see no problem with modifying the original agreement.

If I were you though, I would have never waited this long. It would have been pick it up in a week or refund, and maybe one week long extension if he had a legitimate excuse. Months?!? Hell no!

[Ginsu Victim]

When I got my cabinet, I told the guy it would be a week and a half before I could make the hour drive down to get it. I made good. If I hadn't, *I* would've felt like the dirtbag.

[shardian]

I made good. If I hadn't, *I* would've felt like the dirtbag.

Exactly!

I couldn't imagine actually paying for the goods and then never picking it up.

On that subject though, you would be surprised how many freight goods arrives at the destination and is never picked up by the buyer. That is how I got the hard top for my Geo Tracker several years back. The freight company lets the unpaid crap pile up, and then lets an auctioneer come in a sell it off.

[SirPeale]

When I got my cabinet, I told the guy it would be a week and a half before I could make the hour drive down to get it. I made good. If I hadn't, *I* would've felt like the dirtbag.

A week is one thing; we're talking four months here.  I say tell the guy a hard date, and if he flakes, sell it to someone else.  Keep the money until he asks for it.

[myntik1]

The only reason I was selling the game was because I did'nt want to lug it out of my super steep hatchway, load it on a vehicle and bring it to our storage unit.  Now that I've done that and brought it back to my house I don't care if it stays or goes.  Like I said if the guy shows up tomorrow or 5 months from now he can have the game, but I'm looking for something for compensation.  Whether it be a case of Amstel or a half tank of gas, a #7 and a happy ending, something. 

[Jouster]

Hey...maybe you should offer him the happy ending...then he might pick it up.

Jouster

[zvar]

Wow, you guys are way too nice.  Heck even most banks refuse to look at any thing older than 90 days.

Where I work, at a small computer shop, we have a firm policy that if it's there after 30 days from completion, it becomes our property.  We only get about 2 dozen systems in a week to work on, but every Saturday morning I confiscate 3-4 systems that are greater than 30 days old.  If we did not do this, we would have system so piled up, we would need to rent a storage unit to deal with them.
Of course the difference is we have the customers sign paperwork stating as such.

Now, that being said, since it seems to be over 90 days I'd give one last contact with a hard date (1 week, (Don't be generous with a long hard date, he doesn't deserve it)), and claim it.  If he ever wants his money back, tell him to request a charge back via however he charged you.  If whatever payment agency accepts it, don't fight it.  But I would be very shocked if his charge back is approved.

I know it sounds harsh, but this guy is not a friend.  He's a customer / business acquaintance.  One should treat him as such

Steven

[TOK]

I consider the arcade stuff a hobby. You meet some flakes via craigslist, but as a whole, I've met a lot of cool people in the process of picking up games and I've eaten the shipping to get a free part to someone so they could get an old game running.
Maybe I'm a bit too old school, but I'd never treat it as a business unless it was my business.

[danny_galaga]

I consider the arcade stuff a hobby. You meet some flakes via craigslist, but as a whole, I've met a lot of cool people in the process of picking up games and I've eaten the shipping to get a free part to someone so they could get an old game running.
Maybe I'm a bit too old school, but I'd never treat it as a business unless it was my business.

when money is exchanged for goods- thats business...

[TOK]

when money is exchanged for goods- thats business...

If I was just selling a commodity type thing, I agree, but not for games. I suppose I have too much of a conscience. 

[Malenko]

where do you live? I'll buy you some beer and take it off your hands 

[paigeoliver]

I have had people pay for or give me deposits on cheapo games and then vanish off the face of the earth multiple times. I can't say it has ever bothered me.

[Havok]

I think the ethical thing is to refund his money less any paypal\ebay fees you incur to re-sell it. I would give him a 2 week deadline before doing that, though.

[Spyridon]

I would send him an email saying he has two weeks to pick up the game.  If he doesn't pick it up in that time frame, then storage fees will apply going back to the original sale date.  Make the storage fees high enough so that in about 6 weeks the entire cost of the game is covered.  You keep the game and the money.  End of deal.

[myntik1]

Update

He came and picked up the game over the weekend.  The only thing I'm still salty about is the fact that he didn't apologize once about standing me up a couple of times or not picking the item up for months.  He seemed like a nice guy, but in my eyes he's the dirtbag.  I learned my lesson - when i sell a game I need to set a reasonable time for it to be picked up and list the storage fees associated with a delayed pick-up.