gnoahhh wrote Today at 9:58am:
So, I guess it all boils down to instead of a collegiate/gentlemanly/friendly group we have a shark tank instead. I thought we were better than that, fool that I am.
I don't see it that way. Clear selling rules versus friendly aren't mutually exclusive. There was nothing hostile or unfriendly about the initial sale in this thread. The ultimate buyer very politely allowed the seller (and other buyer) an opportunity to say "I'll take it unconditionally" or "I'm working out details with another seller".
I have myself more than once as a buyer, deferred to someone that wanted it after me, that expressed that they would like to have it. And seen others do the same.
Where I see these disagreements rising is when something is very much underpriced, and people feel slighted if they aren't the one that gets the bargain. It gets worse when someone that wants a bargain, but doesn't want to commit, wants to tie up the item for themselves by asking questions, to make sure the bargain is as good as it looks before they commit. And then gets butthurt when it gets sold to someone else. Somehow, the greed in us, brings out the worst in us. Politeness in that case could take the form of saying "I'd like to know the diameter this casts as, but feel free to sell to someone else if you don't want to hold it". Or a conditional: "I'll definitely buy it if you know it casts at .323 to .324".
When things are priced at market, where a person can easily buy it somewhere else for that amount, I see a lot of good natured comments back and forth like : "Thanks, Jack, glad you bought that highwall. I don't need another and you saved me money."
If the mold in this particular case had been priced at $250, there would have been no dispute about people asking for pictures, measurements, etc. It's the perceived loss of the bargain that brought out the resentment.