Ah, the glamorous world of selling vintage goods online! It’s all gilded mirrors, rare finds, and… moral conundrums over curtains. Yes, dear reader, today’s tale is about some rather fabulous velvet gold curtains, a £250 bribe, and a lesson in why it’s always better to take the high road, even when it’s lined with potholes.
The Initial Inquiry: Red Flags Ahoy
It all began with an inquiry on one of our selling platforms. Now, 95% of sales go through without any initial enquiries, but this one? It came with a certain vibe. You know the type, polite but faintly ominous, like they might suddenly ask if they can pay in magic beans or barter with a goat.
Still, nothing too alarming. The next day, another buyer swooped in and snapped up the curtains for £180. Hooray! We promptly removed the listing from the other platform, patted ourselves on the back, and prepared to move on with our lives.
Enter the Gazumper
But alas, the original inquirer returned, presumably having spent the night dreaming of golden velvet and unfulfilled window-dressing ambitions. “Are they still available?” they asked.
“No,” we replied, channeling the kind of firmness usually reserved for denying a toddler more sweets. But then came the twist:
“I’ll give you £250 if you cancel the sale.”
Oh, the audacity! The gall! The temptation!
A Fork in the Road
Now, in the wild west of vintage selling, this kind of offer is not uncommon. About 75% of sellers I know would have taken the £250, cancelled the original sale, and concocted some excuse for the first buyer. “Oh, they were damaged,” they’d say. Or the classic: “They were double listed.”
But me? I didn’t hesitate. No gazumping here, thank you very much.
Why? Because running a business is about more than squeezing out a few extra quid. It’s about ethics. And, frankly, the potential gazumper had all the hallmarks of a nightmare buyer. She wanted to pay £250 cash on collection. A phrase that instantly conjures visions of no-shows, time-wasters, and awkward doorstep standoffs.
Why Gazumping Never Ends Well
Here’s the thing about gazumping: it’s like karma’s favourite snack.
- You take the higher offer, and suddenly the buyer disappears.
- You lose the original sale and your reputation.
- The curtains sit in your inventory, quietly mocking you!
Veteran sellers know the horror stories. There are whispers of people who got greedy, cancelled a sale, and then ended up with nothing but bad feedback and regret. It’s the furniture trade’s version of ghost stories around the campfire.
The Golden Rule of Selling
When you sell something, it’s sold. End of story. If you underpriced it, tough luck. If someone offers more after the fact, tougher luck. Business isn’t just about profit margins; it’s about trust.
And honestly, the thought of messaging a buyer to say, “Sorry, I’ve made a mistake a don’t have it,” makes me cringe.
Always Take the High Ground (Even If It’s Velvet)
In the end, we stuck to our guns. The original buyer got their curtains, and my conscience remained unscathed. The gazumper? Probably off somewhere, finding another seller willing to risk it all for £250 and a truckload of hassle.
The moral of the story? Stay classy, vintage sellers. Always take the high ground. It’s a much better view, even if it’s through someone else’s gold velvet curtains.
The Rights of Fans. 