Sealing a deal with a handshake means NOTHING nowadays!!!!

Had a customer come buy the Boot Shop yesterday. And the conversation turned to guns and home defense. He said he had a Remington 870 20ga. with a 19" barrel that he wanted to sell to get a handgun for his wife. He said the choke tube was stuck in the barrel so he cut the barrel down to 19". It was his HD weapon. I asked him how much? And he responded $175! I know his son. And he said it looked new other than the cut down barrel.

So I told him I would buy it and pick it up after work. We shook hands to close the deal. And I offered him $50 to show I was serious. He said no that my word was good enough. Well I went to pick the shotty up and he told me he would have to have $225 for it! That was how much the handgun was gonna cost him. And when I asked him about our deal? He laughed and said OH WELL! At least I have my money. But my hindside is as chapped as eskimo lips.

Now I was raised that if I gave my word I better keep it. And a handshake on a deal was as good as a signed contract on my part. But I guess that wasn't instilled into everyone.

It will come back to haunt him. Just wait and see.
scott

mascott i was just getting ready to type the same thing.
I would have informed him that he was a and i would never have any dealings with him again. what an asshat!

That's how I was raised. A handshake was a contract. Unfortunately, now I guess it means "maybe."

Hell just your word without the shake should be grounds enough.

I'd avoid people like that.

MAYBE HE WILL NEED SOME BOAT STUFF SOON LOL U CAN GET A NEW 870 FOR $ 250 HE AND HIS WIFE IS OFF THERE ROCKERS AND U KNOW SHE SAW MONEY AND MESSED UP THE DEAL. I'M A MAN MY WIFE DOSE NOT KNOW MY DEALS TO I'M DONE AND THATS IT IF SHE MAKES A DEAL THATS HER THING NOT MINE

His son is a stand up guy. He was pretty mad about his dad breaking the deal. I told him if his dad would have told me he jumped the gun on the price and needed a little more. I would have understood. I wouldn't have paid any more. But when he laughed and said OH WELL! That ticked me off.

Now-a-days it can mean...woulda-shoulda-coulda

I agree, means nothing. Nearly the exact same thing happened to me last year on a deal to buy a boat. A boat dealer on the Rez had a pretty nice Four Winds for sale for $4000 last year. Saw it advertised on a boat sales site. Drove over there and one of the salesmen took me out to test drive and everything was fine. Went to the owner and haggled a little bit and settled on a deal. $3000 down and two payments of $500. Stood on the pier, shook on the deal and talked about it a little bit. Went to the car and realized I left my checkbook at home, but I told him I could go to Regions and just take the money out and would be right back. As I was headed to the bank the guy gives me a call and say he has to take care of some business and would could do the deal tomorrow. That afternoon my brother and wife wanted to see the boat so we drove over to look at it and the boat wasn't there, I ran into the salesman and he said they had sent it over to a local boat repair place to get it checked out because "They wanted to make sure it was good to go for me". He said I could look at it over there, it was right up the street. So we went over and I talked to the owner and he told me the dealer had not sent him any boats that day. Went on home and went back the next day to make the deal, the owner and salesmen would not talk to me but I ran into another employee and he told me that "Some guy had come in yesterday morning (Right after we made the deal), bought the boat and towed it right out of there.

After that, I make no deals, put down no deposits, and agree to nothing unless it's on paper.

The ONLY people who I will make a verbal agreement with, and before even meeting them, is MSGO members. Never had a bad deal with the fella's here.

Having my own business broke me from making too many handshake deals, unless it is someone I know or who has a mutual friend or if the deal all gets done right there on the spot.

I'll get flamed for this, but truck-patch farmers were the worst. If their pea patch got rained out or if there was no rain or some other act of God, they didn't think they should have to pay you. Then 2 days later I'd see them with a new 4-wheeler in the back of their truck.

Sad and it only takes one time for someone to screw you over to ruin you on those kind of deals forever

I have been lucky. I have owned a business for over 22 years now, done business for well over $200,000 many times, and have always,always, only took a man's word and maybe a handshake to get the job done. Never been bit by that,per se.I'll admit I didn't have to deal with the general public, but it was men of their word none the less. Call me stupid,no don't, but I never used to ask for any money up front.
scott

Dealt with the public for 10 yrs and at first I got bit several times. After that nothing without it being written down and signed. I still take people at their word especially from here.

Just in my limited leather work I've gotten burned enough that work doesn't start until the money comes in. I've never dealt with this regarding someone on this forum and have sent out holsters/etc without having been paid first to members. People are a lot of talk until it comes time for the wallet to come out.

I brought a gun from a guy about a year ago and after I paid him he saids lets shake on it. No one has ever done that in to me in 20 years. I knew something was wrong with gun right then. And sure enough it was. Grip safety was bad where he had worked on it. He wanted to shake so if i notice it he could say well we shook on it.

usssaump wrote:I brought a gun from a guy about a year ago and after I paid him he saids lets shake on it. No one has ever done that in to me in 20 years. I knew something was wrong with gun right then. And sure enough it was. Grip safety was bad where he had worked on it. He wanted to shake so if i notice it he could say well we shook on it.

When I sell a gun or anything I always use an standard form which also says AS IS/ WHERE IS. Early last year I sold a guy a 1911. He had signed the agreement. However, when he took it to the range it wouldn't fire. Turned out the firing pin was broke. I went ahead and sent him a Wilson Combat FP, 14 bucks. Now I have a guy who would do business with me again. Anyone who knowingly does something like that is unethical and wouldn't ever get my business again. Of course, they probably wouldn't expect to anyway.

i have been the seller many times and had people say yeah I want it or I'll be back tomorrow with the money and never saw them again. In the mean time had other buyers I had to turn down because they said they were coming. So As a Seller I don't agree to hold anything for anybody. Its first to show up with the money gets it.