This 'dibs' thing

[Tallpaul]

interesting topic

 

[john]

Not sure we're going to come to a consensus on this. Seems almost to come down to semantics - I take dibs as meaning I'll want it but want more details.

On a slighty differnt yet similar topic think it's better if all dealing are done on the forum until a sale is agreed - some forums I use inist on this way of dealing.

 

[mrkawasaki]

Dib, dib, dib...

I'm anti the dibbing theory(and, for the record, I'm anti-sniping - never have, never will!) - but I've announced 'dibs' in the recent past not because I think for one moment it will bind another interested party into avoiding the temptation to bid, but merely to advise that I will probably go high in any bidding action. In that sense it's me announcing my intentions and that if someone here wants the same piece then we are going to go high - so we'd either better be prepared or haggle via PM!

It's plain daft to be 'upset' if someone else goes on to bid your 'dib' just becuase you stumbled upon an item at work, say, before a Retrobike/Mtbr colleague got home and saw the same item they'd been looking for for ages.

Maybe items put up for sale on this site the seller could advise whether he/she will honour any form of dibbing - although if I was selling, I'd go for confirmed sale only!

Neil

 

[john]

Re: Dib, dib, dib...

I'm anti the dibbing theory(and, for the record, I'm anti-sniping - never have, never will!) - but I've announced 'dibs' in the recent past not because I think for one moment it will bind another interested party into avoiding the temptation to bid, but merely to advise that I will probably go high in any bidding action. In that sense it's me announcing my intentions and that if someone here wants the same piece then we are going to go high - so we'd either better be prepared or haggle via PM!

It's plain daft to be 'upset' if someone else goes on to bid your 'dib' just becuase you stumbled upon an item at work, say, before a Retrobike/Mtbr colleague got home and saw the same item they'd been looking for for ages.

'Dibbing' in classifieds and 'dibbing' on ebay via ebay watch are totally different. Ebay is ebay, it's a public auction site, Que Sera, Sera.


Seems my opinion regarding a little Gentlemanly conduct in the regular classifieds isn't one held by all....

 

[mrkawasaki]

Meanderings

So are you saying it's noble to bag something because you saw it first, yet you reserve the right to change your mind subject to the details not being as you'd anticipated?

Doesn't that also leave room for the unscrupulous to go to work, from the seller's perspective? Surely everyone'd go about dibbing any and everything from the get go... Therefore the seller should be clear on his'her conditions, I guess.

If I saw that one of our own had dibbed something, I'd certainly think twice about bidding and if I was still desperate, I'd send a PM to see how needy they were! I wouldn't think it 'ungentlemanly' as you put it, to pursue such a course.

Neil

 

[john]

Re: Meanderings

So are you saying it's noble to bag something because you saw it first, yet you reserve the right to change your mind subject to the details not being as you'd anticipated?

If the details are vague then requesting more information seems fair enough to me. Not a case of 'not being as you'd anticipated', more a case of wanting to make sure of what you're buying.

Doesn't that also leave room for the unscrupulous to go to work, from the seller's perspective? Surely everyone'd go about dibbing any and everything from the get go... Therefore the seller should be clear on his'her conditions, I guess.

As mentioned elsewhere the 'dibs' system relies on people being honest and only dibbing what they intend to buy.

If I saw that one of our own had dibbed something, I'd certainly think twice about bidding and if I was still desperate, I'd send a PM to see how needy they were! I wouldn't think it 'ungentlemanly' as you put it, to pursue such a course.

Seems a reasonable and honest way of dealing with ebay auctions. Not sure a 'dibbing' on ebay is necessarily the core of this discussion though.



At the end of the day things work well enough as they are in the classifieds. If people listed things properly with decent description and pics from the start there would be no need for 'dibbing' as far as I'm concerned. Better to deal with the root of the problem maybe...

 

[gump]

I am not sure there really is a problem, on the whole what we have now works well.

This is life, no guarentees, no contracts, no certainty. The seller can sell to who he wishes, at whatever price he wants, end of.
If someone asks for details, more info, thats interest. How the seller interprets this is up to them, and communication here can help.

Saying dibs means jack shit except a strong interest that you want to buy. Saying I'll take it means that it would be hard for seller to sell elsewhere, and to me would make it hard to back out of on either side without a kick in the bollox.

If you really want something, reply quickly and agree to buy it. If this is without pics, thats your risk then. If you want more info, then its your risk that it may get taken in the meantime. Sellers discretion.


Its happened to me where some unlikely scrote picked up a bargain that I wanted as they could respond quicker, hey ho. Part of the fun really :evil:

-- note to be clear tongue firmly in cheek on the scrote comment --


A bit of gentlemanly conduct and good comms should sort out most issues.

 

[Augustus]

Actually find it quite irritating when I lose out on something because someone has sold it despite the fact I was first in line just because I don't live on the PC.

Fair point. Do have a tendancy to forget what life's like without looking at it through a monitor 8/5.

 

[andrewl]

Actually find it quite irritating when I lose out on something because someone has sold it despite the fact I was first in line just because I don't live on the PC.

Fair point. Do have a tendancy to forget what life's like without looking at it through a monitor 8/5.

In the end you win some you lose some and life goes on. For me the difference in time zone means that anything popular is well and truely dibbed to the max or taken by the time I get to read it, so it matters little.

 

[grahame]

I've always taken dibs to mean "I have seen your advert and really want what you are selling. I want to be the first to reply, so I don't miss out due to my slow typing. I am happy with the description, price and terms, and do not want to haggle. I will send an email or follow up post to sort out payment, delivery address, etc. in a few minutes."

At least that is what I have meant when I have used the term in response to a classified ad on STW or any other forum. I also have (naively) assumed that is what other people have meant as well.