Have they paid you anything yet?

How did they find you to begin with?

I'd call them and tell them you have had another offer (DD selling them on Ebay but you don't have to say that if you don't want to.).

Since the original people haven't fulfilled their obligation to give you a down the next day and didn't contact you, you are going ahead with the other offer. Then let your DD sell them on Ebay.

I wouldn't even think twice. They sound like flakes.

That almost sounds like some insurance scam they are trying to pull. I know you listed what is owed you on the 'receipt', but things can be tweaked. Why would they want a receipt up front for something they had not even paid for? Could be way off, but 'something sounds fishy' was my first thought. I wouldn't waste anymore time on it either, providing they've not paid any money to you whatsoever.

I'm with Moonshadow, wondering if they're now going to claim an insurance loss for pottery they never even paid for.

Since they haven't done what they said they'd do, I think your ethical obligation to them has evaporated. I'd let your daughter list the pottery.

Thanks gals. That was my thought...insurance receipt.

They found me at my garage sale and I gave them my phone #. They called me (I don't have their number) to see if I still had this one piece they were interested in and when they came over to see what I still had, we struck the deal.

I'm going to give them till Sunday to show and if they don't, then I'll have DD list the stuff.

I'd say go ahead and list them; they sacrificed the deal the day they didn't show up with a minimum payment. If you're concerned about possible insurance fraud, have a letter notarized, and send a copy to them, saying that you never received any money or communication from them and you have kept the items; they never became the other couple's property because they reneged on the contract. Just if you want to be completely covered.

I'm curious -- would you share what these pieces are? ARe they west coast studio pottery? Or art pottery (from a company, not a single person)? I collect PNW studio pottery and you know, you're in the PNW, and maybe I should be on the alert for something on eBay! :)

I collect Roseville and Weller. I'd like to know what you have as well. Honestly? I think you were a sucker to sell your pieces at a 90% discount in the first place. No matter how nice they were. You should be thanking God they didn't show up. Who cares about their insurance fraud claim. No pottery in the world is worth their premiums skyrocketing.

Business is business. Nice has nothing to do with how much things should cost.

This stuff is Italian majolica dishes. Vietri is part of it. I'll try to take some photos to show you all. It's nice stuff, problem is it's primarily in blues & yellows, and my kitchen is red & black.

They are in default on the contract, having never paid their initial deposit or their weekly payment. Let it go, there is no reason to worry about them anymore. You can send them a letter stating that due to the default in terms you've sold the items elsewhere but don't go any further than that. Waiting is almost asking for trouble...so they show up and make a tiny payment, will they then wait another couple of weeks?

Don't make contracts with strangers in the future :) Holding it for an hour is one thing...entering into a business relationship with strangers on the street is another.

And post pics LOL I love majolica...will you take one payment now and I can then stop by on occasion??? heh heh

How much of a deposit are they forfeiting? And how did it work out that you wrote them a replacement receipt without getting their phone number? I don't see how they felt they needed any kind of receipt except for the amount paid on deposit anyway...

I agree with the others. Sell it.

Red

It sounds like she has no information at all to contact them & if that's the case, you can't do anything what so ever.

It also sounds like they never paid a dime but if they did, the most you could do is put an ad in your local paper, give a date that they need to contact you by and be done with it.

It sounds like they are trying to fraud someone but with no information on them you can't do anything.

Have you tried googling local catering businesses or looking on facebook?

I finally gave up. They mentioned their business name, but I can't remember it, and frankly, now, I'm not going to bother with them. Without their phone #, or names, it's just not worth trying to look up. I know they're not listed with their catering because they mentioned they were just starting up the new business.

They never paid a dime...in fact, they had asked me at the yard sale if two things didn't sell, could they come buy them. Those items only came to $5. So when they were here and we arranged for the pottery, I thought they were going to get the things they'd come for. They never paid for them, nor did they take those things either.

So, I guess I'm going to take those things they didn't buy (some wineglasses and a silk topiary) to the thrift store and get ready to sell the pottery.

I'm pretty good at judging character, and I kind of lean toward these flakes as just getting in over their head and realizing they were extending themselves too thin. HOPEFULLY that's the case and not that they were scammers!