Sounds like you guys agreed on a price, and then went over to escrow.com, which point you received a higher offer, you asked the buyer if it would be ok for you to take a high offer, or if they could match, maybe you offered them some other domains... Buyer was probably like if you want to take the higher offer, I want a fee for my troubles, you probably refused, and this fall out occurred.
If you guys agree on a price on dnforum, and enter into an agreement at escrow, I think that should be good enough.
The buyer is angry for a reason?
Yes the agreement and so contract of buy and sale was reached, and he posted "sold" on dnf (post 7
http://www.dnforum.com/f529/yyd-com-duplicate-letters-thread-520468.html#post2191510 ) which he later modified without my consent to "Disputed transaction, canceled." .
And yes he started the escrow transaction and was agreed by me, but he also cancelled it afterwards without informing me nor with my consent.
And your understanding of the reasons of quarrel is also correct.
Reasons of his anger?
http://www.dnforum.com/f529/yyd-com-duplicate-letters-thread-520468.html#post2192226 . I don't know but very likely that because I was putting up a proposal after the agreement, but his request for compensation was refused, so I said as nothing new have been agreed, just stick to the existing agreement which is still in effect. He then turned angry, threated us to post in dnf, cancelled the escrow transaction without our consent, saying that he was treated by me as a second choice while his offer was accepted first.
Check out contract repudiation (when the counter-offer was made after you agreed). You can't agree price, say hold up, I want more, then say OK you won't pay me more I want to enforce the original deal. It's called repudiating the contract.
There is no "NEW" deal reached, so there is no "ORIGINAL" (which you are implying as already invalid) deal, there is only an "EXISTING" valid deal.
Your understanding is very strange. Simplying mixed up "contract" vs "offer / counter offer", and mixed up "right" vs "obligation".
Contract repudiation usually occurs when one party has not performed his "obligation" in the contract.
My (Seller)'s only "obligation" in the agreement with the Buyer is to deliver the domain name after receiving payment. So simply by asking Buyer to hold up payment (and at time, Sunday, when he could not make payment yet) would not constitute a repudiation of contract. In fact,
as no new agreement / contract was reached, I already told Buyer that then just ignored the talk on modifying / revising the existing contract.
In our case, repudiation from Seller side could occur only if Seller did not perform his "obligation" of delivering name after getting payment, so there was no repudiation of contract. Repudiation comes from non performance of "obligation", asking Buyer to hold up payment and discuss other possiblities is not a non performance of Seller's "obligation".
And in a contract, a repudiation can be retracted so long as there has been no material change in the position of the performing party in the interim. A retraction of the repudiation restores the performer's obligation to perform on the contract.
And based on your understanding of "contract establishment", "contracts vs offers" and "contract repudiation", the following can happen:
- you put in auction a name and receive many bids, the last one is $100,000 and you are very happy with it already
- X then shoots a higher bid of $100,500, and there is no more higher bid
- you post "sold" on dnf and X started the escrow transaction where you have also accepted; so the auction closed and you have a contract of selling the name to X at $100,500
- X then "counter offers" you to just pay $80,000, and you "further counter offer" $100,300, and both could not agree on anything new
- according to your interpretation of "contract" and "contract repudiation", the "original" deal of $100,500 is no longer valid because there is "counter offer" after the $100,500 contract is reached, and you cannot enforce the "original" deal with X at $100,500 because it has been "repudiated"
You may feel there is no choice if you are seller (because you think the "original" contract has been "repudiated"), but if you are X, I do not believe the seller will consider the $100,500 deal is cancelled and let you walk away so easily.