Write and tell him that, after Y attempts to reach him, you have to put it
up for sale again in X days and that you will send him the difference (if
there is one) after expenses -- such as the cost of the new ad. So, if he
paid you $200 and you sell it for $200 and it cost $10 for the new ad, send
him $190.

FWIW, if he ever took you to small claims court at some later point you
would be in good shape, IMO. Keep copies of the letter to him and other
paperwork for 5 years. It's a pain, but this would be fair to him. You
actually have the right to call a used tool place (which would pay you
less) and then send him the difference. BTW, you cannot deduct anything
for your time -- assuming you are not in the used tool business or unless
this was written in some bill of sale, etc. HTH. -- Igor


On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 20:13:57 -0500, "bob"
wrote:

I sold my Craftsman band saw back in March through an ad in the paper. The
first guy bought it. He drove up in an old Volvo, looked at the saw, cut a
board or two and wrote me a check. Said he'd be back with his SUV to pick
it up in a day or two. Well, here we are 8 months later, and the damn thing
is still sitting in my garage. I leave him a message every few weeks, he
says he's coming by, but never does. I'm tempted to leave it on his front
porch one of these days.... And yes, the check cleared.