Sober1, I don't think you have a legitimate grip. I recently sold some equipment on Audiogon. I priced the items for a quick sale and as a result I got a number of inquiries. As a seller, all that I am ethically required to do is to clearly state the terms of my sale and beyond that I can sell, or not sell MY equipment to anyone who wants to buy them. In a private sale, just because you are quick to reply and are willing to pay the purchase price doesn't gaurantee you anything. The Audiogon selling process is more of a lottery than it might appear. You might not think this is fair, but your suggested solutions won't eliminate what I've described.
Buyer Beware!
Man, I'm pissed! What about sellers that post over $6000 in analog gear then they don't return any email answers for 2 days. Then you find after your 4th email the seller has deleted the item. He answered the 5th email in which I asked for an explanation with "when I checked my email this morning I had 50 emails on the _____ and I sold it to the first email which I thought was fair and deleted the listing since it was sold" This item was posted for sale at approximately 50 % of retail at around 11pm est this past Wednesday evening and I emailled immediately with a message I would pay his asking price. He didn't answer until after his deletion with his lame reply. I feel as though someone's full of sh*t. I can't leave negative feedback as there was no transaction per se. So buyers beware of first time sellers here. And check them for feedback or lack of. I've been a member of this community for about 6 months and really like buying and selling here. I also enjoy the boards. Maybe the Powers that Be here could create a new class of sellers here. Like something along the lines of a Verifed Seller or denote on posted ads that the individual is a first time seller. I apologize for blowing off steam, but I still think I've been lied to by someone who still has other gear posted here for sale.