I have sold on CL a few times, and more than pinballs. The problem that I have with this seller is that he let the buyer think it was a done deal when it wasn't. As a seller, I may agree with a buyer on a price before he comes to look at my machine, but I am clear that I am not "holding" it for him. Talk is cheap, and sellers get jerked around too. Lots of people say they want to buy your item, and you never hear from them again. Not so much with pinball, but general selling on CL is like the wild west with no manners at all. My rule is that I will hold the machine for an evening if someone is on their way to see it. It is really shitty to sell the machine out from under someone who may be driving an hour or more to come get it, but I am not holding it until the weekend. I also do not entertain offers if I have agreed with someone on price and they are coming to look at it. A seller should know what his machine is worth, and a fair price should be all he wants out of the deal.
The moral of this story may be to avoid CL and buy from fellow pinsiders.