Man that pad thai story hurts, I felt that in my soul. The free for all thing only works if both people actually ask first, and Dave clearly proved he won't. Sounds like you already know labels are the move here.

The thing most people get wrong is blasting the same generic request to a dozen brokers and taking the lowest number. That low quote is usually a hook. They come back two days later saying the pickup window shifted or the carrier needs more, and you're stuck. What worked for me was giving the broker the full picture up front: exact dates, whether the car runs, if it's in a tight spot in the driveway, and how flexible I actually was. The bids that came back were higher on paper but they held. Also ask straight up if that number is all in or if there's a broker fee tacked on after. The Reno guy was probably teaching you to slow down and give real info instead of treating it like an auction.