Mostly agree, but after the woman agreed to buy the tickets, I think the onus is on her to resell them in an effort to reduce her loss.
Another solution would be for them both to negotiate a lower price.
Another solution would be for them both to negotiate a lower price.
Nothing about her obligations makes lying to her right, just as nothing about breaking the law gives a police officer the right to beat a confession out of a suspect.
I disagree. If you want to get something for less than the offered price (i.e. OBO) you should talk to the seller before you place a binding order. Taking a valuable commodity out of play, to force a negotiation, is plain wrong.
Basically, he says, "You can pay now and get the tickets or you can pay up in small claims court after the tickets are expired." Knocking a hundred or two off the price saves him the paperwork involved.
It's still a bad idea to agree to contracts with the intention of renegotiating under the threat that it'll be easier than suing, but that doesn't change the fact that a new contract is easier to make than enforcing the old one.