Buyer's Option

A buyer always has the option to buy, but under an official “buyer’s option,” the price and specs are agreed to for a period of time, but not the exact quantity.

This can be a great deal for the buyer, who now has a set price (assuming the value in the marketplace does not go down), but is under no obligation to take ownership of a particular quantity. The poor seller can’t claim it as a sale on their books or collect revenue until the buyer decides to actually make the purchase. It's also perfectly legal for the buyer to not buy anything at all...i.e. not convert the option.

Maybe start-up companies would agree to such a deal, as options to buy are better than no sale at all?