I don't know that I would trust the sell advice of someone named "bitcoinbear"! I'm not selling my bitcoins too eagerly (unless I'm making points on the sale).
The problem is trust: BTC is indisputable and irrevocable - once you have sent them, they are gone. The same goes for sticking cash in an envelope and mailing it to someone. (The same goes for wiring money to an exchange too, while exchanges have been mostly trustworthy, what about they day they just disappear?) You have to trust the recipient will fulfill their end of the bargain when you don't have any authority to complain to.
You can look at
http://bitcoin-otc.com/ to see the reputation of independent buyers, which is as good as it gets if you don't want to be there in person to exchange money and don't want to use an exchange.
