The Etiquette of Ebay? Or is it just a free for all?

[highplainsdrifter]

Hi there,

Just wondering what people here feel about this?

I had my bid cancelled on an Aristocrat on ebay today. The seller subsequently withdrew the item less than one day after listing.

http://tinyurl.com/9xq7snc
I suspect they made a deal outside of ebay.

 

[eelhc]

The seller can end the listing if the item is no longer available for sale. If there are 12hrs or more left in the auction, the seller has a choice. Sell to the highest bidder or cancel the bids. If there is 12hrs or less left, the seller must sell to the highest bidder at the time of cancellation provided that reserve is met. So eBay does allow the seller to do this. Ethical? Debatable.

In my experience I've had more trouble with non-paying buyers than sellers.

 

[BBrad]

eBay is no different than the rest of the world. Some people are honest, some are not. Some conduct business with great ethics, some do not. Some sell as a casual hobby, some make a real business of it. And then there are the great fools, with brains more numb than a pounded thumb, who have no clue if they are standing up, laying down, or have fallen sideways.

This particular seller has only sold a handful of miscellaneous items this year. Prior to that, he sold mostly computer parts and pieces up until '09. He probably had an offline offer that amazed him, and felt he had to take it, not knowing that this particular razor in its case would have bid up quite nicely.

Frustrating . . . yes. Against the rules . . . no. Unethical . . . ???

The one that gets my goat is when an auction finishes and the seller cancels the sale because it didn't sell for a high enough price to suit him, and the item turns up again later in a new listing.

 

[jb4647]

Alls fair in love, war, and eBay auctions....

 

[jb4647]

.....which is why I only do "Buy it Now"

 

[bryan1980]

.....which is why I only do "Buy it Now"

+1. To me, there are very few things worth getting into a bidding war over. Seems like if I see a bid auction for a razor I like, I'll find practically the same razor listed in a BIN auction if I do some more searching.

 

[Graybeard57]

.....which is why I only do "Buy it Now"

Ditto. I've wondered if I may be overpaying sometimes, but ultimately an item is worth to me what I'm willing to pay for it. I got fed up with auctions' flurry of activity in its last hour. If I'm not online at that time, and willing to join in the back and forth, I'll miss out. Not for me.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

Yeah it's frustrating, Here in Australia we have a little less to pick from locally and some sellers from the USA won't ship outside the US. I've yet to find any razors in any of antique stores in the city I live in. So I am envious of the tales told here about popping down the shops for some bread and picking up a mint cased razor on the way home.

 

[jpakstis]

Alls fair in love, war, and eBay auctions....

If so, could the OP leave negative feedback for the seller? I know that leaving negative feedback shouldn't be lightly considered, but, if the seller's intentions were dishonest or otherwise not on the level (and it could be proven to be so), can a "failed bidder" leave negative feedback?

 

[mistercitizen]

I agree with what everyone has said here. I've been pretty into ebay lately.... going after vintage razors mostly. I don't like the whole "bidding war" thing and I've lost a few auctions I wished I would've won.... but then I've also won a few that on second thought wished I hadn't won. When buying used items like this you have to expect the occasional disappointment from time to time. I recently had an item that I was the only bidder on for the opening bid of $9.99 with very cheap shipping. It was a cased 40's style super speed in pretty good condition with no reserve. The seller mysteriously ended the auction with about 10 minutes left after having it listed for a week because I think he saw the writing on the wall. He obviously didn't plan ahead and decide what reserve he wanted before he listed it and expected to have more people bid on it than just one person. When that didn't happen, he just ended it.... somehow (although I don't think he is allowed to by ebay rules). I was bidding on so many different items at the time and it was such a low dollar item that I didn't have my heart terribly set on getting so I just let it go and didn't complain. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if I had won or lost if ebay hadn't sent me an email telling me that the seller had ended the auction early. That's what you get into with ebay. Even as a bidder, some items I'm bidding on I feel more passionate about getting than others..... some items are more valuable than others and therefore some auction have more at stake than others. I believe in most cases it's pretty plain what it "right" and what is "wrong".... but as in life there are people out there who will get away with whatever they can get away with.... and even though I may believe someone has pulled a "wrong" on me, it's not always worth it to me to bring then to any kind of justice. It's not my job to teach them a lesson at all costs..... we do that when raising our children and trying to teach them the difference between right and wrong.... but when it comes to other ebayers, I just make sure that I'm not getting ripped off too bad.

Ben

 

[Den]

If so, could the OP leave negative feedback for the seller? I know that leaving negative feedback shouldn't be lightly considered, but, if the seller's intentions were dishonest or otherwise not on the level (and it could be proven to be so), can a "failed bidder" leave negative feedback?

The seller couldn't care less what the buyers would think of his actions. He was "within the rules" apparently. So the buyer is also "within the rules" by leaving whatever comments they choose.

 

[Niles]

.....which is why I only do "Buy it Now"

Me, too.

 

[Galhatz]

An auction guarantees that an item would sell at the highest price the market would allow. In other words best deal for the seller and worst for the buyer.

 

[ouch]

An auction guarantees that an item would sell at the highest price the market would allow. In other words best deal for the seller and worst for the buyer.

I agree that it's the best deal for the seller (and eBay) but that doesn't automatically make it the worst deal for the buyer. The most expensive, perhaps, but not the worst. If someone is willing to pay more for an item than another bidder, he will consider it a good deal because he was able to get the item he wanted at the price he was willing to pay. Usually, the only people who complain are folks who were outbid.

 

[sychodelix]

I usually hunt down a BIN, but I have been known to bid a few times as well. Out of the times I've bid on items, probably half have gone my way.

 

[retturn2blades]

First job on EBAY is to look at "completed sales" to see the average prices and the price range of the item. Then look for BIN and if it's in the ballpark, you buy. Bidding can get emotional and crazy. Enter with your seatbelt on.

We can all curse the Bay, but I've gotten most my used razors there...plus numerous other things not shave related.

 

[JDTTO]

I had my bid cancelled on an Aristocrat on ebay today. The seller subsequently withdrew the item less than one day after listing.

If I understand you correctly, you cancelled your bid first. Isn't that every bit as unethical as withdrawing an item from the bay?

 

[Joe_Karp]

Two things to contribute; 1.) I never get into bid wars, not worth the time. The trick is to have in mind what to offer and wait until the last few moments. And once done then place another bid of just a few cents more. 2.) My biggest peeve on any Forum is the lack of good photos. If I can't inspect the item I sure want to have the best chance possible by knowing the condition.

 

[Chester]

In my experience I've had more trouble with non-paying buyers than sellers.

I once missed paying for an item -- forgot about my bid, didn't check email for awhile. Complete oversight. Regretted it terribly, but it was too late. Wrote an apology to the seller, but it gave me my first black mark in more than 300 transactions. I'm not suggesting that it's okay, but it can happen for purely unintentional reasons.
-- Chet

 

[AjaxLepinski]

If I understand you correctly, you cancelled your bid first. Isn't that every bit as unethical as withdrawing an item from the bay?

I believe what Highplainsdrifter meant was, "The seller cancelled my first bid". Highplainsdrifter did not cancel his bid. English can be a strange language.