posted on March 1, 2002 06:39:01 AM new
I had an item listed for about 10 days and ended last night. I had a bidder who bid on 2 of the same item. He won one a few days ago. This one got bid up higher than the first one by $9 but that happened last Sunday. About 10:30am yesterday, he emails me and says his wife bid on another one, can I cancel his bid on this one. I work and did not get the message until about 7pm last night, 2.5 hours before the auction ends. What would you do? The other bidder had bid 4-5 days ago. I figure they have already found another of the same item and would not be happy to find themselves suddenly winning something they thought they lost a long time ago. On the other hand, I am likely to loose the current bidder on both items. Seems like a lose, lose situation. Both bidders have around 70 feedback.
posted on March 1, 2002 07:03:04 AM new
I'd suggest selling him one items for the average of the two bids. He technically owes you for both, so getting one for 1/2 that amount seems a fair deal. Of course, I'm not sure how this would work with ebay. Don't want to get nailed for fee avoidance.
Sounds like they both bid to secure the lower of the two. Like standing in two checkout lines to see which moves fastest.
posted on March 1, 2002 07:37:32 AM new
A bid is a bid is a bid.
I have the same thing happen with a bidder wanting to back out and emailing me near the end of the auction to say so.
This is their way of putting their responsibility on you. If there had been time, I would have told them to cancel their bid - and not do it for them. That way their feedback will reflect the action and if it is a habit, ebay may warn them. (Did you look at this person's feedback?)
In any case, I would continue as normal, and expect payment, and answer the email now, saying you read it too late to do anything.
Another solution: I do believe you can cancel a FVF by mutual agreement, though you will eat the insertion fee.
posted on March 1, 2002 08:18:15 AM new
....."The other bidder had bid 4-5 days ago. I figure they have already found another of the same item and would not be happy to find themselves suddenly winning something they thought they lost a long time ago."......
I would email the winner and repeat this same thing to him and let him know that you in all fairness to the other bidder can not take responsibility for him and his wife's bidding practices and put the responsibility back on him where it belongs......I know if I was the other bidder, I would not appreciate thinking I had lost something....bid on another one and then suddenly find myself being high bidder on 2 of the same......
posted on March 1, 2002 09:04:14 AM new
This happened to me. Sold one item for $10, a few days later the same item for $50. Then I got the email, "my wife bid on this without telling me, I already won one, etc." I let them off the hook. But I wasn't happy about it. Didn't even offer it to the next bidder because the final value was so outrageous.
I doubt they would have paid so it would have come down to just leaving negative feedback with nothing to gain.
posted on March 1, 2002 11:45:40 AM new
Is it too late to e-mail the next highest bidder to see if he's still interested? That got me out of a bind even though some time had gone by. Wouldn't you know it was on the one high-value item I ever listed? It wouldn't hurt to ask.
posted on March 1, 2002 12:44:27 PM new
I tried to contact the 2nd bidder just in case (plus I did have another item I could sell) but their email address is invalid even though their rating is in the mid 70's.
