aladdinsgenie
|
posted on July 20, 2003 09:28:01 PM new
I placed a bid on an item and I was the high bidder for a period of time. All of a sudden the item totally disappeared. I did some scratching around and found out my bid had been canceled and the auction ended. I e-mailed the seller and asked what happened. This was his e-mail back:
"Yes the bid was cancelled b/c someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Sorry!"
My question is - Is this against E-Bay policy?
Thanks.
|
neroter12
|
posted on July 20, 2003 09:33:30 PM new
Alladin,
Im not 100% sure, and the others here will tell you better, but I think you only are allowed specific reasons for ending an auction early and getting another offer outside ebay is not one of them. I know on the cars they state they might have it for sale locally and will pull the auction if they choose.
That seller should have at least lied to you and said it broke or something! IMHO.
|
kiara
|
posted on July 20, 2003 09:43:15 PM new
Here are ebay's rules on this.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/end_early.html
[ edited by kiara on Jul 20, 2003 09:44 PM ]
|
sparkz
|
posted on July 20, 2003 09:47:58 PM new
No, it is definitely not legal. That is a classic case of fee avoidance and his Ebay account could very well be toast if they catch wind of it. Whether a seller agrees or disagrees with this rule is irrelevant. It is an Ebay law that their site will be used for auctions (and the FVF's that go along with auctions) and not as an advertising forum for outside sales.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
|
TheFamilyBiz
|
posted on July 20, 2003 09:56:43 PM new
You ought to ask kindly what the offer was that he couldn't refuse - then let eBay know by forwarding his e-mails to you... They might even ask him for the FVF on that total - wouldn't that be just poetic justice for ya?
|
AuctionAce
|
posted on July 20, 2003 10:19:08 PM new
The seller backs one of my pet theory that jails are for stupid criminals. The seller probably told you the truth but he just as easily could have made up an ebay legal story or ignored your email entirely.
This seller also backs another pet theory of mine that for every 5 ebay transactions there's at least one transaction that has ebay dealt out of the hand.
----------------------------------
-------------- sig file ----------------------------
"Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error."
- Andrew Jackson
|
neroter12
|
posted on July 21, 2003 08:16:30 AM new
Actually if you go and read the rules on it as Kiara provided, the number one thing is
"The Item Is No Longer for Sale"
What could that mean? Any multitude of things?
Surely would have been much more dipolmatic had he fibbed to you and said it was broke or stolen. (Bet u will never bid on that sellers autions again, eh?)
tessa
|
REAMOND
|
posted on July 21, 2003 08:36:14 AM new
This situation demonstrates why a "bid" is not a "binding contract" on eBay. There can be no "contract" when only one party is bound. A seller can cancel bids and close the auction anytime they wish.
At best a bid on eBay is only an offer. The acceptance/rejection of that offer by the seller could be accomplished in many ways.
|
dadofstickboy
|
posted on July 21, 2003 08:54:29 AM new
Report him/her!
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/investigates.html
|
noh2
|
posted on July 21, 2003 10:40:48 AM new
you said the item disappeared??did you look into his completed auctions??is he still registered with ebay??
burgerflipper,you go first!!!!!
|
mjh2
|
posted on July 21, 2003 03:19:57 PM new
This sort of thing happens sometimes in the folk art category when expensive items are offered. Here is how I imagine the "offer": "How much will you take to end the auction now and sell me the piece outright with an immediate paypal transaction?"
|
noh2
|
posted on July 21, 2003 03:24:28 PM new
but the item should not disappear??
burgerflipper,you go first!!!!!
|
aladdinsgenie
|
posted on August 2, 2003 11:17:39 PM new
This person has now been suspended. This must have happened to someone else also. By the the time I reported this person to E-Bay they had already been suspended.
|
jrome
|
posted on August 2, 2003 11:28:00 PM new
Hell ya, it's legal! However, it does violate eBay rules. But it's not against the law. I mean, I'm sure the regulars here know that "legal" is code for abiding by eBay rules. But when something is illegal on eBay, that generally refers to fraud, such as taking payment w/o shipping, and paying for goods with bad checks. There's illegal, and there's against eBay rules. This was against eBay rules. No laws were broken.
|
Twelvepole
|
posted on August 3, 2003 05:22:26 AM new
Good Point Reamond...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND... 
|
stopwhining
|
posted on August 3, 2003 06:43:11 AM new
when ebay suspends a seller,all his auctions are removed from ebay,you would not be able to find them on ebay site.
this is different than seller ending the auction only .
if you want the item ,you can email him and ask if he would sell it to you .
of course if something goes wrong with the deal,you cannot complain to ebay.
-sig file -------They may have ginsu knife,but we have DING KING!!!!
|
Libra63
|
posted on August 3, 2003 08:08:40 AM new
Do you think eBay every once in a while will check up on you? i.e. Received a email from a buyer who wanted to buy a book from me. I received his offer through ask the seller a question but from a different auction. Well, I wrote and told him I would not sell the item off of ebay as I had already listed it and it didn't get bids. What I did tell him I will put it back on with a BIN and he would get it that way. Same price. Well I put the book on and he has not bid. this was 5 days ago. I am leary of those emails so I will not sell that way. I need my eBay account.
|
Twelvepole
|
posted on August 3, 2003 08:42:03 AM new
Libra, I know as a buyer, if I made an offer to buy the item from the seller and was told they would place it back on eBay, it would rot before I bought it.
I sell any time a buyer contacts me... I am not in inventory collecting, just selling.
...and when you look at it on the other side, you paid eBay for your auction... no bids... but with this off site you really have nothing to lose... buyer can't complain if they don't like the item, you don't have to hassle with NPB, and you set all the guidelines...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
|
Libra63
|
posted on August 3, 2003 10:04:38 AM new
Well twelvepole this is the way I work and if he doesn't like it then he doesn't have to bid.
|
Libra63
|
posted on August 3, 2003 10:07:07 AM new
But if ebay is sending the email and I sell it then I would be in violation of FVF.
I need my eBay user ID maybe you don't. I will run my business my way and you can run yours your way. Fair enough.....
|
Twelvepole
|
posted on August 3, 2003 10:13:52 AM new
 fair enough with me... you're the one complaining that he hasn't come back to purchase your BIN item... just letting you know maybe WHY.
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
|
classicrock000
|
posted on August 3, 2003 07:06:04 PM new
twelvepole-I agree with Libra,I wouldnt sell off ebay for exactly the same reason.You never know who's emailing you.What I dont understand is why you would buy it if Libra relisted it with a BIN-your still paying the same price-whats the difference?
|
Twelvepole
|
posted on August 3, 2003 07:16:09 PM new
Because I took the time to email and ask the seller to sell to me... if they relist it, even as a BIN, anyone can buy it before I get to it... and I don't jump through hoops for anyone...
My time is as valuable as anyone else's, if you really wanted to sell, you would.
I have only heard rumours of eBay sending out emails... sort of like the boogey man.
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
|
