posted on September 24, 2003 08:01:48 AM new
HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THIS?
(She won the item for $45)
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Dear eBay Seller:
I've just got my computer up and running again, it's been out of commission for a couple of days. I see you've sent me several emails telling me that I've won your auction and to pay up. I'm truly sorry you had to send me so many, and I will pay you if I have to. It's just that I thought a bid of $3299.00 would have sent red flags up to an experienced seller like you, with almost 4000 sales. As you may have guessed my highest bid was for $32.99.
As soon as I'd made the error, I went to eBays HELP menu and read that due to my typo, I was allowed to retract my bid. However I saw no directions on how to do it! My computer had started acting up so thought I should contact you first. Minutes before the auction was over I sent you an email to let you know what I'd done. I wasn't able to get back to the help menu the pages on my windows wouldn't go away they all looked like duplicates of them selves all fanned out playing cards. I called HP the next day and they said I should do a system restore where I delete every thing from my hard drive, so the computer's like new again. I was too afraid to do it and waited until my husband got back, (last night). This is the first time I've been able to get back online. Please I hope you can help me to fix this. I know your honest people due to your 99.5 positive feedback record. So I'm going to count on you also being nice. Please can you help me? I still can't find how to do a bid retraction. Is it too late?
posted on September 24, 2003 08:12:41 AM new
I had a friend of the family do that same thing, found some golf clubs right before the auction ended and meant to bid 150. but ended up putting in a bid of 1500. Of course they won but it was for the reserve of something like 350.00. And as it was seconds before the auction ended they could not retract the bid. they had contacted the seller (same explanation as yours) and the seller had not contacted them. They were worried about getting a NPB filed against them. I told them to just take the neg if the seller felt they had to give one and move on, not to worry about it. And then I explained how aggravating it is for the seller to have to get their fees back, etc etc.
The nice thing to do would be to mutually agree not to complete the transaction.
I just thought I'd point out that I know it can happen and has.
I think showed them how to sign up for Esnipe so their eager little fingers don't mistakenly hit any extra keys trying to put their bid in seconds before the auction ends.
posted on September 24, 2003 08:23:12 AM new
This is sad. I'll bet this buyer won't ever do that again. Once is enough!
Evidently this buyer doesn't realize that we sellers don't see the high proxy bid, like the thousands she put in, which just brought her final price up a bit.
I'd give her a break, somehow work it out--maybe bring her halfway up from her $32 to about $38 (to cover your additional fees, etc.) I would definitely take pity on her. Maybe I'm just a softie.
___________________________________
"Practically speaking, a life that is vowed to simplicity, appropriate boldness, good humour, gratitude, unstinting work and play, and lots of walking, brings us close to the actually existing world and its wholeness." --Gary Snyder
posted on September 24, 2003 08:43:55 AM new
i would just tell her she won the item at 45 ,not 3 thousand plus dollars,she should be thrilled.
-sig file -------The thrill is gone!!
posted on September 24, 2003 08:51:47 AM new
What is her fb like? Newbie or enough transactions to know?
I think I'd tell her I'd offer her the item for 40.00 and if that didn't sound agreeable to her, you like to offer it to the next highest bidder, as the bidding did reach up to 45.
Of course, you then run the chance of NHighBidder not wanting it, and possibly out the sale, but you could relist and maybe do better....
I used to be a softie, but so many are just jerking us around. Maybe I am wrong, but I would not give it her for 32.99.
If she thinks youre an experienced seller, then she should know that sellers can't see the proxy bid. (I don't like that part of the email. Its sound manipulative.)
You could be nice about it. But if it were me, I think I stand somewhere close to the winning bid with it. JMO
posted on September 24, 2003 09:06:46 AM new
I had this happen to me a few years ago. The people were extremely apologetic, and NOT manipulative, which I feel that this buyer is. They asked me if there was anything that they could do to compensate me short of buying the item. I asked if they would be willing to reimburse me for the listing fees, etc. and a check was in the mail the next day.
Mike
posted on September 24, 2003 09:10:03 AM new
Apparently she only wanted to bid and meant to place a $32.99 bid that was erroneously turned into a $3299 proxy bid.
If the final price was $45 there should be at least one other bidder that you can Second Chance offer the item to. Have you considered that option yet?
-------------- sig file ----------- Most costume jewelry is unsigned. After all, the vast majority of it was made to be worn a few times, then discarded. It wasn't made to be durable. --- The Fluffster
posted on September 24, 2003 09:10:06 AM new
I would agree to cancel the auction by mutual agreement and offer to next highest bidder or relist. Mistakes do happen..no matter how experienced or inexperienced the buyer is. The scenario sounds very plausible. especially if the buyer does not have other bid retractions or neg FB for the same sort of mistake. I'd hate to "stick" anyone with something they are not comfortable with.
I know that I once placed a bid in a European auction for my husband and didn't realize that the "comma" and "decimal point" mean different things in Euro currency and had to retract when my high bid translated to THOUSANDS and I had 1,000+ FB's at the time. And then we have my sister's cat (an earlier thread) who bid on a $1000+ diamond ring for her in an eBay "live auction" by doing a "keyboard dance" while she was dusting....The sellers in both instances were very understanding.
posted on September 24, 2003 09:46:11 AM new
As I am sure all have guessed by now, I have little sympathy for these people.
Why?
Because you have to screw up TWICE to misbid. Not just once.
First you enter an amount sans decimal point....3299. And you press the enter button, which is *right below* the text box. You can't help seeing what's in the box.
Then, on the next page, your bid is presented for your review, and you have to confirm it.
If it were a matter of "oops, I pressed the wrong button" I'd be entirely understanding.
But given the deliberate safeguards built into the eBay bidding process, I am skeptical of stories such as the literary masterpiece from dcpent's bidder. There are too many details. dcpent's bidder needs to learn how to lie better.
Our motto: Bright and shiny baubles for persons with low impulse control.
[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Sep 24, 2003 09:47 AM ]
posted on September 24, 2003 09:57:47 AM new
I offered it to the runner up and he declined, said he found something else.
Her feedback is 50 or so, all positive, going back about 1 year, no retractions.
Her bid was placed about 20 minutes before the close, so I don't think a retraction is allowed.
I didn't believe her story. It seemed she had buyers remorse and was just making stuff up to back out.
Even if you believe the story. I don't understand why she would make a fuss about the difference It was clearly her error, she intended to pay $33 but actually it's $45, any honorable person would just pay it, why whine to get someone else to compensate for your error. I don't understand why people can't take responsibility for their own actions.
posted on September 24, 2003 10:45:08 AM new
I believe her story, and her letter sounds exactly like mine would do if I were trying to explain what happened. I could do the same thing myself- yes, EVEN with the double- click failsafe. It's part of why I hardly ever buy on ebay
Maybe a tiny tad manipulative- but I'd be as persuasive as I could be, too.
I'd find a deal for her, if it were me.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on September 24, 2003 10:55:00 AM new
No matter what the buyers on ebay seem to hold most of the cards. If they do not want to buy an item they won it's almost impossible to make them pay. If the seller leaves a neutral or negative feedback they may receive the same in retaliation. If the sellers leaves nasty emails and threats they risk retaliation of auction tampering. Even posting an NPB is somewhat risky but at least the seller gets the FVF back and gets to indirectly warn other sellers by leaving a strike on their six month running average NPB record.
It's better to block the bidder from future bids and move on. You're out two sets of insertion fees though.
-------------- sig file ----------- Most costume jewelry is unsigned. After all, the vast majority of it was made to be worn a few times, then discarded. It wasn't made to be durable. --- The Fluffster
posted on September 24, 2003 12:21:15 PM new
she had said, "As soon as I'd made the error, I went to eBays HELP menu and read that due to my typo, I was allowed to retract my bid. However I saw no directions on how to do it!" ... I just went into ebay Help and typed "mistake bid" in their Search field, and yep, there IS a place on that pop-up box that gives you the Bid Retraction form. .... she sure wasted a lot of breath trying to weasel out of it, eh?
Remember to not leave feedback for her until she does.
posted on September 24, 2003 12:40:37 PM new
She wanted to pay $33, but won it for $45. For a lousy 12 bucks, she gives you the big song and dance, complete with the overdramatic emails,yada yada yada. How much time is she devoting to a lousy $12? She makes herself look stupid in the email. Pretty pathetic when a person's self respect isn't worth 12 dollars. Just pay it, and take it as a lesson learned. You don't make yourself look like an idiot over $12.
