ajbooks9000
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posted on December 4, 2003 09:54:28 AM new
I just ended an auction early because the item had reached it's fair market value. Stupidly, I didn't try to contact the high bidder before doing so.
Now, I find his email address is invalid. The bidder has been registered since 10/2000 has a feedback of four -- all positive. All feedback is from the fall of 2000.
It seems the bidder just forgot to update their email. I started to "turn them in" to ebay for and invalid email address, but the language in the form scared me off. This seems most likely to have just been an oversight on the bidder's part. I don't want to them in trouble.
Should I "turn them in" or just request their phone number etc? Does it make any difference?
Thanks in advance!
AJ
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 09:59:55 AM new
What is "Ended an auction becuase it reached the fair market value"
I thought the ending price established the fair market value.
And is there 1 reason why you wouldn't report the invalid contact info.
Sorry I am grassly confuzzled
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dcpent
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:21:27 AM new
Some people don't change their email address because Ebay insists on a credit card. For example if a user opens an ebay account with an AOL email, then no credit card is required. Later if they drop AOL, and start using a Yahoo Email address then Ebay will ask for a credit card to make the change. So they dont change it on ebay. But they can continue to bid. I have heard this story many times. Check their other bidding they are probably bidding on other items. Eventually they will contact you from a new email address.
[ edited by dcpent on Dec 4, 2003 10:22 AM ]
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neglus
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:34:18 AM new
I don't understand the part about ending the auction early...did you plan to sell outside of ebay? Why not let the auction run its course or list with a fixed price to start with?
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CBlev65252
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:38:04 AM new
If you ended the auctione early, this person is under no obligation to buy the item from you. Sounds like you shot yourself in the foot. You should let it run its course. If it sells for higher than you expected, that should cheer you up instead of worrying you. I've had items go ridiculously high just because two people wanted the one item. Sure, I felt bad - for about 5 minutes.
Edited to add: Since you technically have no transaction with this bidder, I don't think you can get their personal information. I wouldn't turn him in either since this is not a legitimate transaction. Why put eBay on to yourself? What you did could be considered fee avoidence in eBay's eyes. A big no, no.
Cheryl
http://tinyurl.com/vm6u
[ edited by CBlev65252 on Dec 4, 2003 10:40 AM ]
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:42:37 AM new
"If you ended the auctione early, this person is under no obligation to buy the item from you"
That's would be horse poo,if the seller used the end this auction early with teh sell to teh high bidder option.
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CBlev65252
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:45:35 AM new
horsey88
Please, no horsey poo! I have enough other crap to walk around.  I didn't know there was that option. I think I ended an auction early once and that was only because I made an error in the listing. Good to know that option exists!
Cheryl
http://tinyurl.com/vm6u
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:49:56 AM new
Site map ...End my listing early..Ending Your Listing Early<BR>
Use this form to end your listing early. But remember - lots of bidders wait until the very last minute to bid. You may lose potential buyers by ending your listing early. <BR>
If you have bids on this listing, or if the Reserve Price has been met, you must cancel all bids or SELL TO THE HIGH BIDDER(s). You may CHOOSE on the next page. (Note: This does not apply if you are ending a listing in eBay's Real Estate category using the Ad Format, because no bidding occurs in this format).
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ajbooks9000
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posted on December 4, 2003 10:57:34 AM new
dcpent:
Thanks! You were right, he's already contacted me. Guess I jumped the gun.
Just never had that happen before.
Horsey:
re: Fair market value. When an item reaches a price where the person could obtain it elsewhere. I'll end the auction. At that point, I've made a buck and the customer does not feel cheated.
Usually, this isn't a factor, as I try to offer mostly items that aren't easily obtainable elsewhere -- at least not at the time of listing.
I agree with you that, generally speaking, the end of the auction price does establish fair market value.
No reason not to turn them. This wording just scared me a bit:
Disciplinary action relating to an invalid email address may result in the indefinite suspension of an eBay member's account, temporary suspension, or a formal warning.
Even if they do soften it with:
eBay will consider the circumstances of an alleged offense and the user's trading records before taking action.
It just sounds harsh. "Guilty until proven innocent" kind of language. That's all.
(edited to fix italics -- hopefully)
[ edited by ajbooks9000 on Dec 4, 2003 10:59 AM ]
[ edited by ajbooks9000 on Dec 4, 2003 11:25 AM ]
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neglus
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:00:21 AM new
Wow I never knew you could do that! I thought ending the auction early just wiped it out. Amazing the things one learns here!
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sanmar
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:01:29 AM new
"Fair makt value"?? You7 don't like to make money. This is an auction, right? Well fair market value is set by the bidders. That is yhe way an auction works. An item is worth what someone will pay for it.
[ edited by sanmar on Dec 4, 2003 11:03 AM ]
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:16:43 AM new
ajbooks9000..Excuse me I am still confuzzled ...If you take of Fair market value is: When an item reaches a price where the person could obtain it elsewhere.At that point, I've made a buck and the customer does not feel cheated.
<BR>If any seller or Walmart did that then they would be bankrupt in a flash.
By your own description you are chaeting the seller since they could buy it from your source for less than they are paying you.
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ebayvet
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:36:26 AM new
I also would not end an auction early because it reached fair market value - This is an AUCTION! If I were the underbidder, I might be pissed that I didn't have the chance to up the bid. Early on in the game (and this was before ebay) I felt bad if something had been bid pretty high. This didn't last too long, I look forward to these auctions. I don't want to gouge, but it is an auction, nobody is forcing ANYONE to actually place a bid, and in a lot of these cases it becomes less about winning an item, but beating the other guy. I can't imagine you are really building that much good will. If you want things to stay under a certain price, why not post it as a fixed price listing instead of an auction?
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ajbooks9000
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:42:16 AM new
By your own description you are chaeting the seller since they could buy it from your source for less than they are paying you.
Hmmm. I think you meant cheating the buyer not the seller. That would only be the case if my bidder found the item first. They didn't.
I'm an opportunistic rag-picker when it comes to obtaining inventory, and don't mind selling for the average price or a bit beyond the average selling price. But I don't like selling $30.00 items for $200.00. I've done that in the past and can't live with the guilt.
Sanmar said it best. I don't like money.
Not money with a guilty conscious anyway.
It's just the way I do business. No one else has to agree.
Not that it's relevant, but Wal-Mart will match any competitor's advertised price.
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ajbooks9000
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:52:03 AM new
If I were the underbidder, I might be pissed that I didn't have the chance to up the bid.
That's a good point.
in a lot of these cases it becomes less about winning an item, but beating the other guy. I can't imagine you are really building that much good will.
Maybe you're right. I may be rethinking this strategy. If I can keep from feeling horribly guilty about it. THANKS!
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ebayvet
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posted on December 4, 2003 11:54:34 AM new
You sound like a good person - Maybe try the fixed pricing thing, or possibly give a gift or rebate on shipping, that will definitely build more good will and may ease your guilt a bit.
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 12:03:40 PM new
The deeper this thread goes the more confuzzled I am.
If this isn't a definite troll why aren't you selling the items by FP or BIN since you know your fairmarket value before the listing starts and doing so would not run the risk of pissing off your customers.
Did you address the issue that by your standrads you are still cheating your customers since they can by it cheaper from your source ??
If you did it went over my head.
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horsey88
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posted on December 4, 2003 12:07:44 PM new
Alibooks...I am from Missouri..Can you SHOW ME the item number ?
Never mind !!
I found the auction that ended early at $32.01
Your logic escapes me
[ edited by horsey88 on Dec 4, 2003 01:32 PM ]
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