"The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why — with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." —Jay Leno
posted on May 1, 2004 08:11:13 PM new
Would I bid on it? Not in a million zillion years. Set aside that I can't imagine why I would ever need a tractor, I wouldn't bid on any auction with the TOS this guy has.
Isn't that $100 deposit against eBay rules? If it isn't, it should be.
posted on May 1, 2004 09:19:18 PM new
[i]This Prequalification process is Copy Right-protected -- Unauthorized users will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law-if displaying this Qualification process before purchasing the rights to it.
[/i]
Ah, sure it is. Like anyone in their right mind would use it. How can you copyright that? Landlords charge deposits so wouldn't they be subject to prosecution by this idiot?
posted on May 1, 2004 09:43:32 PM new
I wouldn't bid on anything he's selling. Not because of the TOS, but because the seller is an idiot. He's paying good money for a bunch of jerks to wreck his auction and chase off bidders with their manifesto, when he could just as easily go through Ebay and make this a prequalified auction for free and screen the potential bidders himself. He's obviously a very inexperienced seller, or a very arrogant one.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on May 1, 2004 10:33:12 PM new
After I post this I am running right over to place my bid. Also isn't against eBays rules to have email addresses in their description page?
posted on May 2, 2004 07:24:47 AM new
I don't think it's against the rules to have email address in the description. I had ebay call me a couple of weeks ago, and one of the suggestions they made was for me to put my phone number in the listings to give buyers a sense of security. I did do it for a car auction which ends tonight, and so far all the calls have been at decent hours of the day (whew)
posted on May 2, 2004 08:57:49 AM new
anybody who would bid has more money than sense! what are some sellers thinking anyway? i see more and more TOS rules that are way out in left field.
why can't they understand that they are not doing bidders a favor by listing their things to sell?
posted on May 2, 2004 09:32:49 AM new
say if i have a tiffany studio dragonfly lamp ,early 20th century and i ask every bidder to prequalify,is 100 dollars too much to ask as a deposit??
i would expect many dealers and serious collectors to be bidding on this lamp.
if a dealer wins,he can sell it for a lot more in his store.
i have seen one going for 12k,if you ever see one in the store,it is easily 30k and up.
so is it worth the time and money to prequalify,i would say yes,if i were a dealer.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on May 2, 2004 04:02:58 PM new
Stop - here is why only a complete idiot would buy into this 100 deposit issue.
Lets go with the Tiffany Lamp.
I launch an auction for a Tiffany Lamp, but require a $100 deposit. You want to bid so you send the deposit. Now, since this is a closed auction you cannot send the payment as being on a ebay item - PayPal will not allow it. Instead you send it as either "Goods-Other" or "Services". At the end of my 10 day auction run to maximize the quantity of bidders I take all of their deposits and pay off my monthly bils, take care of that esky outstanding balance on the Visa card and treat myself to a day at the salon and a new pair of shoes. On the way home, I send you padded envelope with a polaroid of my pretty painted piggies and attach delivery confirmation to it. Now - you lost the auction and you want your money back but well, I don't seem to be answering your emails. You file a PayPal dispute. If you sent your payment as "services" it is automatically delined. If you sent as Goods-Other it is declined shortly after I enter the delivery confirmation number. And since only one of the people involved is actually involved in an Ebay transaction, they, the winner, are the only ones that can leave feedback... oh, and they will get the lamp. Sure you can eventually get your money back if you paid directly from your credit card but I'm long gone with your money.
What you are missing is that this may well be a legit auction however it really does not differ much from the "Nigerian Bank" scheme. You put down a small amount in hopes of walking away with much greater riches.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
Also isn't against eBays rules to have email addresses in their description page? 