Ugh. Sometimes, I hate Ebay.

[estatesale_gary]

I was high bidder on this great mid-century Marc Bellaire pottery punch bowl set on Monday. I was thrilled when I got it for the opening bid of $199. Sadly, I got the following email from the seller today:

Hello Gary,
I'm sorry but I can't sell this for what you paid. I know your going to give me a negative but I made a mistake in how I listed this item. I paid $1,000.00 dollars for this set when I bought it. The packing material cost me $61.00 dollars, the shipping is $126.00, then the ebay and paypal fees. I just can't do it for that. I'm refunding your money. Please accept my aplogies.
Regards,
Bob


I tried to resolve this with the seller but long story short, I filed a complaint with ebay and need to walk away. At the end of the day, I have to remember that this is just a hobby and shouldn't be a source of stress.

 

[launderess]

What A Huge Idiot

Fool should have considered his costs BEFORE listing the auction, not afterwards. That is what reserve price auctions are for.

Pour yourself four fingers of Bourbon and forget about the thing. Know right now you feel as if you have been sucker punched, but things happen for a reason. Maybe this seller is one of those that chucks items into any old box with few scraps of toilet paper as packing material, and you would have ended up with damaged goods.

Oh don't forget to leave the man a nice little bit of feedback detailing his "error". Other eBayers need to know whom they are dealing with.

Cheer up!

L.

 

[whirlcool]

Actually according to Ebay an auction win is a contract to purchase an item from the seller. Ebay will usually enforce this for you.
I have heard of this before, or the excuse that they "lost" the item before the auction ended.
Wheather it be Ebay or Craigslist, the idiots sure do make themselves known!

 

[launderess]

Sadly, But No

Ebay cannot "force" a seller (as opposed to a buyer) to ship merchandise/enforce the contract. All eBay will do is make sure one gets back any funds paid, but other than filing bad feedback that pretty much is the limit.

Long as the seller does not keep money for goods not sent, and or engage in fraud/other violations of eBay's TOS there is little that can be done about sellers who have "remorse".

This sort of thing happens all the time. You notice auctions are cancelled and relisted (with higher opening bids or reserves), or simply cancelled all together. While eBay's TOS says sellers cannot engage in "back door" deals, it happens.

With increased fees and such from eBay, many sellers list items on other venues as well, such as CL or local auctions. This way they can cover all bases, and the best price wins.

L.

 

[polkanut]

Just another reason idiots shouldn't reproduce. Darwin definitely knew what he was talking about.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Maybe you can trade for a $2 Bibles for Mission Marbro lamp???

Fred's doing a Beavis laugh in the background right now.

 

[goatfarmer]

Dumbace had it on there for 7 days, and didn't realize that it was underpriced?

 

[perc-o-prince]

Congratulations on leaving well-deserved negative feedback -- something so many are hesitant to do, or just can't be bothered doing. Hopefully you also gave a "1" for each DSR category as well.

I think his disclaimer in the auction is in complete conflict with what he wrote as his reason for not selling it: "THE REASON I'M SELLING THIS SET NOW WITHOUT A RESERVE IS BECAUSE I'M TAKING MY 85 YEAR OLD MOTHER ON A 1,500 MILE TRIP TO SEE HER SISTER FOR THE LAST TIME. THE COST OF THIS TRIP IS EXPENSIVE AND I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SELL THIS SET TO HELP RAISE THE MONEY I NEED. WHATEVER THE AUCTION BRINGS WILL HELP ME GREATLY. I HOPE THIS WILL APPEASE THE CURIOUS MINDS."

As far as the sale being a legal contract, yes, it is. However, as a facilitator, eBay will only do so much. It would be up to you to file suit for breach of contract. Would you have a winning case? Given everything I see, yes. Would it be worth it? Probably not, but only you can make that determination.

Good luck!

Chuck