Anyone else noticed this (Ebay)????

[BigBlockBurris]

Has anyone else noticed that on Evil bay here lately alot of people start "NO Reserve" auctions only to "end it early" because it is no longer for sale? WTF is up with that? If a buyer is responsible after bidding, I think once the first bid is placed if you remove it you should have to pay some $$$$. Its only fair. It seems like people are just testing the waters and If it doesn't bring what they think it should they just pull the plug. Just another reason I am begining to dislike Evil bay. Man, I am thankful for the honest people on this board and for this board!
Just venting.

BBB

[chiphayes]

thanks ,i see that stuff to,and think im the only one to see it.another thing,i buy alot off of ebay,and you shop there for a good deal.almost all of the people show the shippind price upfront .which is great, you can figure that in the cost of the item. the last few things ive bought will say 20 bucks for shipping and handling,i get the product and the shipping tag says $ 8.75,wheres my refund.it happens all the time.

[rage'nrat638]

yea me and my buddy were watching a truck yesterday....
supposed to end at about 12:35 p.m.

boom at 10.30 ended...WTF

[dinnut]

probably because somebody emails them or or they sell it outside of ebay and they cant sell it because they dont own it or its already sold

[truckster]

Actually, I have a friend who sells motorcycle parts on ebay. He does that sometimes- if he isn't getting what he wants, he pulls the plug. Apparently, ebay doesn't care.

[breeh]

I put my Camaro on E-bay and received e-mails from 3 people wanting to buy it off-auction. At first, I felt the same way. That it was an auction and that I should let it run its course. I was thinking that it was only fair to those that were bidding. On vehicle auctions E-Bay gets there money either way. It is basically a flat rate to list and is not based on final value of the auction. It may be bad karma but I am going to sell it to one of the guys who contacted me. He offered a fair price and I am happy. In the end, it is my car and I can sell it to whoever I want to (can't I?).

[jmanz69]

I sometimes list things on ebay and in the paper at the same time. I also put in my auctions that I can end the item early if it is sold before the auction ends. I just did that with a compound bow I had for sale. It went the day after I had it in the paper, so I ended the auction early. No one had bid yet, and even then, if no money changes hands, no one gets hurt or ripped off. I still pay ebay even if I end it early. They get their money. Also, I hardly ever list the shipping cost of an item in the auction. It is listed as "buyer pays all shipping charges", if they want to know before it ends, then I will figure it based on their zip code. I don't overcharge for shipping, in fact, I get burned on it occasionally. I may figure it with a smaller box than I can find and have to pay an extra buck. I don't charge the buyer for my mistake, I just eat it. Doesn't happen often, but does happen.

[RON WOODGEARD]

This happened to me last week on an Radio Control Auction, It was 10 minutes before the Auction was ending, and I was the High bidder. The guy ended the auction.
Now Granted, I was getting the Item (R/C truck ) Very resonable, But I sell also, And have had two items that went too dang cheap, But Held up my end..

Here's the response I received from the investigation team at E-bay.



Hello Ron,

Thank you for writing in to Safe Harbor with your
concerns, I will be
happy to assist you.

We consider this type of activity to be a form of
fee avoidance, and I
understand the concern this can cause. In order
for me to take action on
your report, please send me the item number and
seller ID for that
auction.

Please be assured that we will be happy to
investigate this issue and
take appropriate action if necessary. If you have
additional questions
please click on the "help" link at the top of
most eBay pages or contact
us at the following eBay page:

[miket]

Brent,



I have done the same....congrats on selling it. Whats next?

[RON WOODGEARD]

Breeh,

Not according to E-bay rules and policies ..
Just a heads up..


Ron

[breeh]

I have been dealing on E-Bay for about 4 years. It is definitely not what it used to be. I have never burned anybody (have been burned occasionally by others though). In this case no money has changed hands. I see many auctions that are ended before they are scheduled too and it does seem to be increasing. If this is to become the standard then why should I hold on to the way things were done in the past? It seems that I am the only one who will end up on the losing end for complying to old standards in an ever evolving marketplace. E-Bay allows ending auctions early and they have positioned themselves to not lose revenue in these cases. If you have never sold a vehicle on E-Bay I would invite you to take a look at how the fees are structured in contrast to just selling parts. I am not selling a $100.00 part but a much higher valued piece of merchandise and I will not be told how to sell it. If E-Bays policies will not allow this then I guess I am done with E-Bay.

Mike,
The next to go is the 71 SWB 4x4. It is not ready yet but when it is it will be offered here first as there are people who have expressed interest. If that is unsuccessful then it will go on E-Bay (if I am not banned ).

Ron,
If you were potentially going to lose $2000.00 on an auction would you still eat it?

[boraxman]

So whats the problem? Its no different than changing youre mind about selling something. Until the item actually sells, all you have is offers. Its youre right as a seller to end the auction at any time. The seller however will lose the listing fee.

[RON WOODGEARD]

Originally posted by boraxman
So whats the problem? Its no different than changing youre mind about selling something. Until the item actually sells, all you have is offers. Its youre right as a seller to end the auction at any time. The seller however will lose the listing fee.

I believe the difference is, As a buyer, if you back out of an offer because you found it down the road for less money You are open to bad feedback, Along with being a deadbeat, But it's not the same way for the seller???

When I offer an item for sale on ebay, I put the opening bid or the Reserve at the least I will take for an Item. If then It doesn't sell, I know I'm asking too much so I'll keep it. ( as in the case of my Charger flip top fuel filler) . And I'm not trying to screw the advertising market out of the Money due them to offer the item on their site. With out that site many of our items wouldn't have sold.

How is it, It's ok to back out of a sale on Ebay, But yet MANY people have been chastized right here on this forum because they changed their minds and backed out of a sale?????!!! Kind of a double standard isn't it???

Personally, I believe it's a matter of honor ! Giving your word, Honoring a handshake..

Guess I'm too Old School for some of you!!


JunkYardjohn held a Shortstep for me because I gave my word, I'd buy it! I BOUGHT it.... Andy (Longhornman sent me a Carb. Before I even sent him the money out, I sent the money!!
Piston, Sent me a Drill Bit, Before He received the money, I sent the Money..

These guys and a few more here will attest I'm sure,I am a man of my word..

You guys can do as you like, I'll Keep my word!! Thank you.

Ron



Breeh,

Would I take a $2000.00 loss on an Item??? IF IT MEANT I'D BREAK A CONTRACT OR MY WORD,,,, You Damned well bet I would !! And I'd walk away poorer in my my pocket, But I'd still be able to look at the face in the mirror. To each his own.

If you asked any of the above if they could trust me, They'd say YES,, I'm proud of that!!!!

Sorry for the Novel ..........

[breeh]

Ron,
Your response is honorable. However, I have not entered a contract nor given my word to any of these "potential" buyers. I also am a man of my word which I believe people here would attest to.

[VTKidder]

I've never been porked by someone ending an auction early, and have also been the guy that sells something for $5 that is worth $50 because I believe in the auction policies; live by ebay, die by ebay. Sometimes you get porked, sometimes you get a good deal.

[TEXAS 68]

The problem is not enough people keep there word or stand behind what they say, I've been burned twice on e-bay and I'm done with that. I would much rather give my money to people from this board. (E-BAY SUCKS) JMO

[LAP]

I was the highest bidder on a 2003 Corvette with 5 seconds to go and the seller stopped the bidding. I was HOT! I checked the legal stuff and the seller can pull the plug anytime they want. Dig around and you will find it. That reserve stuff doesn't really mean anything. I quess the bargin Vette WAS a good deal. Still Truckin'

[jorgensensc]

I have a different point.
I too have ended auctions early when it's not selling, but only if there are no bids.
If you are watching an item, you are not bidding. There is no way to know who is 'watching' the item, even if there was, who cares.It doesn't mean anything.
It's similar to watching a sale at a retail store. If you miss the boat and don't buy the item before it sells out, or goes back up in price, you are screwed. Not everyone offers rainchecks.I have also been offered a fair price to end and auction early before, but I've only agreed if there is only 1 bid and they are making me the offer.
If I say I will buy something, I buy it.
If I say I will sell something, I sell it.
But only if there is an interest.

Just My Opinion though.
And that opinion is subject to change at any time. I also reserve the right to end my opinion at any time

[boraxman]

I also sell on Ebay under Boraxman. I always start my items at $10 and whatever I get is what I get. It is nice to know I have the option to pull the plug if I sell the item aside from auction..not that I ever have I can sure see someones point of not wanting to sell a 2003 Vette for say 25,000 at auction and then have to pay fees on top of that.

[jays68yak]

have you guys also noticed an influx of bidders with 0 feedback bidding on stuff and not paying or contacting you the seller? Ive had 4-5 in the past month. I email them, go throught with the NPB thing, leave negative feedback and never hear a single thing from them. Kinda pissing me off cuz then I have to relist the items or wait for the NPB to run its course so I can sell to someone else. Prob wouldnt mind it some much if it was smaller stuff, but it has been moslty on $80+ buy it now auctions. They always use the buy it now and end my auctions. Really starting to piss me off.

[Duffy]

One of the biggest problems with auctions ending early is people making offers the seller can't refuse. I see this regularly with collectibles. A seller offers an item and isn't sure of its value. A buyer sees it and offers a decent price (in the mind of the seller) for the item if they will end the auction early. Seller thinks "why not, instant money and lower Ebay fees". Buyer is happy because he bought the item for really cheap and didn't get outbid at the last second. It happens all the time.

Duff

[Classic Heartbeat]

By the way, any bidder can retract a bid, just as any seller can retract his item. As long as it is done before the auction ends. Write, wrong or indifferent, these are ebay policies. It is when the item ends with a "winning bidder" that bad feedback for not paying, or selling for that matter can occur. Untill this happens there aren't any contracts implied or otherwise. I have been to public auctions around here where the auction company has pulled the plug because the item being auctioned wasn't bringing the kind of money that they thought it should. I was told in those instances that the item isn't sold untill the auctioneer says, sold!! WES www.ClassicHeartbeat.com

[RON WOODGEARD]

This is copied and pasted.. from the buyers policies section.

Exceptional Circumstances Only

There are, however, a few exceptional circumstances under which you may retract a bid. These are if:
You accidentally enter the wrong bid amount. For instance, you bid $99.50 instead of $9.95.
Note: If this occurs, re-enter the correct bid amount immediately after you retract your bid. If you do not place another bid, the retraction will be in violation of eBay's policy and could result in your suspension.
The description of an item you have bid on has changed significantly.
You can't reach the seller. This means that you tried calling the seller but his or her phone number doesn't work, or you have tried emailing a message to the seller and it comes back undeliverable.
_______________________________

This one comes from the sellers policies section; ( it is indeed very vague)

Reasons for ending listings early include:

* The item is no longer available for sale.
* There was an error in the starting price or reserve amount.
* There was an error in the listing.
* The item was lost or broken.

[RON WOODGEARD]

One of the things as a buyer and seller I would like to see on e-bay is a bid sniping option, In other words, If people are waiting til the last minute to insert a bid, Then it would extend the auction for another 5 minutes, unless another bid comes in. then another extension.

[Spoof]

I've never tried EBay, from what I'm hearing I don't think I will.