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eBay Conduct - 1


Dutch

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In a previous thread, regarding the cancellation of an eBay auction Woody stated , “It's supposed to finish when the bidding is done, period.” Peter (BigSix) agrees with Woody. My opinion is different. What are others’ opinions based on the following hypothetical: 1) You place your tractor up for sale on eBay in a 7 day auction. 2) Someone calls and wants to inspect the tractor. 3) When the person arrives the auction has 3 more days to go, the high bid is $300. 4) The person likes the tractor, is ready to take it immediately, and offers $600 cash. 5) You know the auction may not exceed $300, or it may exceed $600. 6) The high bidder may turn out to be a “dead-beat”. 7) You may have to get involved in shipping hassles. If you were the seller, what would you do? Take the $600 and say goodbye to the tractor, or take your chances and let the auction run till the end?
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I would leave it on auction as a matter of principle. I just wouldn't feel right about pulling it, UNLESS I stated in the item description that the unit was for sale locally, and I reserve the right to end the sale at any time. I am an eternal optimist, and with three days left, would feel that the $600 offer would at least be met, if not beaten. If a person is serious about selling, probably the safest way is to set the reserve unrealistically high. If the high bid is acceptable to you, you can contact the bidder and make an arrangement of some kind. Pat
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I have friends who are auctioneers, for whom I have been a ring man for on occasion. This question has come up at times, and from what I understand it is a perfectly acceptable practice to withdraw an item from a sale. This is usually done in two ways. First, is to withdraw the item BEFORE the sale starts. Or, to buy the item back during the sale, (usually means you just have to pay the commision). I realize that e-bay works a bit differently. In relation to the topic at hand I would have to say that withdrawing the item is ok. I would rather see it withdrawn early, than having the seller neglect on the contract because the final price was too low. At this rate whoever has bid on the item hasn't "lost" anything...but the opportunity to buy something at a good deal. On the other side...if one could not withdraw items it may make people do their homework, and think twice before putting things up for auction. That is try selling the item by other means first, and use the auction as the last resort. Only my humble opinion SimpleMan
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I did pull an item once. I only had it on ebay for about a half day when some gave me a reasonable offer for the item. I had received no bids at the time I pulled the item. I was going to use "Buy It Now" anyway, but ebay would not let me without having had at least 10 feedbacks or something like that so I couldn't use the Buy It Now option....To answer you question though, I don't think I would pull the item if it already had bids on it, unless the item became damaged or I had some other extenuating circumstances. Brent
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I've been in that predicament twice now and both times I left it on Ebay to sell. Once I got more money than was offered, the other less. I have a lot of repeat buyers now and I would just as soon not start pulling things off that I have already listed.Could maybe make more money that one time an item might be pulled , but what about in the long run when word gets around that you are in the habit of yanking items your bidders are bidding on.???
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to be technical about it, Isn't there a blurb when you list an item (I never read it) that says something, like " by listing this you are bound to sell it if the auction conditions are met?" actually here it is: 5.2 Binding Bids. Except for items listed in a category under the Non-binding Bid Policy, if you receive at least one bid at or above your stated minimum price (or in the case of reserve auctions, at or above the reserve price), you are obligated to complete the transaction with the highest bidder upon the auction's completion, unless there is an exceptional circumstance, such as: (a) the buyer fails to meet the terms of your listing (such as payment method), or (b) you cannot authenticate the buyer's identity. Of course the ebay police can only do so much, thankfully ;) It's the worlds largest garage sale, Used to be much more fun without the heaps of rules there is now... How would you like it if the sheriff stopped by your garage sale to make sure you were doing things properly? Nothing like sending some trinket half way around the world, and the buyer thanking you repeatedly. -R [A href='http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-user.html']http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-user.html[/a]
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I think this applies more directly to this issue......[A href='http://webhelp.ebay.com/cgi-bin/eHNC/showdoc-ebay.tcl?docid=277&queryid=end_auction_early']http://webhelp.ebay.com/cgi-bin/eHNC/showdoc-ebay.tcl?docid=277&queryid=end_auction_early[/a]
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While I haven't had to face Herb's hypothetical, I feel that by listing an item for a 7 day auction I'm bound to let it run until the time's up. I've had offers during auctions to end them early - I'd have made more $ if I had, but I think I sleep better this way. I think back to Jr. High Busness Law Class, for example, if you offer something for sale for $5 and you get an offer of $5, you're obligated to sell it - you can't say "well, I guess I want $10", or "I've changed my mind and don't want to sell it anymore". I feel that once you put it up on the block, you're obligated to follow through. John(ri)
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I feel that if you list it,its a contract to sell it but,if you have a offer on an item before there are bids then I see nothing wrong with ending the auction. In my opinion it should be treated the same as biding on an item...If you bid thats a contract to buy it.Turn the table around,and say the seller gets a bid that met reserve ect. and the buyer backs out.Thats would be a negative feedback from me. mowerman1193
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