posted on December 4, 2000 04:35:12 PM new
Argh, I really hate people that contact me and try to get one of my items for under the current auction price. It really pisses me off! Except that this is a unique situation.
I have an auction going for 50 dollars (my current batch of auctions is ending in under 2 hours, for your reference). This person contacted me on Wednesday to coordinate the sale for 70 dollars. Of course I was more then pleased and offered more widgets at cheaper prices if he wanted.
He eventually backed out and said he would bid on the auction. I was fine with that. Now he JUST e-mailed me saying if I would take 40 dollars for it. HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He automatially assumed that since no one has bid on it yet, it won't sell. And if no one does bid, that is OK with me. There is no way I would sell it for under 50 dollars and I would be happy to relist.
Just the nerve of this person to do that... he said he was going to bid on the auction to! He might end up doing so due to anticipation, eh?
posted on December 4, 2000 08:02:57 PM new
Sounds like you were open to negotiating outside the auction framework while you were discussing the $70 sale, right? And even offered "more widgets at cheaper prices."
So what's to prevent the potential buyer from attempting to negotiate a better deal with you?
Reminds me of the old saw where a man approaches a woman in a bar and offers to pay $50,000 for her services. As soon as the woman agrees, the man lowers his offer to $5 for the same deal. "How dare you!" the woman exclaims in righteous outrage. "Madam, we already determined what business you are in," says the man. "Now we're just getting down to price."
You throw away the rule book, don't complain if you don't like the results.
posted on December 4, 2000 08:20:08 PM new
HCQ, very funny. HA!
Sg52, yes except the customer already agreed to pay $70 so the seller would end the auction early. Then the customer dragged his feet, waiting to see how bidding would go, and eventually lowered his offer. In my book the customer failed to abide by an existing verbal contract.
Now if the bidding happened to go up to $100, you can bet the farm that the same customer would insist on closing the deal for $70.
I would write the bloke with the following: "The price just went up to $100 (for you!). Let me know when you're serious."
posted on December 4, 2000 10:02:19 PM new
I think the key point there twinsoft is that the seller offered more widgets for a cheaper price. That makes the $70 null and void. Sounds like the buyer is watching the auction and may make a last minute bid, but was just seeing if he needed to pay $50 0r could he get it for $40... just good negotiating.
Besides if he gets it for the $50, still saved $20, is the seller still going to sell more widgets for cheaper?
Ain't Life Grand...
posted on December 4, 2000 11:04:38 PM new
12pole, I don't see how you figure that, or I don't understand what you mean. The seller offered a discount IF the buyer wished to purchase a quantity. In this case the buyer declined. In what way does that affect the original agreed-upon price of $70 for one widget?
posted on December 4, 2000 11:12:51 PM new"Besides if he gets it for the $50, still saved $20, is the seller still going to sell more widgets for cheaper?"
It's all negotiation until an offer is made and accepted. What happened here is that the buyer gambled the bidding would go higher than $70, and made a pre-emptive offer which was accepted by the seller. I repeat, it's a gamble. Not only did the buyer fail to honor the verbal contract, but added insult to injury by offering the seller half the agreed-upon price, and less than the nimimum bid.
By failing to honor the verbal contract, the buyer showed bad faith dealing and a lack of integrity. I would probably prohibit the buyer from bidding in my auctions, just on principle.
posted on December 4, 2000 11:54:43 PM new
this really is a pain, this year has been the worse to date for this.
we list quite a few auctions, usually we list about 25-30% under retail or book prices on our items, bidding seems to be down this year so far. But if I close 100 auctions you can bet I'll get 5 to 8 people sending me a letter, you thingy didn't get any bids will ya take xx.xx for it. I sell lots of stuff off our web page and still more from people contacting us on the side, I'm open to deals and payment options. I once traded a new 180.00 paint ball gun and over 100.00 in paint balls and CO2 for less than 20.00 of product my cost, I offered so send her some money and she said her son had shot the dog, the cat, and his baby sister in the butt, his sister saw the item and she wanted it, so it was his punishment to forfeit the gun.
anyway, I don't mind knocking off a few bucks after all if I sell it off ebay I don't have any ebay fees. but this year I have had several people that want to haggle, you settle on a price, they say they are going to pay with PayPal or exchangepath and then nothing, send them a payment request, nothing. after 10-20 min worth of emails and checking cost so I know I can sell it for a lower price and they disappear. every person that has approached me this year has offered less than half of my start price, so every offer has started at less than my cost.
another good one this year, I need it now will you end the auction for the price I just bid? when you look the same person has bid on the last 4 identical items and stopped way short of the final price.
posted on December 5, 2000 04:41:03 AM new
Unfortunately, twinsoft, your assumption is based on seller having actually ended the auction upon bidder's offer of $70. I don't see that in seller's story. In fact, seller goes on to say:
He eventually backed out and said he would bid on the auction. I was fine with that. Now he JUST e-mailed me saying if I would take 40 dollars for it. HELL NO!
He automatially assumed that since no one has bid on it yet, it won't sell. And if no one does bid, that is OK with me. There is no way I would sell it for under 50 dollars and I would be happy to relist.
IOW, auction was still running when bidder decided to renegotiate the $70 deal. Seller is out NOTHING.
