posted on December 14, 2000 12:10:13 PM
We wanted to purchase something for Christmas and had been watching an item on Ebay. It was in the last stretched and a good deal. We decided to put in our bid in the last half hr and figured we had won an auction, being it was a dutch auction and 10 were available. Today we find out that our bids were canceled 15 mins. before auction end. The explanation for cancelation: Item out of stock.
To our surprise, the item was relisted as a dutch and again 10 AVAILABLE for a much higher bid. Wow! The audacity of this seller to say that it was only unavailable for 40 mins!!
I'm looking to report this seller. I have the rights, right?
posted on December 14, 2000 12:18:38 PM
I may be wrong, but I think eBay lets sellers decide when and if to cancel bids (or complete any sale).
That seller's actions kinda stink, but I think it is their choice. (But I'd never bid on another of their auctions, and I'd tell them so..)
posted on December 14, 2000 12:31:09 PM
They used to allow it. You might write SafeHarbor and ask. eBay's rules are conflicting. They require sellers to complete an auction once it's listed, but they also allow sellers to cancel bids and end an auction early. Good luck.
posted on December 14, 2000 12:46:12 PMBinding 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.
If you are ending the auction because you no longer wish to sell your item, you must cancel all bids on your auction before it ends. If you do not do so, you are obligated to sell to the high bidder.
You may miss out on just the bid you've been waiting for if you end your auction early. Still, there may be times when you have a valid reason to end an auction. You may stop your auction when you decide not to sell. To do this, you must cancel all bids on your auction before it ends. If you do not do this, you are obligated to sell to the high bidder.
eBay sure doesn't seem to require any special reason to end an auction early. Is it a good idea to do so regularly? Probably not. Is it a suspendable offense? Only SafeHarbor knows for sure.
posted on December 14, 2000 01:09:06 PM
The pathetic thing is if the seller had said something more truthful, like "Error in opening bid" or even "Opening bid set too low" he probably could have avoided all problems.
I mean, avmom, you might be annoyed, but not nearly as upset if the seller simply stated that it was an error rather than giving you complete B.S., right?
And Safeharbor would certainly have no cause for action. But now that the seller clearly lied about it...
posted on December 14, 2000 01:20:30 PM
Agreed - He did what was his right to do but lied to try to make it look better - like he had no choice. Should have just cancelled with no apology or explaination if he felt he had to do so. It would be less damage than lying.
