posted on February 14, 2001 07:52:53 PM
Gotta question:
I bid on a pricey item for my son's birthday and after I bid I decided to browse the feedback of the seller. He had 100+ fb with about 6 negs...4 were pretty recent...and had to do with people not getting their items, but he had good comments too, that were recent...so I emailed the seller just to touch base with them on when they shipped (ie: 1 x per week or every day, etc, and also for my peace of mind to get a sense of how the seller was) I emailed him 2 times and both times the emails bounced back to me. I decided it was a risky bid and decided to retract. I just got an email from him saying he is turning me into ebay for bidding and then lying to cancel my bid (which i did not do) Any comments on that? Does this happen frequently? sellers getting mad about a legit retraction. I've retracted 2 other times, once when I first signed up for ebay because I bid on the wrong item a person had up for auction, so I canceled that one and bid on the other item, and once because the description changed. Now this....am I out of line?? The bid only went down by $4 anyhow, so he didn't lose that much!
[ edited by joelyfaith on Feb 14, 2001 08:02 PM ]
posted on February 14, 2001 07:59:05 PM
No - I think you did the right thing. I think that one of the reasons Ebay will allow for retraction is if you can't verify the seller's identity.
If his e-mail bounced and you tried twice I think you will be ok. If Ebay should warn you though I would send them a copy of the bounced e-mails
posted on February 14, 2001 08:00:19 PM
In my opinion, you aren't out of line at all! I would get concerned because of the negs combined with the returned emails. Now he contacts you and is freaking out??? That kind of adds to the pile of potential crap!
posted on February 14, 2001 08:04:27 PM
well that's kinda what I thought! I don't know why they bounced though, I got an email from him, from that email account (I think) anyhow so maybe it wasn't his fault they bounced, maybe he is legit, but it was $75 bid and that's a pricey bid to me! BTW my top post was edited for (piece of mind~to~peace of mind) LOL
posted on February 14, 2001 08:04:53 PM
I've had bid retractions on my auctions a total of 3 times, and they each ticked me off! ) They were really lame excuses, however, and seemed to be from people who were deliberately insulting my item and description because they were also sellers of the same kind of thing. In each case, I emailed them explaining the importance and seriousness of bidding and what reasons eBay finds valid for bid retraction. All 3 bidders were newbies with little feedback and shades (so I assume they were newbies).
I think the seller went overboard threatening to report you to ebay (or actually doing it), although I think he had the right to. A simple warning would have been better, but his overreaction might be a reason he's gotten poor feedback lately. Maybe he's just a meanie! )
posted on February 14, 2001 08:07:28 PM
Well I am not a newbie, I have a feedback rating of 98 no negs. I feel that I am a responsible bidder. I purchase quite often, but that was a large amount for me, and I didn't just want to "GIVE" $75 away....
posted on February 14, 2001 08:07:36 PM
If you had a really good reason, and it seems you did, retraction is the way to go. Sometimes people just change their minds. I have been selling on Ebay for almost 2 years. I have had maybe 6 bidders retract. That DOES NOT BOTHER ME.
A seller has to understand. If the bidder is forced to buy, which he can not be, then a "FEEDBACK WAR" starts. That is not good business for the seller.
You did the right thing. Ebay will DO NOTHING to you for retraction. It is YOUR RIGHT to do so. Do not let this seller bother you. He can not harm you in any way.
Keep being a SMART BUYER! That will make your Ebay experiences happy ones. Honest and trustworthy sellers would rather you retract you bid if you are not satisfied before the auction ends. I know I would appreciate it !
posted on February 14, 2001 08:10:39 PM
Well, hopefully he'll get over it. But it is important to check ratings before bidding, especially with expensive things. Good luck!
posted on February 14, 2001 08:14:56 PM
You know I KNOW you are right, and usually I do that, but I saw that 100+ fb and immediately thought 'good seller' forgetting that even those with high feedback can have their problems...etc...my bad there, but I still feel I was not in the wrong to retract...I don't know what he's complaining about anyhow. I'm sure I would have been outbid anyway...I think it will go for in excess of $100
posted on February 14, 2001 09:14:16 PM
I've had two retractions - one last night that upset me - not because of the retraction, but because of the reason and what it appeared to be. (the item has bids and it will sell - I'd rather have the retraction, not a NPB)
What bothered me was the reason - 'bid wrong amount'. This is not a newbie - feedback of 150+. I checked his feedback out of curiosity and found that in the last 7 days he had 18 retractions! That's the part that got me - he also has a lot of items that he is bidding on - it appears that he puts in a high bid to see what the max of the previous bidder is - then retracts if it is too high. (Which doesn't make sense to me - just bid to what your max is - if the other person's proxy is higher - move on!)
posted on February 14, 2001 09:40:18 PM
You did OK on backing out of a risky venture... However... You should've made your research on the seller before making any bids.
posted on February 14, 2001 10:22:25 PM
Ihad a bid retracted about a month ago. I was ticked until I went to the bidding history and saw the reason. It was an administrative bid cancellation. Ebay had naru'd the guy.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on February 14, 2001 10:40:00 PM
I have never retracted a bid, but that doesn't mean I may not have to one day.
I would forward the email to safeharbor (ha. ha.) and tell them you felt threatened.
Plus I would, if I were you, get to know the "watch" feature, it's your "friend."
posted on February 15, 2001 05:27:16 AMjmjones6061: I would write eBay and give them the information on that guy. I once had someone retract on me who had 15 or so retractions in the last 30 days. I wrote to eBay asking how many retractions would be considered excessive? They would not give me a definite number, but they did tell me they warned the buyer regarding bid retractions. I then became that guy's worst nightmare. I kept his bidding bookmarked and checked every day. He didn't retract any more bids for about six weeks. Then I check his auctions one morning and there were 10 bid retractions overnight. I e-mailed eBay again and included their previous correspondenace to me. He was NARU'd within the day.
I was selling a single pack of baseball cards, listing in the single pack category. His reason for retracting was that he thought he was bidding on a box of cards. If he had given me a legitimate excuse, such as I bid the wrong amount or something similar, I probably wouldn't have had a second thought.
posted on February 15, 2001 05:28:19 AMjmjones6061: I would write eBay and give them the information on that guy. I once had someone retract on me who had 15 or so retractions in the last 30 days. I wrote to eBay asking how many retractions would be considered excessive? They would not give me a definite number, but they did tell me they warned the buyer regarding bid retractions. I then became that guy's worst nightmare. I kept his bidding bookmarked and checked every day. He didn't retract any more bids for about six weeks. Then I check his auctions one morning and there were 10 bid retractions overnight. I e-mailed eBay again and included their previous correspondenace to me. He was NARU'd within the day.
I was selling a single pack of baseball cards, listing in the single pack category. His reason for retracting was that he thought he was bidding on a box of cards. If he had given me a legitimate excuse, such as I bid the wrong amount or something similar, I probably wouldn't have had a second thought.
posted on February 15, 2001 05:38:02 AM
tO BEAT A DEAD HORSE. I have a feed back of over 300 as a buyer and seller. I realize that people sometimes change their minds. While the rules say that you cannot retract a bid and you have to buy it yhink o f the flexibility you would like to have. I go to many live auctions and people sometimes retract their bids. The auctioneer is usually quite upset but often lets them do it once as he wants that person to come to another auction. Don't get too upset with this guy and go on with life. If he chooses to drag it out then bring ebay in on it. As a lesson for the future. Be sure to contact the seller before you bid to feel comfortable with him. Don't get a reputation for this and be especially careful about retracting bids on auctions where your bid showed the reserve.
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
) They were really lame excuses, however, and seemed to be from people who were deliberately insulting my item and description because they were also sellers of the same kind of thing. In each case, I emailed them explaining the importance and seriousness of bidding and what reasons eBay finds valid for bid retraction. All 3 bidders were newbies with little feedback and shades (so I assume they were newbies).