so steamed!!! bad ebay bidder(s)

V

vgriffin

Registered Guest
i put up an auction for a heart of the ocean (you know, the j. peterman reproduction of the necklace rose wore in titanic).

$225 to open (iirc) and $275 BIN.

a bidder with 0 feedback bids on it three times, then emails me to ask why he/she can't buy it ("i wanna buy it NOWWWW!!!"). i explain the auction now has to run its course.

then, a bidder with 87 fb (and who is a +heavy+ jewelry bidder, and bids on a lot of fantasy/romantic reproductions...lord of the rings tiaras, etc.) bids. the 0 fb bidder then bids multiple times, trying to find and beat the 87 fb bidder's max. the auction now stands at $403.

then, 0 fb bidder emails me and tells me to cancel her/his bids, as he/she purchased the necklace through another seller via BIN.

more time passes.

then i notice that the 87 fb bidder (the $400 bidder) has purchased another heart of the ocean necklace in another seller's BIN, for $300. i check the times of that bidder's (username objet) bid on my necklace (feb 2, 14:40) and that user's BIN time (feb 2, 14:42).

tonight, feb <b>5</b> (!!!), objet emails me to say that he/she apologizes, but will have to withdraw the bid. apologies because he/she got confused with my auction and another auction.

then, emails me +again+ to say that he/she didn't actually purchase the BIN necklace from the other seller.


i'm so mad. you don't accidently place a bid and then do BIN two minutes later for the same item.

i'm not a hardass. i know people make mistakes. but this is weasel territory.

i ended the auction with the high bid in place. i don't think i'll get my money, but we'll see.


anyone experience anything like this?


cheers :(
 
Ugh! I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. I haven't had that happen - but I'm afraid it's only a matter of time. I would let both bidders know how disappointing this is. I'm not sure what you can do since you ended the listing early - what was the reason you used? If it was the "ended early to sell to current high bidder", I hope those ebay greedmongers don't try to take fees. If you did use that reason, you might have to file an NPB - make sure to check out your current ebay billing.

I soooo hope that someone pays up - but it's not sounding good. :mad: Sending huge vibes!

-Melanie
 
That's such a major bummer to deal with!! I can't say I have ever had to experience that situation, but my sympathy is right there with you anyway. I really hope this has a nice happy ending for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed!!

Good Luck & deep breaths,

Maureen
 
For the future, I know ebay allows you to block bidders that have negative feedback , -1, etc, but would have to double check if they allow you to block 0 FB bidders. Many sellers require 0 FB bidders to email them before bidding. I don't, but sometimes email the new bidder in a friendly way

"Hi, I noticed you were new to ebay. Welcome! I know the system can sometimes be confusing, so if you should have any questions about bidding on my auction, please let me know. I would be happy to help you with any technical questions. .." and then i reiterate that a bid is binding and how to proxy bid. Usually, I get a friendly response back about how they were glad to have found the auction etc , but if they are really not serious, I often see a retracted bid.

(and they want you to cancel their bid instead of them retracting it so it doesn't show up on their track record, I would guess, or they just don't know)

Personally, I have had wonderful experiences with 0 feedback bidders. A lot of them are new to ebay but not new to online shopping. Unfortunately, just like bidders with high feedback or sellers, there is a rotten apple in every barrel. There are people that think its like a regular store where you buy something, and see something they like better at another store and return the first item. Some also don't understand that ebay is a bunch of smaller sellers and they are not buying "from ebay". (it is true!)

If the auction had run its course, you could have sent the high bidder a "notice of an unpaid item" and they would be obligated to resolve it. With ending the auction, they really are not obligated to pay you, but I really hope that they do! (unless i am misunderstanding and the auction did end on its own)

Chris
 
melanie, maureen and chris :) thanks so much for the tea and the sympathy. :)


i think i might not have explained this as clearly as i could --- the problem bidder is the one with 87 feedback (username objet).

i ended the auction early, with the "agreed to sell to high bidder" reason. i had no problem with that reason, as a bid is a contract and an agreement to purchase an item at that price.

if objet (87) refuses to pay, i can give negative feedback, file a NPB, and not get nicked. if i had not been so swift to end the auction, objet could have pulled out and received nothing more than one measely "bid retraction" on her/his record. i have more protection this way, and i didn't take advantage or bend the rules in any way. objet's bid/agreement to pay was $403, regardless of when the auction ended.

i'm not a hardass, but it's pretty obvious what this person was doing. okay. i'm going to name call...."jerk!"

whew. that felt better.


cheers :)
 
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