Some eBay sellers have no clue!

[leighianson]

I'm pretty disappointed today as I thought I'd made a killer eBay purchase on a Suhr Bella.
The story is I've been pining for a Bella ever since I played one earlier this year.

A few nights ago I saw a Bella on eBay in Europe and I was able to ascertain from the pics that it was a 230V which is the same voltage as here in Australia. He had the amp for a Buy it Now price of $3000US (crazy I know), but a starting bid of $1500US with free international shipping! I put the starting bid on and was the only bidder. I thought great, even if I get charged Import tax when it hits Aussie shores I'll still get a great deal....

But, no, I got the eBay invoice today and the guys put shipping of $1100US! I then contact him with screen shots of his listing which clearly stated free standard international shipping. He then writes back saying $1500 is a rediculous price as he paid much more than that.... So he basically is admitting to jacking up the shipping to make up for a disappointing auction. Even thoufh this is clearly against eBay rules, he cancelled the sale and there's nothing I can do. I did leave very negative feedback but he'll probably just delete his account and start again

 

[T Dizz]

oh hell naw!

 

[rufedges]

You can report him to Ebay. However, I would be cautious of actually trying to obtain the amp from him, I would let it go, but definitely report him.

 

[lang.murphy]

Count your blessings that THAT deal fell through!

 

[WhoJamFan]

Mail him a cat turd(;

 

[leighianson]

I know it could've been much worse but still I was looking forward to the sweetness of the Bella

 

[lowpaygigs]

Some folks either do not understand or underestimate how ebay auctions work. Stuff like this happens not infrequently. Sorry for the frustration OP but you know the line about too good to be true.

 

[Bluesful]

F@c% that!

Report that dude.

 

[Mtnbkr123]

F@c% that!

Report that dude.

I agree 100%. That a-hole should feel some serious heat. If I didn't think he would sabotage the amp, I'd suggest to somehow try to hold the basturd to the deal.

 

[dumbell78]

Report his ass and post his ebay handle so we can avoid the prick.

 

[wreckmark]

What was his feedback rating and how many transactions??

 

[Jahn]

That shipping move isn't even a loophole. Report him to eBay.

 

[guitarman3001]

To play devil's advocate, he probably didn't understand how the ebay auction system works (yes, there are idiots everywhere who can't read and often don't understand what they are reading) and when the sale ended he realized he was going to lose his shirt on the deal. He should have done a little due diligence on his end and I can see him canceling the sale after he realized his mistake was going to cost him a ton of money, but trying to make up for it by adding that ridiculous shipping charge was completely wrong on his part.

 

[Mtnbkr123]

To play devil's advocate, he probably didn't understand how the ebay auction system works (yes, there are idiots everywhere who can't read and often don't understand what they are reading) and when the sale ended he realized he was going to lose his shirt on the deal. He should have done a little due diligence on his end and I can see him canceling the sale after he realized his mistake was going to cost him a ton of money, but trying to make up for it by adding that ridiculous shipping charge was completely wrong on his part.

With respect, I fail to appreciate the reasonableness of this position. If sellers were entitled to back out like this, Ebay would no longer exist due to the lack of certainty. On the flip side, should buyers who change their mind after finding out that they overbid on something they thought was worth more, be entitled to weasel out of the deal? I am not an Ebay purchaser/seller but is there not a minimum bid option? If so, that would have been a pretty simple solution for the seller, as opposed to breaching a legitimate and binding deal.

 

[guitarman3001]

With respect, I fail to appreciate the reasonableness of this position. If sellers were entitled to back out like this, Ebay would no longer exist due to the lack of certainty. On the flip side, should buyers who change their mind after finding out that they overbid on something they thought was worth more, be entitled to weasel out of the deal? I am not an Ebay purchaser/seller but is there not a minimum bid option? If so, that would have been a pretty simple solution for the seller, as opposed to breaching a legitimate and binding deal.

I agree. Stupidity is no excuse, but I do understand someone's position if they genuinely made a mistake and didn't realize it until the item sold at a price that would essentially be them donating it.

 

[stratamania]

The Starting bid price I think has to be 40 % less than a Buy it Now price.

Once someone starts a bid, the Buy it now no longer exists as it has become a live auction. But sellers need to be aware of that and limit where it will ship to in the case of a heavy item etc, or have shipping fees accordingly.

Even for non heavy items, if you do Buy it now or a Bid, you need to be fairly certain the item is likely to have a number of bidders if a bid starts or be prepared to lose money as a seller.

Clearly what this seller has done is out of order, but looks like he maybe didnt think through what he was doing. Sounds like he should have had a Buy it now or best offer only, plus shipping, then he and the buyer would know what they were dealing with.

OP, I am sure you will find one eventually.

 

[rolsen]

Clearly playing the contrarian role here... If I made a posting error on eBay and I found out my own error would cost me $1000, I'd back out too. My $1000 is more important than anyone's concept of finders keepers/losers weepers. So, I can understand the dude's actions but he is obviously in the wrong, technically (I wouldn't say morally, though) and should suffer the negative review and whatever EBay consequence.

 

[MattC]

I agree. Stupidity is no excuse, but I do understand someone's position if they genuinely made a mistake and didn't realize it until the item sold at a price that would essentially be them donating it.

I can understand how a newbie would make this kind of mistake. But sometimes, when you're doing business transactions, you have to learn some hard (read: costly) lessons for inexperience / lack of diligence. This seller lost all benefit of the doubt for me with his little shipping cost game.

 

[guitarman3001]

I can understand how a newbie would make this kind of mistake. But sometimes, when you're doing business transactions, you have to learn some hard (read: costly) lessons for inexperience / lack of diligence. This seller lost all benefit of the doubt for me with his little shipping cost game.

I agree about the shipping. Assuming the seller did actually make a mistake, if I did that I'd simply contact the buyer and explain the mistake, apologize, and cancel the sale. I wouldn't try to pull that stunt with the shipping charges.

 

[ELmiguel]

Here's what we found for "Selling with a reserve price"
A reserve price is the lowest price you’ll accept for your item. Other members can't see the reserve price, but they'll see that a listing has a reserve and whether it's been met.

You can set a reserve price when you create your listing for an additional fee, which will be charged whether the reserve price is met or not. The reserve price option is only available for auction-style listings, and the listing fees for this option are not included in free-insertion-fee listings.

To set a reserve price for a listing, follow these steps:

1. Switch to advanced tool.
2. On the Create your listing page, scroll down to Describe your item.
3. Select Add or remove options, then Format and price.
4. Check the box next to Reserve price, then Save.
5. To enter your reserve price, select Change next to No reserve price set for this item.
6. Enter your reserve price, then Save.

If your reserve price hasn't been met when the listing ends, you don't have to sell the item to the highest bidder. If you'd like, you can always make a Second Chance Offer to one of the bidders.

Learn more about selling with a reserve price.