FS: 38 button C Jeffries C/G

[Paul Read]

Is there some penalty from ending an auction because the item isnt 'available' ? Seems to easy.

 

I expect the seller paid the ebay fee for listing the item, but I don't think there is a rule saying the item must be sold through ebay, or sold at all, until an offer is made and accepted. I don't see why there should be a "penalty" for withdrawing a sale.

Samantha

That's correct. You just pay the listing fees

[Azalin]

Is there some penalty from ending an auction because the item isnt 'available' ? Seems to easy.

 

I expect the seller paid the ebay fee for listing the item, but I don't think there is a rule saying the item must be sold through ebay, or sold at all, until an offer is made and accepted. I don't see why there should be a "penalty" for withdrawing a sale.

Samantha

That's correct. You just pay the listing fees

 

Ah, I assumed there were bids on the item. If there are bids, and they are above reserve price, you're not supposed to remove the listing, right?

[Ivan Viehoff]

Is there some penalty from ending an auction because the item isnt 'available' ? Seems to easy.

What is certainly against ebay's rules is seeking to avoid ebay's commission payment by negotiating a private sale with someone who discovered your offer through the site. Ebay tend to assert that an auction once started should go to conclusion (unless there are compelling reasons) and you should not attempt to negotiate a sale elsewhere while it is in progress.

 

When I put my first ever item on ebay, I used a wording similar to that commonly seen on a reputable concertina dealer's auctions saying that I reserved the right to stop the auction if it was sold elsewhere. Ebay told me that was against their rules and stopped my auction. Not a good start to my selling career. To give me a reason was some kindness by ebay standards, since sometimes they close auctions or deny bids while not telling people what they did wrong; I think they have even been known to state that some of their rules are confidential. What was even kinder was that they refunded the listing fee in this situation. Someone who had asked some questions about the item then contacted me about why the auction closed, and so I was able to arranged a private sale, which would not have happened had ebay not closed the auction. Ebay now had no claim on the commission, so they had in practice shot themselves in the foot.

 

Of course if they thought you were persisent in trying to avoid their commission, they could ban you from trading. But probably if they make plenty of money out of you, they might think twice before chucking you out. That might be why what was apparently against the rules for me, the reputable dealer is able to carry on with.

[Grrrr]

I wanted this concertina. I had spoke to the owner before Christmas on the telephone, they relisted to allow people to view after Christmas as they were going away. After Christmas I got no reply to my phone calls or e-mails, and a day later it was taken off e-bay. I was willing to pay the top whack if it was as described. I suspect the seller jumped at what they thought was a good price, I'm pretty sure they would have got a lot more if it had been auctioned. So , next time I know what to do, not obey Ebay rules of course!

Grrrr.

[Ivan Viehoff]

I wanted this concertina. I had spoke to the owner before Christmas on the telephone, they relisted to allow people to view after Christmas as they were going away. After Christmas I got no reply to my phone calls or e-mails, and a day later it was taken off e-bay. I was willing to pay the top whack if it was as described. I suspect the seller jumped at what they thought was a good price, I'm pretty sure they would have got a lot more if it had been auctioned. So , next time I know what to do, not obey Ebay rules of course!

Grrrr.

I've had a few experiences like that. But we need to realise that if the seller has a willing buyer in his front room, it is very easy for him to be tempted by the crisp pound notes that are on offer on the spot, especially if the item for sale is the kind where people will want to come and take a look, and/or the carriage is risky/difficult/expensive.

 

So when you see that thing that could be just what you are looking for that you have been waiting for months for, and you can't be the one first into the front room, it is important to get some action going on the auction as soon as possible. Of course at this stage you shouldn't bid more than you think you could get on a resale if it doesn't turn out as exactly you hoped, and the buyer must have set the start price low enough to allow you to bid. But you need to communicate to the seller as best you can that he could do a lot better by waiting for the auction to go through. Most sellers realise that most of the action in an auction happens at the end, so some early activity is often a good sign.

[Chris Drinkwater]

Is there some penalty from ending an auction because the item isnt 'available' ? Seems to easy.

What is certainly against ebay's rules is seeking to avoid ebay's commission payment by negotiating a private sale with someone who discovered your offer through the site. Ebay tend to assert that an auction once started should go to conclusion (unless there are compelling reasons) and you should not attempt to negotiate a sale elsewhere while it is in progress.

 

When I put my first ever item on ebay, I used a wording similar to that commonly seen on a reputable concertina dealer's auctions saying that I reserved the right to stop the auction if it was sold elsewhere. Ebay told me that was against their rules and stopped my auction. Not a good start to my selling career. To give me a reason was some kindness by ebay standards, since sometimes they close auctions or deny bids while not telling people what they did wrong; I think they have even been known to state that some of their rules are confidential. What was even kinder was that they refunded the listing fee in this situation. Someone who had asked some questions about the item then contacted me about why the auction closed, and so I was able to arranged a private sale, which would not have happened had ebay not closed the auction. Ebay now had no claim on the commission, so they had in practice shot themselves in the foot.

 

Of course if they thought you were persisent in trying to avoid their commission, they could ban you from trading. But probably if they make plenty of money out of you, they might think twice before chucking you out. That might be why what was apparently against the rules for me, the reputable dealer is able to carry on with.

 

Recently, Chris Algar put a very nice-looking Jeffries 58 key metal-ended duet up for sale on Ebay. I know someone who was keen to bid on it but was holding off bidding until later, to see how the bidding on it developed. Up to two days before the end of the auction, there were still no bids, and then, on the day before the end of the auction, it was removed from Ebay. It said the seller ended the listing early, presumably because the item was now sold, privately, I guess. This strikes me as being a bit unfair, as Chris didn't state a 'buy it now' price; I've never seen him do so, yet someone must have contacted him privately about it and agreed a price while the auction was it progress. I suppose the thing to do, is, if you are serious about bidding on an item, but like to bid at the last moment to keep the price down, to place a minimum bid at the start as an expression of interest, and then, presumably, the seller can't withdraw the item and sell it privately if there is at least one bid on it.

 

Chris

[spindizzy]

[This strikes me as being a bit unfair, as Chris didn't state a 'buy it now' price; I've never seen him do so, yet someone must have contacted him privately about it and agreed a price while the auction was it progress. I suppose the thing to do, is, if you are serious about bidding on an item, but like to bid at the last moment to keep the price down, to place a minimum bid at the start as an expression of interest, and then, presumably, the seller can't withdraw the item and sell it privately if there is at least one bid on it.

 

Chris

 

Ebay allows you to withdraw an item without penalty if there are no bids .... I think it's a good idea to put some bid on an item if you're seriously interested, if only to prevent this.

[Azalin]

Yeah removing an item when there's no bid on it seems totally fair to me. If you really want something, stop being a wuss and bid on it :-)

 

What bugs me is when an item is removed even while there was a bid on it.

[ask]

Having used ebay as both a buyer and seller since 2001 I have seen a drastic change in the way listed items sell. Originally an item was listed and on the first day there were usually a few bids and each day would bring more until the item closed. Now the bidders wait until the last few hours and the winning bid is usually in the last minute. Ebay charges a listing fee, a fee for pictures, a fee for setting a minimum reserve and takes a percentage of the seller's final sales price. Ebay also now requires sellers to use paypal or accept a credit card payment. Paypal (owned by Ebay) also charges a fee over and above the ebay fees.

 

Many sellers choose not to use a minimum reserve to avoid the extra fees and instead set their opening bid requirement to protect their item from selling at a price that would not be acceptable to them. In essence the opening bid requirement takes the place of a reserve and allows some protection for the seller. If an item has drawn no interest many sellers will end the auction before 12 hours of the scheduled ending time to save some fees.

 

My advice would be if you are truly interested in an item bid early or if you have concerns about the opening price contact the seller by using the ask the seller a question option. Most sellers are listing items because they want to sell them and if there are no bids or questions the assumption is there is no interest. I believe it is still possible to legally end the auction early by selling to the highest bidder, or to add a buy it now price. Another option open to the seller who has an interested potential buyer would be to relist at a lower price.

 

These are my thoughts as an experienced EX ebay seller. I have chosen to stop selling on ebay because of their paypal policy.