Guilty conscience

[abracadabra]

A way to get around screwing the current high bidder is to outbid them. Then if you ask the seller to end the auction early for "X" dollars, they can end the auction early and sell to the current highest bidder.

-William

[tth2]

How would you feel if you were the bidder who put in a good faith bid and is now suddenly screwed?

The next auction I would try to get the seller to end early.

 

And this whole "looking after yourself" bull is just a another way for people to validate their screwed-up ethics and shift guilt away in their own mind. Prisons are full of thieves who wear this mantra like a badge of honor...

As Al Davis used to say, "Just win, baby." I guess if you were a general after the Napoleonic Wars, you would still have insisted on dressing up your troops in bright colors and marching in tight formations into the grapeshot, and you`d be complaining about the "unethical" guys on the other side who kept shooting from behind cover and not presenting nice targets of themselves. Just not cricket, wot?

 

[awe4one]

A way to get around screwing the current high bidder is to outbid them. Then if you ask the seller to end the auction early for "X" dollars, they can end the auction early and sell to the current highest bidder.

-William

 

Nope...you're still screwing the bidder as no one knows whether he'll place another higher bid...

 

Jim

[Dick Pontoon]

I will regulary ask sellers if they are interested in taking a Best Offer but ONLY if there are no bidders on the item. If someone pops up and bids before he commits, then all bets are off. It's no different than here when someone will PM an offer to a seller and another person posts the before the deal goes through. You have to respect the trump; you don't have to like it, but you have to respect it.

 

What are you talking about? It's totally different. Books aren't sold here in an auction format.

[GACollectibles]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

[awe4one]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

I am kinda OK with it too. Because all potential buyers are still on a level playing field.

 

[GACollectibles]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

What do the ebay rules say?

[abracadabra]

A way to get around screwing the current high bidder is to outbid them. Then if you ask the seller to end the auction early for "X" dollars, they can end the auction early and sell to the current highest bidder.

-William

 

Nope...you're still screwing the bidder as no one knows whether he'll place another higher bid...

 

Jim

 

If you are not the highest bidder I completely agree, it's not right. You are the highest bidder. You are not screwing other possible bidders. For example, if you hit a buy it now before someone else does, even if they would have paid more, you are not screwing that person. If the seller chooses to sell to you, he may or may not be screwing himself. But it's the sellers choice.

[Scheradon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

My only problem with it, is that I don't often bid on an item until the very end of the auction. I'd still feel pretty screwed if I was sitting there watching an auction for 6 days or so, fully planning on winning it, then poof! It's gone.

 

I've had this happen on two auctions I was watching from one seller and when I contacted him, he said he accepted an offer to end them early.

[awe4one]

If you are not the highest bidder I completely agree, it's not right. You are the highest bidder. You are not screwing other possible bidders. For example, if you hit a buy it now before someone else does, even if they would have paid more, you are not screwing that person. If the seller chooses to sell to you, he may or may not be screwing himself. But it's the sellers choice.

 

Nope...what you're doing is trying to gain an advantage and "snipe" the comic before the auction ends. That's screwing all the other bidders who already have good faith bids the opportunity to outbid you.

 

Your scenario is just a step to mitigate and justify what you're doing by screwing others...

 

Jim

[tth2]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

My only problem with it, is that I don't often bid on an item until the very end of the auction. I'd still feel pretty screwed if I was sitting there watching an auction for 6 days or so, fully planning on winning it, then poof! It's gone.

 

I've had this happen on two auctions I was watching from one seller and when I contacted him, he said he accepted an offer to end them early.

That`s the downside of sniping.

[Scheradon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

I am kinda OK with it too. Because all potential buyers are still on a level playing field.

 

I don't really think so though. Most eBayer buyers will be playing by the rules and would expect others to be doing the same. So, those that do ask a seller to end the auction early (against eBay rules) aren't playing on the same level.

[cd4ever]

If you are not the highest bidder I completely agree, it's not right. You are the highest bidder. You are not screwing other possible bidders. For example, if you hit a buy it now before someone else does, even if they would have paid more, you are not screwing that person. If the seller chooses to sell to you, he may or may not be screwing himself. But it's the sellers choice.

 

Nope...what you're doing is trying to gain an advantage and "snipe" the comic before the auction ends. That's screwing all the other bidders who already have good faith bids the opportunity to outbid you.

 

Your scenario is just a step to mitigate and justify what you're doing by screwing others...

 

Jim

Again I completely agree. Once the bidding has begun, the auction needs to run its course. Fair play for all.

[greggy]

If you are not the highest bidder I completely agree, it's not right. You are the highest bidder. You are not screwing other possible bidders. For example, if you hit a buy it now before someone else does, even if they would have paid more, you are not screwing that person. If the seller chooses to sell to you, he may or may not be screwing himself. But it's the sellers choice.

 

Nope...what you're doing is trying to gain an advantage and "snipe" the comic before the auction ends. That's screwing all the other bidders who already have good faith bids the opportunity to outbid you.

 

Your scenario is just a step to mitigate and justify what you're doing by screwing others...

 

Jim

Again I completely agree. Once the bidding has begun, the auction needs to run its course. Fair play for all.

I'm going to snipe you on those other romance books.

[Mac Man]

I will regulary ask sellers if they are interested in taking a Best Offer but ONLY if there are no bidders on the item. If someone pops up and bids before he commits, then all bets are off. It's no different than here when someone will PM an offer to a seller and another person posts the before the deal goes through. You have to respect the trump; you don't have to like it, but you have to respect it.

 

What are you talking about? It's totally different. Books aren't sold here in an auction format.

 

Not at all different . Let me rephrase it and see if this will make more sense to you:

 

I approach Seller X with a Best Offer on a comic he is listing on eBay. Before he has the opportunity to close the auction, someone places a bid on it. As far as I can recall the rules on eBay, ending an auction early (esp. one that has bidders on it already) to complete that transaction off eBay is a No-Go. Bottomline- if someone is bidding on an item, 1. buyers should not be making offers at this point (too late) and 2. the seller shouldn't be ending it early to accept offers after bidding has begun.

 

Now, if I see Seller X is listing a comic here in the Seller's thread but I don't want pay his listed price, I'll send him a PM with an offer. In the meanwhile, another board member sees the same book and posts an sign. What are the generally accepted rules on who should get the comic? The one who posted the sign. If the seller dismissed this person in favor of the PM, sure it's his/her perogative, but I think it's safe to say there would be some general negative reaction to this decision.

 

So, consider the bid placed on an eBay auction like the sign here. Once that gets posted, there's no more room for Best Offers (unless it gets relisted). But, what the hey, maybe I'm flying solo on this one? :shrug:

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

I am kinda OK with it too. Because all potential buyers are still on a level playing field.

 

I don't really think so though. Most eBayer buyers will be playing by the rules and would expect others to be doing the same. So, those that do ask a seller to end the auction early (against eBay rules) aren't playing on the same level.

\

 

Yeah, I understand your point and am starting to agree with it.

[1Cool]

I notice that people put a minimum bid and then wait to snipe in order to prevent someone from selling before it ends. Smart but I think I may put a minimum bid in to scare off others and then contact buyer to end auction early for me. Since I'm the only bidder - no harm - no foul.

[Scheradon]

Exactly, if there are ANY bids in an auction format it should be completed as an auction.

 

So offering a BIN to the seller before any bids have been placed is acceptable?

 

 

I don't have a big problem with it...

 

Jim

 

My only problem with it, is that I don't often bid on an item until the very end of the auction. I'd still feel pretty screwed if I was sitting there watching an auction for 6 days or so, fully planning on winning it, then poof! It's gone.

 

I've had this happen on two auctions I was watching from one seller and when I contacted him, he said he accepted an offer to end them early.

That`s the downside of sniping.

 

No, I'd say the downside to sniping is when you get sniped, not when the seller breaks ebay rules and agrees to an outside offer.

 

Don't get me wrong. I do understand why it happens on both sides and I'm not really putting either party in the "scum of the earth" catagory, but I do think it's on the shade side of wrong.