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As a seller do you let auction winners "off the hook"?

Started by miraclemet,

30 posts in this topic

miraclemet

miraclemet

Posted
Posted

Last week this Atkin's CGC SS Batman Sketch was in auction and had a final price of $65.

 

Now this week it is relisted here with an opening bid of $69.99.

 

So I message the seller asking if its the same book that sold last week (I put in a bid, but forgot to up it near the end)

 

His answer:

 

"It did I was in contact with the buyer and said I can Relist or sell it they didn't want it that bad"

 

I asked him for the bidder name so I could add it to my blocked bidder list.

 

We had an agreement. And, no I don't give out names.

 

 

So is my read that he had a shill friend try to bid it up, get stuck with the high bid, and so now he's relisting it a reasonable assessment?

 

Or am I just assuming the worst and ebay has left me a paranoid mess?

 

I just cant understand how a seller would so quickly (same day) let a bidder opt out of his winning bid (especially when its a low dollar amount, its not like someone got caught up in bidding on an AF15 and bid $100k) and then relist it for more than the high bid...

 

so shill/shaddy right? or am I crazy?

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miraclemet

miraclemet

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I did exactly that yesterday.

 

International buyer bought a run of TWD from me without requesting a shipping quote and then backed out once the quote was given stating that his wife had flipped out at him.

 

I let him skip out.

 

His eBay I'd: gazza1982

 

And maybe thats what happened to him (international bidder won, and maybe the seller didnt want to do the international thing, or the buyer balked at the high shipping cost)...

 

And I guess my radar wouldnt have gone of if he had relisted it (or done "second chance") the same as the first time. But to then relist it for more than the high bidder won it for makes me think he was looking to get more, didnt, and then didnt want to get burned so he had a buddy try to shill it up, but got stuck with it.

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miraclemet

miraclemet

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[font:Book Antiqua]Looks right to me...

I will also relist the book before dealing with a problematic customer.[/font]

 

2c

 

Yeah, I dont fault him if he was avoiding a potentially problematic customer... but the relisting for more than he previously sold it for raised my eyebrow...

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brendanb438

brendanb438

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Anymore it is tough to say whether a shill bidder or just a deadbeat buyer. It seems anymore the majority of winning bidders are one or the other.

 

Had 2 different items last week I was watching both get relisted within 24 hours and both sellers claimed deadbeat buyer. Both looked like shill bidders. Thankfully both went for even less once they sold the second time around with me winning one of them.

 

Another was a really great situation, the guy was selling some raw WD books and I noticed he used the same exact pictures on an auction that ended a couple weeks prior. He claimed he had multiple copies of the books and since the first auction went off for way less than expected he sent the poorer looking copies to that winner without telling him. Once the person left feedback I actually reached out to him and copy/pasted the messages and he went crazy on the seller.

 

:)

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Junkdrawer

Junkdrawer

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Posted

I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

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Erndog

Erndog

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I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

 

 

Yeah, exactly. BECAUSE it's a smaller dollar amount it's nothing to get stressed and worked up for. If it was several hundreds+ than yeah, for sure I'd be upset and take further action but for $66? Not worth time going back and forth and freaking out about it- simply relisting it will likely be easier.

 

 

 

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Erndog

Erndog

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Also, dude! I know you are probably just exaggerating for effect here but this isn't anything to become a "paranoid mess" about :banana:

 

Or am I just assuming the worst and ebay has left me a paranoid mess?
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Benjamin Grimm

Benjamin Grimm

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I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

Yeah, exactly. BECAUSE it's a smaller dollar amount it's nothing to get stressed and worked up for. If it was several hundreds+ than yeah, for sure I'd be upset and take further action but for $66? Not worth time going back and forth and freaking out about it- simply relisting it will likely be easier.

 

While I understand the sentiment here, you do realize that this mentality just enables flaky eBayers? Why would buyers worry about consequences when sellers will just let it go and relist? File unpaid bidder claims no matter what dollar amount is involved. Get them reported and their violations recorded. Then relist. There's nothing to stress about, just let the system work. By allowing this behavior, you lose the right to complain about it because you are encouraging it.

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miraclemet

miraclemet

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I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

Yeah, exactly. BECAUSE it's a smaller dollar amount it's nothing to get stressed and worked up for. If it was several hundreds+ than yeah, for sure I'd be upset and take further action but for $66? Not worth time going back and forth and freaking out about it- simply relisting it will likely be easier.

 

While I understand the sentiment here, you do realize that this mentality just enables flaky eBayers? Why would buyers worry about consequences when sellers will just let it go and relist? File unpaid bidder claims no matter what dollar amount is involved. Get them reported and their violations recorded. Then relist. There's nothing to stress about, just let the system work. By allowing this behavior, you lose the right to complain about it because you are encouraging it.

 

For the record I don't think this was what happened with the OP auction. I don't think this seller let someone off the hook cause they seemed like a flaky bidder, I think the seller had someone try to shill up the bid and they got stuck with the winning bid, so the seller "let him off the hook" so he could relist it for more $$ anyway.

 

I was curious if legit sellers let legit bidders off the hook, and I can see how it can happen in an effort to avoid problems that just lead to eating shipping costs and the potential for shipping damage.

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Benjamin Grimm

Benjamin Grimm

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Posted
I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

Yeah, exactly. BECAUSE it's a smaller dollar amount it's nothing to get stressed and worked up for. If it was several hundreds+ than yeah, for sure I'd be upset and take further action but for $66? Not worth time going back and forth and freaking out about it- simply relisting it will likely be easier.

 

While I understand the sentiment here, you do realize that this mentality just enables flaky eBayers? Why would buyers worry about consequences when sellers will just let it go and relist? File unpaid bidder claims no matter what dollar amount is involved. Get them reported and their violations recorded. Then relist. There's nothing to stress about, just let the system work. By allowing this behavior, you lose the right to complain about it because you are encouraging it.

 

For the record I don't think this was what happened with the OP auction. I don't think this seller let someone off the hook cause they seemed like a flaky bidder, I think the seller had someone try to shill up the bid and they got stuck with the winning bid, so the seller "let him off the hook" so he could relist it for more $$ anyway.

 

I was curious if legit sellers let legit bidders off the hook, and I can see how it can happen in an effort to avoid problems that just lead to eating shipping costs and the potential for shipping damage.

 

I wasn't referring to the OP auction, just the idea that was put forward above about "letting it go because of a lower dollar amount". I don't care if it's a $5 auction, the practice of flaking out shouldn't be tolerated and by tolerating it in any way, we are encouraging it.

 

As for the shill bidding seller, that's just as bad and should be reported as well. While the winning bidder in this case doesn't look too suspect, that second place bidder absolutely does. Looks like classic shill account with low feedback and 100% bids with that seller.

 

As for your question about legit sellers letting legit bidders off the hook, no. If they are legit bidders, they shouldn't have to be let off the hook.

 

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Cascaders27

Cascaders27

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I don't use Ebay a whole lot but I've been very fortunate in that I've only had one non-paying bidder. He refused all attempts at contact so I just reported him as such.

 

Now this is unrelated to comics but there was an instance where I bought a carburetor without doing my homework and got one with a manual choke instead of electric. I asked the seller if he'd be willing to cancel the auction but keep the like $5 he charged for shipping to cover his Ebay fees and he was very easy to work with thankfully :)

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the blob

the blob

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At the end of the day I'd rather just get my fees back than to force a noncooperative buyer into paying for and getting the book and then maybe neging me for fun. And in any event, there's no mechanism for forcing the purchase anyway. So yes, I've let folks "off the hook", although usually it takes a while for ebay to process it and tell me i'm getting my fees back.

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tjdill

tjdill

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I follow through with a non-paying buyer claim. I think ebay needs to reinstate negative feedback for buyers in clear-cut cases of non-payment. I don't let people off the hook unless it's an international buyer that's illiterate and doesn't get the part where I don't ship internationally.

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Erndog

Erndog

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I I think ebay needs to reinstate negative feedback for buyers in clear-cut cases of non-payment.

 

 

Absolutely. I wrote as much in their ebay seller survey. Not like it will do any good but I didn't hold back. I pulled all the punches.

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