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Auction screw-up ... books returned. CLOSED

Started by Fan Boy,

109 posts in this topic

the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted
I think I may had gotten myself in some sort of "Catch-22" situation with my auction item that I had won as a high bidder this weekend. See, I was bidding on couple of lots where there were lots of comic books. Able Auctions was the place in Vancouver here and they had a huge auction with over 450+ lots. Locals would know what I'm talking of.

 

Anyway, I got 2 lots and went there to pay in cash on Sunday, picked up my comics while there was an staff assistant with me to get them. Under their watch - I did everything proper with rules followed. With my receipt copy signed and stamped, and the security guy had checked me and the comics to be sure I have the correct lots.

 

My friend was also there with me, he was curious about this auction place so I explained to him about how he can bid on comics for cheap... :blahblah: So he did had saw what happened to the end.

 

Of the two lots - one is a short comic box full with Teen Titans set, and the other lot is a group of SA Spider-Man low grade copies... all comics were SEALED by hot sealing method. If you know what I mean? In auction place - many SA/BA/CA comics were storaged inside plastic bags then were "hot sealed" so people cannot open these comics.

 

This is the interesting part. My friend and I went home by bus with my comic box lugged all the way. Upon arrived home - I begin slit open the sealed bags to pull out the comics.

 

See, at the auction place... all sealed bagged comics only have the issues to see front and back. Any extra issues sandwiched between front and back cannot be seen. in my case - the Spider-Man comics were only visible, along with one SA Avengers #25 UK edition to see. I had no idea what other issues unseen between these books. I thought by under impression they were extras throw in with Spider-Man books as part of the "package deal". I said to my friend - "maybe more UK editions"

 

No, was I ever wrong! Yes, some more UK editions but these unseen comics were not part of my lot. They were separate lots - in fact, I discovered that there were 2 extra hidden lots sandwiched in my lot! I spotted the 2 sticker labels with different number. My friend and I were bewitched and confused - "what the heck is going on?!" we said. That was a total surprise! :o

 

That is where I need to ask you on legal advise. I believe somehow one of the staff members made a huge goof-up screwed mistake.

 

Should I inform the staff about their screw-up? After all, it's their fault that caused this auction all messed up. No, make that THREE auctions all screwed up. Because one is mine and the other 2 lots were 2 other guys - one auction each guy. One is from Ontario Canada, another from U.S. I had to look up in past ended auctions to find out. I felt bad but at same time wondering how to explain that? ???

 

What should I do? Their rules said "Items are sold as is where is" followed by "No guarantees/warranties/refunds or exchanges". Right on my reicpit as printed there.

 

I once found $1500 on the street. Guess where that went?

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted

Funny, when we give extras to our customers here 99% of the time nobody questions whether we made a mistake (well, once someone did for me, because it was something sold to another boardie in the same thread, but i upgraded the copy i shipped to the other boardie and included the undercopy as an extra for someone else). Maybe they were so happy with your bidding they wanted to show their appreciation?

 

Kind of serves them right for selling lots "unseen" in sealed bags like this. If those interior books were junkers you'd have no recourse.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted

Should I inform the staff about their screw-up? After all, it's their fault that caused this auction all messed up. No, make that THREE auctions all screwed up. Because one is mine and the other 2 lots were 2 other guys - one auction each guy. One is from Ontario Canada, another from U.S. I had to look up in past ended auctions to find out. I felt bad but at same time wondering how to explain that? ???

 

What should I do?

 

How about treat them the way you would want to be treated if you fudged up an order?

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted
The best thing about threads like this is it helps me decide who I will choose to do business with.

 

A couple of months ago I skrewed up and sent someone a 9.2-9.4ish Nova 1 when they had bought a VFish copy from me and sent the VFish copy to the person who bought the 9.2-9.4ish copy. It did not occur to me to contact the guy who got the better copy as this was my boo boo. The guy who got the wrong (lower grade) book got my collection's 9.4-9.6 copy as a replacement. Of course, this week that's now like a $50-$100 skrew-up on my part, maybe more.

 

Of course, I might take a different course if this was a heavy duty book and I would be out high 3 or 4 figures or whatever.

 

With that said, if I'm reading this right, an auction house that heat seals its lots so that you cannot see the interior books in the lot and offers no exchanges or refunds if they have perhaps overgraded those interior books by a large margin kind of, in theory, has this coming unless they really do a fantastic job of accurately grading the interior books. I understand not doing this would make it harder to properly auction the lots as they would get pawed over or whatever, but it isn't quite the same as the collegial (most of the time) atmosphere around here where we have an expectation that if someone delivers someone an additional book or book(s) and those are actually worth a lot you would come back and ask them "did you mean to do that?" Afterall, the general consensus is that if you're unhappy with a board purchase you can return it, just don't be a jerk about it. Ditto for ebay sellers, live dealers, etc. who garner the good will of their customers. I have pulled books out of my LCS dollar shop's dollar box and told them they probably shouldn't have them in the dollar box (like when an employee tossed stuff in there willy nilly).. like back when they had Ultimate Spiderman 2-5 in there when those were hot books.

 

Anyway, at the end of the day I'd contact the auction house, particularly if I ever planned to go back there and they had treated me right over the years. If nothing else the people who won the auctions should get their books.

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mackenzie999

mackenzie999

Posted
Posted

Tell them where they can pick up their books. If they choose not to, then you can keep them. Alternately, offer to return them yourself once they pay an appropriate shipping and handling fee (and here is your turn to bite back if they overcharge for shipping themselves).

As everyone here but the OP realizes without having to think about it, keeping them without notification = theft.

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Doc McCoy

Doc McCoy

Posted
Posted
I can't believe this is actually a thread.

 

Don't you have those cartoon devils and angels that appear on your shoulder whenever this mess comes up?

 

+1, 6 pages of telling the OP something his parents should have taught him as a child: IF it doesn't belong to you, RETURN it. :makepoint:

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