Won a guitar on eBay - seller doesn't want to sell - the hilarity ensues

[pete rallis]

The problem is all Ebay not enforcing the rules they have on a transaction..They state that when you agree to buy something, that it is a contract. A Contract is between two people, not one, and should be enforced as such. I hope the guy has to eat his bass.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by NYCbassist

I too lost my Arse selling a Helmet. I might as well have kept it for the 13 dollars. But I went through with the sale.

I won a Harley jacket on eBay once for $80. I told them that they didn't have to honor the deal, but they said no problem. I don't see how people can let someone else take a screwing and feel good about it. I guess it is just how I was raised.

[bigntasty]

Originally Posted by rodneyat

This is exactly the case with Ebay/PayPal these days. As a seller you can't even leave negative feedback for a buyer any longer. And when a buyer registers a complaint to a seller they take the money back right away and hold it. Rather the buyer's complaint is legit or not. It's a win/win for them. Neither party can do anything with the money at that point and PayPal gets to use your money for free.

+1, unfortunately. The seller can back out of a completed auction even after you won it with your high bid, with no negative ramifications for them. This happened to me awhile back when I won a porcelain figurine, and I was blown away that the seller had no obligation to complete the transaction. I got my money back right away but the seller had already listed it under a new auction with a (much higher) B.I.N. price. The buyer is no longer protected on Ebay auctions under these conditions.

[lowphatbass]

I've had this happen a few times. It does leave you feeling pretty tore-down. I had one guy, after a few days of feet dragging tell me that he was in the processs of packing-up the bass and his cat knocked it off the stand and damaged the headstock. I messaged him back right away and said "no problem", I would take it anyway and he wrote back the next day and said he had already taken it to be repaired. The bass was described as a red Gibson with chrome that he got as a graduation present in '64 that had been sitting in it's case for 40 years so I can understand why he was in a real hurry to get it fixed.

[PastorofMuppets]

Ebay is Effed up for sure.
They screw sellers also FYI.

A end of item fee and then paypal gets you.
Thats double dipping since ebay owns paypal.
Im through selling there, but not through buying.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by bigntasty

+1, unfortunately. The seller can back out of a completed auction even after you won it with your high bid, with no negative ramifications for them. This happened to me awhile back when I won a porcelain figurine, and I was blown away that the seller had no obligation to complete the transaction. I got my money back right away but the seller had already listed it under a new auction with a (much higher) B.I.N. price. The buyer is no longer protected on Ebay auctions under these conditions.

As a buyer, you are completely protected both from fraud and from negative feedback. I never had a seller back out of a transaction before, but there are negative ramifications for backing out of a transaction.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by PastorofMuppets

Ebay is Effed up for sure.

ebay is not effed up.



For those who think that, exactly how would YOU run ebay?

[sevdog]

Yup, no more ebay for me except from Sellers that have some actual store front inside the US...that way you can at least hunt them down if you are so compelled.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by tildeslash

I will call ebay again tomorrow to catch another person and demand that he be reported. Since I am always checking for Guild Pilot, if he ever sells this again I will contact ebay and tell them what happened now and see where that goes.

This seller is a skunk. And stupid too. Make sure you leave negative feedback, and don't agree to cancell this transaction. If ebay cancells the transaction, make sure to leave negative feedback before that happens. That seller has only 20 feedback responses in his profile. This one negative feedback will wreak havoc when he tries to sell in the future. And all for $43....

[GM60466]

That why I buy here at TB. Why waste time with auctions that bring with them big headaches.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by sevdog

Yup, no more ebay for me except from Sellers that have some actual store front inside the US...that way you can at least hunt them down if you are so compelled.

Uh huh. So you're going to buy from an ebay seller that has a storefront in Bangor ME. So you can travel from TX to ME to confront them in person? That makes sense.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by GM60466

That why I buy here at TB. Why waste time with auctions that bring with them big headaches.

Because as a seller you are guaranteed satisfaction with your transaction, or you receive a complete refund. There is no such guarantee in the TB classifieds.

[DeanT]

I had the same thing happen to me on eBay. The seller listed a bass for very little and I won. He said he never meant for it to go so cheap. I told him too bad, he listed it and I won. AFter crying to me that it was too little to sell for I told him to refund my money and we'll call it even. He refunded and relisted for a lot more money.

I think he originally listed it and then found out during the auction that the bass was worth a lot more than he was asking for it.

[Templar]

Ebay is not perfect, but I've had worse issues buying online from other sources, including bass forums.

Getting your money back from a sour ebay deal can be like a walk in the park by comparison.

[Joe 1956]

Screenshot of the posting, in order to preserve his keystrokes. Note that "no reserve" was purposefully placed in all caps and a larger font size by him. If I were on the jury I'd hang him.

[Templar]

Originally Posted by sevdog

Yup, no more ebay for me except from Sellers that have some actual store front inside the US...that way you can at least hunt them down if you are so compelled.

Caveat; Some of the worst ebay sellers are pawn shops and music stores. Music stores are often looking to dump stuff that won't sell, or are asking too much for their good stuff.

Pawn shop ebayers are notorious liars, they've burned me enough times that I refuse to buy from them anymore no matter what they're selling. I don't worry about recouping my money, I just hate having to return stuff.

[1bassleft]

I don't like Fleab, but I don't like Microsoft either - the product does a job and the people who run it want to make the most money with the least possible effort. I disagree that they want to look after anybody, seller or otherwise, unless it impacts on their business. I used to endlessly go in circles with their custard service flagging up those Chinese sellers copying completed listings for high-value guitars but adding "I very please like you send monee direct to my bank in Beijing and you get enjoyable love guitar immediate" on the end. Ironically, Fleab's takeover of Paypal has at least killed that one.

Although I agree with the OP that the seller is a tool, and I've both completed a sale with gritted teeth and added extra when a seller was clearly out of pocket (a gig bag with the postage stamp £5 greater than the shipping quoted to me) - like someone said, it's how individuals are brought up. I don't like the idea of Fleab sending the legbreakers out.

Just this month, I missed a nice pair of lefties with a BIN of £250. As I hoped, it was relisted and, ay carumba, a reduced price. I pulled the trigger but then noticed that the header and text clearly said that the auction was now for one bass. Oops. Technically, I'd committed to buy but stuff threats of NPB or my 100% taking a dive; no way would I be forced to eat it. Fortunately, the seller and I were both reasonable people and the cancellation and the relist worked out for all concerned. Of course, the scenario's different but I'm just saying that if anyone had got heavy, wild horses and baseball bats wouldn't have got me to pay.

[jbybj]

Originally Posted by tildeslash

I really wanted this bass, Guild Pilot, the greatest under rated bass ever.

Not this one. This idiot did you a favor. This particular bass has bad juju. Had he actually shipped it to you, it would have been nothing but trouble, in ways you can't imagine. The Guild pilot that you eventually score, will be a delight.

Trust me, I know this to be true.

[mystic38]

just make sure you leave negative feedback...

Music123 (a huge Ebay seller and amazon marketplace vendor) has screwed me twice by summarily cancelling won auctions)... the problem is that with a power seller of such volume the odd negative feedback doesnt register....

[SBassman]

Originally Posted by sevdog

Yup, no more ebay for me except from Sellers that have some actual store front inside the US...that way you can at least hunt them down if you are so compelled.

Same with me. I never get involved with individuals selling their junk. Only legit businesses.