MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Should Pete bid for Carl's amp on eBay?

indigostar

I found this:

Note that on eBay and in most real-life auctions, a bid on an item from anyone related to the seller in almost any way, from friends and family to business associates and roommates, is considered to be a shill bid, will not be honored, and will almost certainly disqualify the seller—even if the bidder would have purchased the item. What this means is that you can not buy from your family and friends on eBay, no matter what, no exceptions. That is the nature of auction selling.

Cloudane

eBay sniping on a friend? Not very friendly IMO.

Why not just pick up the phone and talk to him? Possibly agree to bid on it anyway so that it doesn't get snapped up for £50 by someone else (against eBay rules but morally speaking I don't see it as an issue), and then negotiate. Maybe it'd be free to a really good friend anyway, or maybe you'd end up paying a fair price. But is it worth potentially throwing a friend away for a bargain?

SlyOne_2

Who the devil is Mick??

nolongerindenial

Ebay is a commerce site, Carl is the Seller, Pete is the Bidder - Simple as.

I have become good friends with all of my clients, does that mean I shouldnt charge them at the end of the month?

Just because they are friends it is no reason to not bid in my opinion.

akioskofsorts

menorah56 wrote: »

This view is neither objective or realistic and plainly naive. Wake up to the reality of commerce and life in general.

I'd rather be unrealistic and naive, if the alternative is friends that are willing to take advantage I think I'd rather be friendless. Aren't friends meant to fight yr corner, offer good counsel not swoop down and fleece you when you show a smidgen of inexperience.

I guess yr cross is going in a tory box

pennypinchUK

Nothing wrecks friendships more than disputes about money. Well, perhaps running off with their wife, but let's keep it clean....

If Pete buys it for £50 or so there's clearly room for tension with his friend, who has probably looked on eBay and expected to get a lot more. Let's leave aside that Carl has naively put too low a starting price and he clearly doesn't know how to sell on eBay. And we'll leave aside that there is often a bidding war in the last few seconds that can push the price up quickly, perhaps to a more acceptable amount.

As Carl's mate, I would suggest he withdraws the listing (there's a process to do this) if Carl will lend Pete the amp until he can afford to get his own. And then Pete will help Carl list the item properly and get a decent amount for it. Is that what friends do? Help each other out?

If, however, Carl is desperate for the cash Pete could give him the amount he can afford and pay any agreed balance when he comes to upgrade. If Carl doesn't accept the option of part payment he should take his chances and sell the item to the highest bidder, even if it is Pete.

Augustus_the_Strong

Fair enough. If Carl was really a good mate, he'd have said to Pete, 'Look mate, I know you've always wanted an amp, I've got this old one I want to get rid of, it's yours!' and Pete could say, 'No, mate, I couldn't - let me give you 50 quid for it.' Everyone's happy and they stay mates.

GRAHAM2109

If Carl knew Pete wanted an amp then why didn't he offer it to him for a price before listing it. Not a great friend. If it was me I would buy the amp elsewhere and let this so called friend struggle selling his

bigwigtom

The price of second hand goods on eBay is a pretty good indication of what they are actually worth. eBay bidders typically pay more than almost every other means of selling used goods. Even with a poor listing it is surprising that this amp did not get any bids. Even without pictures, if the listing is reasonably descriptive it will sell. If Carl can't be bothered to list the item properly then he deserves a lower selling price.

Typically if a friend offers to buy something I would've sold on eBay, I will substantially undercut the likely eBay selling price. They get a good deal, and I don't have to pay eBay and Paypal fees, don't have to deal with shipping and don't have to mess around with non-paying bidders.

Sublime_2

SlyOne wrote: »

Who the devil is Mick??

Exactly, just two other people, and myself, have commented on this previously. I would like to have this clarified before commenting further.