Is it my fault?

code-a-holic

I have just sold a lorry on ebay. The title was 12.5t lorry, but i had put 2t in the description by error and it was noticed after bids were made so couldnt edit - so respned someones question about it to point out the tyo. Someone also asked do you need a hgv license - i said yes and made all the questions visable to bidders.
Well, the winner tried to get insurance and worked out its a 12.5t and he dosnt have a hgv license.
I think it his fault he got it wrong, it says 12.5t in the header of all the emails he sent and recieved about it, and in the title, and questions. Did i do enough to explain the typo - or is it my fault that he mis understood?
Any advice please!

soolin

Sorry but I would say it is your fault as much as the buyers. Once you saw the error you should have cancelled all the bids and pulled the auction.

Even with photos of a huge great thing some buyers will look back at the auction title and assume you were selling something 2t. Yes they should have asked, but equally you should have ensured that the mistake did not continue once you noticed it.

It is also worth remembering that many people use a sniping tool on ebay and may have set that up as soon as they saw your listing. They would never then have seen any questions asked afterwards so were bidding on the auction as it stood at the time. Comments in questions do not form part of the auction terms and description anyway.

Do a mutual, reclaim your fees and relist.

Soo

highguyuk

I'm with Soolin, and it doesn't exactly look like you made a huge effort to inform everyone.

You had bids, but you could have put a note at the bottom of the auction. Also, you have put 12.5t in the headers of all the emails, but did you explicity say I meant to list it as a 12.5k.

I think you probably tried to let him know quietly, hoping that the sale would just go through ok. But unfortunetly it hasnt ...

Try and get a mutual, and relist. Be careful this time! :P

code-a-holic

Thanks to you both.

I thought i would be ok becuase the title said 12.5t.....

He asked questions during the auction but never anything about the weight, which suggests he never noticed the 12.5t in the title. Next time i will remember that not everyone reads questions on the listing!!!

He hasnt actually said he dosnt want it yet - just that the insurance company have pointed out the registration details say its a 12.5t.......hoping he will reply soon so i can offer second chance bids if need be.

Thanks again......:D

code-a-holic

highguyuk wrote:

I'm with Soolin, and it doesn't exactly look like you made a huge effort to inform everyone.

You had bids, but you could have put a note at the bottom of the auction. Also, you have put 12.5t in the headers of all the emails, but did you explicity say I meant to list it as a 12.5k.

I think you probably tried to let him know quietly, hoping that the sale would just go through ok. But unfortunetly it hasnt ...

Try and get a mutual, and relist. Be careful this time! :P

For future reference - putting notes on the listing? I tried to edit and it told me i couldnt because it already had bids passed the reserve or something simmilar. Is there a way around this?

frivolous_fay

Yes, you can ADD a note (in big red writing if you like)

What it won't let you do is change anything that's already there.

The other thing I would have done was to message all bidders to let them know there had been an error.

Marvo434

I don't for a moment believe that you have been dishonest or tried to pull a fast one at all, BUT I think the offer of a mutual would be good business sense. The buyer MAY feel trapped into buying something he/she doesn't want.

Also, adding a note is possible, but again if they had used a sniping tool they wouldn't have seen it or recieved a message sent to all bidders.

Good luck.

mrbadexample

Well, there is the fact that a 12.5 tonne truck won't even remotely resemble a 2 tonne truck. They're worlds apart, size-wise. It'd be clear in any photo. I guess not everyone (i.e. the buyer) realises that.

jeppy

Did you make it clear to them immediately after he had won the vehicle?? Anyone in their right minds wouldn't insure the vehicle until they knew they had won the bid.

If they did, they were naive and silly, anyone could have won, If you didn't then I assume the buyer will take legal action. He will have admin/cancellation charges to make in respect of any insurances he has taken out. He shouldn't be responsible for these if you didn't advise him immediately after the sale was agreed.

Hermia

jeppy wrote:

Did you make it clear to them immediately after he had won the vehicle?? Anyone in their right minds wouldn't insure the vehicle until they knew they had won the bid.

I imagine the bidder was just getting online insurance quotes (rather than actually buying insurance) when he discovered the error.

Contains_Mild_Peril

Was the error in the "item specifics" section? In my experience it's not actually unusual to find typos and other errors there - I've even been guilty of one or two myself. The title is the part which sellers almost always proof read before submitting their listing, and which buyers look at first (along with the gallery pic if applicable) for relevant details. As ts_aly2000 said, for a purchase of this magnitude, one would expect a buyer to read the title and description thoroughly and question any discrepancies, though I'd also expect a seller to double check everything before submitting a listing for such a major item.
If you find you've made an error like this, you can add to the description as mentioned, and put in huge bold red letters that the correct information is in the title, and the contradictory datum was a typo.
If the buyer does not wish to proceed with the purchase then in this case I'd offer a mutual agreement not to complete the transaction (on ebay's "dispute" forms), which allows you to reclaim your FVF from eBay and the buyer suffers no penalty. You can then make a second chance offer to another bidder or relist the item.