Terms & Conditions For Car Purchase

lokiman

In looking for cars to purchase on ebay, I'm pretty sure I've come across a frequent scam by sellers to ensure that (a) they get the interest that a no reserve auction attracts; and (b) their cars aren't sold for less than they'd want. I'm sure that this has been discussed on here before but, if not:

A lot of car auctions advertise the fact that they have no reserve. Great, except on a number of occasions, I've seen this little gem buried in the terms and conditions: "This car has been advertised elsewhere. Buyer reserves the right to withdraw car from sale if the car is sold elsewhere." A friend of mine actually won an auction for a nice MGB BGT, contacted the seller to ask about sending payment, only to be informed that the car had been sold elsewhere and that the seller would not be honouring to ebay sale. It seems to me that this must be a scam: if a seller doesn't get the price he wants through ebay, he just tells the buyer that the car was sold elsewhere. Has anybody else come across this? My friend reported the seller to ebay and, whilst ebay didn't ban the seller, it did give him a formal warning and an indication that his privileges would be withdrawn if he did this again. Having said this, a quick persual of ebay shows that plenty of sellers are still pulling this kind of stunt.

frivolous_fay

All you can do is avoid them, and report them using the 'Report this item' link at the bottom of each page.

Reporting them for fee avoidance should get ebay's attention... although I think there's also an option for stating the item is on sale elsewhere.

kriss_boy

This can happen in any auction.

Most sellers will decide whether or not the car or item is going to sell well and if not theyll pull the auction 12 hours before its due to end.

Its not really a scam.. more common sense.

Im going to be selling my car next week and all I will do is list it as a slightly inflated price, that way Ill get a cash buyer and when he buys it ill just remove it from ebay.

kriss_boy

Put it this way, a lot of the members here abide be the ebays rules to the book.

But supposing you stick something on ebay. Then a family member hears your selling it and wants it. According to ebay you cant cancel the listing to sell to him/her. Its ridiculous and irrational.

When I used to sell guitars, and people in the same town offered cash for a quick outa ebay sale. Youd have to be mental to say no.

Yes it can be annoying when auctions get cancelled or worst still, you win but the seller refuses, but you cant force someone to sell yoiu something so just move on and bid elsewhere.

frivolous_fay

As you can see, OP, some sellers just do what they like

I agree with Kriss, move on and bid elsewhere!

kriss_boy

Well being honest fay, if you listed an item, and then in chatting to a friend he/she mentioned theyd love to buy it. Are you seriously saying you wouldnt bend ebays rules to remove that item and sell it to them?

Obivously thats completely different to consistently listing items with no intension of letting the auctions run but its definately a grey area in ebay.

Theres no denying the motor sector of ebay attracts the majority of these cancelled auctions but i think its because of the nature of those sales. You really have to inspect and view cars before buying them so its understandable sellers get buyers on their doorsteps with cash they cannot refuse.

It took me 4 months to get the car i wanted on ebay. I guess you have to be patient sometimes.

frivolous_fay

I don't mix ebay and friends

If I have something I think a friend will like, I tell them about it. I don't mention it after listing it. I give away books - anything that's left, I list on Amazon.

Sometimes we'll watch the progress of an auction for fun - but it'll be something I know they won't want - like a 6 foot long vinyl Pirates of the Caribbean poster!

What business is it of theirs what I'm putting on ebay?

kriss_boy

frivolous_fay wrote:

I don't mix ebay and friends

If I have something I think a friend will like, I tell them about it. I don't mention it after listing it. What business is it of theirs what I'm putting on ebay?

The same business of theirs what you might have planned for the weekend, or whose birthdays soon, or what you watched on tv last night, or what you read in the newspaper yesterday. Why talk about the weather when you have ebay?

A few times a friend or colleague has mentioned a gig theyd like to go and Ive had the tickets on ebay.

Or my brother will ask if Im selling a certain DVD on ebay that he'd acutally like to swap one of his for.

Not everyone runs their ebay account as a business so its completely understandable that auctions get cancelled for these very reasons.

halojones

At work we sell bikes and often list them on ebay, through both the classified and the auctions. Bit all are bikes are available in our shrowroom. We alway put a footnote saying they may be removed, and then people get upset when you go and sell them. We alway put a reserve on and will not take off a listing if the reserve is meet, but some people just want a bargain and dont bid what they are willing to pay, and then get upset when someone else does....
I find the classified ads are the best for us now.

frivolous_fay

kriss_boy wrote:

The same business of theirs what you might have planned for the weekend, or whose birthdays soon, or what you watched on tv last night, or what you read in the newspaper yesterday. Why talk about the weather when you have ebay?

People I know treat me as eccentric because I sell on ebay... and I don't even do it that much.

Put it this way... I've never had to pull an auction because someone I knew wanted the item. I have more interesting stuff to talk about than ebay