Ebay Make Offer no warnings

Greatgimp

Somebody offered me £250 for a teaset, then didn't go through with it. I pestered them for payment but it wasn't forthcoming. That's the end of it, no more. No repercussions, no 'legally binding',  just didn't bother paying.

Spoonie_Turtle

xxxxxxxx said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Oh yep, here it is copied and pasted:

"By tapping Submit offer you are agreeing to purchase this item if the seller accepts your offer."

Edit: that was on the 'review offer' page

Appears to be random whether you get the "new page" version which I had twice and has no warnings on  or the "pop up" version which I have seen  1 out of 3 attempts.  The pop up version does have a warning but my criticism even of this is that it does not say on the end of the sentence....  "which cannot be withdrawn."    

I understand your point about the first two, but the warning when it does show up says 'legally binding' so I don't know how much clearer you want them to make it. Putting 'which cannot be withdrawn' would be misleading since it can be withdrawn in certain circumstances.

Spoonie_Turtle

Greatgimp said:

Somebody offered me £250 for a teaset, then didn't go through with it. I pestered them for payment but it wasn't forthcoming. That's the end of it, no more. No repercussions, no 'legally binding',  just didn't bother paying.

They should have had a non-paying bidder strike if you opened a case against them. (Though I agree, that's not the same as being able to enforce the offer and actually make them pay.)

soolin

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/buy-now/making-best-offer?id=4019

I cannot replicate any offer format that does not give the warning about it being binding. My OH has just bought a couple more hobby items, I put an offer in on my PC and got the warning (offer was accepted immediately - so must have been above the automatic accept threshold), he also sent an offer earlier this morning via his Ipad, and also got the warning it was binding if accepted by the seller. 

if you buy accidentally from a business seller then you can always request a cancellation if you do it immediately it shouldn't be a problem. However, a private seller is not obliged to accept a cancellation and whilst they cannot make you pay they can open an NPB case on you. 

theoretica

For me, the issue is withdrawing offers should be easy before the seller has accepted it.  Just as a seller can take down a listing before anyone has bought it. A contract needs both offer and acceptance.

In practice it is easy and I did it for the first time a month or so ago.  Put in an offer, looked again at the picture and spotted a rather major detraction cleverly photographed to be there but in the background.  When I went to my offers there was a link which was even labelled something like 'changed your mind, retract your offer'.  So I did, and was a bit surprised to get a warning page that said I could only retract if I ticked a box saying I had entered the wrong amount.  But no consequences I have noticed.

GabbaGabbaHey

xxxxxxxx said:

I just made an offer on ebay.  In UK culture making an offer is not binding.  
>I'll give you £10 for it .... 
>Ok ...
> on second thoughts, nah, I don't want it. 

When buying a house buyer can withdraw their offer with no repercussions.

My understanding of UK Contract Law (IANAL) is that your first example is legally binding (offer and acceptance), even if it's - usually - culturally accepted that people will change their minds.
Property sales are covered by completely different legislation, so buying a house is not a valid example.

hermante

Buyers can retract offers and bids with no repercussions, you just get your total number of retractions displayed on your feedback page. Lots of people do it as a "shill bidding" thing, to discover someone's max bid on their auction and then use another account to bid just under. Or they use one account and retract the bid then a different account to snipe 1p over the other guy's max bid. I'm not bothered when it happens on my sales as it just means more money for me - and more money for ebay too so they probably don't care. But I will block anyone who retracts and doesn't re-bid.

xxxxxxxx

hermante said:

Buyers can retract offers and bids with no repercussions, you just get your total number of retractions displayed on your feedback page. Lots of people do it as a "shill bidding" thing, to discover someone's max bid on their auction and then use another account to bid just under.

Or they use one account and retract the bid then a different account to snipe 1p over the other guy's max bid. I'm not bothered when it happens on my sales as it just means more money for me - and more money for ebay too so they probably don't care. But I will block anyone who retracts and doesn't re-bid.

I don't understand how they could discover any of that just by placing an offer.

xxxxxxxx

I'm glad I took screen captures and glad it happened to me twice to enable me to take the screen captures otherwise you would all be saying it didn't happen to me.   I have to say it has not happened again, now all I get is the pop up style make offer page with a warning on the review page.  

xxxxxxxx

theoretica said:

For me, the issue is withdrawing offers should be easy before the seller has accepted it.  Just as a seller can take down a listing before anyone has bought it. A contract needs both offer and acceptance.

In practice it is easy and I did it for the first time a month or so ago.  Put in an offer, looked again at the picture and spotted a rather major detraction cleverly photographed to be there but in the background.  When I went to my offers there was a link which was even labelled something like 'changed your mind, retract your offer'.  So I did, and was a bit surprised to get a warning page that said I could only retract if I ticked a box saying I had entered the wrong amount.  But no consequences I have noticed.

This is it exactly.  It should be easy to withdraw before it has been accepted/rejected.  A seller can trap a buyer by not responding for days.    And the threats by ebay on the cancellation page then reinforces the trap.  

It is an unfair situation where the seller has all the power.