Won Items At Auction (Missing & Damaged Items)

IvanOpinion

lemondrops69 said:

IvanOpinion said:

Money_Grabber13579 said:

IvanOpinion said:

I can't help with the issue but why do people keep saying they 'won; something at an auction. 
That is like me going into Tescos and claiming I won my groceries.

Because they made the “winning” bid? Makes perfect sense to me. You don’t place bids on groceries at Tesco, you pay the price they ask for.

Ah, so it is a word 'con'.  Basically you offer a price and if someone offers more they don't buy the goods they 'win' them instead.

Yay!!!!! I won my house!

I've seen your house, you're welcome to it

I know, and I apologise, downgrading to a mere 10 acres was embarrassing .. and to only have one pool is so lower middle class. 

IvanOpinion

neilmcl said:

It's also a phrase that's use by the auction houses themselves, so totally common parlance for this type of "purchase".

neilmcl said:

When you purchase goods from auction the normal consumer rules don't apply, especially if you are afforded an opportunity to view the goods in situe prior to making a bid. For a start the auction house isn't the seller, they merely act as an agent. All goods are sold as they lie without any form of guarantee of quality, all they are required to abide by are the material facts in their description.

I accept it is common parlance, I just think it is a bit of a con job in getting people to believe that it is to their benefit that they are being allowed to hand over money for something - eBay also uses it when you buy stiff through their web site (even on buy-it-now).  As you say/use the correct term is 'purchase', just like any other purchase (you win nothing, you are just willing to purchase the goods at a higher price than anyone else was willing to pay).

sheramber

 willing to purchase the goods at a higher price than anyone else was willing to pay).
It is quicker to say 'win'.

IvanOpinion

sheramber said:

 willing to purchase the goods at a higher price than anyone else was willing to pay).
It is quicker to say 'win'.

But you still would not have won anything.  I guess it proves there is one born every minute - just call it 'win' instead of purchase.  Well I am going to eat the fish and chips I won at the local chippy after winning the beer at my local ... yeah, you are right I almost believed it there.

Sandtree

IvanOpinion said:

sheramber said:

 willing to purchase the goods at a higher price than anyone else was willing to pay).
It is quicker to say 'win'.

But you still would not have won anything.  I guess it proves there is one born every minute - just call it 'win' instead of purchase.  Well I am going to eat the fish and chips I won at the local chippy after winning the beer at my local ... yeah, you are right I almost believed it there.

If you go back to a pre-ebay era, or consider more the type of auctions at Christies/Sothebys etc, then you have won the opportunity to own a one off item. The same concept doesn't stand when you are buying one of a hundred that is on the shelf  

IvanOpinion

Sorry, I was just out winning a few gallons of petrol for the car.
There is no doubt use of 'win' is a 'word con' that sadly has come into common parlance.

neilmcl

IvanOpinion said:

Sorry, I was just out winning a few gallons of petrol for the car.
There is no doubt use of 'win' is a 'word con' that sadly has come into common parlance.

Did you go up against someone to get those specific gallons of petrol, no. To win something is simply defined as being successful in any endeavour where there's a contest or conflict or to acquire something in a similar endeavour. Clearly the nature of an auction is you have a contest of multiple people bidding on the same object, so yes, winning is very much an appropriate term to use. 

IvanOpinion

Just won a new monitor for my computer.  I had to go up against a Currys salesman and managed to get a bit of discount.  I still feel I purchased it though - this 'won' con still hasn't quite sunk in - I suppose I could think that the discount meant I won the stand, instruction booklet and cardbox it came in (not much use though without the monitor).  I guess all those that paid the full price are considered losers.

sheramber

IvanOpinion said:

Just won a new monitor for my computer.  I had to go up against a Currys salesman and managed to get a bit of discount.  I still feel I purchased it though - this 'won' con still hasn't quite sunk in - I suppose I could think that the discount meant I won the stand, instruction booklet and cardbox it came in (not much use though without the monitor).  I guess all those that paid the full price are considered losers.

Only you think it is a con

Manxman_in_exile

Doesn't being willing to pay more than anybody else make the successful bidder a bit of a loser rather than a winner?