ebay ethics question

[iLUVanalog]

let's say you are selling something on ebay plus you have it listed on craigs list.
On craigs list, lets say the item was listed for $200.00
On ebay it had a buy it now price of $100.00 with a starting bid of say 49.99

person bids 49.99 so the buy it now price goes away.
Then, the person who bid emails you and asks if they can just purchase it for the buy it now price.
Being thru ebay, i tell her no as that is against ebay policy. I did point out tho that they were listed on CL.

so she bid 49.99, but then offered 100.00

with about 6 hours to go in the auction, someone emails from craigslist and offers to buy them for $200.00.
Ebay policy says i would have to cancel the one persons bid with less then 12 hours in auction

I know I would be mad as the bidder.
But I did mention they were for sale thru craigslist....

price is alot more then I mentioned...
what is ethical thing to do here....
my heart says it has to auction out now, my brain says take the CL cash as it is a lot of money

you apparently wanted to have your cake and eat it too.

you put yourself in that situation by listing the item in both eBay and Craigslist.

you were not only got greedy, but you were dishonest with the bidder by not telling her that the exact item she was bidding on was also listed on Craigs.

you should have used one or the other....not both.

 

[ihop]

I would tell the craigs list dude or dudet, that it is on abay and bid away. The competition will get it to at least 100.00 if the bidder was sincere. And maybe more if the craigs list person wants it and others do to..
There are no morals or scruples on ebay, but that doesn't mean you have to follow the croud.

 

[donberry]

Ok - last time - I stated in the ebay ad it was listed for sale on craigs list.
The thing that got me was the person put a big in for 299.00 - then the same person emailed me and said she would buy it now at $500.00 - with ebay rules, the buy it now disappeared and she could no longer buy it now/
What I felt bad about was she offered me the $500.00 - but I had to refuse because it was thru ebay -
yet - I can accept the $600.00 thru craigslist -
to me that did not seem fair to ebay buyer - BUT - she was the person who bid in the first place and took away the Buy it now.

We are potentially talking a difference of $300.00 - if the craigs list buyer, who said they had cash in hand and wanted to pick it up tomorrow for some reason does not like ebay (like many on here) - she could be the only bidder -
SHE offered me $500 and I had to turn it down.
I think ethically i was well within my rights.
The only thing I did not like was there were only 6 hours left in the auction and I would have had to cancel her bid - IF I canceled her bid, she would have been informed it was sold on CL - for the $600.00

She is actually the one that got it screwed up.

Trying to maintain a 100% rating in ebay us often costly.
She placed a bid for 299 and 10 minutes later emailed me and said she would buy it now for $500........

I am going to let it ride now - if it costs me it costs me. But I think many on here did not read the entire post as I listed in the ebay auction it was listed on craigs list.

Greedy - maybe - but i see it all the time that item is available for local sale. Sux when you lose something that way, but also stinks when a sniper beats you by 10 cents in the last 3 seconds -
Sorry, just some accused me of going to lie to the ebay people etc.....IF I DID WITHDRAW THE ITEM I WOULD HAVE STATED EXCACTLY WHY.
I believe if u look at my feedback, I bend over backwards pleasing my buyers.
I do not lie and don't appreciate anyone insinuating I do.
guess I am sorry i asked, tho many did give helpful advice - to them- thanks.

 

[elgato8905]

If you did say that it's also up for sale on CL then I'd sell it to the CL guy. This sounds like a no brainer to me. No ebay final value fees and no hassle of shipping.

 

[Debassige]

it's getting harder and harder to keep that 100%, i hear ya', the things I've done to keep it.

was she the only bidder? if so you could have cancelled the auction (the only bid you would have to cancel would be hers) and either sold it to her outside ebay (same as craigslist) of course she wouldn't be covered thru ebay or end the auction and relist it with the BIN price back up and let her bid/BIN (this way you wouldn't lose 300.00, there would only be the 100.00 difference). Yes she did screw herself by not using the BIN so yes it's her lose.

If you cancel an auction do you have to give a reason to ebay as well as the seller? Is the item selling outside of ebay an acceptable reason? (acceptable to ebay). Could the bidder file a complaint thru ebay? (hope these questions don't sidetrack/hijack the thread).

What Spec gear did you get?

 

[BrassTeacher]

I've written to ebay before about their double-standard, and never got a direct explanation of why they maintain it. A buyer's bid is a binding contract, but a listing just solicits offers to buy. Ebay permits sellers to cancel bids without consequence. So if you cancel the bid and sell to the craigslist buyer, you are playing by ebay's rules.

Actually, I just had the exact opposite experience, and feel that the "binding contract" is just so many words. I sold a pair of speakers the other day, with a winning bid of $800.00 (which if you saw what they were, and how much service I did to them, $800 is STEALING them). The buyer claimed they didn't read the shipping costs correctly, and bailed on the deal. I'm out of $800.00, and all eBay said that would happen to the buyer was a possible "unpaid bid strike", which amounts to a slap on the back of the hand with a feather ruler.

On the other hand, if a seller sells something, then doesn't deliver, that seller better hope they have an empty paypal account, because it soon will be.

 

[donberry]

Ebay asks genral questions why it is no longer for sale "no longer available" is the choice.
I should have cancled her bid and relisted it so she could have used buy it now -

I am getting the Spec 1 and Spec 2 - feel like a kid at xmas. headed up 1st thing in am to get it.
Justgot my mint CT-F1000 today
Have the Pioneer HPM-150 speakers...
all I need now is a turntable and since I have the rest, in a few months after wife cools down, will start looking for a RT 707....
I love it when a plan comes together.....
wife not happy as she just looked at bank account.....I can live with her being pissed for few days as most money will be returned

 

[Debassige]

had the 909 but got rid of it :tears:, and am in the process of sending back a CT-F1250 (an ebay purchase gone wrong). I have a PL-707 and love it, sound great and looks amazing. I've always liked the smaller 707's over the 909's but you've got to admit the 909 is pretty impressive looking. I'd love tohear some Spec gear some day, did they ever make any black faced Spec, I've seen the receiver's in black and there's a thread about a black 909 (custom and expensive)

To bad everyday couldn't be xmas

 

[d-ray657]

Actually, I just had the exact opposite experience, and feel that the "binding contract" is just so many words. I sold a pair of speakers the other day, with a winning bid of $800.00 (which if you saw what they were, and how much service I did to them, $800 is STEALING them). The buyer claimed they didn't read the shipping costs correctly, and bailed on the deal. I'm out of $800.00, and all eBay said that would happen to the buyer was a possible "unpaid bid strike", which amounts to a slap on the back of the hand with a feather ruler.

On the other hand, if a seller sells something, then doesn't deliver, that seller better hope they have an empty paypal account, because it soon will be.

Of course, the buyer can't make a claim unless he/she had paid through paypal. In other words, if they hadn't put something into your paypal account, they can't get anything out. Granted, some will claim to have never received the goods, or that the goods were damages, etc. Unfortunately, when engaging in commerce, parties on either side of the transaction can get screwed. For our economy to work, however, we have to have faith that the vast majority of buyers and sellers will behave ethically.

The way the rules work, if you have to sue to enforce a contract, you have to bear a cost that will generally make the transaction unprofitable. Even though I practice law, I find the cost of litigation aborrent. For example, if someone wanted to breach a contract for, say, payment of $10,000, they can generally coerce the other party to accept a fraction of that amount, because the cost of litigation can easily swallow the recovery. Of course, it boils down to a game of chicken, because the recalcitrant debtor can end up spending more than the actual debt as well. The creditor just has to be willing to take the pain that it will come with the attempt to inflict punishment on the other party.

Nevertheless, most transactions are smoothly completed because people are generally honest and attempt to act in good faith. Most people also place a value on their reputation, and aren't willing to risk harming that asset in order to gain a short term advantage. Unfortunately, the small minority who do not act in good faith can randomly inflict harm on undeserving victims.

Please forgive the rambling. It's late. I would have left a shorter post if I had more time.

Regards,

D-Ray

 

[2DualsNotEnough]

You are asking for sound ethical advice about buying and selling gear from ak members?
Jimmy

 

[drknstrmyknight]

From Ebay:
"If there are 12 hours or more before the end of the listing, you can end the listing early without restrictions. If there are any bids on your item when you end the listing, you’ll be asked whether you want to cancel the bids or sell the item to the high bidder. "

You didn't do anything unethical or break Ebay's rules.

 

[Fast996]

Just for info....

If the buyer was the only bidder....she could have cancelled her bid and then the buy it now would have been reinstated automatically....she could then use the buy it now option and complete the sale.

 

[Dynacophil]

I think if you read the ebay fine print.....you have the right to end the auction at anytime....bids or no bids.

I would sell on CL......and sleep great with 200 bucks the better.

Drawn offers were listed and shown before. I won't bid on items of such a seller... if I'd know...

 

[chadnliz]

You put it up for sale on one site at a time, its pretty poor taste to list it in two places at once and a but unethical IMO.

 

[mashaffer]

This was a thread of particular interest as I am setting up to begin selling on eBay. It sounds like the OP had covered himself pretty well legally and ethically as far as I can see by noting in the listing that the item may be removed if sold through another venue. I think however that I personally would not list in two locations at once as I want to avoid as much as possible any conflict between the two.

mike

 

[Dynacophil]

It sounds like the OP had covered himself pretty well legally and ethically as far as I can see by noting in the listing that the item may be removed if sold through another venue.

When I read such in an auction (often with sellers that also drive a store...) I move on, I don't even think about bidding on s_*t like this, to see an auction removed after 8 days of sweating
If it isn't against ebay rules anyway.

 

[d-ray657]

This was a thread of particular interest as I am setting up to begin selling on eBay. It sounds like the OP had covered himself pretty well legally and ethically as far as I can see by noting in the listing that the item may be removed if sold through another venue. I think however that I personally would not list in two locations at once as I want to avoid as much as possible any conflict between the two.

mike

Sometimes it takes some patience to get the price we want for an item. When you post on CL, there is not as much competition for the item - the market is smaller - but you can hold out for your price. Ebay ususally provides an ending point when you can be reasonably sure that your sales efforts will end (unless you set a reserve price), but you might not get the price you want. I know that you can set a reserve, but once I am ready to resort to ebay, I have used up my patience.

In this case, the OP was understandably excited about an opportunity to get some Pioneer Spec gear, and the sale of equipment promised to finance that purchase. The situation didn't leave much room for patience, and thus presented the possibility of a conflict. I believe he fulfilled his ethical duty by providing ebay bidders with notice of the local listing. It is not a breach of an ethical duty each time the circumstances are likely to leave someone disappointed. It's disappointing to not win a bid, but thank goodness we don't win every item on which we place a bid.

Regards,

D-Ray

 

[klama2006]

Its a ethics question..... Just put your self In the place of the buyer.

You already know the right answer, follow though with your instinct.

 

[Thrift-a-holic]

Ahhhhhhhh,.....can you say again the stuff you said about the stuff?:scratch2:

 

[vinyldisc]

I find it hilarious that folks talk about ethics and ebay in the same sentence.

The business itself is a monopoly and corrupt at the core. I would not touch ebay with a pole.
Principles are more important than materialism.