sign in • sign up
web | myLot | discussions | tasks | blogs | news | photos
homeinterestsdiscussionstasksblogsnewsmessages friendsphotosearningsmyLot

What Is Your Understanding Of The E-Bay Buying And Selling Policy? email this discussion to a friend?

myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet1 year ago

I'm asking this because my son sells on E-Bay. He put a Mr. Frosty Ice Maker up for auction, with a starting price of 99p. The bids had reached £1.45, and there were two main people vying for the item, both of whom contacted my daughter-in-law, outside E-Bay. They both asked if they could buy the item, at a set price. One of them offered £10, plus P&P and the other didn't mention a price, but also wanted to buy outside E-Bay.

Now, my understanding is that if you put an item up for auction, then you're allowed to withdraw it, but you're not allowed to sell outside E-Bay, and not really allowed to sell before end of auction unless you put a "Buy Now", or "Make an Offer" tag on it. Quite rightly, I think, my daughter-in-law refused to accept, as she thought it unfair on other bidders who had submitted their bids.

The upshot of it all was, the person who offered £10 plus P&P won the item, for a mere £1.90, plus P&P. What are your views on this, and what would you have done if you had been my daughter-in-law? What is your understanding of the E-Bay selling policies? Was my daughter-in-law correct in what she did? Do you think the two buyers who contacted her should have been reported to E-Bay? Your views, please?


E-Bay
 
 
internet
sponsors
Granite Bay, CA Homes for Sale
View property& homes for sale. Get info on Granite Bay community and surrounding communities as well as info on buying& selling homes.
www.teamstevehomes.com

Discovery Bay Homes
Home listings for Discovery Bay area.
marisellsdiscoverybay.com

San Francisco Bay Boat Rental
Charter a beautiful 42 foot catamaran complete with captain and crew. Through this San Francisco bay cruise, you'll get a taste of the city, country, ocean and various California climates.
www.sanfranciscosailing.com

User has not selected a best response.
tags:  e-bay, policies, buying and selling policies, bids outside e-bay, buy it now
 
1. myLot reputation of 96/100. OceanTiara (2723)   ranked 2,081 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I know that ebay states no outside selling, or if you do at your own risk..it is against their policy.
I feel your daughter in law did the right thing Darkwing.
It does suck that she suffered the lower price however. xoxoxo


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

I agree... she did the fair thing, and has to take the consequences for not putting in a "Buy Now" or "Make an Offer" button. If she'd done that, then it would have been fair to accept any offers, as all have an equal chance.

Yes, it sucks that she suffered a lower price but then in hindsight, it could have gone much higher. That's the risk you take with E-Bay, my dear friend.

Brightest Blessings. xxx

Granite Bay, CA Homes for Sale View property & homes for sale. Get info on Granite Bay community and surrounding communities as well as info on buying & selling homes. www.teamstevehomes.com
 
2. myLot reputation of 76/100. Wolfechu (892)   ranked 801 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I'm not sure what the actual policy is, but I can't see a problem with it, really.

Is it possible to edit the auctions while they're running, and add a 'buy it now' option for 10 quid? It's been a while since I sold anything on there, but I'm reasonably certain you can edit some aspects, at least.

If that seems unfair to the other bidders, bear in mind they're going to be notified of any changes to the auction by email; they have every chance of taking the 'buy it now' offer too.

Is this an original Mr. Frosty? I remember those as a kid, and I'm not sure if they still make them. If it was, you probably let it go for way below the collector's value.


myLot reputation of 93/100. ellie333 (6749)   ranked 82 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Hi Once someone has placed a bid you cannot go and alter to a buy it now, this can only be done after item up for aution but no with active bids if this makes sense. The first time someone requested this of me this is what I thought could perhaps be done to follow policy rulings and found out then that I couldn't. Ellie:D


myLot reputation of 76/100. Wolfechu (892)   ranked 801 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Ah, that makes more sense. I think I generally put a buy it now on everything, but made it high enough that most people would bid first anyway.

In that case, it's really up to your conscience, but to be honest, I think I would have done exactly the same thing as you, and felt slightly cheated when I only got a couple of quid for it;)


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Hi Wolf! No, I think Ellie's right on this one. I don't sell on E-Bay, but I can imagine my annoyance if somebody gazumped me that way! I would be in touch with E-Bay straight away. As it happened, the woman who made the offer of £10 won it anyway, so she was better off bidding. One can always put in a maximum bid of £10, if they're prepared to pay that much should others bid higher.

It was my granddaughter's Mr. Frosty, so probably not that original, as she's only coming up for eleven years old. It's probably about six or seven years old, but it still has the box and is in very good condition, as she rarely used it. You know how the novelty wears off with kids!

Brightest Blessings.

Discovery Bay Homes Home listings for Discovery Bay area. marisellsdiscoverybay.com
 
3. myLot reputation of 94/100. tamarafireheart (10763)   ranked 604 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

Hello DarkWing,

I don't really know much about E-Bay, but My husband does because he has done buy and sell on them. In my veiw I thin if you are selling something on e-bay you should stick to it,its not fair on other bidder, people should not come and offer outside of e-bay, once its on e-bay thats it.



Regards

Tamarafireheart.


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

I agree with you, unless you put in the "Make an Offer" or "Buy It Now" buttons at the beginning of the auction, then you should stick with your original start of bidding, which in this case, was 99p. You have to take your chances on E-Bay... sometimes an item will create tremendous interest amongst buyers and soar to a ridiculously high price and others, well you just have to accept the low bids.

Brightest Blessings, my friend.

San Francisco Bay Boat Rental Charter a beautiful 42 foot catamaran complete with captain and crew. Through this San Francisco bay cruise, you'll get a taste of the city, country, ocean and various California climates. www.sanfranciscosailing.com
 
4. myLot reputation of 93/100. ellie333 (6749)   ranked 82 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

Hi Darkwing. I have bought and sold a lot on Ebay and on a few ocassions I have been asked to sell outside. This is totally against their policy and I never would. I would have been really peeved about the winner being the one that offered the £10 and getting for £1.90 though but obviously really wanted and it has gone to the home is it now supposed to be with. Your son when putting item up for sale even though starting at 99p could have put a buy it now price on the item of say £15 then if someone desparately wanted it before the auction ended they could have bought but wouldn't have received a bargain £1.90 certainly was. I put a buy it now often as some items I don't want to sell for less than this price. Ellie:D


myLot reputation of 93/100. ellie333 (6749)   ranked 82 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Forgot to answer the last two questions, your daughter-in-law did do the correct thing and this will be reflected in the feedback she gets and even though only sold this item for a small amount integrity matters more. I personally don't report people as it good be that they just really want the item. I won a mini razor chopper bike worth £249 which I didn't want so I put on Ebay and had a few private requests to buy it immediately. I responded pleasantly back sayig thanks but no thanks I need to see the aution through to the end and that I hoped they were successful in their bid. Ellie:D


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Yes, I agree. You've said more or less everything I told my daughter-in-law. She's always very fair in her judgements and I'm proud of her for telling this person that it wouldn't be fair to other bidders to sell out of auction. Good for her! She's cool about getting a lower price. At least the item drew some interest and she's learned from it. There have been times when she's made way above what she's asked, so it's swings and roundabouts really and a chance you have to take, unless as you say, you cover yourself with a "Buy Now" button.

Brightest Blessings and thank you for the explanation, my dear friend. xxx


myLot reputation of 93/100. ellie333 (6749)   ranked 82 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Hi Darkwing, I really am off to bed now, just one more response, ooop and an hour has gone, 5 or 6 later. I use another site that is free to list and have sold a fair amount but it is fairly new so put what you really want for it as a starting price downwiththehammer. Might be worth her giving a try. Glen the guy who runs it is lovely and very helpful too. Ellie:D xxx


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Oh great! Thank you for the heads up on that one, my friend. Hmmmm, another 3.30 a.m. bedtime? lol.

Take care, and nite nite. xxx

Apartments for Rent in Green Bay Apartment Listings in Green Bay. Floorplans, Amenities & Pricing. Apartments.com/GreenBay
 
5. myLot reputation of 99/100. kayrod2 (856)   ranked 660 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I didnt think you were allowed to contact the seller outside of ebay. How do they get the email address? I always thought that ebay kept that private. I dont think its right though. Same with selling the item before the auction ends. I didnt even know you could withdraw it. I would of done the same as your daughter-in-law, even though it would of bought in more money. The downside, i suppose, is that she would of got more money, but she did the right thing. If i was watching an item that i was interested in and it was taken off prior to the end of auction i wouldnt be happy. Im not sure about the reporting of them, i dont know how that all works on ebay, but i think they were in the wrong to make contact.
Best wishes to you, Darkwing and take care my friend
xxxx


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Yes, I think the buyers were in the wrong to make contact. I don't know how they managed to contact them outside of E-Bay because whenever I've asked the seller a question, it has been through E-Bay's messaging service, where they can keep an eye on proceedings.

I have a feeling that E-Bay ask you to report any activity that's against policies, but I'm not even sure on that one. However, I'd be the same as you, and become extremely annoyed if somebody jumped my bid in this way. They don't need to do that... all they need to do is put in a maximum bid of ten pounds, then if the bids don't reach that much, they just pay the lower price.

Brightest Blessings, my dear friend. xxx

Attorney Bradley K Boyd Specializing in Social Security Law, estates & wills. Call now. bradboyd.localplacement.com
 
6. myLot reputation of 97/100. fluffysue (760)   ranked 1,827 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I know some of Ebay's rules have changed since I last sold 2 years ago. But my understanding was that you should not engage in transactions outside of Ebay. I think that was more for protection of the buyer, though, than anything else. I do believe it goes against their policies to engage in a transaction like what you are talking about, but I think usually it is the seller attempting it, not the buyer. I definitely think she was right to refuse the transaction.


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Yes, me too. I'm quite proud of her, even though she lost money doing so. She refused because of the other bidders, which is quite an honourable thing to do, I feel. Not only that... I'm sure it's against E-Bay policy to engage in any transaction outside their auction site, once you've listed with them. Ok, when the listing time runs out, I guess you can do what you want to, but not before.

Brightest Blessings and thank you for your contribution.

Your Family's Legal Needs Call an experienced and caring lawyer for all family law matters. www.robsegalpa.com
 
7. myLot reputation of 86/100. latoyahall (382)   ranked 4,580 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

It is a bummer that you could have gotten more money for it. But it is much wiser to stick with ebay policy in case of scams.


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Oh boy! I never thought of it from a scam point of view, but you're right... it so well could have turned out that way.

I think she was not only considerate, but wise, in turning down the offers, even if she did get less for it. It's swings and roundabouts on E-Bay. Some things you'll get more than you expected for and others, less.

Brightest Blessings, and thank you for your contribution.

Need Affordable Insurance We offer health and life insurance plans for individuals & families. RMLAssoc.localplacement.com
 
8. myLot reputation of 91/100. beautyqueen26 (9033)   ranked 49 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I'm not very familiar with current Ebay policy
as they keep changing things.

Just last week, I bought an item off Ebay
in the US and their policy for leaving feedback
had completely changed.

Now buyers no longer have to fear that a seller
will trash their reputation and now are being
encouraged to tell the truth about their dealings
with a seller.

I suppose this is a good thing as other buyers
would trust an honest opinion.

I'm sorry, that wouldn't help in your situation.

But it's all the current knowledge that I have on
selling on Ebay.

Thanks for the question.

I should really do some more research on this.

I used to have an Ebay how-to newsletter, but
that was years ago.

So many things have changed since then.
Wish I could help more.

Your friend,
BeautyQueen,
P.S. Maybe the two buyers should have been reported
as you mentioned. That is a personal choice.
I am sure that they knew it was against EBay policy.

Or, at least it used to be against policy.


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Yes, I've had to leave feedback for buyers recently. Not that I ever felt a need to leave negative feedback, but it's not allowed these days. Your feedback has to be positive, but can be graded... in other words it can be really positive or just about positive. ha ha ha.

I'm sure that offers outside E-Bay, on a listed item, is outside policy guidelines, but I guess as they weren't too pushy, my daughter in law decided there was no real need to report them. I might have done, though! lol.

Brightest Blessings and thank you for your contribution, my friend. xx

Drop 25 Pounds in 2 Weeks Fast Easy Weight Loss Breakthrough. As Seen on CNN - Try It Here. EasilyLoseWeight.net
 
9. myLot reputation of 98/100. cyberfluf (2480)   ranked 4,600 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

I agree when selling to ebay you should abide to their policies, even though it's a loss of money. It's too bad they got it at such a low bid though. I would use a higher starting price or a reserve price to prevent this from happening.
Or use 'buy it now or best offer'. In that case you have more power over what happens in your listing. I hope that helps.


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

Yes, I agree. I think, in hindsight, they might add a "Buy It Now" or "Offer" button in future, but we live and learn. I'm proud of her for her decision.

Brightest Blessings and thank you for your contribution.

Gold Buyer #1 in Los Angeles Immediate cash paid for your gold, jewelry & diamonds. Most cash paid. www.cashforjewelry.net
 
10. myLot reputation of 98/100. lingli_78 (10063)   ranked 1,253 out of 5,908 in internet   1 year ago

i never actually sell or buy items from ebay before... so i don't really know how the system works... i thought ebay should state the policy clearly in their TOS... but your daughter-in-law is doing the right thing even though she suffers lower price... take care and have a nice day...


myLot reputation of 97/100. Darkwing (7478)   ranked 11 out of 5,908 in internet  1 year ago

I see... then you wouldn't know that it is indeed stated in Mylot's TOS, but temptation can be a persuasive thing sometimes. I'm really proud of my daughter in law for sticking to her guns for the sake of other bidders. She also saved her account being closed by breaking policy.

Brightest Blessings, my dear friend, and thank you for your contribution. x

25 Pounds in 2 Weeks Fast Easy Weight Loss Breakthrough. As Seen on CNN - Try It Here. LoseWeightEasily.net
 
sponsors
Apartments for Rent in Green Bay
Apartment Listings in Green Bay. Floorplans, Amenities& Pricing.
Apartments.com/GreenBay

Attorney Bradley K Boyd
Specializing in Social Security Law, estates& wills. Call now.
bradboyd.localplacement.com

Your Family's Legal Needs
Call an experienced and caring lawyer for all family law matters.
www.robsegalpa.com

similar discussions
do u have experience buying things through ebay..??
hi friends many of my friends are buying things through ebay..but some are saying it is not good...
Are you suffering EBAY ADDICTION now?
Have you woken up at strange hours just to be there for the last remaining minutes of an online...
Only $65,please tell me what i can buy on the E-bay?
hello every one on the mylot.now i have only $65 and please tell me what i can buy on the ebay...
good or bad???
just been looking on ebay for a few things and was surprised at the prices they were selling on...
Shopping By Paypal
Hi All. Can anyone tell me of any online shopping sites from which I can buy using paypal. The Site...
Man sells his life on E Bay: Whats your take on this?
A Britain living in Perth Australia put his life "FOR SALE" including his car. home, his job and...
what goods is very salable in the E-BAY?
hello every one on the mylot.i am going to open a store and sell some things in the e-bay.but i do...
Gee! i'm drown in Ebay!
I'm a green hand at ebay, and during the last three weeks, i've been searching makeups night and...
I am a bit frightened!!!
Next Week I am going to do my first time selling on E-Bay (Amazon Gift Card $5) and I am a bit...
E-bay?
Do you like ebay? if so what do you like about it? do you think ebay will be growing stronger and...
sponsors
Apartments for Rent in Green Bay
Apartment Listings in Green Bay. Floorplans, Amenities & Pricing.
Apartments.com/GreenBay
Attorney Bradley K Boyd
Specializing in Social Security Law, estates & wills. Call now.
bradboyd.localplacement.com
Your Family's Legal Needs
Call an experienced and caring lawyer for all family law matters.
www.robsegalpa.com
Need Affordable Insurance
We offer health and life insurance plans for individuals & families.
RMLAssoc.localplacement.com
Drop 25 Pounds in 2 Weeks
Fast Easy Weight Loss Breakthrough. As Seen on CNN - Try It Here.
EasilyLoseWeight.net
Gold Buyer #1 in Los Angeles
Immediate cash paid for your gold, jewelry & diamonds. Most cash paid.
www.cashforjewelry.net
25 Pounds in 2 Weeks
Fast Easy Weight Loss Breakthrough. As Seen on CNN - Try It Here.
LoseWeightEasily.net
Find a Bays Law Firm
Browse Law Firm Listings in Bays. Compare profiles and credentials. Free in-depth research. FindLaw.com.
na.link.decdna.net
Put in Bay Bachelor/Ette Party Guide
Our guide helps you find everything from a entertainer to hotels. Make your stay unforgetable.
www.putinbayparty.com
Save on Put in Bay OH Rooms
Hotel Deals in Put in Bay, OH. Compare Prices and Save up to 75%.
PutinBay.Hotel.net/Hotel-deals