Shady eBaying

Jetfire

So I've been following a UK based guitar builder on Instagram for a while. I've liked his stuff for a while now but not wanting to waste anyones time, I've admired from afar, just like posts etc. So last night, a photo is posted of a rather nice guitar that turns out this guy is eBaying, so I follow the link and low and behold, it's up for £250 with a few bids and less than 24 hours to go. Fast forward today and near the auction end time, I slam in my max bid and wait for the minutes to tick by and result, I win with my £352 bid. Less than 10 mins later, the auction is cancelled and said item is relisted with a starting bid of £600 followed by a message saying:

"Hi,

Sorry to have cancelled the transaction for the (guitar) I was expecting to get more for it and simply cannot take so little for it when it cost me almost double that to make it.

The guitar has been relisted at a higher price - reflecting the minimum I can take for it - if you're still interested at all?

Kind regards, 

Guitar makers name here."

What grips me the most is there was no reserve or buy it now to stopping me bidding ? The original Instagram post has now been removed and he's saying it back up for sale even though it sold. 

Arktik83

Cheeky bastard!  Sounds like he's hoping you're still in the thrall of winning the bid and getting the guitar and you would pay the extra £275 to get the guitar.  What a top hat.

mart

Sigh, ignore, walk away. Some people are just idiots.

Funkfingers

How close to the scheduled end of the auction was the listing pulled? The cancellation might breach eBay rules. You could use this to your advantage.

If the vendor put a guitar that cost him over six hundred quid to construct on sale for half that figure, he is a tit.

Funkfingers

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robinbowes

I had something similar happen with a fishing rod. I won a Burtz Rozemeijer Vertical Jig Rod for £0.99 and paid immediately, offering to drive over to pick it up. The seller just ignored me, and when I complained ebay just refunded me the £0.99.

Worth complaining to ebay about though - the seller is not allowed to do that.

R.

Adam_MD

Can you do that on ebay?  So if i sell something with no reserve via auction on ebay and if I dont like the final price just cancel it and start again?  Seems nuts if they allow people to do that. 

Simon_M

Bought a Gibson SG standard a while back for £600. Within minutes of winning the auction I got a paypal refund and the guitar was relisted, again at £600. I decided the seller was probably a moron and moved on.

Jetfire

Funkfingers said:

How close to the scheduled end of the auction was the listing pulled? The cancellation might breach eBay rules. You could use this to your advantage.

If the vendor put a guitar that cost him over six hundred quid to construction on sale for half that figure, he is a tit.

The auction finished! I had won it

TeleMaster

Wow that’s unbelievable bullshit. Put a reserve up ffs! 

tony99

Tell him if he doesn't sell for the bid price then you'll no longer follow him on instagram.

Th4fonz

Can you leave Neg Feedback for him surely you can if you won the auction?

midlifecrisis

its against ebay rules but not much you or they can do about it. in reality all someona has to do if they dont want to honour the sale is to say it is broken or stolen.

Jetfire

Yeah, shocking practise, esp as one of the guys has a promotional thread on this here very forum. I have contacted eBay. 

UnclePsychosis

Adam_MD said:

Can you do that on ebay?  So if i sell something with no reserve via auction on ebay and if I dont like the final price just cancel it and start again?  Seems nuts if they allow people to do that. 

It's not allowed but there's very little consequence to a seller for doing so.

SouthpawMark

Bloody hate ebayers who pull that sort of crap. If you’re going to auction something and you’re too tight to pay the reserve price fee then you only have yourself to blame if it sells below what you expect it to. Report him for being a bellend. 

Funkfingers

Jetfire said:
The auction finished! I had won it

If the auction went full term and you placed the highest bid, the only thing that excuses the vendor from honouring the sale is a reserve price.

Th4fonz said:

Can you leave Neg Feedback for him surely you can if you won the auction?

Not immediately. In any event, that might not bring the desired result.


Option 1 - Polite message to vendor, inviting him to play by the rules and advising him of your intention to open a dispute.

Option 2 - Just go straight to eBay and open a dispute. 

Jetfire

I'm glad it's not just me that thinks this isn't on. As @mart says..I've logged my complaints and told the vendor it's my not fault but I can't see it going further than that.

I'm gutted because his guitars look amazing..

And I have unfollowed them on Instagram now heh

chris78

The moral of your story is just avoid eBay for guitar sales or purchases. If you’re a buyer, chances are you’ll get ripped off in some way. If you’re a seller, chances are you’ll get ripped off in some way 

prlgmnr

You're frustrated that you didn't get something for a low price, he's no doubt frustrated he can't command a higher price for his work; yes he should have just put a reserve on in the first place or a higher starting price.

The whole auction thing on Ebay adds this weird gamification element so you're left feeling he's "cheated you" out of something you "won". 

Obviously if he carries on in this fashion repeatedly he'll earn a reputation for it.

600 still seems fairly decent for a handbuilt in the UK instrument though I can't actually speak to the quality of these having never seen one in person.

poopot

Who’s the builder?