In recent weeks 3 bids on Bucks I bid on were cancelled...There was no reserve and I think the seller just did not want to part with them at that price..I did not like that at all! Since many of us here on the forum buy and sell there I thought a little discussion about the bay and recent rules and changes was a good idea.. If a seller don't like the bid reached without a reserve should he be allowed to end it early???? Or be allowed to re list it?? I have never been a seller so I really am not familiar with or know all the rules...If a item was sold early [like a car listing] I can understand that..But I don't think that was the case here..
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The 'Evil' bay..The good ,bad, and just plain ugly..
- Thread starter bucksway
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Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
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This isn't a specifically Buck knife problem.
I'm moving this to the obvious forum: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.
I'm moving this to the obvious forum: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2006
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- 20,593
I don't understand how a seller can know what the final price is before the auction ends? If they ended it early, they wouldn't know because often the items don't get many bids until the last few seconds of the auction. I've seen knives I was selling go up 100 dollars or more in the last 15 seconds. So, if the knives were withdrawn before the auction ended the seller could very well be missing out on a decent price.
Yes, you can end an auction early and it happens a lot in the vehicle categories...I've done it because I sold a car outside of eBay while it was on eBay...Plus, I pulled two auctions on electronics when I found out something was wrong with the item after listing it.
If you've done a lot of selling, you usually have a good idea what an item should sell for...but a seller may get clues it is going to sell low and pull it.
As a seller you can see how many people are watching an item, so even though normally a lot of bids come in near the end, if only 2 people are actively watching the item, it won't spike up much.
Bob
If you've done a lot of selling, you usually have a good idea what an item should sell for...but a seller may get clues it is going to sell low and pull it.
As a seller you can see how many people are watching an item, so even though normally a lot of bids come in near the end, if only 2 people are actively watching the item, it won't spike up much.
Bob
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I use Ebay sometimes for clearing out odds and ends from inventory. I don't use auctions because the prices almost always end below cost. But in the past I did use auctions. If the product sold somewhere other than Ebay, then I had to end the auction.
In other words, the fact that an auction has ended doesn't mean necessarily that the seller was afraid of a low final bid - even though fear of a low final bid is very sensible.
In other words, the fact that an auction has ended doesn't mean necessarily that the seller was afraid of a low final bid - even though fear of a low final bid is very sensible.
There are legitimate reasons for cancelling a bid albeit few and I'm sure there are a few for cancelling an auction. It seems like in either case it should be a very rare occasion and mistakes can be made-I know I'm not perfect. If it is happening on a regular basis as in one particular seller mentioned recently on the Buck forum, someone is not following the rules and should be restricted from selling or be made to stick to his word(not getting what you want aint a good reason-thats why they have reserves in the 1st place. I know if I bid on something and the wife put the nichts on it cause its too high, I would be penalized for a retraction(which I would deserve). This is the way of the world, no one is held to thier word or a contract except for those who have the integrity to keep it in the first place and if they are being wronged, they get stuck anyway if they try to fight it.:thumbdn:
dericdesmond
Gold Member
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there are millions of sellers on EBAY, choose another one.
Ebay should make a seller pay a huge fine for ending an auction early IMHO. Yes there maybe some real reasons for ending an auction early. But, if there are current bidders it should not be allowed. If a seller wants or needs a specific price target to be hit ebay has those options and a seller must pay those fee's. The OP was talking about a seller who is using the low open bid to draw folks to his store and more often than not ends the auction, cancels the bids and the folks who bid have no clue what just happened to the auction they bid on.
As was said above, there are many other honest folks to do business with both on ebay and other options. Take your money and spend it wisely where you want.
jb4570
As was said above, there are many other honest folks to do business with both on ebay and other options. Take your money and spend it wisely where you want.
jb4570
As far as the number of watchers being known to the seller, thats true if the only watchers are those who put the item on their "watch list" on Ebay.
I never do that, I just save the auction listing to my "favorite places" or "bookmarks". I've checked with a few of my friends and relatives who buy on Ebay and that's how they do it also.
The seller will never know that we are keeping an eye on their auction.
This is from Ebays help:
Requirements
Your ability to end a listing early depends on the amount of time remaining in the listing and whether the listing has received any bids.
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.
If there are 12 hours or less before the end of the listing, your ability to end the listing early depends on whether there are any bids on the item and whether the item has a reserve price.
Number of bids on the item
Can the listing be ended early?
No bids, including no canceled bids
Yes, as long as there aren't any cancelled bids.
One or more bids
Yes, but you must sell the item to the high bidder.
One or more bids, but the item’s reserve price wasn’t met
No
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Interesting...you're the first I've heard of doing that...
I always use the watch list...never really cared if the seller knew how many were watching...
If I really want to bid on something, I just set it up on esnipe anyway...
Interesting...you're the first I've heard of doing that...
I always use the watch list...never really cared if the seller knew how many were watching...
If I really want to bid on something, I just set it up on esnipe anyway...
I've never used a snipe program. I started buying on Ebay in Dec. 1998 and they didn't have a watch list then if I remember correctly. To do it the way I do, you have to either have a good memory or check your favorites alot so you don't miss one.
You are correct...I started selling/buying on eBay in May of '99 and they did not have a watch list back then...
Or professional sellers...and forced PayPal...remember using checks and money orders?
Sniping is a good way to go. I use esnipe.com...I like it because I put in what I'm willing to pay and then let it go...
I don't have to be there when the auction ends...which is nice if it ends at night or when I'm at work.
And I don't get in a bidding war...
I've never sold anything on Ebay, and I'm coming up on 1300 positives.
I remember my first purchase and how nervous I was. It was a Shimano Calcutta reel at $185. I bought the money order and sent it "return receipt requested" and signature required. I thought I'd really screwed up because it took the seller two weeks to even send the reel after he got the Postal Money Order.
Then again, there was the guy who mailed a bunch of fishing lures to me the day I won the auction. Hell, I hadn't even had a chance to get the money order yet.
I remember my first purchase and how nervous I was. It was a Shimano Calcutta reel at $185. I bought the money order and sent it "return receipt requested" and signature required. I thought I'd really screwed up because it took the seller two weeks to even send the reel after he got the Postal Money Order.
Then again, there was the guy who mailed a bunch of fishing lures to me the day I won the auction. Hell, I hadn't even had a chance to get the money order yet.
What am I missing about the advantages of sniping? I don't get it.
Why not just bid the amount you're willing to pay and be done with it? Why wait until the last second to place the same bid amount? Do you think bidding early inflates the final price somehow?
Why not just bid the amount you're willing to pay and be done with it? Why wait until the last second to place the same bid amount? Do you think bidding early inflates the final price somehow?
Yes, early bidding lowers your odds of getting what you want, at your price.
If something, let's say a knife, is at $25 and I'm willing to pay $50 and I bid $50 today...the other bidder can keep raising his bid until he hits $51...
Now, if the knife is at $25 and my snipe waits to bid my $50 with 5 seconds left in the auction, I have a good chance of getting it for $26, or whatever the next bid over the others max is...maybe it will be $49, but I got it within my budget.
I always did this before the snipe programs...I would just wait with my clock and bid in the last few seconds. Same thing.
But it is not all about the price...I set my snipe and I don't look at it again.
If an item I'm willing to pay $50 for goes to $60, I'm not tempted to bid $61...
Bottom line is it is easy...put the item number in and your max bid and done...
Cost is very low and my success rate is higher using sniping...
Of course when I'm selling...I hate snipers...
HTH,
Bob
dericdesmond
Gold Member
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Bob, you hate snipers? I LOVE em when I sell, they make me more $ 
To add to your good response, sniping takes the back and fourth bidding wars out of the equation. Ive been sniped a many times and wish I had put in a higher bid after I realize its gone 
To add to your good response, sniping takes the back and fourth bidding wars out of the equation. Ive been sniped a many times and wish I had put in a higher bid after I realize its gone Bob, you hate snipers? I LOVE em when I sell, they make me more $
Really? You think you make more selling when your item is sniped?
Maybe you are right...
It seems like I would get less, but I guess I'm really not sure.
dericdesmond
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Dont get me wrong, I love early bidders but if its sitting at a low price til the end, I love em to jack it up at the last min opposed to me selling it at that low price. If some of my auctions were not sniped in the past then I would of basically gave some of my stuff away. I just sold a yanni cd and dvd for a friend together the other day, it sold for .01 + $2 S&H, where were the snipers when I needed them