eBay system fault. Sellers beware.
eBay system fault. Sellers beware.
Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
It appears there is a system fault on eBay regarding reserve pricing on an item up for auction.

Have had 2 leather jackets on there with a reserve of £100 on each. A bid for £75 was recd on one and I had a message saying my item would sell. With a reserve of £100 that shouldn't have been the case so looked at my listing and my reserve price had gone from £100 down to £35. Although brassed off I try to be a honest seller on there so let the item go for the bid price.

The other jacket got relisted and I've been keeping a check daily on the reserve price of £100. Had a message early this morning saying my item would sell as a bid of £70 had been placed.....you can guess where this is going. Checked the reserve price and once again it had magically gone down to £35 so Im again honour bound to let the item go.

Managed to get a call back from eBay and to be honest I may as well have spoken to our cat who's currently asleep on the sofa.

Point of the post is that if you're selling something on eBay with a reserve price don't trust that price not being altered!

bobtail4x4

4,407 posts

138 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
so get a mate to bid £75?

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
Not the point though is it.

The point of the thread is to warn that the reserve pricing system is faulty.

Personally I'm not overly bothered about £25-30 but if someone is selling something relatively expensive they could easily get bitten.

EFH189

1,595 posts

70 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
It’s nothing to do with their system of reducing the price automatically as the auction nears an end? Did you inadvertently agree to it?

They should switch that off IMO, pisses me off having to say no to that option every time I list an item.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
EFH189 said:
It’s nothing to do with their system of reducing the price automatically as the auction nears an end? Did you inadvertently agree to it?

They should switch that off IMO, pisses me off having to say no to that option every time I list an item.
No mate, it isn't.

Have never turned the 'easy pricing' on and never would. If something doesn't sell within the first 7 days I just re-list it.

rfisher

5,063 posts

312 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
It's almost as if all Ebay's new selling rules are devised to increase sales (and thereby their seller fees haul) at literally any cost.

Going bust if you ask me.

Foot / gun with Ebay recently.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,007 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
I've always puzzled about the reserve thing.

Why not just start it off at the price you are happy with? I know if I bid on something and it turns out to have a reserve it switches me off.

Much more transparent, simple and avoids said problem.

supertouring

2,228 posts

262 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
I used to have my Fixed Price listings suddenly allow offers when I had not set them. Would happen a week or two into the 30 day listing period. Could not see a way to stop it so just edit the offers option out when I found it.

Unfortunately, this could annoy any potential customer who had their offer rejected.

Ebay are a law unto themselves sometimes.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,007 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
supertouring said:


Ebay are a law unto themselves
You've got that right!

supertouring

2,228 posts

262 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I've always puzzled about the reserve thing.

Why not just start it off at the price you are happy with? I know if I bid on something and it turns out to have a reserve it switches me off.

Much more transparent, simple and avoids said problem.
This was always my philosophy for auctions. Either start at 99p and take the gamble that the low price will encourage bidders or just put in my lowest start price and see if anyone will take it.

jimmythingy

317 posts

91 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
I can understand listing a high value item with a reserve but a £100 jacket, either list it at a buy it now or set it going at the minimum you would accept. I think people will just not bother when they see a reserve.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
We all have different ideas when it comes to selling.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,007 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
moktabe said:
We all have different ideas when it comes to selling.
Yep, but you're the one with the problem hehe

sorry, I couldn't resist

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
Oh look....

Mr Observant.

shih tzu faced

2,597 posts

78 months

Thursday 27th May 2021
quotequote all
moktabe said:
It appears there is a system fault on eBay regarding reserve pricing on an item up for auction.

Have had 2 leather jackets on there with a reserve of £100 on each. A bid for £75 was recd on one and I had a message saying my item would sell. With a reserve of £100 that shouldn't have been the case so looked at my listing and my reserve price had gone from £100 down to £35. Although brassed off I try to be a honest seller on there so let the item go for the bid price.

The other jacket got relisted and I've been keeping a check daily on the reserve price of £100. Had a message early this morning saying my item would sell as a bid of £70 had been placed.....you can guess where this is going. Checked the reserve price and once again it had magically gone down to £35 so Im again honour bound to let the item go.

Managed to get a call back from eBay and to be honest I may as well have spoken to our cat who's currently asleep on the sofa.

Point of the post is that if you're selling something on eBay with a reserve price don't trust that price not being altered!
Fair play to you for honouring the sales, that was the decent thing to do despite (twice) taking a considerable hit. No surprise to me that ebay were no help at all, absolutely dreadful company.

Not sure why people are queuing up on here to give you a kicking. I don't sell much on ebay these days and tbh find it all pretty confusing now with so many new rules and settings all the time, but anyway thanks for the heads up cool

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,007 posts

264 months

Friday 28th May 2021
quotequote all
shih tzu faced said:
Not sure why people are queuing up on here to give you a kicking.
I don't think that's the case. I (personally) just broadened the discussion to say as a buyer I find reserves on eBay auctions tiresome and a bit of a turn off. But, as the OP says, each to their own.

HighwayToHull

8,642 posts

207 months

Saturday 29th May 2021
quotequote all
Interestingly enough, I discovered the other day that one of my auction items had the feature to accept offers enabled. Fortunately nobody had made one so I disabled it. I thought at the time that I had probably just clicked on something by mistake. But I'm not so sure now!

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,007 posts

264 months

Saturday 29th May 2021
quotequote all
HighwayToHull said:
Interestingly enough, I discovered the other day that one of my auction items had the feature to accept offers enabled. Fortunately nobody had made one so I disabled it. I thought at the time that I had probably just clicked on something by mistake. But I'm not so sure now!
Even if they make an offer you can decline it.

shih tzu faced

2,597 posts

78 months

Saturday 29th May 2021
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
shih tzu faced said:
Not sure why people are queuing up on here to give you a kicking.
I don't think that's the case. I (personally) just broadened the discussion to say as a buyer I find reserves on eBay auctions tiresome and a bit of a turn off. But, as the OP says, each to their own.
Fair enough dude beer

I’ve just re-read through the thread and I think you’re right, no one was really giving the OP a kicking. Seemed that way at the time, but not now. Maybe I’m just more chilled at the weekend!