Ebay "might end auction at any time" no longer allowed

[singlecoil]

Had a listing removed because I said, in the listing, that the item was advertised elsewhere, and that if as a result it sold then I would end the auction early.

I must have read similar in a vast number of ebay listings, especially car related ones, seems to be almost standard. So I was surprised when I got the email and wrote back and queried it, and they confirmed it.

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised. Presumably now if one did sell something privately one would have to end the auction giving some other reason?

[Nolar Dog]

singlecoil said:

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised.

Why? You agreed to list the car for sale by auction for a specified time.
You can't have your cake and eat it.

If you want to accept offers before the end of the auction then use a "Buy It Now" with "Best Offer" or a "Classified Ad".

It's people like you that make ebay hard work.

[mfmman]

Same here, just use "item no longer available"

Stupid rule by stupid people (yes I know they are very rich stupid people)

[singlecoil]

Nolar Dog said:

singlecoil said:

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised.

Why? You agreed to list the car for sale by auction for a specified time.
You can't have your cake and eat it.

If you want to accept offers before the end of the auction then use a "Buy It Now" with "Best Offer" or a "Classified Ad".

It's people like you that make ebay hard work.

My initial reaction to your closing jibe was to suggest was to be direct and rude, but I'm too polite for that.

I see no reason at all why I shouldn't sell something that belongs to me (not a car, BTW) by whatever means works. I do have a small network of friends and acquaintances and they are all aware that the item is availble. If one of them or one of their friends should decide to buy it from me then why should not sell it to them.

You are obviously an ebay devotee, and to the extent that selling something by any other means hasn't occured to you.

[Morningside]

Been like that for a while. Also "I dont take Paypal 'cos....", car swaps, Nearly new, As new and Offers

They are bds but pay my bills so I have to put up with it

....And even more annoying is you cannot list more than one item starting at a price (ie 99p). You either have to list them at a fixed price (on some items how would you know what its worth?) or each one at a time.

Edited by Morningside on Tuesday 16th June 18:58

[Nolar Dog]

singlecoil said:

My initial reaction to your closing jibe was to suggest was to be direct and rude, but I'm too polite for that.

I see no reason at all why I shouldn't sell something that belongs to me (not a car, BTW) by whatever means works. I do have a small network of friends and acquaintances and they are all aware that the item is availble. If one of them or one of their friends should decide to buy it from me then why should not sell it to them.

You are obviously an ebay devotee, and to the extent that selling something by any other means hasn't occured to you.

I'm not an ebay devotee at all. I buy from there and I sometimes sell on there.
But I buy and sell using other methods too.

However, if I do use their (ebay) services then I abide by their rules.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

If you use ebay you agree to their t&c's. You shouldn't then break them.

You're probably one of those that would moan that an item you were bidding on either had shill bidding going on or that it ended early and your bid got cancelled.

That is all.
Be as impolite as you like.

[LoveMachine]

I agree. I'd also like to see any way of backing out removed.

There are a lot of people who don't mean business or "are not really sure" about selling an item. I do not want to get my hopes up and then the bloody seller decide to keep it, cock around, etc.

"I reserve the right to not pay the full listing fee for what I think it's worth and if I decide to pull it, well tough luck....."

Ebay should be a place for people who mean business. Both buyers and sellers. It has got very buyer biased and there are a few cockends who think it is acceptable to back out after having pressed 'bid'.

"Might end at any time"...... jeez. Are you on there to sell or to fk about?

[SiH]

Nolar Dog said:

singlecoil said:

My initial reaction to your closing jibe was to suggest was to be direct and rude, but I'm too polite for that.

I see no reason at all why I shouldn't sell something that belongs to me (not a car, BTW) by whatever means works. I do have a small network of friends and acquaintances and they are all aware that the item is availble. If one of them or one of their friends should decide to buy it from me then why should not sell it to them.

You are obviously an ebay devotee, and to the extent that selling something by any other means hasn't occured to you.

I'm not an ebay devotee at all. I buy from there and I sometimes sell on there.
But I buy and sell using other methods too.

However, if I do use their (ebay) services then I abide by their rules.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

If you use ebay you agree to their t&c's. You shouldn't then break them.

You're probably one of those that would moan that an item you were bidding on either had shill bidding going on or that it ended early and your bid got cancelled.

That is all.
Be as impolite as you like.

I'm with Nolar Dog on this one, you're either selling the item in the auction or you're not. If you want to ensure a minimum price on an item put a reserve on it, it's really quite simple. If you were selling an item at an auction house you couldn't just stop the bidding in mid flow because you've decided you want to sell it elsewhere so why should this behaviour be acceptable on ebay? Your intentions may be perfectly reasonable and please don't take this as a personal attack, it's merely a response to sellers on ebay who think that they can remove items 'willy-nilly'.

[singlecoil]

Nolar Dog said:

You're probably one of those that would moan that an item you were bidding on either had shill bidding going on or that it ended early and your bid got cancelled.

That is all.
Be as impolite as you like.

And you are probably a person who enjoys being unpleasant. And you are.

[jammy_basturd]

I don't agree with a lot of the stupid rules Paypal and eBay have brought in, but I'm with Nolar Dog on this one.

Would you really advertise something in a newspaper if it was to be auctioned by a proper auction house that weekend?

[singlecoil]

The mistake some are making here is to assume that the item is definitely going to sell on ebay, that somebody is going to make a reasonable bid for it. That's an assumption and will frequently be wrong.

[miniman]

singlecoil said:

The mistake some are making here is to assume that the item is definitely going to sell on ebay, that somebody is going to make a reasonable bid for it. That's an assumption and will frequently be wrong.

Isn't that what a reserve price is for?

Anyway, plenty of other good reasons to pull the auction:

- stolen by pikies
- item nuked from orbit
- wife's lesbian lover destroyed item in flange-based tantrum

and so forth.

[Healey73]

jammy_basturd said:

I don't agree with a lot of the stupid rules Paypal and eBay have brought in, but I'm with Nolar Dog on this one.

Would you really advertise something in a newspaper if it was to be auctioned by a proper auction house that weekend?

That does happen Ive been to a couple of auctions where the car I was interested in was pulled at last minute due to being sold. I believe its fairly normal.

Edited by Healey73 on Tuesday 16th June 19:39

[RichBurley]

singlecoil said:

The mistake some are making here is to assume that the item is definitely going to sell on ebay, that somebody is going to make a reasonable bid for it. That's an assumption and will frequently be wrong.

Very true. At the end of the day, eBay is one of many ways that an item can be sold. Gumtree, Autotrader, PH Classfieds, Talk Audio Classifieds, Facebook Classifieds, Newsagent Adverts (still a great way of selling in my local area), and so on. Cars are often listed on ebay and on Autotrader at the same time. If they sell on Autotrader, then just pull the ebay ad.

[RichBurley]

I think that given sellers have to pay a listing fee, and a selling fee, then they reserve the right to pull ANY AUCTION at ANY TIME. They've paid the listing fee so eBay has had its fill. No bidders have got a right to require the auction last the full course; it's not their item.

[oobster]

Nolar Dog said:

singlecoil said:

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised.

Why? You agreed to list the car for sale by auction for a specified time.
You can't have your cake and eat it.

If you want to accept offers before the end of the auction then use a "Buy It Now" with "Best Offer" or a "Classified Ad".

It's people like you that make ebay hard work.

Thats a little unfair.

[Nolar Dog]

singlecoil said:

Nolar Dog said:

You're probably one of those that would moan that an item you were bidding on either had shill bidding going on or that it ended early and your bid got cancelled.

That is all.
Be as impolite as you like.

And you are probably a person who enjoys being unpleasant. And you are.

You want unpleasant?

Man the fk up and either do it ebay's way or don't do it at all.
Idiot.

There you go. The truth hurts doesn't it.

I am right and you are wrong. Hard fking lines.

[Nolar Dog]

oobster said:

Nolar Dog said:

singlecoil said:

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised.

Why? You agreed to list the car for sale by auction for a specified time.
You can't have your cake and eat it.

If you want to accept offers before the end of the auction then use a "Buy It Now" with "Best Offer" or a "Classified Ad".

It's people like you that make ebay hard work.

Thats a little unfair.

Why?

[R60EST]

RichBurley said:

I think that given sellers have to pay a listing fee, and a selling fee, then they reserve the right to pull ANY AUCTION at ANY TIME. They've paid the listing fee so eBay has had its fill. No bidders have got a right to require the auction last the full course; it's not their item.

+1

Although my opinion may change at anytime as my mind is elsewhere

[oobster]

Nolar Dog said:

oobster said:

Nolar Dog said:

singlecoil said:

I'm not too bothered by it, but I am a little bit surprised.

Why? You agreed to list the car for sale by auction for a specified time.
You can't have your cake and eat it.

If you want to accept offers before the end of the auction then use a "Buy It Now" with "Best Offer" or a "Classified Ad".

It's people like you that make ebay hard work.

Thats a little unfair.

Why?

Because:

a) You have no idea WHY the OP (or anyone else who ends an item early) is trying to sell an item. Perhaps it's just a piece of junk that's cluttering up a spare room or a garage somewhere, but it could equally be an item that MUST be sold in order for the person to make a loan or mortgage payment etc.

b) It's his item to sell. For any advertiser to specific exclusivity when you place an advert with them is foolish - who else do you know that does this? If I was selling, for example - a car, I would probably put it on Autotrader, eBay, PH Classified and if available some sort of owners club for sale section. I might even stick a card up in the local newsagents, and maybe put a for sale sign up in the back window.

If anyone gets annoyed by someone ending an eBay listing early because it has been sold elsewhere is madness in my opinion.