ebay question

[alecstilleyedye]

i'm bidding on an item where the description says there is a reserve, yet it appears not to have been set up to have a reserve (my bid is lower than the reserve mentioned yet 'reserve not met' is not displayed.

should i win the auction with a price below the stated reserve, and pay paypal immediately, is the item mine in law regardless of the reserve mentioned in the description?

 

[bobg]

i'm bidding on an item where the description says there is a reserve, yet it appears not to have been set up to have a reserve (my bid is lower than the reserve mentioned yet 'reserve not met' is not displayed.

should i win the auction with a price below the stated reserve, and pay paypal immediately, is the item mine in law regardless of the reserve mentioned in the description?

Not sure about the precise legality but I suspect that many sellers faced with this dilemma would

a) either say "sorry I made mistake with the reserve" and refund your money, or

b) just fail to post your item and maybe refund your money via paypal if they were feeling generous. Given my knowledge of Paypal and E Bay, you'd be lucky to get anywhere with a complaint although the seller might get one strike against him. Trying to invoke the letter of the law ( if there is one), would I suspect be long winded and likely to fail.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Are they making up their own rule and just deciding that they fancy £x amount for the gimp mask or whatever it is?
If yes, I'd avoid them - the seller that is not the gimp mask, go for it if that's your thing.

 

[wildjetskier]

Are they making up their own rule and just deciding that they fancy £x amount for the gimp mask or whatever it is?
If yes, I'd avoid them - the seller that is not the gimp mask, go for it if that's your thing.

mmm gimp mask

As far as I can see it could be just a case of copy and paste if that seller has multiple items for sale and they have pasted the Reserve bit in the text. Or IMO, if you win it's yours and its down to them that have forgotten to set a Reserve in figures so they have to sell it to you....but this is ebay. Anyway go for it and good luck

 

[biggs682]

i would say no because item is not sold till reserve is met and lowest reserve is £50

 

[Night Train]

It could be the seller is avoiding the ebay charges which would be based on the reserve price set.
The seller doesn't set a reserve but will pull the auction before the end if the bidding is nowhere near their desired reserve.

 

[swee'pea99]

I think the real point is that what's the case 'in law' is neither here nor there. Paypal/ebay will be as much use as tits on a boar hog, and any attempt by you to enforce 'your rights' is likely to involve a whole load of grief, with little prospect of a happy resolution at the end. Sad, but that's the reality.

 

[rodgy-dodge]

I'd message the seller! they may be new to ebay selling and not have ticked the right box to enable the reserve not met box. saves any arguments on who's right or wrong ask them what their reserve is.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

well i won the item (a ladies mixte-framed bike for daughter, see smiths thread) for £46 whereas the stated-in-the-description 'reserve' was £60 (i had put a highest bid of £75). the seller has made contact and seems legit (no mention of the reserve in communications), and i'm probably just going to take the exact money when i go to collect…

 

[Gromit]

We bid on a fish tank a few weeks ago. We didn't hear from the seller until five days after the auction. When we did hear from her she said that she thought she had put a reserve on it. We won the tank for £21, she refused to sell in the end.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

We bid on a fish tank a few weeks ago. We didn't hear from the seller until five days after the auction. When we did hear from her she said that she thought she had put a reserve on it. We won the tank for £21, she refused to sell in the end.

hope you left bad feedback.

i'll be peddling, in the event of any nonsense, the 'bad feedback and naming and shaming on cycling forums' line (he seems to sell a lot of bike-related stuff and the description of the bike was knowledgable)…

 

[Night Train]

We bid on a fish tank a few weeks ago. We didn't hear from the seller until five days after the auction. When we did hear from her she said that she thought she had put a reserve on it. We won the tank for £21, she refused to sell in the end.

I'd be tempted to complain to Ebay, regardless of what good it might do or not.

I've made mistakes selling on Ebay but honored them as I am a good person.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

all turned right in the end, a really nice raleigh rhapsody for £46. no mention of the £60 reserve by the seller, who seemed a decent sort. maybe the 'reserve' was more in hope than expectation…