Is This Fair? Best Offer Saga...

chloehandbags

chloehandbags

ChloéClutchCollector
O.G.
Mar 23, 2006
13,314
175
#1
I saw a bag I really liked on eBay. Having talked to the seller and asked for and received more pics, to ascertain condition, I put in a Best Offer.

This offer expired, so I contacted the seller again and she said that her client had wanted more, so she couldn't accept the offer.

I tried to put in a higher offer, but in the annoying world of eBay.co.uk, it will only let you put in one Best Offer (I understand that it's different on the US site?). Had I known this, I would have put in a slightly higher offer in the first place. :rolleyes:

So, I contacted the seller and we struck a deal for a higher price (assuming her client agreed) and she agreed to relist the bag/edit the auction with a BIN for the agreed amount.

I asked her to please let me know when she was going to do this, just in case it was bought by someone else.

I couldn't check my emails this morning, but when I checked them about an hour and a half ago, she had emailed at 9.35AM saying that her client had agreed to the price and that she would 'go ahead and change the listing now.'! :shocked:

So, I checked the auction and sure enough, somebody else had bought the bag. :crybaby:

I suppose I had assumed that, at the very least, she would wait for a response from me, before changing the listing; otherwise, how would she know that I knew? :shrugs:

I had also hoped that she would put a note on the auction, saying that it was for a particular person and please could nobody else BIN. Although, I didn't specifically ask her to do this, I know.

Anyway, I emailed her, asking if she could please explain the situation to the buyer?

I haven't received any response, yet. I wonder if I ever will? :sad:

My question is - if a seller has received and accepted a definite offer (via email) from a buyer, should they honour that deal?
 
#2
I'm sorry, but I feel like it's fair game on ebay, first come first served. if she wanted to make the auction only for you, she could have made it a private auction with you as the only allowed bidder. I have a feeling if you ask her she may say "sorry, the other buyer got to it first", she just wants to sell her stuff and she probably knows you have no recourse (neg feedback etc)
 
#4
court811 said:
I'm sorry, but I feel like it's fair game on ebay, first come first served. if she wanted to make the auction only for you, she could have made it a private auction with you as the only allowed bidder. I have a feeling if you ask her she may say "sorry, the other buyer got to it first", she just wants to sell her stuff and she probably knows you have no recourse (neg feedback etc)
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I get the impression that she is not that experienced a seller and didn't know she could do a that.

I'm pretty sure that our deal is, technically, a contract, though. So really, shouldn't she have to honour it, as it pre-empted the eBay sale?
 
#6
you'd think she might have had the brain to put a note on the auction at the very least, i listed a bag for a person a while back and just put THIS AUCTION IS FOR (MEMBER NAME)ONLY.IF YOU ARE NOT THIS MEMBER PLEASE DO NOT BUY.
i don't think there'll be much you can do about it though, its not like you had a binding contract, damned unlucky though
 
#8
Well, she's got back to me with this email:


Hi x,

Thanks for your message. It's all been a bit of a nightmare, I was worried that was going to happen! Having said that, as the sale was conducted through Ebay, which we agreed on for the reasons you gave, I can't really contact the buyer and let them know they can't have the bag without getting into all sorts of difficulties with them.

There is a chance there will be a problem with this sale, in that the buyer wants to pay by cheque. I have given them until the end of the week to receive the cheque and if I have not done so by then I will let them know that the clutch is no longer available.

I know it's not ideal but you never know!

Best Wishes,

y.


BTW, the reason I gave for conducting the sale on eBay, was that if we didn't, there would be very little protection if anything went wrong.

I replied with this:


Hi y,

Oh dear! :sad:

I was worried it would, too.

That's why I asked you to let me know when you were going to do it. I suppose I was hoping that you would wait for a response from me, before changing the auction and perhaps would put a note on the auction saying it was for a specific buyer? Although, I know I didn't ask you to do that.

Are you sure that you can't tell the buyer the situation? If I was the buyer, I would certainly understand that a deal had already been struck, in writing, already.

After all, our deal (which I believe is, technically, a contract) pre-empted the eBay sale.

If they are a decent buyer, I'm sure they will understand.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards,

x.
 
#11
So sorry to hear that. Now you know you can make best offer once. I usually email the interested buyer what time I'm going to relist the item for her/him, so she/he can buy it without a problem. It requires more effort but its worth it.

I didn't know you can list the item as a private auction for one person. How do you do that?
 
#12
I'm sorry this has happened, I had this once too, trying to buy silverware, next time when you have this happen ask the seller to put in a second chance offer, then only you will have this offer and no one else it will expire in 24 hours, that way you are sure that you will be the only one:smile:
 
#13
I contacted the 'new' buyer as well too but she didn't want to budge, eventually she sold it again on Ebay but in pieces :sad: I hope the other buyer will be understandable
 
#14
preciousmoment said:
So sorry to hear that. Now you know you can make best offer once.
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Actually, I originally thought you could only make one Best Offer, but I think most members on this forum have said that you can make more than one; so I guess it must vary from country to country? :shrugs:


I usually email the interested buyer what time I'm going to relist the item for her/him, so she/he can buy it without a problem. It requires more effort but its worth it.
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That's what I thought she was going to do; either that, or contact me and wait for me to respond and then do it. :yes:
 
#15
hkloosterman said:
I'm sorry this has happened, I had this once too, trying to buy silverware, next time when you have this happen ask the seller to put in a second chance offer, then only you will have this offer and no one else it will expire in 24 hours, that way you are sure that you will be the only one:smile:
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Good idea! :biggrin:

I didn't know about Second Chance Offers.

Thanks for letting me know! :flowers:
 
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