Can an Ebay seller just decide not to sell whatever they were selling

[Pierre.Suave]

because they did not like the price it went for?

I bid on a turntable, and won the auction, and the seller e-mailed me and said he did not want to sell it for that amount, he wanted more, and then said I could either pay more or not get the turntable...

I did not pay him more, and now my friend has a used turntable we found locally, that seems like a good deal but man, that table on Ebay was a beauty.

[Left Is Write]

1. No. A completed auction is a contract.

Report them for being a non-performing seller.

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Yes, he sure would be coming after me

if I had been the one that refused to follow through...

[Lyric]

2. Nope, they can't do that.

Forward the e-mail to eBay and report his ass for fraud.

[Pierre.Suave]

5. Will do

thanks

[LeftyMom]

3. Nope. If they had a minimum price they should have set a reserve.

But sellers sometimes don't do that when they should because there's a fee for it. Ebay has a fee for everything. :eyes:

[Pierre.Suave]

6. yeah, ebay is not perfect thats for sure

[DarkTirade]

7. Back when I sold stuff occasionally forgetting to set a minimum would bite me in the ass...

... but that was my problem, not the bidder's.

[SacredCow]

11. I was wondering about that...

That's what the whole reserve price feature is for, after all... But I didn't realize that ebay charged a fee for setting one.

[Tom Kitten]

8. It seems like the worst that would happen to the seller

is like a negative feedback or other black mark against their reputation, ebay is very laissez-faire about what goes on with transactions. I recently won a claim from a seller who didn't send me the item I won and paid for, it took a month and going through PayPal to file a claim but I did get my money back. They took the money out of his account and paid me back. It's something they don't like dealing with at all and they make you jump through hoops for you to deal with!

That said, 99% of deals I've had on ebay have been fine. It's just this one flake who stuck in my craw!

[onestepforward]

9. This might help

I found this information on Ebay that may be helpful. It does say at the bottom that Ebay cannot force a member to complete an obligation. I would go through the resolution center. You can also leave negative feedback. That really stings sellers. It isn't right for the seller to ask for more money. As a new seller myself, a few weeks ago I had a rare statue sell for less than 1/2 its worth. That wasn't the buyer's fault, it was mine. I too have found that most people are honest but all it takes is one sometime. I hope it works out for you!

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/role-of-eBay.html

[JoDog]

10. I had something similar happen

A rookie seller put up an Aladdin kerosene lamp for sale. While the base of the lamp was an antique, all the rest of the parts were modern replacements. This meant that people in the antiques market (where this style of lamp would sell for over $200 with all original parts) weren't interested. I just wanted an Aladdin for emergency purposes, so I didn't care. The bidding started at $50, my winning bid was $68.

The seller sent me a message complaining of his "disappointment" that my bid was so low and wouldn't cover the amount he spent on the base and parts. He then threatened to offer one of the other bidders a "second chance offer" at the lamp. I gently suggested that he review what a second-chance offer was, and that he couldn't make such an offer unless I had refused to pay. Since I had already sent payment, that point was moot. I also recommended that he look into setting a reserve for future auctions. But, I considered our transaction to be complete on my end and expected him to live up to his end. If he did not, I would seek sanctions.

He mailed be the lamp and a note apologizing for his previous email and thanking me for the advice.

Sounds like you have a similar problem--a rookie seller who doesn't understand all of how ebay works. Be firm, and make it clear that you consider the auction to be contract. If they do not follow through, do what you can to make their name mud.

[carlyhippy]

12. look at his feedback, is it all good or has he done this before?

Idon't think anything can be done about it now, but if he's squelching on his deal, I would just let it go and find a reputable seller that has a high feedback score, and don't do any business with this seller again. I Ebay buy and sell from time to time myself, and I really watch the seller's feedback score, it can be useful info about how he/she conducts the business.

[Pierre.Suave]

13. his feedback was pretty good, but not 100%

I did what I could, and moved on and have already found a different turntable.