[Black 6]

Being one myself, I like to feel that the majority of Ebay sellers are of good stock, have integrity and great honesty. However, every once in awhile, you come across an auction that just smells. You may recall many of us were hashing this same thought over an auction (a month or two ago) that ended prematurely on (I believe) a GMP model with no good reason for doing so (speculation was that the seller got an out of Ebay offer he couldn't refuse) while bids were active.

Here's another one. A seller listed a Corgi nightfighter Hurricane at $9.99 (these are much sought after). I was watching bids rise the last couple of days to around $40.00 - which is low, but there are still a few days to go. This morning the seller ended the auction claiming the "model was lost or broken." Say what? All his other listings remain, but the one model that would probably push beyond the $100 mark has mysteriously become "lost or broken" with but days to go? Hmmmmm, I have a hard time buying into that.

Could this be another end-run around Ebay with the seller making a "private" deal? You just have to wonder about such things. And here I thought is was difficult to just end an auction with active bids.

Silly me.

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by Black 6

Being one myself, I like to feel that the majority of Ebay sellers are of good stock, have integrity and great honesty. However, every once in awhile, you come across an auction that just smells. You may recall many of us were hashing this same thought over an auction (a month or two ago) that ended prematurely on (I believe) a GMP model with no good reason for doing so (speculation was that the seller got an out of Ebay offer he couldn't refuse) while bids were active.

Here's another one. A seller listed a Corgi nightfighter Hurricane at $9.99 (these are much sought after). I was watching bids rise the last couple of days to around $40.00 - which is low, but there are still a few days to go. This morning the seller ended the auction claiming the "model was lost or broken." Say what? All his other listings remain, but the one model that would probably push beyond the $100 mark has mysteriously become "lost or broken" with but days to go? Hmmmmm, I have a hard time buying into that.

Could this be another end-run around Ebay with the seller making a "private" deal? You just have to wonder about such things. And here I thought is was difficult to just end an auction with active bids.

Silly me.

Smells fishy but who knows -- I had to refund a buyer once because my puppy ate the item... really. I had sold a video game and had it on the floor of my office by the door to remember to post it... came in to get it and it had been used as a chew toy!

[Ara1]

Hey Black 6, I hear ya. I was watching some Lesney Matchbox Cars of Yesteryear and overnight the items were withdrawn due to the same reason you state: "Item was lost or broken". I suspect the bids weren't to his liking (low prices, low views) and a day before the auction ended, poof.

If eBay is on their toes, they will watch for trends in individual activity. If a seller has more than one or two of these pulls per year, then they may be circumventing the bidding system.

[Hurriup!]

Yeah Black Six I hear ya, I was also watching this one with the hope I might be able to take a crack at it and poof it`s gone! I would suspect you are right about the reasoning of the cancellation of the auction too bad some guys operate in this manner but what can you do.

[hworth18]

I don't think removing the auction within a reasonable time before it ends is a big deal, but if the auction ends and the seller refuses to sell at a low price, I might have an issue...
I had a situation that was similar when my item became "lost", or more accurately, I had sold it previously and forgot to remove it from my spreadsheet.. I then sold it again and was embarrassed when I to explain to the buyer that I really didn't have the plane.. Egg on the face in that deal, but it won't happen again...

[RockJock]

It happens a lot. Its the sellers item and if he receives a early offer that he's happy with and doesn't want to chance maybe selling it for less at auctions end. Then why shouldn't he end it early .
Being a collector of WWII aviation gear I have done this quit a bit. If I run across an item on eBay that I have really looking for I will make an offer to the seller to end the auction early. Sometime they'll end it and sometimes they won't. But you can't blame me for asking and you really can't blame the seller for closing early. Both parties are happy in the end. Though I guess eBay might not be since they lost out on commissions.
And again,,, maybe the item was really lost or broken.

[Black 6]

I can understand where you're coming from Harry and Rock, but I may not agree with your position (with the exception of the honest mistake you made Harry in listing something you didn't have).

If you end your auction early, without any bids in play, no problem! That's fair.

If you are concerned about what you may get in an auction, in this case a low price, then why not list your item as a Reserve Auction? That way you can begin the buzz for the item and it won't sell until the lowest amount you are willing to take is reached by bidders. At least everyone going in know the rules for the auction and the item may not sell - bids or not. That's fair.

Rock, in the case you cite, that's great! AS LONG AS NO BIDS WERE ACTIVE AND ON THE TABLE. No bids, and seller and buyer make a deal, that's fine. That's fair (maybe not ethical per se as it cuts out Ebay - and I am no lover of their fees).

But that isn't what happened here (or with the other auction mentioned). It was a regular auction, with plenty of pics of the model and its accessories. There were also active bids in play. If the seller, in this case, made a blunder in his auction type or was unhappy with the price he was getting that's just too bad. He had ample chances to review his listing and change things UNTIL he received his first bid. After that it becomes a hard lesson to be learned (and I have learned a few myself on Ebay as both buyer and seller). If he pulled a fast one with a "dog ate my homework" excuse (dog ate my model?) because he made a deal on the side while bids were in place then I have no patience with him.

It just has an oder about it (that isn't Skunky for a change) is all I am saying. He has other items listed and all are going well. I just find it odd the one model he listed, which had the greatest potential to command a high price, was pulled for such a weird reason (which his pics and text didn't support). Could he have had a database error? That's always possible? Could something tragic have happened to the model? That's possible too, I suppose. Possible and very convenient. But if he is a collector with rare models (as he states), it just stretches credulity that something would happen to this model, at this time.

My apologies, in advance, if I sound especially pi$$y to you Harry & Rock (or anyone else). No offense intended at all. I am just a wee bit crabby having been laid-up at home for the past week with flu, on my vacation, trapped in my house.

[John Youngs]

Originally Posted by Black 6

I can understand where you're coming from Harry and Rock, but I may not agree with your position (with the exception of the honest mistake you made Harry in listing something you didn't have).

If you end your auction early, without any bids in play, no problem! That's fair.

If you are concerned about what you may get in an auction, in this case a low price, then why not list your item as a Reserve Auction? That way you can begin the buzz for the item and it won't sell until the lowest amount you are willing to take is reached by bidders. At least everyone going in know the rules for the auction and the item may not sell - bids or not. That's fair.

Rock, in the case you cite, that's great! AS LONG AS NO BIDS WERE ACTIVE AND ON THE TABLE. No bids, and seller and buyer make a deal, that's fine. That's fair (maybe not ethical per se as it cuts out Ebay - and I am no lover of their fees).

But that isn't what happened here (or with the other auction mentioned). It was a regular auction, with plenty of pics of the model and its accessories. There were also active bids in play. If the seller, in this case, made a blunder in his auction type or was unhappy with the price he was getting that's just too bad. He had ample chances to review his listing and change things UNTIL he received his first bid. After that it becomes a hard lesson to be learned (and I have learned a few myself on Ebay as both buyer and seller). If he pulled a fast one with a "dog ate my homework" excuse (dog ate my model?) because he made a deal on the side while bids were in place then I have no patience with him.

It just has an oder about it (that isn't Skunky for a change) is all I am saying. He has other items listed and all are going well. I just find it odd the one model he listed, which had the greatest potential to command a high price, was pulled for such a weird reason (which his pics and text didn't support). Could he have had a database error? That's always possible? Could something tragic have happened to the model? That's possible too, I suppose. Possible and very convenient. But if he is a collector with rare models (as he states), it just stretches credulity that something would happen to this model, at this time.

My apologies, in advance, if I sound especially pi$$y to you Harry & Rock (or anyone else). No offense intended at all. I am just a wee bit crabby having been laid-up at home for the past week with flu, on my vacation, trapped in my house.

Black 6 - You too??? I'm just coming back off vacation - with the end of the Flu in sight... - you didn't, like, come over and kiss me while I was sleeping, did you...?? - JY

[KG_Jag]

If you list an item for auction and then pull it because you have received an under the table offer (especially when one or more bids have been made), that's bad faith dealing at the low end, and fraud at the high end. It's also a violation with the agreement you have with most auction sites. Makes sense from their perspective because you have just cut them out of most or all of their cut from the sale.

I won a Minichamps tank at a low price in an EBay auction. The next morning the seller claimed that he had broken the item and would not send it. I had him send me pictures of the broken tank. I also checked his feed back. From what I could reasonably pursue on my end, it appeared that he was telling the truth. But of course it's impossible to be certain.

[SKUNKY]

Originally Posted by John Youngs

Black 6 - You too??? I'm just coming back off vacation - with the end of the Flu in sight... - you didn't, like, come over and kiss me while I was sleeping, did you...?? - JY

...Blackie!....you two-timing little hussy!......