Seller Cancelled Item after My Winning Bid of $1

HairyChickens on 24/11/2021 - 09:40
Last edited 24/11/2021 - 12:04

Hi everyone I just received an email from eBay saying that my item in which I won for $1 has been canceled due to it being out of stock or damaged, however, this is a lie as the seller relisted the same item at a starting price of $80.

I know this item is worth significantly more than $1 and the seller would probably lose money. Regardless I think this is the seller's fault, this was the price he was "willing" to sell for and should still send the item.

So, what are my options, and is it still possible to get the item considering the out of stock or damaged thing is a complete lie?

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Comments

  • TimOfEastBNE on 24/11/2021 - 09:43
    +30

    Fairly common practice. Move on.

  • SF3 on 24/11/2021 - 09:44
    +6

    is a complete lie?

    I think you know it's a lie and you know we think it's a lie…

    So, what are my options

    Ask ebay? and report back.

  • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:45
    +4

    Did you get your $1 back?

  • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:45
    -4

    I know this item the is worth significantly more than $1 and the seller would probably lose money.

    That would be a reason to invalidate a contract of sale.

    • afoveht on 24/11/2021 - 10:00
      +3

      Not really. Sellers often lose money.

      • mskeggs on 24/11/2021 - 12:18
        +4

        Agreed. Don't do auctions if you don't want to sell at an auction price.

    • TEER3X on 24/11/2021 - 10:01
      +5

      A good reason from the seller's perspective yes, a legal reason, most definitely not.

      I know law pretty well, learnt from Lionel Hutz.

    • SlickMick on 25/11/2021 - 08:29
      +3

      a contract of sale, yes.
      This was an auction with a reserve price of $1, seller is clearly in the wrong.

      The question is what OP can do about it.
      I'd report the new sale to ebay and get that stopped. Then it's a matter of whether it's worth taking legal action.

      Common sense suggests walk away. But if OP has a drive to see justice in the world, I think he should make it his life's mission to take down this seller.

  • 87percent on 24/11/2021 - 09:45
    +10

    if he re-lists it, then complain to ebay

    • HairyChickens on 24/11/2021 - 09:53

      Live chat or appeal case?

      Also when I click appeal it's says it's and unpaid item appeal? I'm little confused because it did pay. And is this the type of thing that gets marked on your account?

      • 87percent on 24/11/2021 - 11:15

        just contact them.. although you'll need to provide evidence

  • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:46

    this is a lie as the seller relisted the same item

    How do you know it's the same one?

    They might have re-stocked and paid a higher price.

    • HairyChickens on 24/11/2021 - 09:48

      This is more of a individual seller rather than a business

      • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:49
        +1

        Can you leave a bad review considering it was cancelled?

        • FLICKIT on 24/11/2021 - 13:38

          Ebay seems to remove feedback for cancelled or refunded items now…

  • USER DC on 24/11/2021 - 09:48
    +3

    Happened with me too once, unfortunately seller can do this kinda dodgy sh*t

    Best to punish him by not buying from him and reporting him to ebay

    • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:49
      +5

      Best to punish him by not buying from him and reporting him to ebay

      Or posting their store on OzBargain…

  • helloworld2021 on 24/11/2021 - 09:53
    +2

    Come on mate it is not a business it is an individual, common sense.

    • jv on 24/11/2021 - 09:58
      +5

      it is not a business it is an individual

      Most businesses in Australia are owned by individuals.

      • helloworld2021 on 24/11/2021 - 10:03
        +1

        Mitt Romney in the house! Corporations are People too!

        The OP posted in a comment that you replied to that it is an individual seller rather than a business. Perhaps you just wanted to post something cynical though.

        • jv on 24/11/2021 - 10:07
          +1

          Corporations are People too!

          A Business does not need to be incorporated.
          Most businesses in Australia are sole traders…

          An individual seller can still be registered as a business…

          • helloworld2021 on 24/11/2021 - 10:09
            +5

            @jv: Thank you for sharing that common knowledge. You win whatever game you are playing, congrats.

            The OP has made it clear in his comments, which you have engaged in, that he believes it was a single item being sold by an individual, not a business. That is the premise on which the entire discussion is based. You can move the goalposts to suggest that the OP's assumptions are wrong which invalidates every other comment here if you are so determined to be the smartest person in the room. It seems rather pointless, but whatever floats your boat.

            I concede this is inviting more cynical comments my way of course.

          • USER DC on 24/11/2021 - 10:23
            +1

            @jv: Technically speaking a Corporation has all the powers that individual does (at least in Australia)

          • kaos on 24/11/2021 - 12:35
            +1

            @jv: 'I'll believe that corporations are people when Texas executes one…'

    • bobbified on 24/11/2021 - 10:31
      +2

      Business or individual or both - if you can't afford to sell something at $1, then don't list it starting from $1.

      (Seller probably did it for lower ebay listing fees and had it backfire!)

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 24/11/2021 - 09:57

    OP, can you share your username so I can put it on my blocked bidders list?

    Clearly it was a genuine mistake. SMH

  • Xistn on 24/11/2021 - 10:02
    +5

    I'm starting to think OZB needs a sub site for these people..

  • Hithere on 24/11/2021 - 10:08
    +7

    Don't waste your time OP.

    eBay won't care or do anything about it.

    Move on.

  • Diji1 on 24/11/2021 - 10:17
    +1

    If it's worth $80 it sounds like a mistake on their part.

    Annoying but if they refund you in full what can you do?

  • capslock on 24/11/2021 - 10:35
    +3

    House buyers know the feeling all too well.

    • Almost Banned on 24/11/2021 - 12:54
      -1

      Which is why you set a reserve.

  • pegaxs on 24/11/2021 - 10:59
    +3

    Report to eBay via live chat. Take screenshots to send them. Leave negative feedback. Buy from another seller.

    The item selling under the price they wanted is not your issues, it's theirs. "Something is only worth as much as someone will pay for it". In this case, it was $1

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 24/11/2021 - 12:29

      "The item selling under the price they wanted is not your issues, it's theirs"
      Not really, it's OPs issue as he didn't get his $1 item.

  • pharkurnell on 24/11/2021 - 11:01
    +1

    Your new to Ebay aren't you?

  • brendanm on 24/11/2021 - 11:21
    +1

    Buy it again then don't pay.

  • slow on 24/11/2021 - 12:15
    +1

    When I buy or sell anything from ebay / gumtree / FB I prepare to be disappointed until the product and cash have physically changed hands

    • psdillon on 24/11/2021 - 14:45
      +1

      Even then, it's a crapshoot. When I buy off ebay, I picture in my mind the absolute lowest quality item that only half matches the description, and the item I receive is usually one notch worst than what I imagined.

  • Topdog on 24/11/2021 - 12:15

    this is been going on since the dawn of ebay.

  • Almost Banned on 24/11/2021 - 12:55
    +1

    Just another reason why I used to buy tons of stuff on Ebay, and now hardly ever.

  • datafellows on 24/11/2021 - 19:23
    +1

    Seller already got a defect to their account when they said it's out of stock or damaged. Few more defects and it affects them as a seller.

  • magic8ballgag on 25/11/2021 - 07:34

    The entitlement in this post is staggering.

    • Leiothrix on 25/11/2021 - 08:05
      +3

      What? The entitlement to expect the seller to uphold their part of the legally binding contract that they voluntarily entered into?

      Yeah, staggering.

      • magic8ballgag on 25/11/2021 - 08:41

        No, it's the part where OP is willing to action this further which is staggering.

        This situation is no different to a pricing error 'deal' where members get all high and mighty because they think that they are obligated to receive the item they purchased simply because they submited an order.

        legally binding contract

        I would pay to see that case hold up in court.

    • 82norm on 25/11/2021 - 09:57

      Your expectations in life must be low.

  • Rayzorback on 25/11/2021 - 08:09

    This happens heaps doesn’t it, you probably knew it was too good to be true and should expect the sale not to go through. I wonder if anyone has jagged a $1 mistake/dodgy ad

    • psdillon on 25/11/2021 - 13:40

      I don't think you understand how auctions work.

      • Rayzorback on 25/11/2021 - 16:34

        nope i dont, i dont even know how to reply

  • Hithere on 25/11/2021 - 09:22

    All the seller has to do is say that the item was withdrawn from sale because it was broken, lost, stolen, or any of a number of reasons and the current one for sale is another one, not the original one.

    Reporting it to eBay will achieve nothing, especially if it's one of eBay's protected sellers.

    Any type of legal action would give a court a good laugh and cost the OP many times the price of the item's worth.

  • Drumadd on 25/11/2021 - 09:56

    If a deal looks to good to be true - it probably is. Walk away it’s $1 …..

  • gmozz on 25/11/2021 - 11:35
    +2

    Many many years ago (back when ebay was just 2nd hand items only), I had a very different experience.

    I won an auction for a set of PC speakers (sub + 2 x satellites) for the opening bid of $0.01 The postage was listed as $16, which I thought was high but was happy to pay considering I'd won the item for 1c.
    After posting the item, the seller contacted me to let me know the postage was actually cheaper than than the $16 (around $9 from memory), and sent me a refund for the difference! Sure enough when it arrived, the post stamp confirmed they had only charged me for exactly the paid postage amount and not a cent more!

    Unfortunately ebay has moved on from those days when it was a place where honest people did honest exchanges…..

  • OzHunterNSW on 25/11/2021 - 11:46
    -1

    Lodge a complaint with ebay. They will keep track of the seller.

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