Ebay help, please! Friend bought a buy it now item!

[DMRick]

This seller DID make a mistake. He stated that the opening bid would be $9.95.
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Yes, and as I said..we sellers make our mistakes right...just like this bidder should make hers if the seller wants her to. I did a buy it now today..and saw just how clear eBay makes it, as to what you are bidding. No way, after the first click, could she have thought the price was 9.95. It becomes very very clear. The mistake was the first click..it's if you keep clicking after they tell you the price, that it's time to back out.

Also, this bidder (according to the OP) had already bid on and been outbid on one of this seller's auctions..so to expect they would get something like this for $9.95 was unrealistic.

 

[DianeV]

I dont think you should bid on anything on ebay until you understand how it works enough to not get confused on an auction listing. Obviously this seller uses different marketing strategies and if it was that confusing I'm sure they would have heard about it and probably stopped listing that way.

 

[Gillian]

I think it's been said in other threads, but ebay prices are not always the lowest. The seller has the same item on a non-ebay website store for $350 with free shipping!

 

[DMRick]

I think it's been said in other threads, but ebay prices are not always the lowest. The seller has the same item on a non-ebay website store for $350 with free shipping!

I agree. I've often been very surprised at what at item of mine goes for, when you can find it for less. Heck you could even go to my website, and find it for less than the bid has gotten up to. You have to do your research, and not be caught up in the bidding.

 

[Gillian]

You admit it was her fault, so IMO there is no point in trying to say the seller was confusing.

I did not mean that her error was the seller's fault or that the seller did anything wrong by listing several of the same item in more than one way. Some auctions are easier to understand than others, though.

Please just try to understand it from someone else's point of view. You are an experienced Ebay buyer & seller. Can you remember back before that? When you were new to Ebay? I can, and it took me a long time before I placed my first bid. Ebay in general is confusing, and overwhelming. Every auction is a little different. It's NOT like Target! I do think sellers can try to help by being clear and consistent.

I am in sales as well, Avon now, and real estate in the past. I understand the financial aspects of dealing with your customer's mistakes (& non paying customers). Also, Avon's policy is 100% satisfaction, which means I have to take back anything for any reason at any time. Sometimes it costs me money to do that, but it's part of doing business.

Please don't take any of this as a criticism of the Ebay sellers here, or Ebay sellers in general. I know it's hard work. If it was easy we'd all be selling!

 

[DMRick]

Ebay in general is confusing, and overwhelming.
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I teach eBay selling and buying to Seniors, and I guess I haven't ever found it confusing. It does take time to learn all the ins and outs. I think their tutorial is wonderful, and wish they made it a rule, that everyone had to take the entire course, before bidding or selling. It's hard to just jump into it, if you don't learn it first, and it's the seller's who have to pay for the learning curve. Personally, I feel if you don't understand an auction, or find it confusing, you should use the back button. Buy it nows offer an out even after the first click.

Avon has a 100% happy policy, so I agree that is YOUR cost of doing business. eBay doesn't, unless an individual seller offers such a policy. You also may not make a profit on a return, but I don't think you actually lose anything, like a seller on eBay does..doesn't Avon reimburse for returned goods? I know they used to.

I have a lot of costs of doing business that I happily accept (well, maybe not happily). However a buyer who doesn't know how to use the bidding system (such as buy it now), really needs to go back to eBay 101, and read up on it, before others have to pay for their learning costs. Just my opinion.

I'm still glad you started this thread, however, as some may have learned more than they knew about eBay selling and responsibility.