I've accidentally ruined a friends eBay auction...

[Pebbles167]

Hello everyone! Help needed!

So a friend has put his girlfriends car up for sale on eBay, times are hard and they are expecting a baby around Xmas time and wanted to free up some cash.

Anyway, up it goes on eBay and got very little interest, a few bids around £1000 but nothing much. Seeing the auction time getting close, and being the good Samaritan that I am I decided to bid up the car to get things going. I didn't tell the couple since I didn't want to interfere. At first I was successful, it got more interest, unfortunately everyone stopped at around £2000 or something. I bid to £2400 and hoped someone would bid £2500. Amazingly someone did, and stupidly I refreshed my phone or something, as I then managed to bid £2550.... No one else bid and I won the auction.

They are both really happy that they have sold the car, and are going to be gutted/f*cking angry when they find out it was me, and that I wont be buying it. So what should I do? How do I sort this out!?

My plan was to go round, apologise and offer to re advertise the car for them.

Input appreciated!

[Shiny]

This is amazing! A warm heart you got there, good on ya. But a foolish one too!

Just let them know and they can offer the bidder before you a 'second chance offer', which was only 50 quid below the final sale price. Everyone should be happy, and they should definitely appreciate the help.

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Alternatively you can anonymously pull out of the sale, in which case they'd be obliged to offer it to the next person. This may affect your eBay rating though.

[Grant]

Haha how's your luck mate?!

As above, come clean, tell then your intentions and say to offer it to the next bidder. If you feel so inclined, make up the £50 difference.

[Niall]

Tell them what you were doing and they can send the next highest bidder a message saying the winning bidder was a prick and didn't show up and do they want it? lol

[1616six]

Id just risk getting negative feedback, oh wait they've probably already seen your name & address as it gives it as soon as the auction ends so they already either hate you or assume you wanted a new car...

[Pebbles167]

Thanks fir the replies everyone, much appreciated.

I think you're all thinking along the same lines as me, and so this is the course of action I'll take. Slightly worried now as I forgot the address flags up! Perhaps my window isn't as big as I thought, better get on the phone

Grant, this generally is my kind of luck!

[Pebbles167]

Oh bloody hell!

Just phoned my mate and was really apologetic, said sorry and explained myself, only to be met by thunderous laughter his end.

Turns out he was the next highest bidder and had been battling against me! WTF!? We've not seen each others screen names before so had no clue who the other was!

No problem now I guess, but man what a stupid situation!

[1616six]

Just get him to cancel the transaction as he'll get the final value fee charged if not, which on a £2500 odd sale is gonna be three figures I imagine.

[Pebbles167]

Oh shit, not so funny.

I'll get on that, cheers for the heads up.

[Dum-Dum]

Be honest straight away mate and offer to pay for re listing and a bit of cash their way.

[PartyJas]

Why is it when you try to help friends out it usually backfires. I had the same thing happen, thankfully the next highest bidder took the second chance offer.

[Grant]

Oh god this is comical. Sorry mate, I know it's of concern to you but you really couldn't write something like that

[Curt]

That is pretty funny... It could have gone a lot worse at least, haha. Cancelling the transaction will be easy as you just both agree to it.

It's shit when being nice backfires!

[Pebbles167]

Haha no problem for laughing! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done so myself.

Like you say curt, could have ended worse

[Toms306]

Just get him to cancel the transaction as he'll get the final value fee charged if not, which on a £2500 odd sale is gonna be three figures I imagine.

It's not quite that bad.

Cars aren't like normal ebay listings. Final fee is 1% OR £20 if less than £2k which is a bit unfair imo.


Still, an interesting situation!

[1616six]

Just get him to cancel the transaction as he'll get the final value fee charged if not, which on a £2500 odd sale is gonna be three figures I imagine.

It's not.

Cars aren't like normal ebay listings. Final fee is 1% OR £20 if less than £2k which is a bit unfair imo.


Still, an interesting situation!

Since when? I sold Ambers Civic & got charged alot, £70 odd at least?

[Toms306]

I've sold plenty of cars on ebay, never paid that much. Sure you listed in cars and not parts or something?

It used to be £10 to list and £20 when it sells (for less than £2.5k). It has recently changed to the above, but you can only be charged between £20 and £35 final fee now, regardless of how much more than £3.5k it is or less than £2k it is.

Ebay site is an arse to link but its on here -

http://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/introduction-ebay-fees

Final value fees Final value fee - 1% final selling price (min £20 max £35)

[Curt]

I haven't looked it up, but going on the fees I got charged when I sold 3 cars recently, that can't right. It was a lot more than that on every one... Oh and yes, they were listed as cars...

[calibra306]

Id go with the first reply. Pull out and tell them to offer it to the next lowest bid ie second chance offer.

[Toms306]

I haven't looked it up, but going on the fees I got charged when I sold 3 cars recently, that can't right. It was a lot more than that on every one... Oh and yes, they were listed as cars...

It's been right for me every time, and it's even there on the ebay selling fee's page. Listing fee can be slightly different if you choose options like bigger pictures etc, but the final fee is the same. They're competing with autotrader, no-one would use ebay for cars if AT was cheaper overall...

[Kezzieboy]

Hahaha, this is priceless!

[Pebbles167]

Hahaha, this is priceless!

Indeed it is a rather ridiculous situation!

[Eeyore]

Yes. Tell them the truth and you can get in touch with the next highest bidder!

[Curt]

Catch up Rowell...

[calibra306]

Sellers may well of murdered him by now!!