can a seller on Ebay do this?

capawesome9870 · August 31, 2014

i found something on ebay listed as "NO RESERVE" in the title and it had no limit set so i bid $10 not having much in the bank, also the item in question is probably worth $500-800. but the next day (Thursday Aug 28, 2014 @7:22 PDT just over 5 hours after i bid) the seller prematurely ended the listing because "this listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available." the item was scheduled to end (if i remember Saturday morning).

the GIANT catch is that in the "more chances to get what you want," which is items similar to what i was bidding on, IS A LINK TO A RE-POST OF THE THING I WAS BIDDING ON, same pictures and description from the same seller. this is now essentially extended the bidding period another week.

but my question is can a seller do this?

i'm hoping that none of you live near the item and also have a little bit of money to be competition, so i have included the screenshot i took once i found out the bad news of it being canceled.

Grrizz · August 31, 2014

Its pretty common, people start a no reserve auction to get people bidding and hope once people get going the price gets pushed much higher then their target, if they list a reserve price people have that in their mind and will be hesitant to go much higher. If it doesn't reach their unofficial reserve the pull the auction so they don't take a loss. Dunno if its against the T&C, probably is but as I say sadly its a common practice.

Hans Christian | Teri · August 31, 2014

Its pretty common, people start a no reserve auction to get people bidding and hope once people get going the price gets pushed much higher then their target, if they list a price people have that in their mind and will be hesitant to go much higher. If it doesn't reach their unofficial reserve the pull the auction. Dunno if its against the T&C, probably is but as I say sadly its common practice.

It most definitely is against the T&C, but as you say it sadly is common practice. I'd say bid $10 dollars again and take a couple of screenshots. If he does it again report him.

capawesome9870 · August 31, 2014

earlier today i got out bid :'(

on the night before it ends i will bid a little more (what i can spare out of the bank) and see if i can win it back, but i doubt it.

a 42u Rack would of been a fun project to do, especially since it stands (from what i found on IBM website) 80 inches and my room is 76-78 inches. a laying flat server case would be interesting.

actually i just though of it as i was typing, lay it flat and turn it in to a desk (because i need a better one) that will house my computer and future 4u nas, and keep cats off of the Power button of my PC.

capawesome9870 · August 31, 2014

Its pretty common, people start a no reserve auction to get people bidding and hope once people get going the price gets pushed much higher then their target, if they list a reserve price people have that in their mind and will be hesitant to go much higher. If it doesn't reach their unofficial reserve the pull the auction so they don't take a loss. Dunno if its against the T&C, probably is but as I say sadly its a common practice.

It most definitely is against the T&C, but as you say it sadly is common practice. I'd say bid $10 dollars again and take a couple of screenshots. If he does it again report him.

this is my first no reserve auction i bid on so it was a shock to me that he canceled it, and got me a little pissed especially since i got out bid after the thing would of ended originally.

Hans Christian | Teri · August 31, 2014

this is my first no reserve auction i bid on so it was a shock to me that he canceled it, and got me a little pissed especially since i got out bid after the thing would of ended originally.

Indeed. A lot of ebay sellers are the biggest of bastards.