I bid on an item and was later outbid (nothing unusual so far). After I purchased the item elsewhere, eBay congratulated me that I was now the highest bidder since the other bidder retracted his/her higher bid because of a change of mind. I contracted the seller and eBay to inform that after notification that I was outbid I purchased the item elsewhere but received no response. Fortunately someone else purchased the item for more than my original bid. I did not want to have my perfect record on eBay compromised by this situation.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Peace,
Rip

PS. The item was not a guitar. It was some dollhouse furniture for my granddaughter. She is only 20 months old and not quite old enough for guitars yet

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 1ply,

Well, since no one jumped in, I'll add my two cents. You bid on an item at a price I assume you were willing to pay. The fact that you bought a similar item somewhere else has no bearing on the contract you made with the seller. Pay the seller.

1ply... message sent...

I disagree.

I'm not sure what eBay's policy regarding this is, and I've had an eBay account for a very long time.

If I bid on something and I get outbid, I'm moving on. Not my fault the higher bidder was or wasn't legit. Life is too short and when I have a Jones for something I want it WAY sooner than later.

Thanks!

quote:

If I bid on something and I get outbid, I'm moving on. Not my fault the higher bidder was or wasn't legit. Life is too short and when I have a Jones for something I want it WAY sooner than later.

I agree with Gary and I consider it a flaw in the ebay system if they want to hold you to that bid. There should be some provision that allows you to be able to move on.

Randy,
When does my ethical obligation to purchase an item cease?
1. After I am informed that I have been outbid? If not, I should never bid on another item until the auction is over (assuming my obligation ceases then) and eBay should post a warning that buyer’s obligations continue even after outbid notifications or …
2. After the auction is over and the item is sold? What if the buyer does not pay? Am I still obliged?
3. After the buyer’s approval period is over?

After further consideration, I think buyers’ obligation ceases when eBay informs them they have been outbid. The seller’s agent rejected that offer and therefore has no right to hold the bidder to the original offer the sellers’ agent rejected. Thus the buyer is free to move on.

What do you think?

Peace,
Rip

I see your point. I guess now it depends on the fine print of ebay's policy. I too have a lot of experience buying and selling on ebay. If I were the seller I certainly would not insist on payment for your bid, but I'd still expect you to honor the bid you made, which may have prevented another bidder from making the same bid you made.

In the commercial world, an offer to purchase ends when:

- The offer expires before being accepted by the seller (anyone with any sense always puts an expiration date/time on an offer).

- The offer is rejected by the seller. Accepting a different offer from another party is equivalent to a rejection of all the other offers. The seller making a counter-offer is equivalent to a rejection of the purchaser's offer.

- If notice is given by the offering party at the time of the offer, an offer can be withdrawn before the expiration date/time. Doesn't mean this is good business, only that the purchaser is reserving a right, which creates some risk for the seller.

E-Bay auction is a bit different. Since what is being reported during the auction itself is still subject to verification, if one makes an offer to buy, I'd consider it live until the auction terminates.

Once the E-Bay auction times out, I would think that there is no obligation on any party except the winning offer. Now, if the winning offer renegs or fails to perform/pay, then perhaps the next highest offer might have the right of first refusal -- an opportunity, but not an obligation, to purchase.

If one puts an obligation on other than the highest offer, it will result in a potential mess that might never end -- what happens if #2 doesn't qualify or pay?

in my experience if outbid and the high bidder defaults the seller may ask if you wish to purchase the item at your earlier bid but there is no obligation to. nice concept for a scam though....

Sounds like a scam to me. eBay does have a second chance sale feature (when you are the next highest bidder and the deal with the highest bidder falls through), but you are under absolutely no obligation to buy the item. I would contact eBay of I were you.

quote:

Originally posted by Guitarhak:
eBay does have a second chance sale feature...but you are under absolutely no obligation to buy the item.

This is my understanding as well, but I'm not 100% on it.

After repeated attempts I finally spoke with customer service at eBay by phone. As best as I could understand (a non-native speaker of English) eBay kept my bid active although I had been outbid by someone who retracted their bid but that if I had won, I would not have had to purchase the item since eBay notified me that I was outbid. The advantage of keeping my bid active for the seller was that someone might outbid me.
As best as I could understand, eBay does not consider me to be under any obligation to purchase something once they have informed me that I have been outbid.

Peace,
Rip