eBay requests to end auction early [Archive]

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10-13-2007, 01:38 AM

Posted By: rrroweDavid R.... Your not alone, morally and ethically challenged individuals making offers is a dilemma faced by many sellers on ebay daily. This issue has been discussed several times on this board. Not only is it a form of subtle fraud against eBay, it is against ebay rules to use eBay's "Contact Buyer" email system for the purpose of interfering in an active auction for the reasons you mentioned. To ever end an auction early is an unwise decision. As many here will attest, your item in all likelihood will go for MUCH higher than any of the offers you receive. The whole point of these unethical buyers contacting you is to get your item cheaper than they know it should sell for in the open marketplace. I would suggest doing the following: 1) The emails you received should be forwarded to eBay security. 2) Ebay has a feature for responding to questions which will allow you to post your response at the end of your listing. You should use this feature with the following type of response: Dear <insert their ebay user ID>, I have chosen to let my listing run to completion. Thank you for your offer of <insert offer>. 3) As a follow-up, this board has members that have direct contact with Ebay personnel. You should contact Leon or one of them to have their contacts at eBay look into this specific situation and contact you directly. 4) As soon as possible, consider upgrading your listing to a "Featured Item" so more buyers become aware of your items. It is amazing the effort some people will go through for these pieces of cardboard, to quote one collector it's "Kill or be Killed". Although most collectors probably would not go to those lengths, many will sacrifice their morals for these little material possessions.....those that do have morals. Please let us know how you handled this issue and how helpful this board's ebay team was concerning this matter.

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10-13-2007, 02:03 AM

Posted By: David RThanks for the advice. I sent them all responses saying that I felt uncomfortable ending the auctions early because there were many "watchers" and I didn't think it was fair now that I posted the items without a BIN or best offer. I wished them good luck and encouraged them to bid. They were pretty careful in the way they worded their messages. They asked me to tell them my price, then edit the auctions to add a BIN at that price, and they would then buy it that way and pay right away with PayPal. Given that they seem to be really anxious to buy my items, I probably wouldn't do anything with eBay until the auctions close -- they may be the folks who are most interested and therefore likely to bid up the prices. The auction still has several days to run so we'll see. Thanks again for the input. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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10-13-2007, 02:29 AM

Posted By: davidcyclebackSay, "Ending the auction early is against eBay's rules. If you place a strong bid, I won't report you."

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10-13-2007, 03:45 AM

Posted By: Eric BI'd be interested to know how this ended up. While everyone says they get a lot more when the auctions run to the end, I've heard many times that's not the case. The only time I requested one to end early (mostly as a pre-emptive move to let the seller know I was interested so he wouldn't end it early for someone else), my fair but still below-market offer was actually higher than I ended up getting it for.

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10-13-2007, 05:02 AM

Posted By: Brad Green What is your eBay userid? I'm afraid I might be missing some pretty important auctions!

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10-13-2007, 05:24 AM

Posted By: barrysloateI occasionally get specific cash offers to end an auction early, and typically the lots end up selling for at least double those offers. I have heard stories of people turning down large offers and realizing considerably less, but that is rare. You put your cards in an auction to see what the market will bear. Let them run their course.

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10-13-2007, 05:46 AM

Posted By: MattI make several offers daily to ebay sellers. There is nothing against ebay policy about agreeing to a "buy it now" with a seller and having it posted; In fact, ebay encourages that - it gets them their fees faster. However, if I offered to buy something already listed off of ebay so that the seller can save the ebay fees, then that would be against ebay policy. With regards to which makes the seller more money, you'd be surprised at the number of times I've made an offer, had it rejected since the seller wanted to let the auction run, and then it ended for significantly less then what I offered. I had this just last week where I offered the seller over $400 for a card that I won in the end for less then $300. I would suggest that the seller evaluate the offer against what he/she is expecting and if it makes sense, take the offer. There is no guarantee, that there will be an under bidder willing to push the card where you want it to go - one in the hand is better then two in the bush.

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10-13-2007, 06:15 AM

Posted By: T206CollectorThe unfortunate reality is that if you don't make a pre-emptive offer to the seller, you might be leaving yourself open to not acquiring the card if an enterprising bidder gets to the seller first. On one of a kind items, it makes sense to let the seller know how much the card is worth to you. That way, if he sells before the auction ends, it is likely that somebody offered more than the card was worth to you. One more thing--a seller that reports his most active customers to ebay is biting the hand that feeds him. Ebay created a sniping community. Bids made anytime earlier than 20 seconds prior to close of an auction for pre-war cards are totally irrelevant and do not tell you anything about what the final price will be. Seller's need to be educated about this dynamic in considering pre-closing offers.

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10-13-2007, 07:19 AM

Posted By: Dan BrettaI have left money on the table by not taking someone's offer and have turned down offers in the past when they were obviously too low. I have also asked people to end auctions early on a few occasions and nobody has ever ended one early for me....in at least two of those cases I got the item for hundreds of dollars less than I offered. I almost contemplated offering a lady $300 for a Nebraska Indians cabinet on ebay a few weeks ago, but decided to let it run because it was listed in an obscure category with a horrible title. I got the cabinet for $60. I don't think any of this makes me unethical, I think it puts me on level ground with how the market on ebay works. I have at least one or two items per week in my watchlist that end early...you have to play the game.

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10-13-2007, 07:32 AM

Posted By: Shanon PingI believe that you have handled it well, as for me there have been times in the past when I am watching an item and for various reasons missed bidding on it, then the auction ended with no bids or reserve not met. I have contacted the seller at that point and requested a price to buy outright. Some have sold without relisting and one or two have relisted with a BIN and I bought. On the selling end I am almost always contacted by bidders early in the auction to end them. I politely reply NO that auction will run it's course and I appreciate their interest. I usually do not use BIN because I feel that I may be cheating myself. One item (a raw T205 Johnson) I listed with a BIN of $500 sold within an hour and the second item (SCG 20 US Caramel Dickey)listed with a BIN of $225 sold within a couple of hours. I made money on both but I still wonder if I shorted myself.

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10-13-2007, 07:35 AM

Posted By: JK"Your not alone, morally and ethically challenged individuals making offers is a dilemma faced by many sellers on ebay daily." There is nothing ethically or morally wrong with ending an auction early - Ebay specifically permits sellers to do so. Its the sellers card to do with as he sees fit. He is not obligated to complete a sale just because he listed it on ebay. Further, by revising the auction and setting a BIN, ebay gets its fees, so they could care less. That said, I do believe that you will usually receive more if you let the auction run its course. "This issue has been discussed several times on this board. Not only is it a form of subtle fraud against eBay, it is against ebay rules to use eBay's "Contact Buyer" email system for the purpose of interfering in an active auction for the reasons you mentioned." Fraud? Try again. As for being against ebay rules, again, its not against the rules to set a BIN or using the contact buyer to ask that they set a BIN. That is not "interfering" with an auction. Interfering with an auction is when you contact a bidder and tell them something about the auction or the seller that causes the item to not sell, sell for less, etc.

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10-13-2007, 07:45 AM

Posted By: AnonymousEven if it is against the rules I wouldn't report anyone who asks you to end an auction early. It is, at worst, a minor transgression. In fact, many net54 members have admitted on this thread and in the past that they have done this. Others have been on the other end, agreeing to end auctions early. By reporting ebay buyers for this your only accomplishment might be to alienate people who are part of your customer base. Howard

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10-13-2007, 07:49 AM

Posted By: Al C.risafulliT206 Collector spake thusly: "The unfortunate reality is that if you don't make a pre-emptive offer to the seller, you might be leaving yourself open to not acquiring the card if an enterprising bidder gets to the seller first.: This hits it on the head for me. I get cheesed off when sellers end auctions early. However, for the one set I collect aggressively where the cards are very tough in higher grades (1938 Goudey), if a card I need becomes available, I ALWAYS contact the seller. I ask the seller the price for which they would end the auction early, and also explain that if they do not end the auction early, I will be planning on bidding aggressively. I do not offer a price. I do this because I have lost out on some tough cards from the set because someone ELSE got the seller to end the auction early. So I feel it's important for me to let the seller know that A) I'd be willing to buy the card before the auction closes, and B) I want the seller know that I plan on bidding aggressively at the close of the auction. It's the best defense I have against losing out on a card I want because someone else got the seller to end early. -Al

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10-13-2007, 08:40 AM

Posted By: Jason Lthere's alot of long posts here and I am impatient today. Basically, if you have alot of watchers, and you are getting multiple BIN-type offers, that means you are probably set to profit from a very nice bidding war. Good luck with it, and please come back and post how much MORE the end price is than your end-it-early offers!

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10-13-2007, 12:39 PM

Posted By: davidcyclebackIf there are 'multiple requests' to end an auction early, there likely will be good bidding on the lot. However, there are auctions that go to the end that tank with zero snipe bidders, the lot goes for the minimum or does not sell and the seller loses a good amount of money. After having this happen numerous times, I'm sure many eBay sellers are more focused on avoiding these clunkers than winning the big prize-- and this may be a prime cause for people taking what they believe are fair offers. For a regular seller, the problem with snipe bidders in an active auction, and all the magical potential riches they represent, is it's impossible for the seller to know if they exist and, from past experience, he knows they often don't. I have long contended that snipe bidders is a prime cause of auctions being ended early. Snipe bids are by definition covert, invisible to to all, and are intended to lower the final sell price. Even if they exist in an auction, the seller doesn't know they exist and can only see the current bidding which has been artificially suppressed by the snipe bids. Before snipe bids, the current bid showed the seller what was the interest in his lot, whether it was day 3 or day 5. Where on day three there might be bids from six different bidders before snipe bidding, with snipe bidding there may be 1 at the minimum or none on day six. With the latter, it is expected a seller will be more likely to entertain an offer as there are no concrete indications that there is or will be bidder interest in the lot, and he's experienced numerous auctions where snipe bids never materialized despite his high hopes. As is often said, businesses hate uncertainty, and snipe bidding creates uncertainty for sellers. Whether right or wrong, ending auctions early removes this uncertainty and can be considered a natural and even expected business reaction. It should also be noted that just several years ago, sniping was widely considered to be an unethical and unfair practice, in particular by bidders. Also note that, as a seller, I don't end auctions early if is a bid on a lot. If there are no bids I will listen to an offer, but I've always considered it unfair to punish the people who have placed bids-- and unwise if you want them to place bids again. From a business standpoint, I never saw the positive in offending people who place bids in your auctions. If you feel a need to offend people, offend people who don't place bids in your auction.

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10-13-2007, 01:01 PM

Posted By: boxingcardmanexcept about not offering a price. When I contact, I always offer a price to show that I am deadly serious about buying the card.

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10-13-2007, 01:45 PM

Posted By: Jeff PriznerNot only is it a form of subtle fraud against eBay, it is against ebay rules to use eBay's "Contact Buyer" email system for the purpose of interfering in an active auction for the reasons you mentioned. ebay had net revenue of $6.0 billion last year, not all that concerned for their well-being. I both send offers to end auctions early and will end an auction for the right price. All's fair in love and cards.

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10-13-2007, 05:41 PM

Posted By: davidcyclebackIt's immaterial how much eBay makes. It is fair for eBay to expect compensation from those who are using their site for personal financial gain. Just as it is fair for even Wal-Mart to expect people to pay for the products they take from the store. Wal-Mart is a goods and products company, eBay is a service company.

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10-13-2007, 08:37 PM

Posted By: rrroweDavid R- Isn't it reassuring to see how so many people have "the sellers" best interest at heart rather than their own selfish materialistic lusts when you have something they want? The means by which an individual can justify their actions in their own eyes is limitlessly astounding. It's human nature to want "taste from the forbidden cardboard tree" or at least explore those gray areas that steer us further from the truth. Reminds me of me and my brother. As punishment for leaving our ball gloves out in the yard overnight, Dad would make us sit in a chair for an hour while the neighborhood ballgame was taking place in the vacant lot next door. Now one of us, who shall remain nameless, would sit there quietly thinking up new games to play with his baseball cards while my brother would slide his chair around the room to get closer to the window or over to a table to get something to play with. While both of us followed the rule to the word, one of us fell to selfish temptation. Card "collecting" is a mirror of our society and world in general. So is it any wonder that an endless stream of rules and amendments are required to continually preserve fairness for the masses from the selfish lusts of a few. Not to get into technicalities but these attempts to manipulate an auction are reverse shilling. Shilling being an attempt by the seller to manipulate the price upward. This is the same type of action by the buyer to manipulate the price downward or direct it to a specific individual. If one is wrong wouldn't both be wrong? Someone please explain to me how this selfishness, of which at the very least is a bending the rules, is a justifiable action. Is it, "I deserve it more because I saw it first?" Is it, "I deserve it more because I've been looking the longest?" Is it, "I deserve it more because I want it more?" JUST WHAT IS IT other than SELFISHNESS???? It seems to me that I remember how despised one dealer was because he did this same type of thing at major shows by getting the table right in front of the entrance....is this really any different? Does the hidden cloak of the internet suddenly make actions right? If this is an accepted auction principle, then why don't major auction houses permit these types of things? Leon, this might be a good time to use your connections with ebay to do some good for the board. If you could have your contact at ebay read this post and respond with the official ebay stance on this matter or at the very least forward you a clarification on what is the legal and ethical way to deal with these situation, I for one would greatly appreciate it. Who knows, they might even chip in for an ad.

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10-13-2007, 09:00 PM

Posted By: Jeff PriznerI bet you're fun at parties. <img src="/images/wink.gif" height=14 width=14>

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10-13-2007, 10:53 PM

Posted By: JKSure sounds like you and your brother are tight. This whole "end the auction early" practice is just satan's work. Satan I tell you!

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10-13-2007, 11:11 PM

Posted By: sagardNobody else is looking for your best interests, not Ebay, not the person making the offer, not the snipers. Therefore you have to do what is best for you and live with your decision. It takes two snipers with big bids to make an auction work for you. If someone makes you their best offer they may make the bid, or they may move on. No one likes uncertainty as stated above. You have to make a decision on whether your comfortable potentially leaving money on the table by taking an offer, or risk getting a Ebay beat down from a single sniper. Let your own moral code determine whether or not you cut Ebay in on the closing of the transaction. I can truly see it both ways. Ebay does deserve to get paid. They get that pay in the listing fee and the FVF. If they do not assist you to close the deal with their hammer, their protections, etc... I would listen to someone argue that Ebay was paid upfront for their services. I typically know the price I'm willing to take and if I leave money on the table, it is a lesson learned.

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10-14-2007, 01:54 AM

Posted By: BobIf an item pops up on ebay which is a card needed for set completion or one which is nearly impossible to find, an email to the seller asking if he would consider selling the item (not mentioning an offered price) lets the buyer know if the seller might be willing to sell to someone and end the auction early, so it is useful to get a response that "sorry, I am going to let it run its course." That way you can relax (usually) and enter your sniper bid without fear of the card disappearing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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10-14-2007, 06:47 AM

Posted By: David GoffHey David Bottom line, it's your auction. You do whatever you feel comfortable doing. If you want to end your item early, you have every right to do so. If you do not like the offers, then just let the auction run its full course. If you choose not to end auctions early, then you can put in the description "I do not end auctions early. Thank You". I wouldn't go reporting buyers either. Good luck!! I'am sure everything will work out fine in the end...

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10-14-2007, 07:42 AM

Posted By: boxingcardmanthat Ebay defends itself from claims that it should police the transactions on the site by claiming that it is just a middleman with no control over anything yet has all these rules controlling the auctions on its site?

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10-14-2007, 07:39 PM

Posted By: MattJust to clarify 'rrowe' is mistaken - there is nothing against ebay's rules about asking the seller to post a 'buy it now' at an agreed to price. In fact, ebay would even prefer this as they get their fees faster.

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10-14-2007, 07:42 PM

Posted By: AnonymousI've always felt it would behoove ebay to institute something similar to the bigger card auctions in their rules. Not to have the "never ending auction", but to require people to place a bid before say 10 minutes of the close of the auction, to be able to bid in the last 10 minutes. This would generate activity, and probably move prices up.

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10-16-2007, 02:51 PM

Posted By: JKMatt, Of course you are correct. Ebay also, interestingly enough, allows sellers to end auctions and sell immediately to the high bidder at the then current price. Wow, an ebay rule that almost assures that it will receive less in fees than if an auction were to continue to its end.

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10-16-2007, 03:15 PM

Posted By: rrroweThere is a much larger picture here than just contacting a seller to change an on-going auction to a "Buy It Now" for purposes of one's personal gain. I am sure there are many here, who presently refrain from this practice because of the ethical issues involved. Many of us would be more than happy to take our bidding off-line if we didn't have questions about the ethics of this practice. Their restraint speaks to the moral character of those individuals, just as it does about the opposing view. When this hobby went from "trading" cards to the "buying and selling" of cards it became a business. Once money became involved so did the unethical practice which greed creates. Thus followed an endless stream of rules to protect the innocent from the abusive ways of the unethical. What is left is the preverted interpretation of rules by the unethical. Yes my stance is a matter of interpretation of ebay rules and until ebay can clarify their stance, it will remain unchanged in favor of protecting those that are likely being exploited in most instances, the uneducated seller. Just as I will stand for the strictest interpretation of alteration and their disclosure to a buyer. The statement that ebay "prefers" this practice "because they get their fees sooner" is false. Ebay gets their "fees" once a month when you pay your bill or have your account debited. It is extremely unlikely that not letting an auction run to it's original close will make ANY difference to ebay. It is all the more likely ebay would prefer these auctions run till conclusion since it seems to be the concensus that the item in many instances will sell for a higher amount thus generating a greater final value fee. I'm sure I do not stand alone despite being outnumbered in this post. However, I will contiue to voice my opinion against unetical practices within this hobby which I see as exploitation of a sellers as well as buyers. I have asked Leon to consult with his contact at ebay to clarify this procedure for all of us. This seems to me like a very reasonable request as to which I have seen no response.

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10-16-2007, 03:19 PM

Posted By: MattI've already addressed most of your silliness earlier. 1) The fact that ebay doesn't say it is wrong doesn't mean it is a gray area - it means it is fine. 2) Also, If you've ever owned a business with many transactions, getting your transactions closed 5 or 6 days earlier in the month certainly is beneficial; even though you only bill monthly, you are able to roll more profit into the previous month.

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10-16-2007, 03:25 PM

Posted By: Cobby33There is absolutely nothing wrong with ending auctions early on eBay. If there was, eBay would not have this feature (which they do). It's really that simple.

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10-16-2007, 04:14 PM

Posted By: leonI don't need to go to my contact at ebay to interpret the rules. They are self explanatory. Ebay says that you can accept an offer of an ongoing auction, put a buy it now up, and let that person buy it. I wish it weren't that way too but it's not unethical at all. It's the rule. Circumventing ebay fees (a million people have) in taking an auction off line completely, is unethical in that ebay won't get it's fees that are due. regards

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10-16-2007, 05:22 PM

Posted By: JimCrandellI guess I am a "morally and ethically challenged" individual as I do this often. As Al said part of it is defensive as I feel everyone does it but part is playing offense. If its someone I know and have done business with its usually an easy discussion. If not, then I make my best bid and tell him if he keeps it on ebay I have no intention of bidding. I would say 75% of the time if the seller says no he gets less than what I offered. Lastly, aside from the sale it is often in the sellers best interest to end the auction early. He gets to know what I am looking for and can sell directly to me in the future and not have to deal through ebay.

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10-16-2007, 06:03 PM

Posted By: barrysloateJim- why not simply bid? Is it that big a deal? You may even win the lot for less than you expected.

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10-16-2007, 06:42 PM

Posted By: sagardI don't want to speak for Jim, but it is frustrating to make the big bid and know you are going to be the underbidder. On certain cards it is futile to try and be the high bidder because the person you are bidding against doesn't care one bit about money. Basically at times you simply function as a shill for the seller even though there is no colluding going on.

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10-16-2007, 07:03 PM

Posted By: barrysloateSo then by making an offer lower than what the item is likely to sell for you are prepared to cheat the seller out of his full share. I know occasionally a seller makes a mistake when he turns down an offer, but in nearly every case the offer is well below what the item is worth, and the person who makes it knows it. Isn't a seller entitled to as much as the market will bear?

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10-16-2007, 07:26 PM

Posted By: Jeff LichtmanBarry, who is putting a gun to the seller's head?

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10-16-2007, 07:33 PM

Posted By: Mattbarry the whole point is no one knows what the market will bear - I've had many cases where my offer is turned down and the item ends for less. According to your logic, denying the seller the ability to end the auction early is denying him the ability to get the most for his card. As long as the seller has the free choice to take the offer or not, I don't see what the problem is.

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10-16-2007, 08:06 PM

Posted By: Rick McQuillanOut of hundreds of ebay sales I have only ended one auction early. Most of the time the offers that I receive are much less than I think I can get by letting the auction run it's course. The one time that I did end an auction early I was offered an extremely good price which was much higher than I had anticipated. I still didn't feel right about it, but if the offer is well over the ending prices for recent sales, and well over book price, and well over the price that I paid for the card, it may make sense to accept the offer. Rick

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10-17-2007, 05:13 AM

Posted By: barrysloateOkay- here's what I think about these early offers: If the seller is a professional, and both buyer and seller are on an even playing field, then making an early offer is reasonable because both sides can negotiate with full knowledge of what the item is likely worth. But there are numerous ebay sellers who find old baseball cards or memorabilia that are quite valuable but have no idea what they have. That is when the vultures sweep in and take advantage of the sellers. Nobody is holding a gun to the seller's head but the buyer's intent is to steal the item. I can't tell you how many people have told me of the fabulous deals they got off ebay in such a situation. We all agree if a little old lady called and said she had some old baseball cards in the attic, and there turned out to be a real Wagner in the box, we would have an ethical obligation to point it out and explain the card should be properly auctioned. We would all agree it would be sleazy to offer her a few hundred dollars for the box and walk away with a gigantic profit. But because the ebay seller is faceless, it's perfectly okay to steal something out in cyberspace. Ethics no longer apply when the deal takes place on the internet.

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10-17-2007, 07:00 AM

Posted By: Steve MurrayPunctuation added ( ). <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> "But because the ebay seller is faceless, it's perfectly okay to steal something out in cyberspace(?) Ethics no longer apply when the deal takes place on the internet(?)"

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10-17-2007, 07:36 AM

Posted By: Mattbarry - it's not that ethics don't exist in cyberspace, but there's a major difference between the little old lady who comes into your card shop and the ebay examples. When that woman walks into your card shop, it's pretty much a given that she will sell you the card. You're not competing with anyone else and she isn't negotiating with anyone else. On ebay, once the listing is posted, it's public for the whole world to see; anyone who wants can shoot the seller an email with an offer. The seller has already posted the listing on ebay and it will cost her nothing to keep it there.

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10-17-2007, 07:37 AM

Posted By: JKSo Barry, Im not condoning taking advantage of someone on ebay, but let me get this straight - its your position that a little old lady who comes to you for advice on what she has in the box that she found in the attic is equivilent to an uninformed seller on ebay? I couldnt disagree more. The little old lady in your example has taken an affirmative step to educate herself about her find. She comes to you because you have been recommended or she trusts you. On the other hand, the "uninformed" ebay seller, Im assuming, has done nothing to educate himself and simply thrown his find on ebay. While I dont condone taking advantage of the person and wouldnt do it myself, if he has failed to do anything to educate himself, its his fault if he accepts a low offer IMO.

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10-17-2007, 07:46 AM

Posted By: barrysloateJosh- I agree many of the sellers on ebay make stupid decisions by closing lots early. As I always say, what would it take to just wait a few more days to see how it all ends up. But not every item is easy to research (cards are among the easiest) and sometimes an offer that seems reasonable is distressingly low. If a seller who knew nothing about an item was offered $2000 for it, he might think that's a lot of money, and not realize he may have given the item away. I guess since I make a living selling and do far less buying, I take the side of the seller. It's just my natural instinct. I think the main reason anybody asks a seller to close an auction early is he knows he will have to pay a lot more for the item, if he wins it at all, if the auction runs its course.

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10-17-2007, 07:48 AM

Posted By: Matt"I think the main reason anybody asks a seller to close an auction early is he knows he will have to pay a lot more for the item, if he wins it at all, if the auction runs its course." And the main reason a seller would accept such an offer is that he thinks he will get more this way then if he lets the auction run to the end. It's the same for both sides.

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10-17-2007, 07:53 AM

Posted By: barrysloateMatt- now that's a fair point, if both the buyer and seller are equally versed in the marketplace. But when an advanced collector makes an offer to someone who just cleaned out the attic and found his grandmother's paisley shawl, then the buyer has a big advantage.

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10-17-2007, 08:03 AM

Posted By: MattBarry - now you come to Josh's point. If a seller already listed something on ebay and takes it upon himself to end his auction and accept a price without doing any research, that's on him. He already listed the item, so if he doesn't know anything he should let it run.

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10-17-2007, 08:12 AM

Posted By: barrysloateI can't account for why a seller who knows absolutely nothing about the item he is selling would be willing to accept any offers at all. If he waits three or four more days the market will dictate the value of it, something he doesn't have the skill to do. But there must be some psychology at work. Perhaps the seller is nervous about ebay and doesn't have much experience selling anything. I just don't know. I have never made an offer for anything on ebay nor ever closed an auction early. Of course, that doesn't mean I am right. But I have received many offers to end an auction early, and typically when it closes the piece sells for around double that offer. So I strongly suspect any offer made by a buyer is to line his pockets, not the seller's. And this has nothing to do with the fact that ebay allows these sales. I am simply looking at this in terms of dealing in good faith, nothing more.

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10-22-2007, 10:07 PM

Posted By: David RThe offers to end the auction early were in the $350-375 range; the actual final auction price ended up over $500.

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10-23-2007, 02:17 AM

Posted By: henry mosesto get a seller to end an auction early. There were a few bumps along the way but I managed to make a strong offer that the seller eventually accepted. She ended the auction and placed my offer as a buy-it-now to satisfy eBay (but not the few that might have placed higher bids). My guess is that with 160,000,000+ possibly looking in - it MIGHT have gone significantly higher. The only risk was/is that without me bidding and at least one other interested party - I or another high bidder might have snagged it for quite a bit less. "My name is Henry M. and I feel no guilt other than what I am saddled with because of my Jewish heritage". I have been on both sides. As a seller with many thousands of transactions - I only ended one auction early. The guy's story - the fact he was willing to pay twice what it was worth as evidenced by my great familiarity with the issue - and a momentary spike of greed (circumventing fees/cash in hand) lead me astray. After that I resolved never to do it again - the expectations of people looking at my listings include an implied equity in terms of procurement. Of course I was trying to cultivate repeat customers and not all sellers think that they relinquish control of an item just because they listed it. As a buyer I have been successful three times. Two of the items I resold for significant profits. The third will reside in my pack accumulation for quite a while. I've owned 5/6 of them but all were sold. Now it's MY turn <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> eBay as mentioned earlier allows a seller to end their auction early if it is "no longer available". I just think it's bad business for the seller and usually they are leaving money on the table - good for me when I catch one - great sadness when someone else gets over. I learn to live with it. BTW - In today's climate the few times I write to a seller - it's usually NOT to ask them to end an auction early - but rather to NOT end it early. Another preemptive strike born of an ever aggressive culture and deeper pockets than mine. I'm more of the short hands and deep pocket crowd.