A few years ago I picked up a signed 1957 Brooks Robinson on EBay for $10 complete with the auto ticket from the show it was signed at. Seller listed it as Brooks Robinsom no one else saw the spelling error on the listing and I was the only bidder.

Tobacco doesn't thrill me. Show me some 50s Topps though, and some Goudeys....that's cool!

I've told this story before but a few years ago I bought a Grover Cleveland Alexander signed baseball on the sweet spot for $80 on eBay.

What's your eBay ID? ;)

wandw-auctions. Howveer, I don't ship Internationally - except thru the Ebay gloabl shipping program. And I know how much you Canadians LOVEEEEE the Global Shipping Program, eh?

I had never heard of this, but based on the following, it sounds like a way that I can continue offering free shipping, which has been my main concern, along with getting dinged for extra postage and customs delays, regarding shipping to Canada. I'm assuming the recipient picks up the added cost, thus your comment about Canadians not liking it. I'd like to know how that bit of the formula works.

How sellers are protected

• With the Global Shipping Program, you're protected in the following ways:
• You qualify for automatic 5-star protection on shipping and handling charge detailed seller ratings when you provide free domestic shipping to the US shipping center. If you receive a rating below 5 stars for shipping and handling charges, it won't count against your seller performance standards.
• You qualify for automatic 5-star protection on shipping time detailed seller rating when you ship with same day or 1-day handling, upload tracking information within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment, and the item is delivered to the US shipping center within 4 business days. If you receive a rating below 5 stars for shipping time, it won't count against your seller performance standards.
• Any negative or neutral feedback that can be attributed to the Global Shipping Program from item handling during international transit will be removed. See details.
• You aren't responsible for item loss or damage that occurs after the item is forwarded by the US shipping center. Once an item has been forwarded by the US shipping center, you won't be responsible for refunding the buyer if an eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Purchase Protection case is filed against you for one of the following reasons:
• A buyer claims an item isn't received or
• A package is damaged in transit

[BEGIN RANT]

For good reason, eh! Two reasons why GSP is a bad idea is that ....

1) It is applied to low-cost items that I would never have to pay duty on in the first place. Its just another unnecessary cost to me. Unless eBay has some kind of arrangement with the Canadian Government of which I am unaware, I question the legality of it.

2) Canada Customs staff are paid quite nicely to perform their duties. No need for eBay to get involved. If I'm going to get charged duty, let Canada Customs make that decision, not FeeBay.

[END RANT]

Good day, eh! :D

And another thing ...
 

[RESUME RANT]

Besides having to pay that stupid import fee, we also have to pay a shipping fee as well. Can you say "MONEY GRAB"?

[END RANT]

I had an expensive lesson this last week on the Global Shipping Program...I recently acquired a valuable lamp made by Lecoultre...I knew this would be desired by International bidders so I set the auction for Global Shipping Program only...it sold for $2,650 to an Italian bidder...ebay kicked it out of the GSP after the auction had ended. There is no way to send an item to Italy of that value and insure it for the full amount...the Italian Post Office is also notorious for "losing" items..especially valuable items...the Italians also have a laundry list of items that are not allowed to be shipped into their country..one of them being "antiques", and they do not return any items they deem unacceptable. So I refunded the Italian buyer and sold the lamp to the highest US bidder. The Italian buyer will not cooperate with me and cancel the transaction which has cost me over $200...he is also threatening negative feedback. All of this because ebay kicked my item out of the GSP AFTER it was over.

The lenox.....
 

he shipped it!:eek:

Good! It's refreshing to see an honest seller for a change. If one of his staff made an error resulting in a great deal for a potential buyer...the seller should honor the sale.

He is bound legally by ebay's terms and conditions, but how can it be enforced?

It cant..and sellers reneg on deals all of the time for whatever reason.

And just the fact that some posters on here "assumed" that the deal would not be completed because a "mistake" was made on someone's part is a testament to the loose nature of ebay transactions.

That's a shame he shipped it. No one should get screwed over for that much money.

-1(I disagree)

Best way to learn a lesson...is to make a mistake.

It's still unfortunate. No one is trying to teach this man a lesson, if I lost out on $1,000+ I'd be pretty upset about it.

Maybe that employee was reprimanded and had to make up the difference in value?

On a similar, but side note, didn't the same thing happen at a card show over a Nolan Ryan rookie card?? Even though it was an Ebay transaction, I don't see how it can be forced to be followed thru, the same way the deal at the card show was never consumated and eventually had to go through the court systems.

I'm obviously in the minority here. No one wants to be responsible/accountable for their actions anymore.

If employee was reprimanded...he deserved to be! If seller lost $1000 due to carelessness...he deserved it.

What happened to being accountable...and repercussions?

Maybe the employee/seller who made a mistake here should be given an "I'll try harder next time trophy?"

Cool....you made no mention of the comparable situation though. There is obviously a precedent that had to go thru the court systems. Whatever became of the Nolan Ryan rookie card that sold for, what, $12?

Just because someone "deserved" it doesn't mean that people can't have mercy. Just as often as people don't want to be "responsible/accountable" there are people that don't know how to show compassion and mercy.

You're right, this guy obviously had it coming. Serves him right.

Hopefully you never experience any oversight or lapse in judgment, because apparently no one deserves a free pass.

+1

I was never implying anyone had anything coming...or "deserves" to be punished.

In life we all make mistakes...and these mistakes usually provide invaluable learning experiences.

If we all were granted "free passes" when we made mistakes...the world would be a worse place.

That's fine...I'm done with this discussion...maybe I'm wrong...this is just my take on this situation.

An online store is no different than a brick and mortar store. The person should not be "forced" to complete the trasnaction, the same way that kid took advantage of "good samaritan" watching the store and getting a Ryan rookie for $12. I am sorry, but if that was my Lennox card, then yes, I too would be sitting in court right now.

OK...this is my last comment!!!!!!! So basically anyone who has ever purchased a card at a steal of a price on ebay(due to sellers lack of knowledge regarding an item...or whatever reason)...should really contact the buyer and offer to sell him/her back the item at said bargain price...as they made a mistake and shouldn't be "punished" for it?

Whatever happened to ones knowledge offering a competitive advantage when purchasing collectibles?

Is this concept antiquated now? That knowledge is even necessary in a given collectible/antiquity category to gain an advantage of some sort?

No one is implying every mistake deserves a free pass, but when a small business owner forgets the value of an obscure t206 back, he certainly doesn't "deserve" (as you put it) to have someone take advantage of him.

It's just like the 100's of reprints on ebay. Just because the buyer doesn't know the difference between an authentic and reprinted t206 doesn't mean he deserves to be taken advantage of.

I agree, the world would be a worse place if everyone was given a free pass for each mistake they make, but it would be a far worse world if no one received a free pass ever.

Just my opinion.

If the seller made a mistake, I don't believe he should be held accountable. If you accidentally included an extra "0" on a $40 check and wrote it for $400 instead, does the recipient get to keep the extra money just becuase of your mistake?

As I stated earlier, I am just a few minutes from the guy's shop and I'll swing by there on my lunch hour and find out what happend on his end.

biting my tongue...it really hurts!!!!:p

Bought a card on ebay a few years back, seller listed it with a "Buy it now" that was very low, and after some thought on my part realized it was clearly a mistake by the seller. After the seller contacted me about the item, I happily cancelled the transaction. He was able to re-list the item and sold it at auction at a more appropriate price for him.

No harm , no foul.

Please see ebay's T&C. I guess if you could prove damages, you absolutely in fact have a legal binding contract. Just because "it's Ebay" and "it happens all the time" doesnt hold water. Now proving it is a different subject

I'm with you, Pete. Everyone has taken a hit now and again. That's how we learn.

We can still all join hands and sing though, if you want.

Ryan comparison
 

I remember the Ryan Rookie card sale very. The Ryan rookie was marked for $800 but the inexperienced clerk misread the price as $8.00.

What I would like to know here is if the Lenox seller paid market price for the card or if the card was purchased as part of a lot as a common card. If the seller purchased the card as a common do they feel obligated to track down the original seller and correct the previous transaction? If they do not intend on correcting the original transaction they have very little justification for canceling this transaction.

I am in the unpopular opinion crowd in thinking if they made a mistake they should be able to cancel the sale. I understand the contract thing and all of that but if it were me that made a mistake I would want some compassion on being able to fix it...and on the converse if I found a 10k card for $10 and the seller canceled it, I would understand. Don't get me wrong, if he still shipped it I would accept it, but I would understand if he didn't. Just one opinion here....

Now, if it were an auction style sale then that is different and I don't think canceling an auction sale is cool, unless there was some extraordinary issue other than this kind of mistake.....

Go for it!

You know you want to ... ;)

My brother and I both use the same ebay ID...we own an antique shop together...I was at home listing postcards with a BIN of $9.99...he was at the shop and unbeknownst to me he started listing some items...he did not realize that the ebay auction software was set to Buy It Now instead of auction and he listed a Major Matt Mason playset that normally sells for $200-$300...someone hit the BIN within minutes of his listing it...we quickly notified the buyer that it was a mistake and tried to cancel the transaction...he refused. We just relisted it correctly as an auction and the guy left us a negative.

I don't think we had any moral obligation to complete the transaction...it was a mistake, they happen.

Lenox card
 

On the Lenox card in question, the buyer is a member of these boards and is reading this thread with great interest. In this case I know for a fact that the seller has not reached out to the buyer to request canceling the sale and I know for a fact that while eBay lists the card as "shipped", the USPS has no tracking information available. There is no evidence that the card has in fact left Houston.

Well I for one will make sure I never get another deal on Ebay, and I will be sure to keep cash on hand just incase I buy something below market value.

I think an appropriate resolution might involve the seller contacting the buyer, explaining the situation, and requesting to cancel the transaction. I would also think that it might be appropriate for the seller to offer a certain compensation for the purchasers time and consideration. Maybe $100 or something along those lines.

+1. The fact that the card was listed with a bunch of T206 commons leads me to believe that it was acquired by the seller as a common card (otherwise, why wouldn't it be separated from the low $$ merchandise). If the seller didn't pay top dollar for the Lenox, the he's not "losing" $1000+, he's just not making out on a huge potential profit. Lesson learned.

If the seller did indeed pay top dollar or close to top dollar on the Lenox and someone listed it incorrectly, then I feel that he would be justified in cancelling the deal.

People talking about apples, oranges, mangos, and pomegranates. They're all fruit but not the same.

Listing something at $8.00 when the intent was to list something at $800 is not of the same fruit as listing something at $8.00 because you aren't aware of the value.

As to compassion. Compassion that is forced is not compassion.

Agreed.

This is an interesting conversation. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. However, I am impressed by the sense of equity that some of you expressed. Your sense of "doing the right thing" and that "everyone makes mistakes" is uplifting.

Personally I believe that for better or worse a deal is a deal. The best lessons I learned were from my own mistakes. One of my favorite lines is from the movie Rounders and goes something like this - "I can't remember how I made my bankroll but I can't stop thinking about how I lost it."

In both this instance and the Nolan Ryan rookie card instance, and employee, or someone working for the business owner incorrectly sold something at the wrong price. I don't think that is apples and oranges.

Has the seller said why the card was priced at that amount?

How do you know this? Did seller miss a decimal point--was going to sell it for $2495.00? I don't think so. Did he list the wrong item? He identified it as Lennox, twice, so I don't think so. Did he not know what he had? Probably.

I do see apples and oranges
 

In the case of the Ryan card the seller paid a hefty price for the card and then tried to flip for a profit. Selling at the low price involved loss of money in the transactions. In the case of the Lenox we do not know if the seller bought it as a common and sold it as a common, in which case there is the loss of profit but not money. If the seller bought at a premium I question why the didn't take better care of the card to ensure it was listed appropriately. If they bought as a common, does the seller feel obligated to go back to the original seller and correct the original transaction? Because unless the seller plans on going back to correct the original deal they are wanting to play both sides of the game and have no moral rights to the card or the excess profits they will make that should have gone to the original seller.

In the case of the Lennox, where is it stated that an employee listed it wrong? I may have missed that.

I misspoke earlier when I mentioned the name of the seller. I said that is was a friend of mine, Howard Lau, who owns a shop here in town. I had the eBay usernames confused with another friend. Howard is not the owner of the card. However, the correct owner has been notified and we’ll see if he ships it or not. That’s up to him.

Ultimately in life it's better to do the right thing. Not too long ago an auction house had a BIN sale where they dramatically underpriced a Cracker Jack card -- they listed it at SMR but in fact the market value was several times that (SMR is notoriously off on CJs and they refuse to fix it). I was tempted just to buy it, and make a tidy profit but decided to alert them instead.

I did that too. I saw one of our members list a card erroneously on ebay not too long ago. It was a several hundred dollar Zeenut he had miss listed for a small fraction of that. A very obvious mistake. I hit the BIN immediately to protect him. I told him about it, he thanked me and we canceled the sale. I thought in the time I alerted him that someone else might have hit the BIN, before he closed the auction down, and then he would have possibly had a bigger issue.