OT: Ebay Policy Change

[drcy]

eBay could put a limit on the number of retractions and backings out a buyer can make. That would help with the serial bid retractors, while allowing for a few honest mistakes.

I can understand a mistake bid or two, but don't know how someone could make more than two a month. Stay off the sauce. I recall making one and that was about fifteen years ago. I typed in an extra zero in my bid. If you're making five or ten a week, I think it can be safely defined as abusing the system.

I do agree that backing out of winning bids is a bad idea for auctions. For centuries the entire auction process has been based on the saying and rule "Goes to the highest bidder." The seller is required to sell to the highest bidder and, if the bidder can't or won't honor his bids, he's not supposed to be participating. Some would compare not honoring your winning bids to not honoring your gambling debts.

There's an entire Laurel and Hardy short about a grandfather clock they have to carry home after accidentally placing the winning bid on it at an auction and being threatened over if they didn't pay what they owed. Alas, the clock is run over by a car before they can get it home and Oliver's wife isn't too happy about his expenditure on a pile of scrap wood.



But, as I said, an honest error in bidding once in a while is understandable and excusable.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by drcy

eBay could put a limit on the number of retractions and backings out a buyer can make. That would help with the serial bid retractors, while allowing for a few honest mistakes.

Sounds simple, and I think Ebay actually had a cap on bid retractions at one time, sending out a warning to prospective bidders when they were doing it.

They stopped that practice a couple years ago or so for whatever reason, and it has run rampant ever since.

I'm sure there are tons of people who read these boards who have a ton of bid retractions, but will never admit to it. There's too many of these guys out there right now, for it not to be the case.

I could even go as far in my own auctions to outline a policy of losing your bidding rights in my auctions with a retraction or cancellation without a good excuse to me personally, I don't like the perception of shilling, don't bid on it if you don't want it, blah, blah, blah............but Ebay would shut ME down faster then I could formulate a sneeze during allergy season, because that would break with the continuity of their own policies.

It would make ME the bad guy.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Only list Buy It Nows with an immediate payment required.

Problem solved.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Only list Buy It Nows with an immediate payment required.

Problem solved.

So no more auctions?

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

So no more auctions?

Dave,

I love true auctions. I really do. But for the last few years eBay has been trying to slowly 'force' sellers to go to a BIN only. All their changes indicate such. And that's a shame. True eBay auctions will soon be a thing of the past.

I first noted this well over three years ago in my post here...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...=134438&page=3

Post #21
eBay wants to become one big online store and do away with auction style listings. All of their changes suggest this. This new change is nothing different and is just another step in doing so. They want sellers to offer free shipping and this is one way to make it happen. Think about it, you can't even charge for insurance anymore (or at least state that in your description). This new change is one way of forcing the seller to offer free shipping. Sellers who list true auction style listings aren't going to offer free shipping because if they take a loss on the card, they sure aren't going to take a loss on the shipping as well. So, why not just offer BIN with BO options with free shipping? That's what eBay wants and they'll get their way one change at a time.

[4815162342]

I don't think that they want to completely do away with all auctions, just auctions from small-time sellers. eBay is two businesses: retail and auction consignment. If you want to sell, it's just cheaper and easier to consign.