Urgent advice needed! Someone querying their second chance offer

[alltoomuchrightnow]

I recently posted about opening a case for a non payer, item of £50 and I really need the money.
I opened the case and can't work out how to close it. I've googled etc. In the meantime..this eve i sent a second chance offer to the next person below the non payer. Please..advice on what he's asking..I don't really know how to answer! I will cut and paste it below as too complicated for me to put into my own words.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

hello have you raised a complaint with ebay against the high bidder I ask as the only reason that my bid would have got to 50.00 is if someone placed a higher bid. that person has now failed to pay. It is important to me that whoever caused me this potential expense, is not allowed to do it again. I did not study the bidding form after the auction as It was done but would be now interested to know the value of the 3rd bid. I would like to have this advert but feel I may have been forced into paying more than it's true value.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

I see this man's point (above). But he wants to know what the 3rd bid was. His bid was for £49. Person number 3..only £26!! So i have a dilemma! Do i lie.. i don't really want it to go for £26.. should i offer him a better price? what would you do? i need the money but he's obviously in the mood for bartering.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

am i being mean to think,,, he chose to have this 'potential expense'? (he doesn't have to have it..is an offer..but yes i do want him to have it! don't want to be rude) And it doesn't affect him personally, if the person gets a strike or not. Perhaps he is suspecting i'm a ...what's the word? shill bidder? when you get family and friends to bid on your stuff? I'm not but i wouldn't blame him for thinking that. arghhh what to do!

[MollyBerry]

They are insinuating/are worreid that you were the winning bidder bidding on another account to push the price up so you could find out their highest offer. They want to know what the next highest bid to reassure them that this wasn't the case - but you can't prove this as you won't know ( I don't think, have a try at looking at the bidding log thingy?)

Sorry if i've confused you even more

[alltoomuchrightnow]

i can see all the bids..the person below him, is way below..at £26. So i'm guessing this man, if i tell him this, will want it for £26. I really don't know what to do! He could think the £26 was a fake as well.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

i can't prove anything to him...if i were dodgy, they could all have been fake bids until his! But they are not!

[alltoomuchrightnow]

I have 100% feedback and over 3000 good buys and sales! Yet I still can't prove i'm not a dodgy seller!

[MollyBerry]

Yes basically you can lie about the next bid down aside from a acreen shot i don't know how you can prove it or say 26 and be prepared to haggle/lose the sale

[alltoomuchrightnow]

hmmm so i need to work out a middle figure so i dont lose out too much . maybe say 30 or 40 and if he says no, relist. he doesnt have to after all

[alltoomuchrightnow]

i didnt think they were allowed to ask what the next bid was!

[LilyBossom]

well first of all you shouldn't have done the 2nd chance offer until after you had closed the unpaid case, you have to wait 4 days to do that

the buyer is now wondering if they have been shill bid and want to pay less.

[LilyBossom]

just reply and say the winning bidder hasn't paid, and you have opened an unpaid case against them and are now offering him the 2nd chance offer at the price he bid.

[belatedmaybe]

I would just reply saying that he obviously placed a bid which was the maximum he was prepared to pay and if he felt it was worth less he needed to bid less at the time. Obviously he is not obliged to accept the second chance offer so please could he let you know if he wants the item so you can relist asap. You could also point out that any concerns about shill bidding should be raised with eBay who will, most likely, withdraw the auction and his second chance offer pending investigation.

Don't lie about previous bids, he can probably see it as well so you will make yourself look silly. He is trying it on.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

i can't close unpaid case! it has been over 4 days. i cannot find anything that says i can close it.

[LilyBossom]

you have clicked on the case itself? It was an unpaid case and not a cancellation request wasn't it?

[alltoomuchrightnow]

Just worked out how to do it so just closed it now. What would any of you sellers do in my shoes? let the second person have it or re list?

[LilyBossom]

you now have to wait for them to accept the 2nd chance offer or decline it - only then can you relist.

[SavoyCabbage]

That's what I would do Lily. Let him accept or decline, then relist if necessary.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

so i should be blunt..he can accept or decline? and not go into details eg bid below him and so on?

[LilyBossom]

yes - now is not the time to negotiate down.

[Ogg]

Tell him you are relisting and he is welcome to bid again ;)

[alltoomuchrightnow]

yeh probably best option..i can't be bothered to argue, or prove anything...

[LilyBossom]

but you can't relist until the best offer has expired - otherwise you risk 2 buyers and only 1 item

and if you don't want to sell to him add him to your blocked bidder list

[alltoomuchrightnow]

I've ended the best offer and just relisted (and have told him, politely, that I have done so). I would never dream of asking anyone what the bid was before mine! I just can't be bothered with the to-ing and fro-ing , it's easier to relist than have someone quibble. Whenever i've been sent second chance offer..i've either paid, or told them i no longer wanted it.

[LilyBossom]

and you have added him to blocked bidder list?