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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that this buyer probably had no intentions of buying the car?

67 replies

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 11:56

I've finally upgraded my trusty 10 year old car.

I listed my old car on ebay, it has a few problems and it seemed beyond me repairing it, but it's a reliable little car for someone who want a runabout or who has the time to give it some tlc.

It was listed cheap £500 and I put both mine and my partners phone number on the listing to contact if interested or to arrange to view. Up until the last hour of the auction I'd had no calls or interest at all in the car, I went out for the afternoon and decided to just give the car to a family member who doesn't have one.

Anyway, I got home late that night to discover someone had bid on the car and won the auction, I was surprised to say the least as I'd expect someone buying a cheap car to at least want to come and look over it before bidding. The buyer hadn't made any contact at all by the following evening to arrange to pay or collect the car, I looked at their ebay profile and realised that they lived in Norfolk. Which is 170 miles away from me and a 3.5 hour drive going by their postcode. I thought who is going to travel 170 miles to buy a £500 car which they haven't even seen?

I decided to send a request to cancel the sale. If the buyer agrees then the sale won't go through and I won't have to pay a final value fee. I they decline then I do.

The buyer declined the cancellation and sent an abrupt message saying that I was out of order and he needed the car urgently.

I sent him a message saying I'd opted to cancel the sale as I'd realised he lived so far away, and due to the fact that he hadn't contacted me I'd assumed it wasn't a serious bid, but asked him if he wanted to go ahead. No reply.

Luckily Ebay have sorted it out with regards to the charges, but aibu to think that this guy was probably having a bit of a laugh?

OP posts:

emsyj · 11/03/2013 12:59

Is this what they call AIBU by stealth??

I thought you said that you had not had any interest in the car until this bidder won the auction? Now you say you'd had a few people contact you messing around?

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:05

I don't think I was clear in my op, I did contact him but he hadn't replied by the following evening, which I realise isn't a huge amount of time. But when we realised he lived 170 miles away, and had feedback for not paying we assumed perhaps he'd bid by mistake or was just messing about. We needed the car gone by a certain date due to space and I had clearly stated that in the auction. After I requested to cancel the sale which he declined I contacted him again re collecting and he still hasn't responded.

I contacted ebay directly and they've cancelled it and credited any charges so he won't be able to leave feedback now. I think going by some of his feedback that he'd probably been reported for not paying.

Of course it's not up to me to decide who can buy based on where they live. But I'm a bit skeptical that he was going to travel 170 miles to collect 'an old banger' even if it were to strip for parts. We'd discussed stripping the car ourselves and there's no way it would collect the value considering in his travel costs to get here. I think it's because I've been usign ebay for so long that I can see a timewaster coming.

OP posts:

shesariver · 11/03/2013 13:05

Not only are YBU but you are completely out of order cancelling the sale just because YOU decided he lived too far away and hadnt been in contact immediately! I cant believe anyone would do this actually. My DH has travelled from Glasgow to Morecambe for a car once he bought on Ebay plus there are all sorts of reasons someone doesnt message straight away. Fair enough if it had been 5 days or whatever but 1 day? Seriously? And you didnt message him saying you had changed your mind and wanted to cancel the sale, you just tried to do it anyway?

IneedAsockamnesty · 11/03/2013 13:06

You were still in the wrong.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:07

I thought you said that you had not had any interest in the car until this bidder won the auction? Now you say you'd had a few people contact you messing around?

I hadn't had any serious interest in it. I'd had people contacting me asking if I'd deliver it miles away, asking ridiculous questions such as how old the car was, despite everything being in the listing.

OP posts:

Helpexcel · 11/03/2013 13:07

yabu.
You changed your mind, he didnt.
Where he lives is of no importance to you.
His sister might live next door, he might travel to your area once per week, etc etc.

shesariver · 11/03/2013 13:12

Up until the last hour of the auction I'd had no calls or interest at all in the car

and

I think I've had bad experiences with things like this and had had a few people contact me over the car messing around

Dont quite match up do they? Or did all these people who have suddenly messed you around contact you in the last hour of the auction, mmm.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:13

Really? Does noone think it's just a little strange that he needed the car 'urgently' but hadn't responded for two days to suggest a collection day?

When I suggested cancelling you add a message why, I stated that the buyer hadn't been in contact and I needed to get rid of the car by such and such a date to make space as stated in the auction. He declined the cancellation straight away so obviouslty had time to do that saying I was out of order and he needed the car urgently. I contacted him again asking if he wanted to complete the sale and still no reply. Does noone findt hat just a little strange?

And also if ebay take such a dim view, why have they cancelled the sale for me and credited my account with a message saying I'm a valued seller etc, etc?

OP posts:

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:15

Dont quite match up do they? Or did all these people who have suddenly messed you around contact you in the last hour of the auction, mmm.

I've already explained that, I had no positive interest in the car i.e making a sale, but I'd had stupid questions such as 'can I deliver the car 100 miles away?', 'how old is the car?' despite everything being in the listing. Also people making stupid offers.

OP posts:

shesariver · 11/03/2013 13:20

You didnt say no serious interest in your original post, you said no interest.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:27

You didnt say no serious interest in your original post, you said no interest.

You're being ridiculous now, it's fair enough if you think I wbu, but there's no point trying to trip me up on what I said and what I meant because I didn't word things as clearly as you'd like.

When I said I'd had no interest I meant it didn't look as though it was going to sell. Even the scrapman asked a few questions on the phone before agreeing to buy the car. The fact I'd had no serious (is that better?) calls or messages, I assumed that the car wasn't going to sell.

OP posts:

mungotracy · 11/03/2013 13:27

Please read Ebays T and C before you use the service.

"Up until the last hour of the auction I'd had no calls or interest at all in the car"

That's of no relevance to your bad practice whatsoever, you can stop repeating it now.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:29

And I hadn't physically given the car to anyone before the auction was ended. It was more a conversation of if it doesn't sell by such and such as time you could have it as I need the space for the new car.

When the buyer hadn't got in touch by the following evening I requested to cancel as I needed the car gone. I'd even stated in the auction quick sale needed for new car etc.

OP posts:

shesariver · 11/03/2013 13:30

Why? No Im not being ridiculous Im not a mind reader and can only go by what you put in your OP, Im not inside your head. And its nothing to do with "not wording things as clearly as I would like" - none of us know you and can only read your OP and go by that! If you cant see that then you have a problem.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:33

I didn't beach the T&C, you are allowed to request a cancellation, which is what I did. At worst it was rude and assuming but not a breach of T&Cs.

I still think he had no intentions of buying as he only responded straight away to the cancellation request but not to messages to arrange collection of the car, despite him needing it 'urgently'.

OP posts:

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:35

I wonder had I done a reverse aibu.

I'm a buyer a car was listed as needing to be gone by such and such a date for quick sale and I didn't respond to messages...

OP posts:

mungotracy · 11/03/2013 13:42

"are allowed to request a cancellation," on reasonable grounds, you had none. You deserve terrible feedback.

HazleNutt · 11/03/2013 13:44

Such a classical AIBU thread.

OP: AIBU?
Everybody: YES!
OP: no I'm not!!

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:49

'On reasonable grounds', you're allowed to request a cancellation on whatever grounds you like. Listed is even that you sold the item to another buyer. So ebay obviously 'allow', cancellations on any grounds.

you deserve terrible feedback, over the top much? Well may ebay strike me down with terrible feedback. I actually don't deserve terrible feedback. I've been selling for years, my feedback is bloody fantastic and luckily for me this guy won't be able to leave feedback now as the transaction has been cancelled by ebay.

I actually don't think that my grounds for cancelling were that awful. As I'll say again, I'd put in the description that I needed a quick sale. Sellers can request payment within 24 hours. And I still really believe he wasn't going to buy the car even moreso now that ebay have overide his decision to decline the cancellation.

OP posts:

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 13:52

Perhaps Hazlenutt although I was skeptical about asking mumsnet opinions on buying a used old banger on ebay etiquette.

OP posts:

IneedAsockamnesty · 11/03/2013 13:54

But you cancelled before requesting payment.

Your still in the wrong.

Theicingontop · 11/03/2013 13:59

I don't get why you'd bother asking AIBU if you're BU, if you don't think you are at all.

Original poster

100DaysofSummer · 11/03/2013 14:00

But you cancelled before requesting payment

No I didn't, perhaps I wasn't clear enough in my op. By the following evening he hadn't replied to me, or paid. It was only then I requested a cancellation, note only 'requested' a cancellation as a seller can't cancel without a buyers authorisation.

I realise 24 hours isn't a massive timeframe but I had stated in the auction I needed a quick sale. And it was strange how he ignored my messages to arrange a payment and collection but responded straight away when I asked to cancel. After he refused to cancel he STILL hasn't paid.

OP posts:

Theicingontop · 11/03/2013 14:03

Did you state how quick? Most buyers would assume that a three day auction would constitute within itself a quick sale, and that the transaction afterward would be conducted within a normal timeframe. Well I would anyway.

MomentLostToTheSky · 11/03/2013 14:04

But you're just drip feeding now ..

I looked at their ebay profile and realised that they lived in Norfolk. Which is 170 miles away from me and a 3.5 hour drive going by their postcode. I thought who is going to travel 170 miles to buy a £500 car which they haven't even seen?

You never mentioned his bad feedback in your OP, which is a crucial thing to mention in my opinion.

And then you say

I have been using ebay as a seller for 8 years and haven't had a problem and always have good feedback

I think I've had bad experiences with things like this

So which one is it? 8 years without a problem or having had bad experiences?

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