Is this allowed?

[BikeRunSki]

I am selling some maternity clothes on Ebay.
1 dress - just plain black stretchy boring jersey dress - ended tonight with no bids.

Someone as contacted me through "Contact seller" to say she is sorry she missed the auction, but she was going to pay £x (the starting price) and if I still wanted to sell it then to invoice her. She as somehow managed to set up an "Auction ended" page on the email showing er as winning bidder.

This isn't allowed is it? I feel quite uncomfortable about it. I think that I really just need to reply telling her that I am going to relist it, and she'll be informed when it is.

Hang on - two separate issues here. First I wouldn't mind at all if someone offered me a price I was happy with, and I'd probably relist with a buy it now.

If not happy with the offer then relist generally and tell her.

The thing with the email - that sounds well dodgy. Are you sure that's what it says?

I mean to do what you are saying, she would be into some heavy fakery of emails and that's never good.

I just am not sure if she has done this or not - can you describe it?

Either she bidded and won it at that price or she didn't bid.
So there would be no point faking an email to say she had won it if she's actually saying she missed the end.

Ebay emails can be mighty weird at times.

It's really odd this email. There were definiteley no bids on the dress, but she has sent me an message which includes an ordinary looking end of auction message, but with her name as a "clicky" next to where it says "buyer". Se as 100% positive feedback on over 300 transactions. I am very confused.

Ah. I think it's the word buyer that has you worried. I've noticed this too - ebay like to use this word for a 'potential' buyer. It doesn't mean she has won it.
Relax - ebay is an incompetent organisation but you don't sound like you have a problem here. It's just semantics.

She hasn't won oyur dress and she hasn't faked an email, so all you do is just say, thankyou very much, how about I relist it with a BIN of £... and if you want it it's yours.

That way it lets you keep it all well within the remit of ebay rules and you stay in control.

Cheers, I didn't think it was wrong, but wasn't convinced it was right!