Seller Not Accepting Bid?

[midori1999]

I am interested in buying an Ergo baby carrier on Ebay, but concerned about counterfeits as there are a few about. I don't usually use Ebay, so am a bit useless with it.

Anyway, I asked the seller (politely) to confirm it was genuine earlier today and they haven't got back to me. Then a friend has now confirmed she got hers from the same seller and hers is a genuine one, but I have gone to buy the item and it says the seller isn't accepting my bid. (it's buy it now and I am trying to buy it now)

Why might this be? Can a seller block a buyer from bidding?

Yes, a seller can block a buyer from bidding.

I think that if a seller has a had a poor recent experience with being messed about by buyers who ask lots of questions and then want refunds/leave crappy feedback anyway, then a 'once bitten twice shy' mentality may develop - especially if they've lost a lot of time and money. (See threads on here and on Ebay Community.)

But that usually applies to small-time private sellers.

It's possibly a little more unusual for someone who is selling more than one of the same item. Is it a private seller?

It may be because the seller set up the auction/buy-it-now with certain conditions that bidders must have, common ones I use are:
Must have a PayPal account
Must have a credit/debit card on file
Must have a primary address in country I post to (so no overseas bidders)
No low feedback (ie negative feedback)

These are all conditions that eBay allows sellers to set. Maybe ask your friend to buy-it-now on your behalf? Or if you have been blocked by the seller, maybe reconsider buying from them, altho your friend was happy so it doesn't sound like they are dodgy sellers.

Thankyou. Well, they haven't got a shop or anything and have got 100% positive feedback, but only 400 or so items. Not loads but quite a few. They are selling more than one Ergo carrier though.

I'm wondering if the item is not genuine and that is why I have been blocked from buying it?

they may have blocked you because you asked if it was genuine - sounds a bit pre-emptive if they did.

I would take my cash elsewhere if I were you.

Thanks.

So now she has messaged me back saying that sorry she hasn't replied, but she has been out all day and that she had the same problem when buying once and that they are a genuine Ergo carrier. She just accept returns.

I can check it's genuine when it gets here, so would you risk it?

Have you gone through pingulingo's checklist?

Thankyou. Yes, it's none of those things. I'm so tempted as it is half the price, but then that in itself seems a warning sign. I might get my friend to ring Ergo tomorrow.

A brand new Ergo at half the usual price? I'd say that's a fake.

There are some things I wouldn't worry about fakes - handbags or belts or jewellery. Baby carriers, not a chance. I would be very wary

It will almost certainly be a fake.

Brand new for half RRP, with a private seller selling more than one?

I wouldn't risk it. Contact Ergo for a list of approved suppliers, think there is a list on their website. Expect to pay full price for a real one, well worth it for your peace of mind and baby's safety.

ergo dont have any official stockists on ebay.

Hmm, when I was researching carriers, lots of MN threads advised against buying an Ergo on eBay as there are lots of counterfeits on there. I wouldn't buy it I'm afraid.

Llama is right. You can't get half price genuine goods. Not unless it's a private seller and they gave a reason for selling, then you might pick up a bargain.

Some fakes are amazingly good. My friend just bought some Mac make up thst she was convinced was real. She went over the packaging with a fine tooth comb. Then it was in the papers and on the news that there had been a big problem with fake Mac products flooding into Australia and that it contained lead. She took hers into Mac and it was a fake.

I definitely don't want a fake baby carrier, but my friend is convinced hers is genuine fromt he same seller. She paid quite a bit more though. I suppose even if it is genuine, then it's probably not from a legal source. I suppose I had just hoped it was end of line or something.

I don't usually buy very much at all on ebay for this sort of reason.

I'll just get one from a recommended supplier.

And if they are a private seller then you can report them as they should be registered as a business too.