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If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

Original poster

bidder trying it on

33 replies

alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 14:31

Am selling a collectable (valuable old toy) for my father, which is going for a good sum right now and two days to go.
I always do auction listing and not 'buy it now'; I state this clearly in my listing that I don't accept buy it nows - this is my father's wish and in the past I lost money by accepting people's offers anyway (recently lost £300 but that's another story, sob!)
Had some correspondance with the highest bidder, general chit chat answering his q's and I told him I wasn't allowed to play with toy as a child as even then we knew it was a collectable and hence it's been safely stored all these years... (it was actually given to my brother, but he lives abroad and told my dad we could now sell it)
He messaged me back saying oh that's so sad (no it's not! I never wanted to play with it) and to make up for it he's put on another £30 on the bid but please as he's done that, could he make me an offer for a reasonable price.
He's trying it on , right!? I'm pleased he's bid so much but that doesn't mean I should let him have it as a BIN.. the biddings are going way higher than we thought..
I should stick to my guns, right?! Just hope he's not going to get stroppy when I say no sorry but no can do, and start messing me around re postage or feedback etc (if he wins)... grrr

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 14:34

I probably sound really ungrateful don't I, as he's bid a generous amount. But in auction all is fair game and a chance... I've answered my own q I guess! But i hate the gentle manipulation lol ie i've bid extra so can you give me your best price and end the listing.

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nauticant · 16/01/2014 14:38

Stick to your guns.

But also, my experience is that (prospective) buyers who are keen to break ebay's rules are more likely to do something dishonest.

If this buyer wins, make sure the toy gets sent by "signed-for" delivery. In any case, if an item sells for more than, say, £20, "signed-for" delivery is often a good idea.

nauticant · 16/01/2014 14:41

Oh, and make sure that your auction has lots of photos of the toy, and make sure you keep the originals on your camera or on your computer. It's not that unusual for buyers to dispute the condition of old desirable second hand items.

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 14:50

It has twelve photos, very clear, close ups, I have a very good camera

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 14:50

it's getting special delivery.. i put that in listing from the start.. i wasnt taking chances.. i thought it would go for about £80- £100 but it's more now

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Chivetalking · 16/01/2014 14:51

Definitely stick to your guns.

I had someone trying to get me to split some football cards I was selling to buy just one. I just replied I didn't know what they were worth so couldn't set a price and was therefore letting the auction run. He was fine about it and ended up being the winning bidder.

And yes, as it's going for a good price already send it tracked delivery and keep photos whoever wins.

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 14:56

My father is having a clear out of collectables and we learnt from bitter experience not to take any more offers. He had a collection of vintage tax discs and I listed them individually. It was something we knew nothing about having never sold them before. Started one at an auction price of £50.. (as this seemed reasonable having looked at Completed Listings)
I got a message from a man saying could I do a Buy it now for £100. Of course I (along with my dad) agreed.. double the money! Never had that with any item ever! I changed it to BIN, he paid £100 right away.
I was all :-) :-)
Except........ within seconds of him paying... a message comes from another collector saying he will give me £400 for it right now and any way that I want the money.
Of course I had to honour the £100 buyer.
The £400 guy had a go at me saying that I wasnt taking collectors seriously and it was an insult to serious collectors like him Hmm how did i know anyone would pay that amount for an old piece of slightly stained paper
Could've cried.. my dad had donated them to me..to help me start a new life (i've left DV and am staying with parents but am registered as homeless). Learnt a lesson there!

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LilyBlossom14 · 16/01/2014 18:11

you don't have to accept a buy it now offer - but it isn't against the rules to end to the highest bidder or add a buy it now price if you want.

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 16/01/2014 18:53

I know, I've often done it but after losing the £300 I can't risk it! May get higher for a BIN price but usually the auction is a higher final price

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LilyBlossom14 · 16/01/2014 19:33

not always - as long as you do your research and know what an item is worth.

GhostsInSnow · 16/01/2014 19:35

I was inundated with offers of a BIN for a toy I sold a few years ago, none exceeded £250. It sold for just over £700.

In my experience (I used to sell a lot of toys), toy collectors tend to be the best at asking for low BIN's and with that in mind and my experience with the toy I never accept them.

nickstmoritz · 16/01/2014 22:30

I wish I had an attic full of those kind of toys!!! :)

zipzap · 16/01/2014 22:55

Have you managed to look on ebay or elsewhere to see what similar items have gone for?

If you have and say the going price was £400 from your previous example (and who's to know that it wouldn't have gone higher if you'd left it - sorry to be the bearer of bad news - especially if there were two collectors after it) then just say nicely to the bidder that if he is confident that his offer of a BIN price is so good then he'll have no problems winning it at the auction, he can just stick a bid in and find out.

And then you could put a BIN price on of a ridiculous amount - £2000 say (but an amount that you think is more than you will get from an auction so you don't lose out too much if someone goes for it, but you will be happy if they do. And then they can't complain that there is no BIN price.

But don't feel that you have to provide a BIN price just because someone has asked nicely - as you have already learnt, it can be an expensive mistake. You wouldn't expect to go into the shop, see a sofa, smile at the person in the shop and offer a quarter of the price on the ticket to buy it - and for the sales assistant to say 'OK as you asked so nicely you can have it for peanuts and I'll make a loss on it!' No different here.

Good luck and hope that you get lots and lots of fantastic last minute bids on your toy!

TeacupDrama · 16/01/2014 23:08

it does not always work we recently had item at auction starting at £45 someone offered us BIN for £50 as they said they needed it immediately (van part) which we turned down it, however it sold for £46 at end of auction not to the original offer so sometimes you loss by turning down BIN ok in our case not by much

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 00:17

yes zipzap between approx £80 - 100 when i looked into completed listings.. it's currently up to £130 and finishes tonight (ie friday)

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 00:17

(and thanks!)

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 00:19

but after having lost that £300 on the tax disc (and i did research it but it was rare and all i could find was one on ebay) i will never accept offers again!
If i put it clearly and bold in the listing that I don't do offers/ BIN's why do they ask?? Doesn't anyone read?

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 00:20

wow Honey £700??!!

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SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 17/01/2014 00:25

I recently sold some of FIL's old collectable toy cars for MIL. In my experience, people asking for a BIN tend to know the true value & are hoping you don't!

More than once, the item ended up going to the same Buyer who had offered me a small fraction of the price days earlier. Obviously, they would not have bid more than they thought it was worth, so must have been trying it on.

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 11:47

oh i've had that a few times, Santas ! That they end up buying it anyway. I'd never have the cheek to ask for a BIN price if listing clearly stated they didn't do BIN..

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GhostsInSnow · 17/01/2014 14:47

alltoomuch it was a boxed toy from the 70's I'd paid £12 for in a charity shop, I thought I might make a few quid on it. Turned out it was stupidly rare and only made in the UK so the US collectors went mad for it, especially as it was the only known boxed example.
In the end it went to a toy museum in New York who then made copies of the box and sold them to collectors as well. Believe me I cried when that auction ended because I simply couldn't believe it.

I've spent many years looking for another example but never found one. I'll probably spend the rest of my life looking for one lol

Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 17:16

My item re this listing...now up to over £190.. amazing.. luckily the trying it on bidder seems to have dropped out...

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 17:17

Well done, Honey ! Lovely it would end up in museum for all to see. Did you treat yourself with the money or save it? hope you at least got something nice!

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Original poster
alltoomuchrightnow · 17/01/2014 17:18

for that price you could go to NY for a hol and visit it ha

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GhostsInSnow · 17/01/2014 20:55

We actually remodelled our kitchen which had been in a sorry state since we bought the house but we couldn't afford to do much with it Grin

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