I can't really pay this woman £2 for extremely nice items

[LaurieFairyCake]

I've won 5 items for £1.05 and have an appointment to pick them up this evening.

I'm too embarrassed

I don't mind bunging her £20 but I feel weird even about that. Once I've painted them and removed the rust I can probably flog them on for£15 each (I only wanted one but the listing was for 5 different ones)

What shall I do?

Does the seller have the option to withdraw if unhappy with price? Surely the seller would have put a reserve on them is they were bothered?

Do the decent thing and bung her the £20.
I'm sure she'll be amazed.

I would just pay the £1.05 if she wanted more, she could have started a higher bidding price - that's the risk you pay.

How to pull out a item that has been sold for a low price?

If they are rusty and in need of painting, how can they be "extremely nice items"?

You won't be making a £100 profit, you will need to pay for expenses such as paint and sanding sheets, and most importantly, you will need to account for your time.

They are 5 victorian cast iron fireplaces.

I once won a nice wahm baby item for 99p. Turned out the seller was relatively local so we took our nb instead of paying postage.

The family were absolutely lovely, insisted on giving us the 1p change, and made us a cup of tea while their older dc fussed over our ds! They were selling because they wanted the item gone (not bulky but no use to them) and I very much doubt that they made much money by the time we'd had a natter for an hour and had and together.

Items covered in rust sound like they are trash to the seller, but probably not much interest on free cycle because of the time wasters. Don't be embarrassed, maybe the space is worth more to them?

We've picked up 2 different cast iron fireplaces for 99p before now. Obviously lots of people just don't want them! Either pay the £1.05 and be happy for your good fortune, or offer to pay more and be happy for your good deed for the day!

My parents have sold quite a few items for 1 on ebay (having found no takers on freecycle etc). Again bulky items that they just want gone. They have taken the decision that they would rather have them gone quickly and make no money rather than take the time to find a buyer for real money.

If you are willing to put the time and effort in to clean them up and sell them on, and they are not, then it's perfectly fair they get 1 and you make the 100 and you don't need to feel guilty about that.

As she put 5 together I think she just wanted to get rid of them for minimal effort. So celebrate your good fortune.

I use eBay like freecycle sometimes, £1 BIN to cover fees and get rid of things quickly. I've sold an exercise bike and my dining table and chairs that way. Sometimes it is easier than messing around.

That said I did once win an Amstrad CPC464 Computer (the stuff of my childhood!) for £2.40. It had over 70 games with it as well. I went to collect and felt so guilty I gave him a fiver and told him to keep the change.
Given me hours of fun as well

Thankfully they were very dirty and had lots of broken bits so I didn't feel awful.

I bunged him £20 and a lovely bottle of my home made sloe gin

They are going to need so much cleaning up, they are inches thick in rust and black stuff.

Laurie, you are very lovely.

Lots of things I put on ebay go for 99p. I do it to get rid of them and hope they'll be used rather than go into landfill. I think you were very generous.

Better you get them for 99p than they are sold for scrap to be melted down.

I won a beautiful furniture item for £1.05 once. The seller was lovely, said 'I hope you're not going to actually give me the 1.05', so I gave her little boy a few pounds all in coins - his eyes lit up because he thought he had a fortune :)

If she wanted more she would have charged more. It is a bit of a buyer's market on eBay at the mo though. If you list a low start price you need to be prepared for items to go for a low finish price.

Having said that, I listed an item for 99p not realising it was a valuable item and it went for almost £400!!! Had been hanging around in the garage for 20 years. I nearly gave it away on Freecycle...

Wow what was that littlemrs ?

Id love to think Ive got one in the garage too !