EBay?s legal status is very unclear ? they specifically state that they?re not an auction (you need a man with a hammer for that) but they do say that you?re entering into a legally binding contract when you agree to buy something.
However not everyone agrees that and I don?t believe it?s ever been tested in court.
Of course if the item isn?t correctly described (probably an impossibility with a car) then gives buyers a get-out.
At the end of the day if the guy isn?t happy and wants to pay less, or even walk away, there?s not an awful lot that you can do (apart from giving him negative feedback!).
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3 feedbacks all 100% and full of praise, but not on cars as far as I can see.
Looks like its fingers crossed unless anyone can lend me a Doberman with an attitude problem for an hour on Saturday
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This is how I ended the description - he didn't ask any questions of me prior to bidding
"I will accept cash for it or personal cheque but absolutely on condition that the funds clear into my account before the car becomes yours.
I will happily answer questions about the vehicle via email but please remember a bid is to buy the car."
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The majority of buyers will go on the description of the vehicle (myself included) as long as it has been open & honest. If the buyer finds a fault not in the description, he can walk away or with agreement knock some cash off. If the car is as described, he can't haggle with you as the price he bid is the price he must pay & you can leave poor feedback if this is the way it goes & you can refuse to sell, then chase him for relisting fees through ebay.
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A feedback of three isn't much to go on. He could stiff you, walk away from that Ebay username, and start again at zero. Someone with feedback >50 say, is less likely to do so, as it can take a while to build that up.
I'd be firm from the outset, and be prepared to take no prisoners.
What is the sale price?
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Thinking about it, he's coming up on the train from Oxford to North Manchester so he's got a lot to lose if he tries it on and I call his bluff and refuse to sell.
I'll report back.
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Thinking about it, he's coming up on the train from Oxford to North Manchester so he's got a lot to lose if he tries it on and I call his bluff and refuse to sell.
See if you can work the conversation around to finding out if he's bought a return ticket!
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No guarantee of his plans, I'm afraid.
Depending upon how and when it was purchased the return ticket could well cost less than a single fare. Single fare tickets are very expensive, often it's quite a bit cheaper just to buy a return and forget about the return bit.
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The price of the ticket isn't all he's investing. He's also risking the best part of a day's travelling if he doesn't buy it.
The lack of feedback may be a good thing. I've found that many Ebayers who have just started out are very keen to please, almost over keen.
I wouldn't worry. Every Ebayer I've dealt with has been fine.
V
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I've travelled to collect three cars bought on Ebay. First one blew out clouds of smoke on start up, so I got back on the train! hadn't paid the extra 20p for a return, so was stung for another £22.00.
Since then I've always invested in a return ticket ....
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The lack of feedback may be a good thing. I've found that many Ebayers who have just started out are very keen to please, almost over keen.
Really? I've found that most new eBayers with few feedback ratings have reinvented themselves under a different ID because of negative feedback they have received on previous IDs.....
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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Couple of things to bear in mind with eBay.
1. 100% positive Feedback isn't necessarily an indicator. There are people who will sell you a user account with a couple of hundred positive feedback scores for very little money. These are often bought & used by con-men, though usually ones who are sellers who sell a number of high value goods within a very short space of time and collect the payments but never deliver the goods. Usual give-away is the feedback will follow a pattern (usually a high number of very low value nick-naks) used by the person who grooms the account, which doesn't fit in with the high value goods the seller is selling.
2. Payment is usually requested in Cash or Cheque or Bank Transfer. Paypal is usually not accepted because of the claw-back clauses and traceability.
3. Postage will fail to mention insurance. The usual scam is tha the seller will claim he has posted the goods, and because he hasn't committed to providing insurance it's tough luck. (eBay do have a rule that any item over £x value (I think it's about £30) must be sent insured by the seller, but this (like most eBay "rules" is totally unenforcable and has no legal foundation whatsoever)
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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Aren't people negative in here!
I've bought and sold about 40 or 50 items on Ebay (including a car) and every single one of them has gone well. I've sold to people making their first purchase and I've resolved a couple of minor issues in a completely and utterly amicable manner.
Yes, there are scammers, but there are scammers on Autotrader, in Exchange and Mart and on the High Street. Stop worrying.
V
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Totally agree wit Vin I have bought and sold many times on ebay and never had a problem and probably better service than from some mainstream traders.
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"I've found that most new eBayers with few feedback ratings have reinvented themselves under a different ID because of negative feedback they have received on previous IDs....."
How have you found that out? Or have you just heard that that can happen?
V
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If you want to waste a few minutes and have a slightly deranged sense of humour check out the feedback on and given by an ebay member who goes by the name of Mr_bo11ox. I find it laugh out loud funny.
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He is going to quible a bit to get some money off. Just like you and I would if we were looking at a car in Auto Trader or E&M
I thought that was part of selling and buying cars?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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He is going to quible a bit to get some money off. Just like you and I would if we were looking at a car in Auto Trader or E&M I thought that was part of selling and buying cars?
Not on ebay its not. IMO the price you bid is the price you pay. As long as the car was carefully and honestly described, then the buyer has no justification to complain/ quibble.
If I sold a car and someone came round and started unreasonable tyrekicking, I'd tell them they had made a wasted journey.
I sold my old Golf on ebay. I'd mentioned the clutch was past its best, so all they asked about the car was whether I thought the clutch would be okay for a trip from London to Bristol and back a week later. To which I replied, "yes, probably...". They just got in and drove off, didnt even want a cup of tea..
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The question is selling and buying on Ebay different. If you have bid an amount based on the info given and you haven't taken the opportunity to satisfy yourself that the car is anything other than described, is that bid binding?
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Well Ebay say its legally binding dont they, but I dont know how many people have successfully enforced bids, where people dont want to pay? The legal side of things seems to be a bit of a grey area and it seems eBay are happy to take their %age and try not to get involved. I'm not speaking from experience, I've never had to go that far myself (they have been on watchdog a few times, regarding various scams). You see quite a few auctions for cars that say "re-listed due to timewaster".
The honest description is the key. I bought some alloys which had been described as "excellent condition". When I got there, one of them had a 3 inch slight kerbing on the rim, and another was badly kerbed. I complained that that wasn't my idea of excellent condition, so he immediately knocked £70 off the price (which I was happy with). It seems he had assumed they would not fetch much money, so had not been careful with the description.
If I had gone to look at them first, then I would not have bid as much money. I always bear in mind the phrase, "let the buyer beware". (Cant remember the latin!?)
I'm on nearly 300 +ve feedback (inc. 2 cars), and I've only had a few minor problems, and only once had to leave negative feedback.
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eBay like you to *think* bids are legally binding, but they are not. They are totally unenforcable in the eyes of the law, as they are not contractually binding.
You or I could go on eBay now and bid on every item currently listed, and other then banning us from using eBay, there's not a jot anyone can do.
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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I often look at Alfa 166's on E bay the number that say they have Navigation when in fact they havn't amazes me.And the cars that keep on appearing although they appear to have sold.Its like everthing else do your homework and take your time.
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My experience on over 100 ebay transactions has been very good. Only 1 dud.. cost £1.25.. buyer did not pay. Hardly a disaster.
Not bought or sold cars there.
Like eveerything else in life take precautions and if buying check everything. If goods are not as described, you can walk away.
madf
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He's probably more worried about coming to North Manchester than you are about him...I once wanted a golf gti but didn't fancy a trip to "Bradford".......no offence .
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My brother-in-law went to buy a car advertized on E-bay;photos looked good,description sounded fine.When he got there he saw considerable damage at the back of which no mention had been made!The seller said"you agreed the price"-my BiL said £500 less or I walk away.
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Kingfisher, if you ever have a few quid left over from paying your exorbitant mortgage for a tiny rabbit hutch somewhere dahn saaf, spend it on a road atlas and check out the relative locations of Manchester and Bradford.
As for the sale, I take it all back, Ebay rocks....met the buyer at the train station, we sat in the car, I showed him service record, explained the receipts, gave him MOT ticket, I counted the cash did the V5 thing and we parted on a handshake. No tyre kicking, no sucking of teeth no garbage that you usually get. Most significantly no wasted weekends waiting in for no-shows from press ads.
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That's pretty much what my experience has been too. An the cost of the sale itself is pretty low...
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check out the relative locations of Manchester and Bradford.
Bradford is in Manchester. See www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/bradford.html .
Gets coat
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Just hope the cash is real!
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Nsar,
Glad to hear it went smoothly! Thats what I like about it, better than autotrader where you get some clown turning up offering you peanuts when you put o.v.n.o. in the advert..
Cheers,
Rich.
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I just bought a bit of a car off ebay,front xmember for an MGB.Had to go to t'other side of Brum for it(from Leeds) but worth it for the price.New,over £10000,S/H c.£250,ebay 99p.Being a generous sort I gave him a quid and said'keep the change'.
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Would be an expensive pussy cat....10k new, its my touch typing allied to a laptop keyboard ! Well if it was a 10k pussy it would be a pretty exclusive one and therefore entitled to sit in the outside lane !
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Check out Manchester and Bradford ?
Not likely ,it's always raining !!!
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Check out Manchester and Bradford ? Not likely ,it's always raining !!!
Not at all! There were at least six days this winter when it stopped raining in Bradford, and we just had grey could instead :(
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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grey could what ?.
I weorked in Manchester for a while, a very homely city compared to many UK cities, not hard to drive in in those days (Life on Mars springs to mind), they were always working on the seweras there.....
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not hard to drive in in those days
surprise, surprise - things have changed !
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Fact: Manchester is Britain's ninth rainiest city.
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