Buying a machine on eBay sight unseen with pallet delivery

[pgrbff]

This is utter nonsense. I don’t know why people on here are saying this stuff. It’s 100% normal to pull out of a sale. Refund the sellers fees if that makes things easier, but there is 0 obligation - it’s eBay, not a court of law. And if an item costs £1000 then even more so. Seller must understand they can’t sell something for £1k without people wanting to see it before paying and without the possibility that delivery/palleting etc falls apart.
Sellers routinely pull out of an auction cos they got a great offer. Buyers routinely make offers. Sales fall apart after the auction. Ignore anyone who says otherwise - they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s even an option on the eBay drop-down list of ‘problems with the sale’. If eBay offers it as an option it’s most certainly not against their ‘terms of service’ or the ‘rules’ or any other legal-sounding phrase that people are using to scare you.
Personally I’d only buy something that expensive if I could go and look at it. But if you’ve won the auction the balls in your court. You can pull out at anytime if you’re not happy. It’s the sellers job to ensure this all goes through by helping and communicating. If they don’t they’ll lose the sale. Simples.

It's quite possible the terms and conditions have changed but eBay policy was that once you have bid you have entered into a contract and that to me is perfectly reasonable. If your not sure about what you are buying don't bid. Ask before you bid, if you receive no reply then it's your choice.
Ebay has changed, people, both buyers and sellers get away with murder.
I have a LN low angle jack I'd like to sell, but I no longer trust the EBay environment to risk losing tht sort of money.
As I said, if your not sure about the item dont't bid, but mave the courtesy not to mess the seller around. Too many people think they can have their cake and eat it these days.

 

[Fergie 307]

I appreciate what you are saying but eBay is different in that they actively discourage any contact between seller and potential buyers. I understand that they will ban people that their scanning process suspects of trying to make contact before the auction is finished, they basically are more concerned about their fees than allowing proper inspection of goods prior to sale. I cannot think of any other selling method for second hand goods where a sale price has to be agreed without the opportunity to physically inspect the goods or talk to the seller on the telephone. In these circumstances it is likely that buyers will want re-assurance that all is well and sellers should expect that to be the case. If the seller and buyer are both genuine the sale should proceed but with caution on both sides.

The OP wanted reassurance that “good condition” was indeed exactly that and became concerned that there was no reply. Sellers of machinery could post a video of it working. I have done this for a dumper, forklift and a vice. Most sellers do not do this. The video of the fork lift demonstrated its slope climbing and lifting abilities but also plenty of black smoke.

I agree. When I first used e bay you could send phone numbers and e mail addresses through messaging, so you could discuss an item before bidding. They put a stop to that, presumably because too many people were striking deals off the platform and so avoiding paying the fees. They have now 're introduced the ability to contact people in some circumstances, not sure exactly what the rules are currently. I assume this is because they realised that it was actually quite easy to get around, and hopefully also because it was a daft idea in the first place. For a high value item it is always sensible to try and view it first, or If that's not practical then at least go for cash on collection. If the seller is reluctant on either count you need to ask yourself why. I have also done video calls with people before now to see the item. Personally I would never buy a high value item blind, unless the seller has top regular and recent feedback for selling that type of item, even then it's always advisable to pay by credit card for the extra protection it gives you. But the bottom line is that if you are not happy to go through with the transaction, then don't bid.

 

[RobinBHM]

I appreciate what you are saying but eBay is different in that they actively discourage any contact between seller and potential buyers. I understand that they will ban people that their scanning process suspects of trying to make contact before the auction is finished, they basically are more concerned about their fees than allowing proper inspection of goods prior to sale. I cannot think of any other selling method for second hand goods where a sale price has to be agreed without the opportunity to physically inspect the goods or talk to the seller on the telephone. In these circumstances it is likely that buyers will want re-assurance that all is well and sellers should expect that to be the case. If the seller and buyer are both genuine the sale should proceed but with caution on both sides.

The OP wanted reassurance that “good condition” was indeed exactly that and became concerned that there was no reply. Sellers of machinery could post a video of it working. I have done this for a dumper, forklift and a vice. Most sellers do not do this. The video of the fork lift demonstrated its slope climbing and lifting abilities but also plenty of black smoke.

In my experience, if you ask questions during an auction, you get very limited answers.

I bid on the item because it stated “good working order”. Once the auction finished I asked confirmation if this was really the case.

 

[RobinBHM]

I agree. When I first used e bay you could send phone numbers and e mail addresses through messaging, so you could discuss an item before bidding

In the past I used to do this. When buying woodworking machines it’s perfectly normal to have a chat on the phone

 

[Jonm]

The reason e bay are not keen is because they are concerned about people negotiating their own deals and thereby avoiding the e bay fees. I don't do that, because I simply feel it is bad practice. If you are going to buy or sell stuff using their platform then you should pay the fees. With the pocket watches I collect, as with many other things, you often have a situation where the seller has got something found in a deceased relatives drawer or garage and know very little about it. A conversation with the seller can often be very useful in determining exactly what they have got, and so how much you want to bid for it.

All very sensible and I have done the same. However my understanding of the rules are

• Sharing contact information with shoppers. You're only allowed to to communicate with shoppers using the eBay message system, and you're not allowed to offer them other ways to communicate with you. If you share other contact information—phone numbers, sales floor addresses, email addresses, or non-eBay websites—anywhere on eBay at all—it will be detected and your selling will be restricted.

In the context of “what you have signed up for by putting in a bid” and “following the rules” eBays policy forces you to do this after you have won the auction. Not very satisfactory for buyer or seller.

 

[guineafowl21]

Was that because they wanted more information or because they wanted confirmation that the item was in your possession by asking for a specific picture.

More information, ie pictures of condition.

When you click ‘bid’, a confirmation box pops up, reminding you that you are committing to buy. Any perfectly valid qualms you may have about item condition, or scams, should have been cleared up beforehand.

 

[Jonm]

In my experience, if you ask questions during an auction, you get very limited answers.

I bid on the item because it stated “good working order”. Once the auction finished I asked confirmation if this was really the case.

You have placed a bid in good faith on the basis that the description “good working order” is correct. It is very reasonable to try and verify this is the case before parting with your money.

 

[Jonm]

When you click ‘bid’, a confirmation box pops up, reminding you that you are committing to buy.

Yes, committing to buy on the basis that the information provided is correct.

Any perfectly valid qualms you may have about item condition, or scams, should have been cleared up beforehand

How? when eBay rules do not allow basic checks like talking to the seller on the telephone, checking a landline number is in the correct area, or physically inspecting the item before bidding. Are you suggesting that this rule should be broken?

In the case of the original post the buyers suspicions were raised after the auction was completed. Are you saying that he should proceed anyway because “When you bid you are committing to buy”.

For an item like this I would want it physically inspected prior to parting with my money.

 

[guineafowl21]

Yes, committing to buy on the basis that the information provided is correct.


How? when eBay rules do not allow basic checks like talking to the seller on the telephone, checking a landline number is in the correct area, or physically inspecting the item before bidding. Are you suggesting that this rule should be broken?

In the case of the original post the buyers suspicions were raised after the auction was completed. Are you saying that he should proceed anyway because “When you bid you are committing to buy”.

For an item like this I would want it physically inspected prior to parting with my money.

I don’t think we’re going to agree on this one, Jon

The ebay rules require no contact outside the messaging system. I would say if you don’t like that (and it sounds like you don’t), then don’t use the platform. I agree this can introduce risk with large purchases (in item size and cost), but I’m happy to take the risk, depending on price, or walk away.

Assuming you stay within the rules, what sort of question would you ask after you’ve won the auction, that you couldn’t have asked before?

If you want to inspect the item during the auction, ask the seller. Some sellers are happy to take cash on collection that will allow this post-purchase, others aren’t. If they refuse a viewing, again, walk away.

 

[Jonm]

If you want to inspect the item during the auction, ask the seller. Some sellers are happy to take cash on collection that will allow this post-purchase, others aren’t. If they refuse a viewing, again, walk away.

I do that. For collection items I am selling, I say that cash on collection is preferred and say they can then inspect before paying. In the past I have inspected before bidding. So I do not think we are that far apart. To date I have always bought the item after inspection and never had a buyer refuse an item I am selling following inspection.

Assuming you stay within the rules, what sort of question would you ask after you’ve won the auction, that you couldn’t have asked before?

You can get a lot more/different information from a telephone conversation than emails. Can also arrange to inspect before bidding.

The original post just asked for reassurance from the seller about condition and I can see nothing wrong with that.

My wife bought me a wallet (excellent but used condition) on eBay that I did not need/want. She decided to resell it on eBay. Successful bidder then asked for additional information and Photos, turned out it was a fake, or so he said. According to many on here the buyer was in the wrong, should have asked the questions before bidding and by bidding was committed to buying. I was pleased he had asked the questions as it avoided a lot of hassel.

 

[Jameshow]

You have placed a bid in good faith on the basis that the description “good working order” is correct. It is very reasonable to try and verify this is the case before parting with your money.

I would think that means fair wear and tear....

So worn gears, bearings, blades etc would be fine.

However broken castings or a motor that won't start or stops would imho not be working order.

 

[Chrispy]

Just as a point of fact, when you open a business account on eBay you HAVE to list your name and address, think phone number is optional but can be there for all to see.

 

[Fergie 307]

Just as a point of fact, when you open a business account on eBay you HAVE to list your name and address, think phone number is optional but can be there for all to see.

I'm sure you also used to be able to put your phone number on your profile as a private account holder as well. I don't know if you can still choose to do this. Many people of course simply include a number in the listing, and as far as I know that is still ok, which again makes a bit of a nonsense of not being able to do it through messaging.

 

[Jonm]

I'm sure you also used to be able to put your phone number on your profile as a private account holder as well. I don't know if you can still choose to do this. Many people of course simply include a number in the listing, and as far as I know that is still ok, which again makes a bit of a nonsense of not being able to do it through messaging.

I cannot recall seeing telephone numbers in listings recently. I have seen them in photographs which makes me think they get deleted from listings.

 

[Sideways]

The last thing anyone will ever see is my phone number on the internet. That's just asking for aggravation- unless you're a business or you keep a disposible number for that purpose. A clear conversation and photos on the record is far preferable in my eyes.

 

[Fergie 307]

That's a fair point, and I certainly wouldn't put a landline number. I have a personal phone, the number only used between friends and family, and one for everything else. I have to say that other that the occasional, "you had an accident blah blah" type calls, which I dare say we have all had, I haven't had any issues.