eBay tightens the noose a little further

[mynikonf2]

+1

...one of the reasons being the greater ethical standards of RFF buyers and sellers!

I wish Google would step into the online auction business, and give the world an alternative to fleaBay.

Robt.

Amen to that!

 

[Bill58]

Experience and common sense has taught me that most fraud comes from the seller's side in sales. If the seller has the buyer's $ first, there's an opportunity on the part of the seller to pull all kinds of shenanigans--and they do. If I were eBay, I'd do exactly the same thing.

 

[sevo]

I don't know if that applies to the UK or elsewhere. Ebay currently allows a seller to end an auction early and cancel all bids, so it would appear that ebay's rules are less stringent that the laws in Germany.

ebay Germany terms state that sellers can retract, but only up to 12 hours before the auction ends, and may not do so if the reached price is too low (as that is effectively the same as a hidden reserve - which are forbidden in Germany). Ending an auction in the last 12 hours automatically lets the then high bidder win it...

But these terms are the way ebay would like things to be - reality and the law may be different. There already have been court cases where sellers were forced to sell when pulling auctions in the motors section, and ebay does not allow it there any more. Given that, you'll probably have to deliver elsewhere in their sections as well, no matter what ebay says or does. After all, ebay terms are not the law and cannot free the seller from a legal responsibility.