On Tue, 24 Apr 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I just don't get it, guys. Why does everyone respect the sensible EBay
> selling paradigm--set a minimum or don't complain or reneg if you fail to
> get it--but feel that this approach is inappropriate for a non-EBay
> classified ad?
Maybe because eBay is a formal, structured environment with rules,
regulations, and the power to enforce them. Has anyone tried doing this
with a classified ad? Who's to say if the seller is even telling the
truth? The buyer asks if his/her offer of $100 was the high bid and the
seller says no. How is the buyer going to verify if this is true or
not? It's completely unenforceable.
> Yes, Chris, the absense of a time frame clears them of legal
> responsibility. Again, that's my point! The ad isn't binding. The only way
> to make is to say, "Look, either name a deadline, name a minimum, or name a
> "first $XX gets it" figure, but say SOMETHING to delimit what you mean."
So if we're agreed that "OBO" isn't binding in a legal sense, are you
saying that it should be binding in a moral or ethical sense? Or are you
arguing that "OBO" should not be binding in any way, but that it's
potentially misleading and vague, and that sellers should try and be more
clear?
> I'd almost accept, "Or best offer above a certain number that's in my
> head."
:)
> Many bulletin boards--I'm speaking of the cork kind found on college
> campuses or supermarkets--have a policy: A notice can remain posted for
> just N weeks. If you try to be clever and "accidentally" leave off the date
> you posted it, your notice will be removed.
Very true, but there's nothing to stop a seller from posting a new notice
every N weeks if want to. As a buyer, you have the right to withdraw your
bid if you feel that the seller is acting unethically. And *you* will
have to decide what you consider unethical. If I suspected that my bid of
$50 was the best current offer for an item the seller wanted $500 for, I
wouldn't consider it unethical of them to post the notice again until they
got a fairer offer. If my offer was in, say, the $400-$450 range, I might
feel differently. If I wanted the item that bad, I would offer more. If
I didn't, I would hold out and see if my $400-$450 bid would remain the
high one. Perhaps after a few weeks of lower offers the seller will
reconsider their appraisal of the item's value. However, there's also a
chance that someone will offer more, and I'll lose the item. If I got the
impression that the seller was negotiating in bad faith, I'd talk to them
about it, and if I wasn't satisfied with their explanation (every
situation will be different, and it's nice to know the seller's
perspective) then I would withdraw my bid. Trust has to be there.
chris
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