non-binding ebay auctions

[chemteach Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chemteach]

Maybe I've just been away from ebay for awhile... I hadn't ever noticed this feature of ebay before. When I make a bid on an ebay timeshare auction, the statement

"By participating, you are not entering into a contract to purchase this property. You are, however, expressing serious interest in the property and in pursuing contract discussions."

comes up. Is that new? If someone is a non-paying bidder, there really shouldn't be an issue with that because of this statement. Was there a thread about this that I just missed completely??

(Hmmm - maybe it's just that in the past I always used sniping software, so never saw this statement???)

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

I think the disclaimer has always been there for Real Estate transactions because the RE laws differ so widely state to state. But that still does not prevent one getting negative reviews if they do not follow through on their winning bid.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

John so what would happen if the person sold a $10,000 TS and the bidder backed out. Does he still have to pay Ebay there fees? Or does he file a non paying bidder notice to get his fee back and then in turn the bidder gets a strike in his account.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

BF...I don't really know. What you said sounds about right but I do not have that much experience on Ebay. I just remember seeing that disclaimer for a long time.

John so what would happen if the person sold a $10,000 TS and the bidder backed out. Does he still have to pay Ebay there fees? Or does he file a non paying bidder notice to get his fee back and then in turn the bidder gets a strike in his account.

[zdxlc9p6 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zdxlc9p6]

One of the options under the unpaid dispute is a mutual agreement option. In that case, the bidder doesn't get a strike, and the seller is refunded the final value fee. However, the original listing charges remain, and the seller must use the relist option, and pay listing fees again. If the item sells the second time, the relist fees are refunded, and then the most recent final value fee is charged. I've had this happen to me twice as a seller, and it's a real pain in the A__! You loose all the bidders & watchers, have to spend time on the dispute and relist, loose the "timing" of when you want the auction to end, and once it didn't sell the second time so I lost both listing fees.

I see some of the listings the seller states he considers it a binding auction and will put a strike on the bidder regardless of the eBay disclaimer.

Bottom line, if you don't plan to finalize the deal, don't bid.

[chemteach Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chemteach]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't remember ever seeing this, hit a "Buy it Now" button, saw the notice, and thought it would not be a binding auction. The seller has not threatened to leave negative feedback. What does it cost to list a timeshare ad on ebay? The final price was only $350.

[somerville Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close somerville]

Maybe I've just been away from ebay for awhile... I hadn't ever noticed this feature of ebay before. When I make a bid on an ebay timeshare auction, the statement

"By participating, you are not entering into a contract to purchase this property. You are, however, expressing serious interest in the property and in pursuing contract discussions."

comes up. Is that new? If someone is a non-paying bidder, there really shouldn't be an issue with that because of this statement. Was there a thread about this that I just missed completely??

(Hmmm - maybe it's just that in the past I always used sniping software, so never saw this statement???)

Most states have a statute of frauds that requires contracts to sell real estate to be in writing and signed by the parties. An eBay auction wouldn't satisfy this requirement.