Bidding today on an item with AS, max. bid 437.50 (actually pounds sterling). Winning bid was £447.50. OK, fair enough, I can accept defeat.
I then received an immediate emailed 'Second chance offer' from eBay inviting me to buy the item (now changed to a Buy Now item) for £437-50, my original max. bid.
I happened to notice that the 'winning' original bidder had 0 feedback, so I guess the original auction was cancelled due to some misunderstanding between seller and buyer, or maybe he/she just disappeared or something.
What I don't understand about this is that it seems likely that the price was escalated past my original offer by a bidder who dropped out. So I might have got this item for much less if the phantom bidder hadn't been around. I therefore don't feel that £437-50 is a fair offer to me. In fact, it's laughable.
Also, being highly suspicious with eBay shennanigans, what's to stop any unscrupulous buyer being in partnership with a fake auction winner (could be a one-day wonder with a brand new email address), who effectively 'tests' the market, finds out the max. price by bidding as high as they like, drops out, and then the unsuspecting fall guy (me) has to pay my max. price (which has now been exposed to all and sundry), vaguely thinking how nice of eBay to give me a second chance.
In fact, I think the whole thing stinks. The wording of the email from eBay included the phrase: "....Second Chance Offer because the high bidder was either unable to complete the transaction or the seller has a duplicate item for sale.....'
So, let's say the seller has a duplicate item for sale. If it went into auction in the normal way, why is there any reason it should reach the price that its 'twin' made in this sale? Seems like seller and eBay come out tops, and the buyer is being taken for a ride.
If anyone can understand all that, would appreciate comments.
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