Sigh - sold a vehicle on eBay. Buyer disappeared.

[Peter Gariepy]

I recently sold a vehicle on eBay.

The winning bidder sniped at the last second.

After the bidding was over, the buyer requested a few more photos and a video of the engine running, which I found odd, but I provided.
The poof.... Gone.  No responses through eBay, email or text messages.

 

There is a 4 day window for the buyer to pay, which is tomorrow. I'm skeptical they surface.

 

I assume all I can do is re-list?  (dumb question, I know that's all I can do)
Will/can eBay offer to the next lowest bigger?

 

Frustrated.

 

 

[mike6024]

You can offer it to the second highest bidder.

 

What they call the "Second Chance Offer."

 

 

[pkhammer]

  Happens all the time when selling cars on ebay. Deadbeat buyers. I've heard everything from "I didn't mean to bid" to "my wife won't let me buy it" if the buyer bothers to respond at all. Not sure why this happens so often with cars, it never happens when selling parts. You can report the non paying buyer to ebay but what's the point? Cancel the sale, make sure ebay refunds the commission they took and relist it and hope for a legit buyer next time or as has been suggested offer to the next highest bidder through second chance offer.

  Frustrating for sure but very common occurrence.

  -Good Luck!

[Lahti35]

I like to set up the auction with an immediate nonrefundable payment due, $200, $500 whatever as long as they have to pay something. In the past I have been able to keep the funds even though the buyer flakes out. Maybe they can get the funds back through paypal these days though... can't say as it's been awhile since I auction a car on the 'Bay.

[TTR]

Another good reason NOT to sell anything in or as an auction listing, be it online or physical venue.

Too many uncontrollable moving parts.

 

For past 10+ years, I have been selling and continue to offer items on eBay, but vast majority are and have always been "Buy It Now" listings. 

 

Peter, the after-sale photo/video request might suggest the "buyer" just wanted them to create fictitious listings elsewhere OR is just trying to re-sell the item at higher price before paying you. If I was a gambling man, I'd bet on former being the case.

[Trulyvintage]

Facebook Marketplace 

 

Nuff Said

 

 

Jim

[Guest]

I agree with Mike, just offer it to the second place bidder.  he'll probably be happy to get it.

[Terry Bond]

Peter, post info on the jerk who stiffed you. If that violates the rules you can always delete it yourself, but if you leave it for a few days before you do, it'll be info welcomed by other sellers I'm sure. 

Terry

 

 

 

[95Cardinal]

That happened to me once and eBay immediately took the seller's fees out of my account when the deadbeat used the "Buy it Now" option.

It took me 3 months to get me money back from eBay.

 

I have never sold anything on eBay since that miserable experience.

 

I would definitely report the buyer to eBay, if for no other reason than to get you item listing fees refunded and a free re-list, if you choose to do that.

[Peter Gariepy]

3 hours ago, GregLaR said:

I agree with Mike, just offer it to the second place bidder.  he'll probably be happy to get it.

how do I offer to the next bidder?

[mike6024]

Here are some other things to keep in mind when you’re making Second Chance Offers:

 

If you’re making an offer because the winning bidder didn’t pay, you must cancel the original transaction before you can start the Second Chance Offer

 

How to make a Second Chance Offer

It’s easy to make a Second Chance Offer. Here’s how:

1. Find your listing in either My eBay Selling Activity or Seller Hub.
2. Select Second Chance Offer from More actions and then Continue.
3. Select the quantity of items you have to sell, the duration of the offer, and the bidders you want to send offers to. Then select Continue.

We’ll send the bidders you selected an email; it’s their choice whether to accept the offer. Your offer expires if the bidder doesn’t respond within the duration you chose.

 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-auctions/making-second-chance-offers?id=4142

 

[Professor]

Hi Peter,

 

Have you considered using Bring a Trailer?  I have had amazing luck with them and other than the $99 fee to start the auction which you have to pay, the buyer pays BAT’s commission fees.  You may wan to consider it.  I have sold vehicles on eBay and they just take too much money for my liking.

 

Joe

[alsancle]

BAT is great.  It is also highly selective around what they will auction.  They have a brilliant business model.

[joe_padavano]

16 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

Facebook Marketplace

 

You mean THE world's worst search engine???

[Skylark4367]

I had the same issue three years ago.  I listed my 1965 Impala on ebay and received a winning bid.  The bidder never contacted me and didn't reply to my communications.  I reported the non-paying bidder to ebay and they refunded their fees.  I didn't relist the car with ebay.  I sold it a short time after, for more money than the winning bid, from my ad on Hemmings web site.  I also had the car listed on Facebook marketplace which only generated a lot of stupid facebook messages.

[Flivverking]

I've sold several vintage cars on Ebay in the past 25 years and each one took 3/4 listings to get a bidder who followed through after each one was bid on and won .

One car(a black beauty Ford Model A phaeton with no top yet and NO  TITLE ) was won in a bidding war by a Mass. Police weasel who called me up 3 days after the auction to whine about the no title and didn't want to pay up and follow through and wanted his $500 deposit back..He didn't get it..even after some" I'm a cop "threats. 

 Car sold in 2 hours after relisting 3rd time  2 weeks later...

 

It is hassle with Ebay,especially getting cash "payments only" from buyers out of state and the problems with the shippers the new owner use,who show up before the cash is in my hands or doesn't show up at all. 

Expect the worse with Ebay straight off ,so if it works out , you will be pleased.

 

 

 

 

[Big Beat]

Quote

Will/can eBay offer to the next lowest bigger?

 

Yes. That's how I ended up with my Chevy. Somebody outbid me and then failed to follow through. A few days later the seller contacted me with a second chance offer. 

[Dandy Dave]

First thing I ever sold on eBay was won by a dead beat. The eBay user's name was A--Hole. The item was a 1941 Packard Clipper. He beat out the under bidder by 2 cents. I had to screw around for I think two or maybe three weeks at the time as eBay was still young then. A lot has changed though the years. Anyway after several calls from a female that said the money would be coming by Western Union ( Do you hear the bells and whistles?) and of course it never did. I was able to cancel the transaction and sell it to the underbidder. Good luck Peter. I hope it works out for you. I have not sold anything on eBay in quite a while but still buy parts and other stuff there often. I did purchase an axle for a 1990 Chevy Suburban recently and when it came it did not fit. about 1 and 1/2 inches too long. It was wrongly listed. It was also listed as NOS. It was not NOS. It was used though serviceable if it would have fit. I was given a total refund and the seller did not send a return ticket so I still have the axle. 

[60FlatTop]

The first car I sold on Ebay was a Rover 2000 that I picked up to flip. It went from the Rochester/Buffalo area to Sacramento, Ca. And the buyer said he was going to disassemble it for restoration when it arrived. I thought "Wow! This is the way to sell cars."

 

Second thought was the guy who bought a GMC pickup from me locally and for the whole 10 years he drove it, told me what a piece of junk it was.

 

49 minutes ago, Dandy Dave said:

I did purchase an axle for a 1990 Chevy Suburban recently and when it came it did not fit. about 1 and 1/2 inches too long. It was wrongly listed. It was also listed as NOS. It was not NOS. It was used though serviceable if it would have fit. I was given a total refund and the seller did not send a return ticket so I still have the axle. 

You haven't listed it on Ebay yet? If you take better pictures and make a better presentation you should be able to get more than he did.

[JamesR]

Sorry that the buyer skipped out on your auction, Peter. Here's the real problem with eBay: It's a place where people can shop late at night when they're drunk. Here's the problem with drunk shoppers: They get undrunk the next day and say, "Oh no! What did I just do!"

[60FlatTop]

3 hours ago, JamesR said:

next day and say, "Oh no! What did I just do!"

If you haven't seen the movie Suckers, from the mid 1990's,, do it. I laugh til I cry every time.

 

[Dandy Dave]

21 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

You haven't listed it on Ebay yet? If you take better pictures and make a better presentation you should be able to get more than he did.

No. The axle that was wrong is very common and can be had new after market for around $100 or less. (GM Part number 26010415.) Used ones are around $60 to $70 give or take. It was used in Chevy pickups, but not the 4WD Suburban's from 1986 until 1991. (GM Part Number 14071750.) The Axle was listed that it would fit Suburban and Tahoe from 1988 though 2000. Starting in 1992 the Suburban did use this axle. I have a 1995 Chevy Suburban also so I think I'll just put it in my spare parts collection Burnie.