why does ebay suck so badly?

[Christien]

Another attempted car sale on ebay, another flake bidder. Why does this happen every time? This is the 4th car I've sold (or attempted to sell) on ebay, and each time it's had to be relisted at least once because the winning bidder wasn't serious.

The car sold yesterday around 3pm. 3:26am he sends this email: "can i get your phone number i want to finance the car and are you paying for the shipping". That's it - the entire contents of the message. WTF? It's 2:15 now and I just sent him a harsh email saying pay or we'll offer it to someone else.

You can't leave negative feedback for buyers (lame rule change a while ago) and the resolution suggestions aren't helpful at all. Why can't there be a 5th option "ask for buyer's address so you can punch him in the face"?

ok, rant over.

[pwd72s]

My bank made a mistake...I'm sending a cashier's check for $5,000 over the price bid. Please refund the difference.

[audiman08]

Originally Posted by Christien

Why can't there be a 5th option "ask for buyer's address so you can punch him in the face"?

That's an idea. I bought my 911 on Ebay, but I actually drove out to look at it and pay in person. My guess is a lot of people like to play around with bidding and then they get carried away (like gambling) and realize they can't put their money where their clicking finger is...

[Christien]

Here's the transcript of our emails/text messages:

Congratulations! The car is yours. Seeing as you're in the US, the easiest way to make the deposit and final payment is by wire transfer. Our account info is as follows:
{snip}
The deposit due is $1000, due by 3pm tomorrow. There will likely be a 24 hour delay in the payment going through, so please scan/email or fax proof of payment through to us as soon as you've made the deposit.

---

can i get your phone number i want to finance the car and are you paying for the shipping

---

Our number is {snip}.
You should have had financing in place before
bidding in the auction. The deposit is still due
today by 3pm. We are not paying shipping - the ad
clearly states "All taxes, licensing, shipping and
other associated costs are the buyer's
responsibility" and ""Buyer is responsible for
vehicle pickup or shipping".

---

text msg:
This is sammy2010 can you finance me the Benz ?

---

No, sorry.. We're only licensed to finance within Canada. I suppose this means you're backing out of the contract?

---

No but u should lower the priice a little the shipping cost more then I thought it would

---

You're kidding, right? This is all stuff you should have researched before bidding. Please make the deposit first thing in the morning.

---
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Un-f#$king believable. Are there seriously people that are this dumb? If so, why are we allowing them to reproduce?

[porsche4life]

We had luck with the one car we sold on ebay.... We are at like 6 vehicles bought on ebay.... but all of those we went and handed over hundred dollar bills for....

I had a few flakes call about my VW on craigslist.... One finally showed up with cash....

[Embraer]

When I sold my Merc 190, (a not sooo common car), some ********* kept listing his car whenever i would list mine, and prior to ebay making the auctions private, he kept emailing my bidders, saying that his car was nicer than mine, and that he would work with them on payment, etc. royally pissed me off.

the first time the car "sold" the buyer was a liberal/academic type that expected a new car with a warranty....he actually asked me for a warranty. the car was pristine....86,000 miles, i was 2nd owner, etc....but the guy still expected a new car.

the 2nd time the car "sold" the buyer emailed me two days later and said that he decided that his heart surgery was more important than paying me, so he backed out of the deal.

after the 3rd time listing it, a genuine bidder came through. He paid the same day, and had a shipper come pick up the car 2 days later. completely painless.