Another eLame thread: Dealer weasels out of FJ deal...
08-05-2010, 10:44 AM
#1
Punk Rocker
Thread Starter
Another eLame thread: Dealer weasels out of FJ deal...
Just posting this around for a guy on E90post.com:
I am so sick and tired of dealer BS like this on eBay. Its to the point now where I can no longer recommend eBay for car shopping. There is just no accountability....
Hi folks. i found Dooma350's giant thread by googling "Ebay car auction not honored".
i'd like to share with you a similar experience i am going through right now.
i bid on a no reserve auction for a used 2007 FJ Cruiser a couple hours before auction end on aug 2nd. here's the link to my winning bid
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...t_28292wt_1165
truth be told, i wasn't expecting to win and i didn't even bother watching the end of auction. i was actually out in the garage working on my bike when the auction ended. i remembered to come inside and check thinking i still had a couple minutes, but the auction had already ended. unbelievablly, though, my bid was the final and highest bid at $20,200. now, that may seem like alot for a 2007 gas gusseling FJ with over 60k miles, but this truck is "built". just look at the pics and you'll understand. it's quite the polar opposite of an M3, and if you're all wondering what a truck guy is doing on an M3 forum (besides venting) my regular daily driver is a 2009 135i. it's no M3, but it's sure fun, and i'm super envious of you late model M3 owners out there.
anyhow, back to the story. i was super elated to find out i won the auction however, i checked my emails to find two emails from the ebay "specialist" at Fred Haas Toyota in Houston with bad news.
the first email which was recieved roughly an hour before end of auction (but not opened by me until after auction as i was not in front of my laptop) solicited me to purchase the vehicle for $26,500 and that they were going to remove the listing from ebay. had i actually read the email when it was sent, i would've replied, thanks but no thanks. i'll stick to my bid of $20,200 and see how it goes.
the 2nd and final email recieved about 3 minutes AFTER the end of auction informed me that the car was sold earlier in the day to someone for $26,000 and that a $5,000 deposit was already made.
now i haven't read through the entire thread for the M3 that Dooma350 bid and won for $60k but i'm going to hazard to guess that EBay resolutions department simply told him there's nothing they can do to enforce the transaction....cause that's what they told me.
so what am i going to do? i'm going to make sure i spread the word to as many people as i can (I'm Canadian so the internet sure helps eh?) and i'm going to take your suggestions and support. wish me luck, maybe i'll get lucky and actually end up getting the dealership to sell me a car. you'd think in this economy, they'd be happy to do so...
i'd like to share with you a similar experience i am going through right now.
i bid on a no reserve auction for a used 2007 FJ Cruiser a couple hours before auction end on aug 2nd. here's the link to my winning bid
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...t_28292wt_1165
truth be told, i wasn't expecting to win and i didn't even bother watching the end of auction. i was actually out in the garage working on my bike when the auction ended. i remembered to come inside and check thinking i still had a couple minutes, but the auction had already ended. unbelievablly, though, my bid was the final and highest bid at $20,200. now, that may seem like alot for a 2007 gas gusseling FJ with over 60k miles, but this truck is "built". just look at the pics and you'll understand. it's quite the polar opposite of an M3, and if you're all wondering what a truck guy is doing on an M3 forum (besides venting) my regular daily driver is a 2009 135i. it's no M3, but it's sure fun, and i'm super envious of you late model M3 owners out there.
anyhow, back to the story. i was super elated to find out i won the auction however, i checked my emails to find two emails from the ebay "specialist" at Fred Haas Toyota in Houston with bad news.
the first email which was recieved roughly an hour before end of auction (but not opened by me until after auction as i was not in front of my laptop) solicited me to purchase the vehicle for $26,500 and that they were going to remove the listing from ebay. had i actually read the email when it was sent, i would've replied, thanks but no thanks. i'll stick to my bid of $20,200 and see how it goes.
the 2nd and final email recieved about 3 minutes AFTER the end of auction informed me that the car was sold earlier in the day to someone for $26,000 and that a $5,000 deposit was already made.
now i haven't read through the entire thread for the M3 that Dooma350 bid and won for $60k but i'm going to hazard to guess that EBay resolutions department simply told him there's nothing they can do to enforce the transaction....cause that's what they told me.
so what am i going to do? i'm going to make sure i spread the word to as many people as i can (I'm Canadian so the internet sure helps eh?) and i'm going to take your suggestions and support. wish me luck, maybe i'll get lucky and actually end up getting the dealership to sell me a car. you'd think in this economy, they'd be happy to do so...
08-05-2010, 12:10 PM
#4
Yeah, crap like this pisses me off now too. You can damn well bet that had they placed a (what the dealer thinks is) good winning bid, and the guy doesn't pay, you can bet the dealer will say, well, it's a contract, blah blah blah.
Malek Khalil
832-306-8822
(281) 357-4000
www.fhtoyota.com
What a bitch.
Malek Khalil
832-306-8822
(281) 357-4000
www.fhtoyota.com
What a bitch.
08-05-2010, 12:18 PM
#6
So, the dealer already sold the truck after the end of the auction? Doesn't the auction state something like "that the truck could be sold anytime before the end of the auction?" Maybe it was just the e-mail that came in after the end of the auction, and the actual car sale time was just before the end of the auction. If it was after, then I wonder if the guy can complain to the BBB, even though they can do nothing. You can bet though that they may not get another President's Award.
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08-05-2010, 01:31 PM
#8
08-05-2010, 01:35 PM
#9
Fahrvergnügen'd
So the 5% of people who have had problems would stop you from looking toward eBay for buying/selling a car? The 95% of people who have had no problems doesn't play any part in that?
Yeah, you pretty much need to figure on 8-10% fees to sell something on eBay. Typically I try the free route first (here, Craigslist, word of mouth, etc). At that point if something doesn't sell I put it on eBay. I try to bump up the shipping as much as possible while still keeping it reasonable to soften the blow... but I always figure out what the invoice will be before listing it. You may want to try that as well
Yeah, you pretty much need to figure on 8-10% fees to sell something on eBay. Typically I try the free route first (here, Craigslist, word of mouth, etc). At that point if something doesn't sell I put it on eBay. I try to bump up the shipping as much as possible while still keeping it reasonable to soften the blow... but I always figure out what the invoice will be before listing it. You may want to try that as well
Thanks for the advice though ... It's good advice.
As far as car buying goes, maybe it makes sense to avoid no reserve auctions from a dealer?
08-05-2010, 01:38 PM
#10
Well, it's all relative. You can put it on CL and hope 50 people see it, or you can list it on eBay, accept their fees, and have the possibility of it being exposed to millions of users...
Yeah, their fees have gone up a bit in the last 3 years... so that's probably why you were caught off-guard
08-05-2010, 01:43 PM
#11
Back to the topic at hand... why people buy from dealers with low feedback is beyond me. I mean really... a feedback score of 6 with 2 negatives and 1 neutral. That would be a flag for me immediately. I typically only deal with dealers who have a very high feedback score with very few or no negative feedback.
Of course this does not excuse the dealer's behavior. eBay policies state the auction is binding... so if they make the mistake of listing it without a reserve, that's there problem. And if something sells offline before the auction ends (which happens)... they need to end the auction early. Having the auction end, then sending that email still keeps them on the hook for the sale of that item at the final auction fee.
However, I'd gladly pay a bit extra to deal with a reputable seller. No different then how I would approach large ticket transactions offline...
Of course this does not excuse the dealer's behavior. eBay policies state the auction is binding... so if they make the mistake of listing it without a reserve, that's there problem. And if something sells offline before the auction ends (which happens)... they need to end the auction early. Having the auction end, then sending that email still keeps them on the hook for the sale of that item at the final auction fee.
However, I'd gladly pay a bit extra to deal with a reputable seller. No different then how I would approach large ticket transactions offline...
Last edited by juniorbean; 08-05-2010 at 01:45 PM.
08-05-2010, 11:42 PM
#12
Punk Rocker
Thread Starter
You're right about the low feedback, I didn't notice that. My problem is with eBay itself. They emailed this guy back and told him that bids and sales are NON-binding. If there is no accountability in the system then any no reserve auction's integrity is suspect. Why any seller can refuse to sell at the winning bid and any bidder can refuse to pay the winning price. At that point the system becomes useless....
08-06-2010, 06:20 AM
#14
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Join Date: Jul 2010
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I for one would never buy a car over Ebay. You don't know that person your buying it from, and when it comes to spending that kind of money, I'll do it person, not online.
You just can't trust people any more these days.
You just can't trust people any more these days.
08-06-2010, 08:50 AM
#15
You just need to do your homework. If it's a dealer, check their feedback, see how long they've been a member, and check their local BBB. If it's a person, do the first two. I've bought and sold a couple cars and motorcycles on eBay and never had a problem. I've also never purchased from anyone with low or any negative feedback...
08-06-2010, 09:00 AM
#16
Fahrvergnügen'd
My dad bought a 1987 911 Targa from a guy a few years ago and the car has been great. But he did his research first. Flew out to Indiana and drove it back. Not everyone is a criminal or a cheat but we have to use some logic.
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