Listing items that sellers do not have??

[trusteduserid]

Hello to all,

                 Just wondering whether or not sellers are allowed to list items that they do not have in stock. Also can they list items that are on back order that are not available anymore????

[digital*ghost]

Sellers are not supposed to list items that they can not supply at all, but pre-orders and dropshipping are two circumstances in which a seller may list something not currently in stock (and/or in their possession).

Pre-orders are probably self explanatory, and a seller must be able to ship the order within 30 days of purchase.

Dropshipping is where the seller passes the order onto a warehouse (often overseas) and the item is shipped from there.

In both instances, the listing should clearly state whether it's a pre-order or being dropshipped.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few sellers that list items not in stock - from my experience (with very high volume CD sellers) it seems common they list a vast category of titles, then attempt to source those items if/when they sell, and too often they can't.

[trusteduserid]

Thanks for the fast reply muchly appreciated. My problem is that i'm new on here and not sure how to check if the item was pre-ordered or dropshipped. Here is the listing that they have for my purchase. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Wiseco-Piston-Kit-Yamaha-TTR250-1999-2006-74mm-/220590630434?pt=Motorcycl... I purchased this but they don't have any available even though apparently they still have 8 available. They now want to replace it with a different product or refund but have not heard back from them yet 😞

[leader-of-the-band]

and if you are buying then just ignore my previous post.  LOL  😄

[digital*ghost]

I purchased this but they don't have any available even though apparently they still have 8 available. They now want to replace it with a different product or refund but have not heard back from them yet 😞

There is nothing to indicate the item is being dropshipped nor a pre-order, (as it is, pre-orders are generally for things that have a scheduled release date that people hold-out for - books, CDs, tickets, even iphones and the like I guess - but I wouldn't expect an item like that to be subject to pre-order).

Sometimes, due to the default search results on eBay being sorted by something called Best Match, a lot of sellers keep listings up when they run out of stock, as listings that have an established sales history boosts the position in search results. That's usually done by making the price unrealistic so that no one buys it while they re-stock, but that listing shows only two sales (one of which I presume is your purchase), so I don't think even that is the case, and the seller has a number of bad feedback for the same issue.

They are a high volume seller, so it's possible their products ship from more than one warehouse and errors in stock can occur easily. Logically, you would think the listing would be taken down once they realise, as keeping it up indicates they either have stock or expect to get the item in stock soon enough, so (and just as a personal opionion) it's in poor form and doesn't benefit anyone.

That ultimately doesn't change much, as all you can really do is accept their offer of a refund or replacement and leave feedback if you wish.

[tonalidesigns]

I would take the refund!

[trusteduserid]

The seller has got back to me and says that it is now in stock 🙂 Bit of a muck around but hopefully the goods should arrive as ordered?? Thanks all that replied

[katoomba69]

This is a frustrating situation and I'm surprised it's not against eBay rules.

I bought an item on 1/10/12 from an Australian seller which had 'More than 10 available / 2 sold' on it. Within a few hours the seller advised that it was out of stock but would be available by the 11th (yesterday) but it still hasn't been sent.  He did offer me a refund but I decided to wait out the week.  The seller is still advertising the items. I've emailed him today and will ask for a refund.

It's so annoying because other sellers had this item listed at the time but now none do.

[products0nline]

I just purchased an item from a light shop. The item was paid for and we awaited its arrival which was listed at 3-4 weeks. After about 5 weeks I contacted the seller to find out some details such as tracking. They responded with the following (keep in mind its currently March 2022);

"Hi there, Thank you for your message and apologies for the extended delay with your order. We have contacted our supplier and they have advised us that the Gatuela is on backorder until approximately early July. We do apologise for this delay and the inconvenience caused. As soon as we receive stock we do endeavour to have your order dispatched ASAP. Once dispatched we will provide you with tracking information for your delivery. Would you like a refund, or would you like to wait. Kind Regards, Tayla "

How is this OK with Ebay. If an item is listed on Ebay, they should have it, otherwise what is the point.

We find amazon a much better place to deal with as they must have stricter policies.

[davewil1964]

When this thread was current and relevant, Amazon had no presence in Australia, and allowed 3rd party sellers to manage their own businesses.