Is it ok for a seller to jack up the starting price by $500 just before placing our bid?

[robertybob-46]

It seems the seller jacked the price up by $500 because we inquired if pickup was ok by a commercial operator. Is this permitted?

[robertybob-46]

I only asked about ebay rules, you don't have to lecture me sarcastically

[robertybob-46]

Good informative reply, thank you

[robertybob-46]

thanks for that. I try to suss out to avoid tricksters, that's why ebay has so many rules

[robertybob-46]

I think you're right.... the problem was that the item says pickup only but it's 900 km away. That's why I always use paypal, unfortunately it's cheaper than laying fraud charges

[chameleon54]

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@robertybob-46wrote:

It seems the seller jacked the price up by $500 because we inquired if pickup was ok by a commercial operator. Is this permitted?

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It would seem from the brief information given, the seller does not want to possibly take a day or two off work, sitting around waiting for a courier who may or may not turn up at the time / day they say they might. They may also not want to spend hours chasing up packing materials, tape, maybe a pallet etc. to pack the item in a way that ensures it can be easily handled in a transport depot and sent without being exposed to damage & the weather in transit. Depending on the size of the item, they may not want to chase up a forklift or have an extra person on standby to help load said item on to couriers truck.

Basically they should have probably just sent a message saying no to courier, but some ebay buyers, simply ignore such messages and buy anyway. They may not be aware of the ability ebay provides sellers to simply block buyers from purchasing their items and so jacked up the price to make sure you didnt purchase.

[chameleon54]

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@robertybob-46wrote:
I only asked about ebay rules, you don't have to lecture me sarcastically

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Fair enough..... Maybe I had my grumpy pants on when I posted that reply, but I just get a bit sick and tired of buyers who think that sellers dont have the right to decide what they do with their own stuff.

Really its no one elses business if the seller decides to increase the price of an item they are selling by $500. You can choose to still buy the item or try to find a similar item cheaper somewhere else. The seller has every right to ask what they like for an item they are selling. No-one is holding a gun to a buyers head, demanding they buy it.

If you feel the seller is being unreasonable in not wanting to deal with a courier or are offended that they have decided the item is worth more than originally thought, just walk away.

[robertybob-46]

The pickup is simply picked up and packed by the courier alone and it was made clear to the seller the courier would come at a time to suit him/her, as would be done if living nearby and doing a personal pickup. Seller didn't have to do anything physical or wait around or any of the extremely negative scenarios you suggested. Courier was sorted and had quoted before even asking the seller anything. There are couriers who DO things correctly & simply. That's why the seller was contacted, given all information

[robertybob-46]

I made no reference to anything other than wanting the specified info. No judgement on the seller, just a simple question, because I didn't see a price hike happen before. esp as there was only an hour left, Most bids come in the last 30 min anyway. Everyone does seem to want to be last to bid. Just didn't expect the seller to be the first one

[brerrabbit585]

Unfortunately, most people who come here asking what you did aren't asking a simple question but are having a rant and ARE making a judgment on the seller, hence the replies you got.

There could be other reasons the seller put the price up. They may have even forgotten the auction and that they'd been meaning to increase the price, and your question prompted their memory. Or for some reason they won't be in a position to deal with posting it or organising pick-up so they put the price up rather than end the auction.

Having someone else pick it up for you could be a problem because of the defect system for late posting. If you pay by paypal and it's not picked up within the seller's specified handling time they'd be penalised by ebay.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@robertybob-46wrote:
The pickup is simply picked up and packed by the courier alone and it was made clear to the seller the courier would come at a time to suit him/her, as would be done if living nearby and doing a personal pickup. Seller didn't have to do anything physical or wait around or any of the extremely negative scenarios you suggested. Courier was sorted and had quoted before even asking the seller anything. There are couriers who DO things correctly & simply. That's why the seller was contacted, given all information

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as someone who’s has been on the other end of a courier pickup, it is all well and good to say that the courier would be arranged at a time to suit the seller, but even that offer may not suit the seller.

I live in country Vic, out of a main town/city, and courier pickup is not something that is easily locked in to a definite time.  Limited numbers of couriers also contributes to uncertainty.

For city sellers, especially those who have day jobs, commute times to their day job may restrict the times that a courier might be able to pickup.  For example, I have a brother in Sydney who leaves home before 6.30am and regularly arrives home from work after 6pm.  For him to facilitate a courier pickup would be an impost he would not be prepared to accept.

Some may say that the seller could leave the item in a safe place on their property for the courier to pick up while the seller is not home, but this too gives rise to so many possible problems occurring.

edit:

and it was made clear to the seller the courier would come at a time to suit him/her

Maybe the seller didn’t like the ‘tone’ of the message you sent and felt you were coming from a position of directing them about how they should behave as a seller.