Auction Arms bru ha ha

[mawkie]

Here's a cautionary tale for my friends here...
Last week I found a nice CZ-27 listed on Auction Arms w. no reserve and a start price of $225. Last night I noticed that nobody had bid on it so I put in a $250 proxy bid and two hrs later got an automated email stating that I was the winner for $225. Cool! A very nice example for about $100-150 under market price.
Not five minutes later a new AA email pops up telling me that the very same CZ-27 has been relisted. WTF?!!
Then I get another email from the seller stating "Unfortunately I cannot sell this to you for $225. I made a mistake listing it for $225 when it should have been $425." WTF??!!!
So I email AAs person in charge of disputes...
"Sirs,
Received this email from seller of this CZ27. I am curious as to how he can back out of the auction result and re-list it. Mine was the sole bid placed approx 2 hrs before the auction closed so he had ample opportunity to edit or close the listing. What gives? Is this a valid transaction or not?
Obviously I cannot coerce him into selling and at this point I would assume that my only recourse is negative feedback but I would like to know what the policy of Auction Arms is in this instance."
And here's his reply to me...
"No, what he is doing is wrong, and yes your only recourse at this time is leaving negative feedback, we will keep an eye on him though."
Now this lot sat for 6 days 22 hours before the first and only bid was entered so the seller had that period of time to either edit or pull the listing and he didn't. So I'm left to assume he didn't get the price he wanted and just took his toy to another playground. Very poor form.
It's not the end of the world, my life, and the search for a nice CZ-27, goes on. Just know that even when the hammer drops and you're the high bidder it's not a guarantee that it's yours until it's in your bound book!

 

[lx1x]

nothing new.. welcome to ecommerce.. where bs is rampant.

 

[Mooseman]

That is just wrong. Auction Arms should ban that seller from their site. Nothing less should be acceptable.

 

[clandestine]

Its his item. Welcome to online gun sales. Take the bad with the good or dont play the game.

I hear all kinds of horror stories about online gun transactions, heck I often am fixing them because they wont function.

 

[h2u]

Sorry about your luck on this one mawkie. While I've never had this happen to me, I've definitely heard of it from others.
All you can do is leave the bad feedback and move on....
That said, I've been looking for a Finned version of one of those for quite a while! $225 for any working model is a good one!

 

[Docster]

Here's a cautionary tale for my friends here...
Last week I found a nice CZ-27 listed on Auction Arms w. no reserve and a start price of $225. Last night I noticed that nobody had bid on it so I put in a $250 proxy bid and two hrs later got an automated email stating that I was the winner for $225. Cool! A very nice example for about $100-150 under market price.
Not five minutes later a new AA email pops up telling me that the very same CZ-27 has been relisted. WTF?!!
Then I get another email from the seller stating "Unfortunately I cannot sell this to you for $225. I made a mistake listing it for $225 when it should have been $425." WTF??!!!
So I email AAs person in charge of disputes...
"Sirs,
Received this email from seller of this CZ27. I am curious as to how he can back out of the auction result and re-list it. Mine was the sole bid placed approx 2 hrs before the auction closed so he had ample opportunity to edit or close the listing. What gives? Is this a valid transaction or not?
Obviously I cannot coerce him into selling and at this point I would assume that my only recourse is negative feedback but I would like to know what the policy of Auction Arms is in this instance."
And here's his reply to me...
"No, what he is doing is wrong, and yes your only recourse at this time is leaving negative feedback, we will keep an eye on him though."
Now this lot sat for 6 days 22 hours before the first and only bid was entered so the seller had that period of time to either edit or pull the listing and he didn't. So I'm left to assume he didn't get the price he wanted and just took his toy to another playground. Very poor form.
It's not the end of the world, my life, and the search for a nice CZ-27, goes on. Just know that even when the hammer drops and you're the high bidder it's not a guarantee that it's yours until it's in your bound book!

Agree it's wrong and AA should ban the seller. However since that appears unlikely, just make sure you leave specific negative feedback for all to see

AND consider sending him a letter on some lawyers letterhead (you can make that up) explaining how he entered into a legally-binding contract with you then bailed and your client (you) is seeking compensation........

 

[mawkie]

Its his item. Welcome to online gun sales. Take the bad with the good or dont play the game.

I hear all kinds of horror stories about online gun transactions, heck I often am fixing them because they wont function.

I would agree w. you if this was a sale. Then you're correct, he's free to set the rules. But it wasn't sale, it was an auction where there's normally risk to both the seller and the buyer and everyone agrees to follow rules set by the auction house. Only in this case he rigged the game and removed all the risk to himself. This is what irks me, along with the passive, but predictable, response from the auction house.

 

[fivepointstar]

i guess the seller has the right to refuse business...Leave negative feedback and let us know if anything else happens. I wouldn't buy it for $425?
is the relisted price $425

 

[Numidian]

You should make sure to have the winning bid on the new auction... Go to $600 or something crazy like that.... Then tell him that you meant to only bid $400, you won't be sending the money. LOL

 

[yellowsled]

That is horrible. I cant believe a sell would do that.

 

[mawkie]

Sorry about your luck on this one mawkie. While I've never had this happen to me, I've definitely heard of it from others.
All you can do is leave the bad feedback and move on....
That said, I've been looking for a Finned version of one of those for quite a while! $225 for any working model is a good one!

-I had something similar to this happen with a live auction (Reatta Pass). They listed a Ross rifle in one of their live auctions that also used Proxibid. I was high proxy bidder at a price that was at 50% of market value. Then I get a cryptic email stating that the item was sold at a previous auction and that this listing was a clerical error.
-I didn't think much of it at the time until someone else posted up on GB the same story with the same auction house. Then another poster chimed in with his identical story as well. I put 2+2 together and realized that this was a pattern of behavior with them (I can be slow on the uptake ). What really happened was identical to this latest situation. Bidding didn't fetch what the auctioneer wanted and he passed on the lot at the live auction, not telling anyone that there was a legit proxy bid on it. Then he only had to make up that cock and bull story for me. They didn't enable their audio/video feed so there was no way for me to monitor the auction in real time.
-Now they're on my banned-for-life list, won't do business with 'em again. Even if they had a Finn marked CZ-27!

 

[mawkie]

You should make sure to have the winning bid on the new auction... Go to $600 or something crazy like that.... Then tell him that you meant to only bid $400, you won't be sending the money. LOL

That thought did cross my mind!

 

[mawkie]

i guess the seller has the right to refuse business...Leave negative feedback and let us know if anything else happens. I wouldn't buy it for $425?
is the relisted price $425

He did re-list with a start price of $425. Which is on the high side for this condition (chipped grip). I wouldn't do business with him anyway, not after this. Fool me once...

 

[Hol3shot]

nothing new.. welcome to ecommerce.. where bs is rampant.

+1 - I have to wonder if it was this guys first time selling or not. If it was, then everyone has a chance to make mistakes.

The quote, "If it looks too good to be true...". Did you ever think for a minute that some guy online is going to lose money so he can keep his word to some email name online. No he'd rather take the bad feedback and move on.
Irregardless he should have sent you an apology or something. There again though - don't EXPECT anything from anyone on the internet. And like you said, it isn't yours until it is in your name sitting in your hand.

That is just wrong. Auction Arms should ban that seller from their site. Nothing less should be acceptable.

Ban a guy for presumably one mistake where he didn't think about what would happen if it sold for $100-$150 less than it is worth?
Let other people...live and learn too, without losing their ass. Let him take his strike on the ecommerce site and move on.

Its his item. Welcome to online gun sales. Take the bad with the good or dont play the game.

I hear all kinds of horror stories about online gun transactions, heck I often am fixing them because they wont function.

Exactly. If you are buying guns online, you need to be aware that it may be someone else's problem they are unloading.
I just picked up a P7 online, and I will say with all the fraud scams out there, I wasn't happy until the box was opened and the gun was in it. But even more important, after I function tested it, a week later (MSP) and after the seller is usually long gun.

Your truly only recourse online is to hurt someone's online reputation or seller feedback. Which is pretty crazy if you think about it.

I'd kind of feel grateful that you didn't send the money and then he had a change of heart and you had to fight to get it back.

Good luck next time though.

Edit : If it is some idiot that does that all the time to people, then they definitely need to be banned. I can see making a mistake, but not using it to get people to bid but then use the guise of online media saying it was a "glitch" in the system. Guys like that need to be taken out back.

 

[rob-cubed]

There are definitely less than honorable sellers out there who feel liberated to be a-holes or downright deceptive from behind the safety of their computer screens.

It's a risk you take to avoid sales taxes. I find the more responsive a seller is to questions before I commit, the less likely I am to have problems with the deal.

It's not just AA, try negotiating with PayPal or eBay over a deal gone bad and you'll find they are equally frustrating. Very hands-off.

 

[mawkie]

+1 - I have to wonder if it was this guys first time selling or not. If it was, then everyone has a chance to make mistakes.

The quote, "If it looks too good to be true...". Did you ever think for a minute that some guy online is going to lose money so he can keep his word to some email name online. No he'd rather take the bad feedback and move on.
Irregardless he should have sent you an apology or something. There again though - don't EXPECT anything from anyone on the internet. And like you said, it isn't yours until it is in your name sitting in your hand.




Ban a guy for presumably one mistake where he didn't think about what would happen if it sold for $100-$150 less than it is worth?
Let other people...live and learn too, without losing their ass. Let him take his strike on the ecommerce site and move on.



Exactly. If you are buying guns online, you need to be aware that it may be someone else's problem they are unloading.
I just picked up a P7 online, and I will say with all the fraud scams out there, I wasn't happy until the box was opened and the gun was in it. But even more important, after I function tested it, a week later (MSP) and after the seller is usually long gun.

Your truly only recourse online is to hurt someone's online reputation or seller feedback. Which is pretty crazy if you think about it.

I'd kind of feel grateful that you didn't send the money and then he had a change of heart and you had to fight to get it back.

Good luck next time though.

Edit : If it is some idiot that does that all the time to people, then they definitely need to be banned. I can see making a mistake, but not using it to get people to bid but then use the guise of online media saying it was a "glitch" in the system. Guys like that need to be taken out back.

I agree, there's room for an honest mistake for a newbie. But I checked his feedback before bidding and while thin, this wasn't his first rodeo. And he had almost the full seven days to correct his mistake. In the end I don't know if he was really careless or mercenary. As such I kept my feed back brief and to the fact. No opinions or vitriol.

 

[K31]

Mawkie, I think you should go back and revise your feedback to include that you won this item and then he relisted it. Your feedback doesn't make that clear.

Also, to those who say that the seller is free to back out of the deal. AA TOS says sellers are contractually obligated to complete the sale if a bid is placed above the reserve price for a reserve auction or if any bid is made on a basic auction. When you bid your are reminded that you as a buyer are as well entering into a contract.

 

[ma_deuce]

Agree it's wrong and AA should ban the seller. However since that appears unlikely, just make sure you leave specific negative feedback for all to see

AND consider sending him a letter on some lawyers letterhead (you can make that up) explaining how he entered into a legally-binding contract with you then bailed and your client (you) is seeking compensation........

Yeah, and just try and enforce a contract with an out-of-state seller.

I've made several online purchases, and all have gone smoothly. In fact, each of the guns I bought were actually better than I expected. But I only bid with sellers with a lot of uniformly positive feedback, and I look to see if forums in their area have anything to say about them. Matter-of-fact, I did this before buying from one place up on Long Island, found a site called Long Island Firearms, similar to this one, that had high praise for the dealer, and had a very good transaction at a very good price. I've done business with the place a couple of times since then and never been disappointed.

Generally, though, I prefer to deal locally, and only buy online when I'm really having trouble finding the item around here.

 

[Indiana Jones]

Its his item. Welcome to online gun sales. Take the bad with the good or dont play the game.

I hear all kinds of horror stories about online gun transactions, heck I often am fixing them because they wont function.

You also fix friend to friend transactions. I learned that the hard way...

 

[Docster]

You should make sure to have the winning bid on the new auction... Go to $600 or something crazy like that.... Then tell him that you meant to only bid $400, you won't be sending the money. LOL

Devious, I LIKE it!!