Full commissions on the auction closed early
Summary: The discussion concerns the issue of full fees on an auction that was closed early. The participants, including techroniko, orangefisherman, technopartsbay, and heavenwelkin, interact briefly without providing specific details or any clear conclusions. No clarifications or solutions emerge in the thread.
eBay fees on cancelled auctions - Absurd and probably illegal practice
Hi everyone,
I want to point out something that happened to me recently and that I find absolutely unacceptable.
THE PROBLEM:
If you list an item for auction on eBay and then have to cancel the listing before it ends (for example because the item got damaged or is no longer available), eBay still charges you the FULL fees as if you had sold the item.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:
- I start a 10-day auction
- Bids come in
- On the second day the item gets damaged and I have to end the auction
- eBay asks me for the fees on the highest bid currently there, even though I did NOT sell anything
WHY IT'S ABSURD:
- I didn't sell anything, so I shouldn't have to pay selling fees
- I already take the hit from the damaged item
- On top of that I end up paying for a transaction that never happened
THE WORST PART:
In the past it didn't work like this. It's a recent change to their policies. Basically they penalize you even when you cancel for legitimate reasons and force majeure.
To me this seems like a practice that is on the edge of legality, if not outright unfair under the Consumer Code. I'm thinking of reporting it to Altroconsumo.
Has anyone else had the same problem? How did you handle it? Did you appeal or dispute the charge?
In my opinion we should make our voices heard, because this is something that can happen to anyone and it's not fair to pay for sales that never happened. What does the consumer code say about this?
heavenwelkin
·6 months agoNo one apart from the seller can know whether an auction is closed because the price isn't going up, because there aren't enough bidders, because the price reached isn't as expected, or simply because they want to test the market.
This approach adopted by eBay seems to me the most correct solution to prevent the marketplace from becoming a platform for time-wasters.
If you're not willing to risk underselling your items, you should use buy it now with offers and check the views and who is watching the item.
After that, if there are views and watches but nothing is selling, you should consider lowering the price a bit (if possible).
techroniko
OP6 months agowhat I’m complaining about is the lack of transparency, before putting an item up for auction or closing the transaction, I paid €30 in fees practically given away to eBay, but this won’t end here.
heavenwelkin
·6 months agoTry contacting eBay support and explain that you had a serious problem and, due to force majeure, you were forced to cancel the auction.
go here: https://www.ebay.it/help/contact_us?id=4190&st=10
In any case, let us know the outcome.
Best regards
techroniko
OP6 months agoI contacted them and they didn’t reply, also asking for clarification regarding this rule, which seems rather oppressive.
heavenwelkin
·6 months agoIf you were on the phone with an operator, how did they not answer you?
anyway, without getting into an argument / fight with the operator on duty about a regulation on eBay, you just need to ask if they’ll do you the favor of reversing the fees because you actually closed the auction due to force majeure.
It’s not said that the operator can accommodate you, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
If they didn’t reply to you, it’s likely you contacted them via messaging rather than by phone call.
technopartsbay
·6 months agoThe fees for ending an auction early are listed here, with all the various cases:
https://www.ebay.it/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/ending-listing?id=4146
Since this is part of the rules accepted during registration on eBay (even if changed later, but properly communicated), legally they're fully in the clear.
techroniko
OP6 months agothe rules can’t be oppressive, before putting an item up for auction you should notify the customer and not just "put it up for sale for free" don’t be biased, there is something called "consumer protection" and there are rules there too.
orangefisherman
·6 months agoAt the legal limit, it can be discussed. Anyway, this matter was widely debated years ago. By signing ebaU's rules as a seller, you can only make yourself sick with worry, but you won't do anything about it
techroniko
OP6 months agoThe auction rule changed in September