@a-touch-of-sparkle wrote:
Ending auctions early / the law?
I am sure you will have seen the news about the chap having to pay £12000 to a buyer because he ended an auction early, as apparently UK law states that bids are legally binding. With this in mind, how can we as sellers make sure that we do not get hit for this? Obviously accidents happen, so sometimes auctions need to be cancelled.
The flip side is- if somebody bids and wins one of our auctions, surely that is legally binding, but they can get away with it if we insisted on honouring the sale and sending the item. They can then claim that the item arrived damaged and get a full refund. How would we prove that the item was not damaged when sent, as some unscrupulous buyers will maliciously damage the item just to get the return postage paid?
I cant advise you on UK law and what what is legally binding. I understand there can of course be issues with items after its been listed. We always advise you to put as much information in the listings as possible. If you're sending items internationally try to confirm postage costs and if the item can be posted to the chosen locations. If something happens to the item always reach out the bidders before cancelling the bids to let them know what happened.
If you cant resolve an issue with a buyer you can ask us to step in by escalating the return. We'll review your case and will try to resolve it in the fairest way possible. We normally resolve the case within 48 hours, though occasionally it might take longer if we need more information. Once we've found a resolution, we'll send you and the buyer an email to let you know.
Thanks,
Dave
