Dismayed by cpap.auction

[Arizona-Willie]

Yesterday I spotted a M series apap with aflex had been put up for auction with a minimum price of $100 and it said the reserve had not been met and it was a one day auction. It would expire early this morning.

Last night before I went to bed I checked and it was still there.

This morning I went to check in -- expecting to see the price had been bid up a lot -- but was dismayed to see that the auction terms had been completely changed.

It was no longer a one day auction --- it now was going to expire in 4 more days and the minimum bid showing was $450 and there were no bids in the bid history.

That means cpap auction allowed the poster to completely change his auction post.

Bidders aren't allowed to retract our bids if we change our minds --- or make a mistake. Too bad. We 've bid and that's that.

But they allow the posters to change the terms and times of their posted auctions.

Yesterday when I spotted this I marked it as an item I was watching so when I went in this morning I went into my account and went to items I am watching so I went directly to the same item. It still had the same number etc. so the posted auction had definitely been changed. That was the only item I had a watch on.

The poster is not a newbie either. They had a 100% rating out of 93 so they have obviously posted many things on cpap auction and should know what they are doing by now.

I am simply dismayed that cpap auction allows the poster to change the terms and conditions after posting an auction but bidders aren't allowed to change our bids ( other than to increase them ). We can't change our minds or say " oh geesh I goofed and made a mistake" or " I decided I put too high a bid in so I want to lower it " so posters should be held to the same standards.

If I make a mistake and bid $400 instead of $300 it's tough noogies. Once submitted the bid is final ... but obviously auctions are not final when submitted ... they can be changed at the posters whim.

I expected the price this morning to be up well over $300 - $350 perhaps more. The $450 figure isn't too surprising. What was surprising ... and wrong ... is that the price wasn't bid up ... it was raised by the poster and additional time had been added to the post.

[elader]

Ebay lets you cancel an auction if it has no bids (you just pay the listing fee). You can then relist it with new terms. So there is a way to do that. I have also seen items listed with no minimum and the seller backed out of the sale saying 'it wasn't enough' and he didnt understand setting a minimum. It must be a heck of a thing policing an auction site.

Takes all kinds. Sorry about your experience.

[Slinky]

Hey, Willie, the auction was for just one day. If no one put in a bid, the Seller has the right to offer it again under any terms or price he/she wishes to, just as if they were posting a new item. It could just as easily have gone the other way. Original offering higher than anyone wanted to pay, auction ends, reposted at a lower minimum. The breaks of the game. We sure as the devil don't have to like it but .....

[kteague]

Willie,
The item had not yet been bid on, right? I'm not positive, but I doubt the poster can change an item after a bid has been placed. I would be disappointed if an item I was interested in got changed, but wouldn't feel violated unless I had bid. I have placed t-shirts for sale on cpapauction before but it's been a while so I don't remember the rules. My statement is from rules elsewhere, and my perspective is admittedly a bit weighted since one of my daughters makes her living in internet sales. Hopefully another good deal will come along for you real soon and you'll win the auction.
Kathy

[DreamStalker]

Yes you can change the auction as long as no bids have been made ... that be the rules.

[nightjar]

Willie, my guess is that the seller decided the item might do better if he or she got rid of the reserve and simply changed the auction terms so that it started at that price, or just below it.

Hard to say without asking the seller, though. It's sure not the worst thing I've seen a seller do.

I've never done it, but I know that on eBay it is possible to retract a bid. I think it shows up on the bidder's record, though, so it's not something to be done lightly.

Anyway, I hope you have better luck with another auction!

nath

[Nealbopper]

After frying my Resperonics Plus the other night, I found one on line and bided for it. I took a ride to the Medical supply store and got a new
cpap for much cheaper than i thought my deductable would be so i went ahead and got it. I too am bummed I couldn't back out of a bid when it has two days left to go. That is not right, I would expect you should be able to back out up until at least 12 hours left for the auction. Things happen and desperate people do desperate things. Well it looks like i have a lightly used back up machine for $150.00.

[OldLincoln]

So if Willie had bid $101 he would have the machine? If so I learned something, always bid on an item (if it's what you want) that is an exceptional deal to lock in the buyer.

[johnnygoodman]

Becky is in the shop for some repair work this afternoon, but wrote me this to post.

Greetings All,

It's true that sellers are able to change the terms of their auctions at any point – they can even cancel the auction if they want – until a bid has been placed. At that point they are committed to the bidder if the auction requirements have been met, such as the reserve. Bids make all the difference.

My guess is that the starting price on that auction today is the same as the reserve amount was yesterday. The seller probably decided not to make it a secret in order to sell faster. And lots of sellers take shortcuts like he did by simply extending the time of the auction rather than letting it end and starting over again.

As for making errors on bids, CPAPAuction understands that mistakes are made and we remove bids when we are made aware of mistakes within a reasonable amount of time and circumstances.

NealBopper, backup machines are very handy, but if you really need out of the auction you bid on, contact the seller to see what they say. Most are pretty accommodating. Of course, you still have two days to lose!

Becky Polk
CPAPAuction.com


Additionally, here is some policy reading:

http://www.cpapauction.com/cpap-help/39 ... sting.html

and specifically:

http://www.cpapauction.com/cpap-help/40 ... sting.html

There is no funny business happening here. If you see an item you like, bid!

Johnny

[Arizona-Willie]

As I understand it, even if I had put in a ridiculous $150 bid he would still have been able to change the terms and time of the auction because the bid didn't meet his (secret at that time ) reserve price. I didn't bother to put in a low bid then because I was fairly sure it would go much higher overnight and early the next morning before the expiration time. I didn't know he could unilaterally change the expiration once he posted it.

I know when you bid it tell you to be very sure because you can't cancel your bid. And I didn't think a poster was allowed to cancel an auction once they posted it. Shows how little I know.

They shouldn't be able to .. but if that's your policy ... that's your policy. Never having sold anything I wasn't aware you allowed sellers to change / cancel their auction.

[beckypolk]

Hi, Willie,

Actually, a bid still counts even if it doesn't meet the reserve, so the seller could not have changed the auction if you had bid $150.00. Still, you wouldn't have won the auction if your bid didn't meet the reserve, and the seller would have simply relisted it as he wanted in a new auction.

You could think of the auctions like stores. Stores remove merchandise or change prices all the time - unless you have the item in your hands.

And I want to thank Johnny for posting my earlier message - although I take exception to being "in the shop for repair"! Sheesh!

Becky Polk
CPAPAuction

[sleepycarol]

I have been a seller and buyer on ebay and a few on cpapauction. I think a seller should be able to have some flexibility with their auctions -- until a bid is made. Just my own opinion.

As a buyer I have learned that if I truly want an item I do NOT bid on items that have "secret" reserves on them. It is typical for sellers to start the auction at a ridiculous low start bid but have a much higher reserve thinking they can get quick action on that auction -- in my opinion that kills sales. I HATE reserve auctions and do not use reserves on my own auctions so why bid on ones that do.

[Nealbopper]

Well I won the item i bid for. A lightly used resperonics Plus with the works. I sent the seller a note telling him i couldnt' afford the item due to circumstances beyond my control, He hasn't responded to any of my emails and hasn't contacted me for billing information. I got a new CPAP last hight because my other one tiped over. I bid for the item not thinking much about it. I won and i will pay for what i bid for. I guess a back up CPAP isn't such a bad idea.

[sleepycarol]

This probably won't be popular -- but here goes.

You have to pay fees on auctions that are won. On some sites you have to pay to even list items. At one time cpapauction just charged fees if the item was sold. Sold meaning had a winning bid. You pay a percentage of that winning bid to the auction site.

So Neal IF the seller lets you out of the auction they still have to pay those fees regardless if they complete the transaction. Email the seller and offer to pay for their fees -- if they will allow you to back out of the auction. This is only fair since you DID win the auction and still lets you off the hook for the "mistake."

[dsm]

This probably won't be popular -- but here goes.

You have to pay fees on auctions that are won. On some sites you have to pay to even list items. At one time cpapauction just charged fees if the item was sold. Sold meaning had a winning bid. You pay a percentage of that winning bid to the auction site.

So Neal IF the seller lets you out of the auction they still have to pay those fees regardless if they complete the transaction. Email the seller and offer to pay for their fees -- if they will allow you to back out of the auction. This is only fair since you DID win the auction and still lets you off the hook for the "mistake."

I am pretty certain that cpapauction will waive the fees if the buyer withdraws from the sale and there were no other bidders.

Am sure Becky can confirm this.

DSM