Quote:
| Originally Posted by Urban996 Just strikes me as a bit odd, that if I bid on an item I enter into (according to ebay) a legal contract to buy an item, but a seller can pull out at anytime??
|
IANAL, but that's not quite true...
The process is that you make an offer as a purchaser, and the seller can than either accept or reject that offer.
Should the seller accept your offer, you've then entered into a contract, at which point you must purchase the item.
Auctions are a bit funny because it includes a timed element (deadline) to which all offers are submitted. Until that deadline passes and the seller accepts your offer, there is no legally binding contract.
ebay just makes up their own rules to suit them - remember they get paid for the listing, get paid commission at the end and get a cut of the money if the transaction takes place using PayPal. It is in their interest for auctions to finish and not be withdrawn!
However, it is a bit *****, so I agree that you should keep your bid in ("but I didn't receive the email in time!") and let him worry about it. He can easily end the auction early if he knows where to look ... and again ebay hide this quite well as they want their cash!
18-Jul-2006, 15:32 
antonye
Threaded Mode