>> I thought this was just common practice. I've bid on a lot of stuff
>>on eBay
>> that never reached the reserve. Those that I was high bidder on but didn't
>> reach the reserve, the seller has always contacted me to see if I wanted to
>> buy it at the reserve. This has happened dozens of times.
>
>In this case, the seller offered it to me at less than the reserve. If
>he is to be believed, his reserve was $100 + shipping, and his offer to
>me was $90 including shipping. I'm not sure that I can see anything
>really unethical here, or if it is unethical, it seems a fairly inefficient
...
Steve is probably right for this case, but I take Gary's broader point. I
have bought stuff on trust every time I buy from someone who has advertised
in Amateur Photographer. I agree to send him or her a cheque which the
seller will cash or clear before sending me the lens or camera. The seller
agrees that he has fairly described the condition of the goods and that he
will refund me the purchase price in full if I am not satisfied. In other
words, I commit the first act of trust expecting completion in good faith
at the other end.
I bought a Billingham bag from someone last year, but when it arrived it
smelt very badly of cigar or cigarette smoke. The seller protested that he
did not smoke, but accepted the bag back with a refund following once he
had it in his hands. One deal went wrong when an impoverished young
professional photographer sold me a 300/4.5 with an OM1N for £300. He
packed it in a thin box with the lens on the camera; someone dropped it and
the body was a sad little no-hoper when I saw it. But the seller had used
the cash to pay off his tax bill by the time I returned the goods! It took
a little while for him to pay up...
Chris
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