Recently auctioned a set of carbon forks and a stem on ebay. Sold the forks OK and have received payment for them. The person who bid for the stem now doesn’t want it as he claims he only wanted it to go with the forks I was selling (he did bid for the forks but didn’t win). He’s offering to pay my relisting fees but should I accept that offer or insist on payment? After all he must have known there was a chance he’d be outbid on the forks. BTW his winning bid on the stem was £5 so not a lot of money but there is the principle of honouring a winning auction bid. If it happened to me I’d still honour my side of the deal, buy the stem and auction it.

He should just buy it, its only a fiver and he had no right to assume he would get the forks. Its a (admittedly minor) PITA for you to have to relist etc.

Do you really want the hassle over £5 just to prove a point? Surely life is complicated enough as it is without making it more so unnecessarily. Enforcing principles just for the sake of enforcing principles might be a little petty?

if he doesn’t want it then why can he not resell it.

You can cancel the auction and get the fees back. Easier all round, or take the hit in fees and give him bad feedback.

Dunno if I CBA chasing him for payment

I’m tending to think that its probably not worth insisting on payment and risking vengeful -ve feedback for a fiver now that sellers can’t leave feedback on buyers,

Still p*ssing me off though.

Could be worse – he/she could just ignore your requests for payment.

Be careful if he’s gonna give you your fees back – that might be quite a lot – selling fee, final sale price fee, paypal fee.

If you can pull the auction I’d do that instead. And just chalk it down to a numpty who can;t even tie his own shoelaces without mummy.

I take it there wasn’t another bidder who you can offer a second-chance on it?

No- no second bidder

if hes offering to pay the relisting fees then i think thats a gesture enough.

ide let him off, (though you could by rights make him pay)