# Advice On Smiths Imperial (Ebayer Trying To Cancel Transaction)



## pkryder (Dec 25, 2012)

Hi Guys

I've been fancying a Smiths watch, Made in England. On a bit of a whim I bid on what looks to me like a nice Smiths Imperial on eBay and won the auction for Â£240. Link below. The seller has now opened a case asking me to authorise cancellation of the transaction but hasn't specified any reason. Now he originally had this listed with a starting bid of Â£499 but got no bidders and re-listed without reserve, other Imperials seem to be listed at way above this although I haven't seen any sell for these crazy prices, the only other one I saw went for Â£50 less than my winning bid. I'm wondering if this guy is simply disappointed he didn't get what he asked for and I guess what I'm trying to figure out is did I get a decent deal and therefore should I refuse to cancel or should I just let it go?

If I did get a good deal has anyone else had similar experiences and successfully demanded the item? I have an LLB in law and know legally where I stand and know there is case law which means I am entitled to demand the goods or damages to the value it would cost me to buy a another Smiths Imperial in the same condition. Whether it would be worth pursuing would depend on the true value of the watch, if I paid about right then its probably not worth pursuing as I'd only end up with my money back anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/9-ct-solid-gold-Smiths-Imperial-manual-wind-wristwatch-/300846395827?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=AFQ9SbduRUqX76dNeAUQFqla700%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc


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## pkryder (Dec 25, 2012)

So the seller claims that the owner sold the item elsewhere without telling them. Refunded my payment plus Â£10 so I suppose that's a bonus. Not sure I believe a word of it but Â£10 for nothing might as well just accept it I guess.


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

Looking at the bid history it seems one persistent bidder was pushing up the price. When this bidder has a low or zero feedback score I suspect shill bidding.

Julian (L)


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

It looks like a definite case of shill bidding and the seller was probably hoping to boost the price more than you paid. Whenever I see obvious signs of shilling, I move on but you actually got it for a pretty good price. It looks like a model I.507 - I know of a dealer who was selling one of these for Â£375. I'd report him to eBay and leave bad feedback (if you can) if it were me. But I wouldn't expect eBay to do a lot. After all, eBay gain from shilling. There's not a lot more that you can do though.

Cheers


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

pkryder said:


> So the seller claims that the owner sold the item elsewhere without telling them. Refunded my payment plus Â£10 so I suppose that's a bonus. Not sure I believe a word of it but Â£10 for nothing might as well just accept it I guess.


Contact me - julian dot latham at ntlworld dot com - for more info'.


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## pkryder (Dec 25, 2012)

I didn't spot that but yeah I found it suspicious when he previously had it listed for Â£499 that he was then prepared to list it with a starting price of Â£0 and no reserve. It took a few days for him to contact me and I was just waiting for him to try and back out. He was also very forthcoming in just randomly giving me an extra Â£10 refund a bribe not to complain maybe? I'll certainly be keeping an eye out to see how long he waits before re-listing it.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2013)

Wasnt someone prosecuted for this a few years back? They had multiple ebay account and friends and family who were deliberately putting up the prices of auction good to get the highest price. They were also "Buying" Their own items when they didnt get the desired price.

Put negative feedback and state exactly why. Other people need to know and avoid buying from such people. May seem harsh but if I was about to purchase something I would rather a previous "Customer" Told me what I was letting myself in for first.


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I've phoned eBay on a couple of occasions when I had problems with buyers who wouldn't pay - changed their minds after the sale - and the eBay reps were actually quite helpful. In one sense eBay might gain their percentage from shill bidding - but in another, it doesn't do their reputation any good if they openly condone it. Negative feedback can be a double-edged sword as well - just write the experience off and live to bid another day! :big_boss:


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