E-Bay Question- "2nd Chance Offer"?

coinmickey

For the second time in the last month I've received the following e-mail message from the seller on an auction I lost (different sellers each time). Has anyone else had this experience? I find it odd and frankly if I lost the auction it's because I was not wiling to pay the higher price. However, I wonder if it is actually "in compliance with E-Bay policy" so I am throwing it out here so other members are at least aware of it.

Thanks for the input.

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Text as follows {edited to protect the possibly innocent}:

"You expressed interest in an item titled ___________
by bidding, however the auction has ended with another member as the
high bidder. In compliance with eBay policy, the seller, ________
is making this Second Chance Offer to you at your bid price of ____.

The seller has issued this Second Chance Offer because either the
winning bidder was unable to complete the transaction or the seller has
duplicate items for sale.

If you accept this offer, you will be able to exchange Feedback with
the seller and will be eligible for eBay services associated with a
transaction, such as fraud protection.

This offer expires _______________. To purchase this
item, click the "Buy It Now" button located at the bottom of the
following page..."

newbiecollector

coinmickey
I don't pretend to be an experienced eBayer but.....2nd chance is normal. It is available to sellers that have multiple items of the same type.
If you are still interested in your "missed" auction then ask for a new price the seller wants.

MadMuffin

This has happened to me a few times as well. It seems to be a fairly new invention - the first time I got such an offer was about two months ago. In the beginning I was worried that it was some kind of scam but it turned out not to be - I got my coin when I reacted to it

However, it could probably be abused by some of those clever people who steal user names and access codes, so it's a good idea to be a little careful here.

Marcel

newbiecollector

Marcel,
This is an offer on eBay to a seller. If you have multiple lots or if you get no winning bids on your offer (minimum bid not reached), you can do this as a seller with a clik ....

If it comes from the original seller's auction (name and ID) then I would have no problem at all.

If comes from another then that is against eBay rules and I would avoid it like the plague!

cacheman

It can also be offered if the original deal isn't struck (no pay bidder) or the item is returned from the winning bidder. As mentioned, it is a service provided from ebay to assist you in selling your item without having to go through another auction time period or paying for a listing fee. They aren't doing this out of the kindness of their heart however, as they charge the seller the value fee on the sale price.

I have used it on occasion when I have multiple items and the winning bid and next highest bid are nearly the same.

Askari

It's legit and has been around for most of the year. I always insist on a fresh scan of the new item before I consider it, though. Sometimes the second item has been nicer than the original. Usually, though, if I have an established relationship with a seller, he will contact me directly about having another and we work out an acceptable price. This avoids the fees and I usually get at least a slightly better deal.

0john0

As people have said, second chances are common, but

If the bids went like this Winning bidder $39.00
Your bid $35.00
Next highest bid $ 29.00

Then you only need to pay $30, because when you negate the winning bidder who did not pay, one bid increment above the next highest bidder is $30. The seller could make the claim that there would have been people who would have bid $31 or $32 that did not get recognised due to your higher bid of $35, so you could agree to pay your max bid of $35, but there is no reason to every pay higher than you original max bid!!

hope this helps.
-john