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Need Unusual Advice...

L

LoneGman

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I've heard of auction buyers not buying, not sellers not selling?! I bid, and won, on an auction for a DP G4 1.42 MDD on another Mac website which will remain nameless. The seller wasn't a "n00b", or anything like that, he'd been around the website for awhile; I even got a chance to talk over the phone with the guy selling it, since he lives really close. However, since winning the auction, I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy. It ended three days ago, and I'm bummed... That was going to be my first Mac! 🙁 Is there anything anyone would suggest that I do, or is there even anything that I can do? Sorry for dumping this on you all, but you can understand how this makes me, a dyed-in-the-wool Switcher, feel... Any advice will be welcomed gladly. 🙂

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
P: 818-825-5448
E: michael@reuvenharris.com
 
I've been for looking for some information on fraud protection, or a bit of contact info, but no luck yet... Thanks for the suggestion, though. 🙂

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
If you are unable to complete the purchase due to the seller refusing to return your phone calls and/or e-mails right now, and the buyer lives close by -- make sure you complete the sale in-person and can pick the machine up the second you hand over the money.

People who bend over backwards before the sale then start dragging their feet once they have got you hooked don't really send out the best vibes. This is usually the operating mode of people running frauds, but they're usually smart enough to go silent after they grab the money.
 
Maybe he doesn't want to sell to you because you won the auction for so little. You are the one who got a DP 1.42GHz G4 for only $1300, right? Since the machine is worth at least $700-800 more, he probably is going to try to get more for it somewhere else. But that's really his fault for not putting a reserve on the auction, not yours. You didn't go through eBay, though (which has buyer protection) so I'm not sure there's much you can do about it.
 
I completely agree with that! My original plan was to pay in cash, so no problems there... 😉 He's just got to return my calls first. 😀

-- Michael Bankston
 
jamdr: Yep, that was me... See, the thing is, I'm even more than willing to give him MORE than I won it for, since quite frankly, I'd feel bad if he gave it to me for $1201. 😉 Bad karma, doncha know. I just need a Mac. And last time I checked, 1 was still more than 0. 🙄 Hehe...

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
You can always get a little more forward with the legal process. If you have an email address or *especially* a mailing address, send a notice on fake letter head advising him to complete the transaction. I once did that with a fake lawyer name and buddy's return mailing info. Once the guy got the notice of "pending legal action" - he couldn't complete the transaction fast enough!! Maybe a little shady, but it can work as a LAST resort. 😛
 
Actually, truth be told, I do have access to a pretty good attorney, if it comes to that... I give him marketing advice, he helps me with legal matters. 😉 Obviously, I'd rather not, but I really want this Mac, and I did win fair and square. 😀

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
that is pretty shifty. if he wanted more money, he should have set some sort of reserve or started the bidding higher. if he's fishing it out from under you, there must be something illegal about that, especially since you won an auction that presumably has some sort of terms that must be adhered to.

anyway, hopefully he will start talking to you, and let you know something good about this whole deal.
 
BDM: Thanks, good advice all around... Also, the "Buy It" price that he set (similar to eBay's "Buy It Now", of course) was still only $1800, and you know as well as I do that a lot of auctions, regardless of where they're held, never get up that high. He also had mentioned including a 17" LCD Studio Display for $400 more, which I thought was more than reasonable, and was considering purchasing on top on the tower. 🙂

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
By the way, if you're curious, there was only two bids in the auction. There was quite a few inquiries about it on the forum (and were answered by him), but only two people actually bid.

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
Three days doesn't constitute fraudulent activity. I won an auction one time that I didn't get a response until 5 days later. The persons email went down, then she had a terrible flu. You should start to worry after about 7 days. Not everyone that has an auction is a dedicated customer service person...it may be that this person is just busy beyond belief. Give it a few more days and see what happens.
 
That's fine as well, I'm flexible... 😀 I think the reason I'm just so anxious is 1) I'm getting my first Mac, hello?! 😉 and 2) I'm actually selling this computer to help pay for the other one, since I don't really need two. I'd hate to be stuck without one, though. 🙂

-- Michael Bankston, AKA "LoneGman"
 
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