Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler
it would be unreasonable to compel them to risk a lower price than they've already been offered elsewhere.
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There is a quite simple mechanism available to the Seller - the Reserve price. There was apparently a price he was not prepared to go below, as the listing already featured a reserve. If bidding has not yet reached that price and a prospective Buyer contacts him with an offer by phone, the seller would have two choices.
1. Accept that offer, withdraw the item from auction, and never know if any other bidders would have been prepared to pay more (the true "Market Value"), or
2. Raise the Reserve to the level offered by the phone caller and, as a show of genuine interest, invite the caller to submit a bid at that price to secure the item at auction. Other interested bidders could then decide the true market value by bidding higher, or allowing the item to sell at the reserve/phone offer price.
This is especially true in situations where the Seller is not accurately aware of the value or rarity of an item. Believe it or not, there are unscrupulous people out there who will try to hoodwink a seller by trying all sorts of ruses to get them to sell an item below market value before bidding heats up.