Ending auctions on the last day? What a pet peeve!

[gameusedbat.com]

Hey guys....

...recently there was a '71 Killebrew game used bat... no real Killebrew use characteristics, nothing written on the knob, etc. offered by 'Calvin' at "theballpark" on eBay.

On day 2, I contacted him asking him if he would do Buy It Now because the bat was so low. Well, he insulted me immediately with a stutter saying "I sold this bat for 7900 two years ago on eBay, its going to the highest bidder." Fair enough, if you say so. Or, NOT!

Well, here is the auction number on eBay: 310156164233 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310156164233&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT)

I told this guy he was pretty clueless for pissing off so many people like that, and he went off the deep end. I'm a liar, I'm a hypocrit, I tried to Buy the bat what a snake for trying to get it, etc. etc. THEN, Calvin gets very defensive after I reported him to eBay for his practices... THEN, he has the nerve to try to sell me the bat off eBay for 5x the bid price! Look at the email:

"I am very sorry, but I decided if the bat was not at least at or near the price I paid for it, I could not risk losing money on it. Tell me you would not have the same concern. I simply want a fair price for this bat. I don't blame you for being mad. I would be mad too if I wanted something and the seller ended the auction early. But I ended the auction when it was at $605.00. I sold this same bat 2 yrs. ago for $7,900.00. I bought this bat based on that sale of that bat. No where near that amount but a substatial amount non the less. If I can re-coup the money I paid for this bat I will sell it to you at $2,750.00. Insured PP. I have it priced in my shop at $3,995.00. Others have asked about it too. The first to offer this amount will be the new owner of this great bat. Best wishes, Calvin at The Ballpark "

It does not end.... after revealing to Calvin that my friends in the industry have also had problems with him, a day went by.... and I thought it was over until in my inbox comes the worst yet from Calvin... ready for this?

"Funny how in the first sentence you say I will NEVER recieve your business and in the next sentence you demand I relist the bat so you can bid it. You've been on E-Bay long enough to know that once an auction has bids you cannot add a "Buy it now" to the auction. You must first cancel all bids. Then end the auction (Just as I did) and start it over with a "buy it now" price. But I guess if it works for you, then it's OK. This makes you a lier and a hypocrite who will say anything just to get what he wants. You said you spoke with others who said I have done this before. Another lie. This was a first for me. I will contact my E-Bay Power seller manager of 10 years and see what he thinks about your tactics and harrassing one of there top power sellers. In the future You may want to rethink who you harrass and insult before you go there. Don't write back. I'm done waisting time with you"

I can't believe this guy actually thinks that after lying to me, breaking eBay rules, treating me like dirt, and pretty much causing trouble with me at mercy I would do business with him! I don't want to hear from this guy ever again!!!!!!!!!!! What a waste.... he did the same move on the Killebrew with the barrel missing a while back on eBay!!!!!!

Anyone else have horror stories about this character Calvin at theballpark in MN? Was any one else watching this bat? Post your 'auction ending early' troubles of the past and I'd love to hear... what a jerk this Calvin!

[spartakid]

No stories, but clearly a poor speller: waisting and lier.......:p

[chakes89]

If he sold it 2 years ago why does he still have it?

[Vintagedeputy]

No stories, but clearly a poor speller: waisting and lier.......:p

You mean liar? :) and what's a "waisting" ?

Not trying to pick on you, just thought it was funny...

[spartakid]

You mean liar? :) and what's a "waisting" ?

Not trying to pick on you, just thought it was funny...

Yes, that's what I'm saying he (the seller of the bat) misspelled liar:lier and wasting:waisting in his responses, I am insulted you would think so little of my spelling abilities Vintage;)

[staindsox]

This seller does this regularly. You can report them here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-reserve.html

I have actually seen sellers banned for this, so it is worth the 10 seconds to turn him in.

Chris

[spartakid]

Hey guys....

...recently there was a '71 Killebrew game used bat... no real Killebrew use characteristics, nothing written on the knob, etc. offered by 'Calvin' at "theballpark" on eBay.

On day 2, I contacted him asking him if he would do Buy It Now because the bat was so low. Well, he insulted me immediately with a stutter saying "I sold this bat for 7900 two years ago on eBay, its going to the highest bidder." Fair enough, if you say so. Or, NOT!

Well, here is the auction number on eBay: 310156164233 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310156164233&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT)

This is what I'm talking about

I told this guy he was pretty clueless for pissing off so many people like that, and he went off the deep end. I'm a liar, I'm a hypocrit, I tried to Buy the bat what a snake for trying to get it, etc. etc. THEN, Calvin gets very defensive after I reported him to eBay for his practices... THEN, he has the nerve to try to sell me the bat off eBay for 5x the bid price! Look at the email:

"I am very sorry, but I decided if the bat was not at least at or near the price I paid for it, I could not risk losing money on it. Tell me you would not have the same concern. I simply want a fair price for this bat. I don't blame you for being mad. I would be mad too if I wanted something and the seller ended the auction early. But I ended the auction when it was at $605.00. I sold this same bat 2 yrs. ago for $7,900.00. I bought this bat based on that sale of that bat. No where near that amount but a substatial amount non the less. If I can re-coup the money I paid for this bat I will sell it to you at $2,750.00. Insured PP. I have it priced in my shop at $3,995.00. Others have asked about it too. The first to offer this amount will be the new owner of this great bat. Best wishes, Calvin at The Ballpark "

It does not end.... after revealing to Calvin that my friends in the industry have also had problems with him, a day went by.... and I thought it was over until in my inbox comes the worst yet from Calvin... ready for this?

"Funny how in the first sentence you say I will NEVER recieve your business and in the next sentence you demand I relist the bat so you can bid it. You've been on E-Bay long enough to know that once an auction has bids you cannot add a "Buy it now" to the auction. You must first cancel all bids. Then end the auction (Just as I did) and start it over with a "buy it now" price. But I guess if it works for you, then it's OK. This makes you a lier and a hypocrite who will say anything just to get what he wants. You said you spoke with others who said I have done this before. Another lie. This was a first for me. I will contact my E-Bay Power seller manager of 10 years and see what he thinks about your tactics and harrassing one of there top power sellers. In the future You may want to rethink who you harrass and insult before you go there. Don't write back. I'm done waisting time with you"

I can't believe this guy actually thinks that after lying to me, breaking eBay rules, treating me like dirt, and pretty much causing trouble with me at mercy I would do business with him! I don't want to hear from this guy ever again!!!!!!!!!!! What a waste.... he did the same move on the Killebrew with the barrel missing a while back on eBay!!!!!!

Anyone else have horror stories about this character Calvin at theballpark in MN? Was any one else watching this bat? Post your 'auction ending early' troubles of the past and I'd love to hear... what a jerk this Calvin!






This is what Im talking about

[Tay1038]

I feel obligated to chime in on this one. First and foremost I’m neutral with this whole situation between gameusedbat.com and Calvin @ The Ballpark. Both in my opinion are great individuals. In my experience - I have dealt with Calvin a few times in the past – all in which were not associated with eBay. Everything always turned out to be an A+ transaction with no hassle. He has always been trustworthy with me and a joy to deal with.

On the other hand I do not agree with his decision to re-list the 1971 Killebrew gamer with intent to cancel the auction again. He should have just posted it as a Buy-it-Now with a chance to “Best Offer”. The man clearly made a mistake but is it worth slandering him on the forum? It’s not like he ripped anyone off? Lets be honest with ourselves - I’m sure the majority of us have canceled an item before for the same reason.

In my opinion this should have been concluded privately instead of using the forum as a venting post. I think gameusedbat did the right thing to report the auction but made a poor choice to single someone out like that. It’s just blowing the issue further then it should go. Report man, let him receive his warning and leave it alone. If he decides to do it again – maybe a different story, nevertheless, lesson learned.

[cordovacollector]

I am very shocked and sorry to read this.

While it might be true, I have to take a stand to say what I know about Calvin. He has been a premier seller in Mpls for at least 20-25 years, if not more. When I first got to know him, he was on Excellsior and when they did the big revitalization of that area he moved down to Apple Valley on Hwy 42.

He was for all those years the only one I knew I could trust as far as information about anything he had or that I had. He sold me a lot over the years (wish I still had it) and I sold a few things to him. He always made fair deals and fair trades and honest prices.

He's a young family man with a great reputation. And, yes, he has a stutter, but what does that have to do with anything? He's set up at Twins Fest for years and I would guess does some of the best business there.

Something doesn't sound right here. But I don't know the whole story. All I know is Calvin is a very fine man and I would trust him on anything.

[gameusedbat.com]

Tay and Cordova collector,

If the matter was simply an ended auction, this would have not been an issue. The problem here was a bit deeper. The problem was that:

(1) he broke eBay rules by enforcing a reserve price auction and listing as a no reserve item

(2) he took it upon himself to tell me that he did in fact illegally remove the bat and re-listed it on Craigs list

(3) this ending auctions early is a regular practice by an eBay seller who otherwise looks like a treat to deal with

(4) name calling is what pushed this thing into overdrive

If Calvin wants to do business by blatantly breaking rules on eBay that is his choice. However, he will have to live with the impact his decisions have had on me. If anything, Calvin lied to ME and everyone else on eBay by removing an item on the final day just because it wasn't going great.

However, I would have never brought this to the forum if it wasn't such a clear case of bad eBay practices, bad business practices, and most importantly horrible customer service. I think he may have gotten offended by how different the market is on Killebrew bats, but no need to call me a hypocrite and a liar over it.

I emailed the seller and gave him a fair chance to list the item back on eBay without bringing this to the attention of eBay. His defensive attack as a response and then trying to sell me a Killebrew after all this?!?!? No chance.

I am sure with his 100% feedback and 12000+ rating he is great at delivering a product when his item sells for what he wants. However, Calvin needs to start letting all auctions end not just the ones that are going well. Otherwise, put a reserve price on the auction!

Most importantly, these are baseball bats guys. Human beings will always be way important to me. I would never treat a customer the way he did to me. Just my 2 cents...

Cheers

[Vintagedeputy]

Yes, that's what I'm saying he (the seller of the bat) misspelled liar:lier and wasting:waisting in his responses, I am insulted you would think so little of my spelling abilities Vintage;)

ahhhh, now I get it. I thought it was odd that you spelled the words that way. Guess I missed something in the translation. :)

[ndevlin]

This bat has been on CL for months. Found it odd he listed it on Ebay without a reserve. His asking price on CL was quite a bit. Its now on there for $3,000.

[suicide_squeeze]

gameusedbat.com,

I am curious about something....

This guy Calvin listed a bat, the sale wasn't going well, and you are upset with him for ending the auction early?

It's his bat, partner. I understand that the way he listed it was foolish, as there was always the chance that the sale may not go well, but after all, it is his bat to do as he wishes with.

Is it your position that since he listed it for .99 and it was really cheap (in your opinion), that he ruined your opportunity of stealing a great bat for small change?

I have no opinion whatsoever on this guy, as I have no knowledge or experience with him whatsoever, but I do feel he has a right to end an auction of a valuable like this if he feels it's not going to reach a level close to what he paid for it. Would I have listed it that way?......NO, but that's just me. The bat is not pristene, so he should have known he might be disappointed with the bids......but you never know til the end. He wasn't willing to take that chance obviously.

On the other hand, if this is a practice of his, and he abuses the listing rules by continually doing this.....then I see your point. But the bat is still his until death, or the right amount of money, does him part.


This is yet another reason why I don't deal on ebay anymore.....just too many silly issues, constantly, relentlessly......endlessly.

Have I mentioned lately that I hate ebay?

[fredgarvin]

I agree with you SS. Seller may have not used a reserved to avoid the mounting seller fees Ebay charges. Everytime you capitalize a word there seems to be a fee. Although a rule is a rule and if Ebay would like to enforce it, I understand. I don't know why the potential buyer didn't take up the sellers offer through emails to agree on a price. I have listed items that potential sellers offered rediculous offers... And I had a reserve and was playing buy the rules. And when the auction ended and my reserve was not met, the fees still came. Not complaining I obviously new that going in. I guess it works both way. If the market allows items to go higher the seller makes out and if the seller really needs the $ the buyer makes out. I've benifited on both ends. So has everyone else. I guess that's why they call it an auction

[BorchertField]

I'm with gameusedbat.com. Contracts are contracts, and if what he says is true then Calvin violated his.

I'm not a fan of eBay's policies, so I don't sell much stuff there. But bidders and sellers alike need to trust that those policies will be followed. Trust is what makes the place run. So yes, at the very least he ought to be reported to eBay, and if he regularly breaks their policies he might well deserve to be suspended.

Bidders don't get to decide at a whim that they've changed their minds about winning bids. If they don't pay, they face the consequences. How is what Calvin apparently did any different?

[sylbry]

I agree, he is irritating. The seller has done this multiple times. I don't even pay attention to his listings because what is the point. If he doesn't like the price with a day to go he will remove the listing. Just use a reserve already.

And yes, he spams Craigslist with ads for his store, that bat, and a suspect Babe Ruth autograph. But it comes with his own LOA. I remember he once advertised his own autograph authentication service on Craigslist.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/clt/1284843232.html

[jppopma]

Beyond irritating. I pick and chose what to bid on and try to keep everything within budget. I have often passed on other jersyes to bid higher on one that ends up being ended and cancelled. The sad thing is that often I would have bid much higher than what it was going at...just prefer to wait til the end or snipe.

[suicide_squeeze]

I agree, he is irritating. The seller has done this multiple times. I don't even pay attention to his listings because what is the point. If he doesn't like the price with a day to go he will remove the listing. Just use a reserve already.

And yes, he spams Craigslist with ads for his store, that bat, and a suspect Babe Ruth autograph. But it comes with his own LOA. I remember he once advertised his own autograph authentication service on Craigslist.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/clt/1284843232.html


That pretty much explains it all.

ANY dealer in this stuff that has been doing this for years has durtied their hands offing bad stuff they "purchased" somewhere along the line. NO ONE is clean. I have seen it over and over and over.

But Calvin takes it a step further.

If this dude is offering his own "authentication service"........well, it's time to say goodnight Wilma. He's an "expert" in his own mind......and that, folks, is a serious conflict of interest, not to mention running amuck in the infamoursly unregulated world of autographs. Somewhere down the line, as he chats with his next unsuspecting unknowledgeable victim.....er...... client.......he then probally slaps a rating on the poor soul based on just how much (he can pick up on) that that collector DOESN'T know.

And then woo's him with something "so rare and nice".....while he hits them in the head with the 2 x 4 and grabs their wallet.

Boring......Bad News. Count me out, Calvin.

And if you do list items only to end them with a day left if they aren't "performing" to your liking, you should be banned, Calvin.


Have I mentioned lately that I hate ebay?

[suicide_squeeze]

Beyond irritating. I pick and chose what to bid on and try to keep everything within budget. I have often passed on other jersyes to bid higher on one that ends up being ended and cancelled. The sad thing is that often I would have bid much higher than what it was going at...just prefer to wait til the end or snipe.


........which is the proper way to BID if you are wanting something in an auction.

This tool obviously doesn't understand that concept....or just chooses to use the system the way he see's fit. BAD Calvin....BAD!!