i have purchased vehicles thru ebay.
i would not have (and may not again) under the new rules!

oh, well i was gonna post a link to the "new" rules,
but it seems all their rules are now in java, and wont link.

it all pertains to bidding on items with a set "reserve"
and how proxy bids function now on reserve items.

just be sure to be aware of new ebay bidding rules.

eBay has learned from members who use the eBay Motors marketplace that there are unique needs when buying and selling vehicles in the auction environment. To accommodate these needs, the rules used for bidding on reserve price auction listings in Motors vehicles categories have been changed.Vehicle categories include Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, and Other Vehicles on eBay Motors.

The new logic will affect bids that are placed below the reserve price. Previously, if a member placed a bid that was below the seller’s reserve price, the proxy system would apply, and the bid would be matched against other bids on the item. For example, if bids of $1,000 and $2,000 were placed on an item with a $10,000 reserve, the current price would have been displayed as $1,025.

Starting today, the highest bid below the reserve will become the current price of the item, regardless of other bids. In the previous example, under the new rules the current price of the auction would now be $2,000. As always, however, the reserve must still be met for the auction to end successfully.

This change to the bidding system on eBay Motors is designed to make bidding on vehicles easier and improve the overall vehicle auction experience. For a more detailed explanation of the new rules, and to see other examples of how they will work

__________________
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/imag...e_steering.gif
1998 C43 ///AMG
1999 C230 Custom 5-Speed Manual

do you work for ebay? sell vehicles for ebay? it sounds like!

the new rule sux! it takes away the whole "proxy" concept and doesnt allow for bidder prodding and testing the water to get a feel for serious bidders without fully revealing your "hand".

if your a seller, im sure your very happy with the changes.

Actually, I think it's a really good idea. What if you place a maximum bid that's above the reserve price but no one else matches it? Under the "old" system, if the auction was below the reserve price and the minimum bid the proxy system puts in is below the reserve price and no one else bids, you lose the auction, even though you indicated that you were willing to pay an amount above the reserve price. The seller may make an offer, but they may also assume that you didn't want to pay anywhere near the reserve price and thus won't try.

Given that with most vehicle sales, the seller wants to get a minimum price for it, I think this new setup makes it more likely that that will happen.

Just my $.02

Now you cant do a proxy bid in the last few minutes and win anymore because you will end up paying more than you wanted.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.