ebay dilema

Isn't it annoying when there's something you really want on ebay but you don't trust or feel the seller deserves the business :?

Last night I bid on 'Crank dura ace vintage 170 7400' then noticed that the seller was local to me, so I sent him a message asking if I won the auction could I collect to save the £15!! on postage he was charging, obviously allowing me to bid higher. Well after a string of emails on a par with my 5 years old communication skills it became obvious he wanted me to make an outside offer, when I explained again that I would bid in the auction and if successful would like to collect he replied if I go through with the auction he would only post no collection :?

So what I basically take from that is if I make a high enough cash offer I can come and collect them otherwise I go through with the auction (which I was planning to) but can't collect them and have to pay over the odds for postage.

I retracted my bid and decided to leave him to it but now I can't help feeling either:
a. I'm being a bit over sensitive and should have just kept my head down and bid what I was prepared to.
or:
b. He's a bit of a knob and retracting my bid was right and I should maybe report him for trying to solicit outside deals as well.

Any views to help put my mind at rest?

Worth adding he's selling a whole 7400 groupset separately in good nick with low starting prices, most of it finishes tomorrow, don't bother asking to collect unless you're going to make a cash offer first.

He sounds like a bit of a tool tbh, and the sort that gives ebay sellers a bad name. Move on, there's plenty of DA stuff out there!

Tool, yeah I'd say so. here's his final message after I told him I'd retracted my bid.

'Listen leave my auction site good luck thank u.'

Nothing like good manners eh?

Deffo. Report him to ebay just for good measure

Yeah dob him in to the eBay police they absolutely hate it when they think they're losing out. Also no way does it cost £15 to post a crankset so he's probably viewing a tenner of that as clear profit. He needs to be punished for being such a nob

Re:

Move on!
If your intuition tells you not to deal with him, then do that.

Don't report, as you haven't actually been screwed. Reporting would be just petty and in effect reporting him for being a tool. There's plenty tools out there in all our lives. "Getting back" at them just to "win" says as much about you as him (assuming you do report him)

just my opinion ...

Sounds to me like he's trying to sell his kit not give it away. £10 reserve plus £15 postage is £25....
Sounds pretty fair for dura ace cranks.
Still time to bag them cheap as no ones bidding

If the total including postage is still a reasonable price, then just buy them and leave him the lowest rating in the postage costs star rating

Re:

Ah, what the heck I'll leave him to it like my initial gut reaction. Yeah £25 would be cheap if they go for that, tbh I would have bid much higher too as they look good but I'm sure a more credible seller will come along soon enough.
It's true reporting someone for being a bit of a dickhead is pointless so I won't do that, he lost my potential business already. I guess a bit of the old Red mist (or whatever they call it) came down after his string of pathetic private messages.
At the end of the day if someone wants to make profit from the postage cost then just set a higher price for what you want and offer as buy it now instead of asking 'what u offering ' when people make enquiries about collection. chancer

Cheers for the opinions guys

Re:

Postage with signed for delivery isnt cheap these days but I recon second class should only be a fiver still.
My first thought was that he doesnt want you coming round as its a security risk for him if he has loads of gear but then if he offered it for off ebay collection then it doesnt make sense.
Ebay wont care a damn I have lost count of the amount of crap I have bought of there and had no satisfaction with their complaints dept.
Just buy it if you want it ,maybe through someone elses account so it doesnt give him the satisfaction, maybe send an enquiry to haggle on the postage ?