If I add an item to my cart while browsing other items,...

[fold_belt_farms]

Is it okay for ebay to let other buyers remove an item from my cart and run to the register with it? 

I had placed the last item a seller had available into my cart. I browsed other items for a couple minutes, then went to check out. With said item still showing in my cart, after clicking " go to check out ", the item had disappeared, only to reappear if going back to cart. I then went to that sellers page and tried to add the item to my cart again, but the item was grayed out, indicating no longer available. I then went back to my cart, where the item still showed present in my cart, but not in the final check out screen (note the final order price did not reflect said item on check out screen).. I removed the item from my cart to see what would happen, going back to the sellers page, the item was still grayed out and no longer available for me to add to my cart again. 

So, I assume what happened is, ebay allowed another buyer to essentially steal my item that was in my cart, and run to the register with it to purchase, without allowing me the option to make the purchase first. Also note how the algorithm did not delete the item from my cart, only on the check out screen. 

IS THAT ACTUALLY WHATS HAPPENING HERE EBAY??? THIS IS DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR>

[fold_belt_farms]

Apologies, if I sound a little quick, or rude in replys. Nothing gets me more than atrocities like this and the public caving to them. I don't want this to happen to others as it happened to me. Thanks for you inputs but everyone saying " oh well others do this" or " its okay to take something from your cart " , Idk how you get through life.

[fold_belt_farms]

Just trying to make ebay a better place, its hard, because they wont hire me

[woodland_gnome]

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@fold_belt_farms wrote:

Comitted to buy? It being in my cart is not commitment? . . .

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No.  It most certainly is NOT.   You can remove any item from your Cart that you have not paid for or otherwise committed to buy (it's there because you won an auction or an offer was accepted, or you "requested a total" for multiple items from the same seller you Added to  Cart). 

Taking a physical something under the immediate control of someone else by force is robbery (which is a crime against the person which does not require that the victim own the item taken).  That is not the same as what is happening here.   Multiple potential buyers can have the same item in their virtual "Cart" (did you even bother reading the part of my post when I told you that the buyer might have had the item in "might have added it to THEIR cart before you did"?) and the first one to successfully checkout (or commit to buy it) is the one who gets it.  The seller can raise the price or end the listing (as can a bricks and mortar store so that when you bring the Cart to physical checkout the price is higher or the item is not for sale).  

Until you have committed to buy the item or paid for it, even the seller doesn't know that is in your Cart (or anyone's Cart, much less another potential buyer who beats you to paying.  

[fold_belt_farms]

I acknowledged that could be the case in my post, and that Ebay is liable for any wrong doings.

[fold_belt_farms]

And yes, it is wrong. You are not correct, immoral maybe, but not correct. A simple timeout function in the developers backend would put a quick end to these issues. But I dont work for free. I will most likely exit ebay soon, I don't appreciate them taking 14% of every one of my sales when they are over 1k each.

[mr_lincoln]

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@fold_belt_farms wrote:

I acknowledged that could be the case in my post, and that Ebay is liable for any wrong doings.

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@fold_belt_farms 

There was no wrong doing on eBay's part.   In similar fashion, on the Offer process we have seen where Buyers try to get just a slightly better price with an additional counter offer only to find out the item sold for the original list price. 

On a few occasions I have had customers message me about an item and by the time they are ready to make their decision to purchase someone else bought the item.

Taking an item out of circulation just because someone puts it in their cart makes no sense.  There is no commitment, just interest.  Purchasing is the commitment.