PlanetCatfish.com

When you win a fish via auction and two show up dead and the other two perish within two days? I feel bad slamming the guy on-line ... On the other hand I'm pissed that the guy doesn't call me back ... Any suggestions?

go and kick his head in , only jokin only do that as a last resort, is there a appeal thnigy with the auction site??. the guy should cum to some aggrement with you other than that resort to rule one.

Kev

It can be a gamble when getting fish at auctions, buyer beware, even with the most well intentioned seller there can be things that they cannot control,I was at an auction a while ago that was so cold in the building people were keeping their coats on, fish were there as well for over six hours just lying out on tables(with no jackets).After, the local forums were kept busy with a string of complaints about weak fish,ick,etc....

Birger

I've never bought any fish on an auction, or sold anything for that matter...

However, as Birger pointed out, there's a lot of stuff the seller can not affect. A professional seller should be able to predict the delivery times and package the fish accordingly, but if it's a private seller, through ignorance, but without intent, not do a perfect job of the delivery/packaging.

What is your best guess on why the fish didn't arrive in perfect condition? How sure are you that it was in a bad way before it was shipped. Even the most perfectly conditioned fish will survive the rigours of being in a bag for too long... If the time it was in the bag was because the delivery company left it laying in one of it's depots for more than expected, then that's not the sellers fault (not saying it's the buyers either...).

Obviously, there's all sorts of reasons why the seller may not get back to you for a few days (holiday/vacation, work out of town, etc), but he/she should definitely reply to you, even if the answer is "no". To not reply is definitely not the right thing.

Buying at an auction is obviously always a little bit of a gamble. Particularly so if the seller is not a "big operation", as it's more likely that inexperience is a factor then.

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Mats

A simple answer for me would be to put a negative feed back. No seller worth his salt will risk a negative feedback. It's like having a 'I've been fired" on your CV.

Ian

Kev, I like idea number one ... You should never resort to violence. But, it certainly feels good when you do ... I decided to let things go. I'll just have to be a little more careful next time

I can understand the reasoning behind "Let it go". However, if you really feel that the seller is at fault, I would agree with Ian (Coryman) in that you should give "bad feedback", as that will "hit where it hurts".

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Mats

Mats, I can see your point of view. This guy was definitely at fault. I ordered 4 fish and 3 showed up dead. Lucky for me the "prize" of the lot (an L-82) is doing fine ... I think for this once I'll let it slide.

I know this sounds awful but the only real way to do it is not buy from auctions, Any seller worth a look at will be happy for a visit from yourself. At least you know what you are getting

I guess this was obvious, hope it doesnt offend.

It took me this long to figure out this was an online auction totally different situation than what I was thinking.
Have to go with what Coryman suggests that's about all you can do.

Birger