Transaction cancelled by Sedo

[vincenzo]

Hi,
I am not sure if anyone else has ever had this happen to them.
I recently won a domain at Sedo.com and 1 day later they cancelled it because:

Sedo had to cancel the transaction because the seller made an unintended or fake bid. The seller has been warned and action against him has been taken. You might want to take a legal action against the seller, therefore we have made his contact data available in your sedo contract.

I really wanted this domain, so unsure how best to proceed.

Any previous experience on how best to deal with such a situation?

Many thanks,

- Vince

 

[Ms Domainer]

Hi,
I am not sure if anyone else has ever had this happen to them.
I recently won a domain at Sedo.com and 1 day later they cancelled it because:



I really wanted this domain, so unsure how best to proceed.

Any previous experience on how best to deal with such a situation?

Many thanks,

- Vince

*

About time Sedo put some teeth in its auction platform.


*

 

[Len]

Have you tried contacting the admin on the whois? If you really want the domain you could make an offer direct.

Reading between the lines, it doesn't sound like the seller has been banned from sedo..Maybe the domain will be available for offers again soon??

There is always the legal route but this could be very expensive, especially if the seller is in another country/continent etc.

 

[vincenzo]

I sent an email to the whois registered owner, waiting to hear.
Problem is, due to the fake bid they entered on Sedo, can I trust this person to transfer the domain??

- Vince

 

[Len]

I sent an email to the whois registered owner, waiting to hear.
Problem is, due to the fake bid they entered on Sedo, can I trust this person to transfer the domain??

- Vince

You could try an escrow service.

 

[maximum]

Problem is, due to the fake bid they entered on Sedo, can I trust this person to transfer the domain??

IF the domain is still listed on Sedo, they only were warned. Placing a legit bid is still safe for you, and will not be missinturpreted as a fake bid as these are IP checks. So, go see if it is still listed and resubmit your offer - its still as safe as normal through Sedo. Good luck getting the name :tu:

 

[domainerx]

just bid lower.

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

In post #2, I meant to add that it stinks that YOU (OP) got caught in this trap, but at least you didn't end up buying a shilled purchase.

The escrow idea is a good one; this seller can't be trusted.


*

 

[vincenzo]

IF the domain is still listed on Sedo, they only were warned. Placing a legit bid is still safe for you, and will not be missinturpreted as a fake bid as these are IP checks. So, go see if it is still listed and resubmit your offer - its still as safe as normal through Sedo. Good luck getting the name :tu:

Did a search on Sedo, but it doesn't come up.

I have also replied to Sedo to ask if they are willing to help conclude the sale either at closing price minus the seller's fraudulent bid, or final bid.

Not sure how common this issue may be, but does anyone here have any suggestions for Sedo on how they should handle these situations?

It just doesn't seem fair that the only person to endure loss is the one that didn't do anything wrong!

thanks,

- Vince :td:

 

[Len]

Vince,

Sedo TOS states:

Buyer and Seller agree that Sedo shall not be held responsible for the failure of either party to a purchase and sale agreement to follow through with their obligations under such an agreement, and that Sedo, as the neutral facilitator of the Domain Marketplace, Auction, and associated Services, shall not be subject to any claims arising from the attempted purchase and sale of Domains.

However it goes on as follows:

Sedo will always try to complete the purchase and sale of a Domain. If an agreement has been made over Sedo’s Marketplace or Auction platform, between a Buyer and a Seller, absent new, material information presented to Sedo, or unless the Buyer is claiming breach of contract or anticipatory breach of contract, Sedo will move forward with a domain transaction. If Sedo has received payment from the Buyer and the domain from the Seller, the domain will be forwarded to the Buyer and payment to the Seller accordingly. At that point, the aggrieved party, either Buyer or Seller, would have to initiate a legal process or proceeding against the other party. Both Buyer and Seller agree that Sedo is not responsible or liable in any way for a transaction ending in this manner.


I think your problem is that the domain is not now available on Sedo. This could be because Sedo have removed it or the seller has removed it. Whatever the reason I cannot see Sedo re-opening negotiation on a domain that is currently not in their system, although it would hurt to ask.

IMO the seller probably made a shill bid on the domain to push up the price because they were not happy with the current bids. This would make me believe that they probably were reluctant to sell at your winning bid anyway.

As Sedo gave you the sellers details, have you considered looking for a phone# and calling the seller direct? You would at least get some sort of reply, and it's quicker.

 

[HuntingMoon]

once a seller shows you they are not trustworthy, it is best to shift your efforts to another domain from our experience.

 

[vincenzo]

Had a reply from the seller.
Says although listed on Sedo, he didn't start an auction on it in the first place.

:?

- Vince

 

[BitcoinDK]

Had a reply from the seller.
Says although listed on Sedo, he didn't start an auction on it in the first place.

:?

- Vince

Interesting. How can this be?

Could it be that a former owner of the domain name had it listed and put it to auction?

I have experienced that some domain names I have regged or bought, I have seen it listed at Sedo later on, because some older owner forgot to remove it.

 

[vincenzo]

Here is an update I had from Sedo today:

Hi,
I have investigated case, and it appears the seller's account was hacked, he knew nothing about the bid that was made. He is a trusted customer of ours who has transferred many domains through us in the past.

I appreciate that this is not your fault and apologise again for the inconvenience caused.
Regards,

Shaun

I have also been in communication and remain on good terms with the seller which happens to be someone well know in the domaiin industry, .
Will reveal the name only if he confirms I can.

- Vince