"Transfer fee" although account push is possible? Ebay question..

[beatz]

So i've won the auction on a domain at ebay.
After the auction was over i noticed the auction says $15 transfer fee in the small print.So far my fault for not noticing earlier.
But the name is registered at registerfly so i told the seller no transfer fee applies as he can easily push the name into my registerfly account - he still insists on the transfer fee.
What to do?
I feel cheated.

 

[bidawinner]

"So far my fault for not noticing earlier"

I think that sums it up..

But..Yep the guys a sleaze charging a transfer free when it isnt costing anythin to "transfer" ...

If the domains worth it I wouldnt worry about..I would pay and leave a note in HIS ebay feedback !

 

[RON2]

There's no reason to feel cheated. People regularly charge fees for their services, and even make profits.

eNom doesn't charge a transfer fee because there is zero human intervention required and they choose not to. As a reseller, at the bare minimum you have to manually initiate the transfer in some form or another, so you have the right to charge a fee for that service.

There's nothing dishonest about charging a transfer fee at eBay, as long as it is clearly mentioned in the auction ad. Let the market determine whether or not the public will still buy from you.

 

[Smith]

This makes for good reading:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-circumventing.html

 

[RON2]

Originally posted by Smith
This makes for good reading:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-circumventing.html

Good reading but irrelevant. $15 is not an "unreasonable" handling fee. If you want to talk about "unreasonable", how about the $200 fee Register.Com charges for an ownership transfer? Even with Verisign, the world's biggest registrar, an ownership transfer will still cost you minimum $40.

 

[Tippy]

I charge an Admin/Finders fee on all my eBay Auctions, clearly noted in listing, sleazy me

Mike

 

[Smith]

To do a push takes a minute at the most, to approve a transfer takes less than 30 sec, and these times are on the slower side of things. Charging a $15 "transfer fee" to do that is excessive in my books.

imo if you are going to slide in an extra fee for a "transfer" you should word your auction correctly like:

"This auction is for the right to the name and does not include the registration fee of $(actual reg fee) which will be added on to the final selling price"

Or you should renew the name for a year.

 

[Tippy]

True, only takes seconds to make the transfer but what about the time it took to aquire/find the name.

Many people spend hours going through the drop lists and verifing the availability of each Domain.

Thats why I use the " Finders Fee " term.

Mike

 

[beatz]

The point is, apparently in this case the "transfer fee" does *not* mean "additional year of registration" but just $15 for nothing.
Plus the sleazeweasel did not include the transfer fee part in his auction description but only in the terms of payment (top right corner of the auction page).
His auction desciption did not mention it.
Would not have bid on the name if i would have been aware of that fee.

 

[RON2]

Originally posted by Smith
...you should word your auction correctly like:

"This auction is for the right to the name and does not include the registration fee of $(actual reg fee) which will be added on to the final selling price"

This is too ambiguous and would only create confusion. (How can you sell a domain where the registration fee isn't paid already? What if the domain is a month away from expiration, do I pay this and it gets registered another year?)

Why not just call it what it is -- a transfer fee -- and make sure it's clearly listed in the auction description so the bidder can make an informed decision as to bid or not. It's not a crime to charge for your services.

 

[beatz]

Originally posted by -RJ-


and make sure it's clearly listed in the auction description so the bidder can make an informed decision as to bid or not.

I agree.
But in this case it was hidden in the terms of payment so i didn't notice it.
And i think the guy did not include it in the description itself on purpose.
Btw - as it says "transfer fee" it should only apply for...transfers.
In this case the name will be *pushed* - so the fee should not apply as no transfer is taking place.

 

[RON2]

That stinks! I've done the same thing bidding on other auctions for goods where the shipping fee was double what I would wanted to pay. Bottom line is you're liable for it, even though that shipping costs box is easy to miss.

With domains names on eBay, it's doubly important to list the transfer fees in the auction description, because there is so much variety between reselllers. It's not required that he do this, but it does sound as if the seller may have been trying to sneak that fee in there. Not much you can do now though except not buy from the guy again.

 

[GiantDomains]

You have not been cheated, you just did not read the fine print.

Haven't you ever bought anything online, paid shipping and handling of, say $12.00, but the shipping is only $5.50. The handling is the balance.

The handling is just that...the handling. Time, materials, etc... In this case, time.

I don't like to pay it either, but it's Perfectly legal.

 

[GiantDomains]

Sorry beatz, I just read it was "hidden". I hope the name is worth it

 

[beatz]

Again - a *transfer* fee should only apply if a *transfer* takes place, that's why it's called "transfer fee" and not "service fee" or "handling fee".
Well as said in this case a transfer will not happen, only a push.
And not sure yet if the name is worth the hassle at all..

 

[DrWho]

Originally posted by beatz
So i've won the auction on a domain at ebay.
After the auction was over i noticed the auction says $15 transfer fee in the small print.So far my fault for not noticing earlier.
But the name is registered at registerfly so i told the seller no transfer fee applies as he can easily push the name into my registerfly account - he still insists on the transfer fee.
What to do?
I feel cheated.

You'll never make that error again...Pay the $15

 

[GiantDomains]

Originally posted by beatz
Again - a *transfer* fee should only apply if a *transfer* takes place, that's why it's called "transfer fee" and not "service fee" or "handling fee".
Well as said in this case a transfer will not happen, only a push.
And not sure yet if the name is worth the hassle at all..

He is transferring ownership to you, that is the transfer. Even if the transfer is free at registerfly, he can add a premium if he wants.

You are obligated to pay :-(

 

[beatz]

Uh in the (domain related)common sense the "transfer" in "transfer fee" means transfering the name from one registrar to a different one.Not transfer of ownership
Although it's hidden in the payment details area i would agree to pay him the 15 bucks if that was the case and his registrar would charge a fee to let the domain transfer out or anything.
But that's not the case.
Anyway - if i'll decide the name is worth it, i'll pay the $15 fee if not i'll tell the sucker to get lost.

 

[beatz]

Wow - after arguing with the guy about the fee and telling him i will make up my mind (his payment details also said 5 days time to paypal him) he just wrote me an email saying he has relisted it and has blocked me from re-bidding on it.
That should be a violation of ebays policies as he allowed 5 days for payment and today is just the second day.

 

[GiantDomains]

So problem solved.