On-Line Auction Purchase Fiasco!

[taco]

Few months ago my cousin who lives in California was on one of the on-line auction sites and found a spare mag for his Steyr GB. He bidded on it and won it for decent price. Problem is that the description on the aution site showed it as 10 round factory mag for 9mm Steyr GB pistol but nobody ever made 10 round mag for GB pistols. Unfortunately he didn't know this when he bid on it.

He is now stuck because he can't purchase mags that hold more than 10 rounds and the guy who sold him the mag is leaving him a lot of nasty messages. My cousin e-mailed him to confirm that this is 10 round mag and not the standard mag which holds 18 rounds but he won't reply.

He was thinking about contacting the ATF and setting this guy up but I talked him out of that idea.

What a mess!

 

[blades67]

Have the guy send me the magazine and have your cousin send me the GB. I'll hold onto them, for safe keeping, and your cousin can come by to shoot it when ever he likes.

 

[Tecolote]

If the ad said it was a ten round magazine and your cousin bid in good faith, then he's in the right. He should contact the auction site and explain to them that the seller is using bait and switch with the mag.

 

[HandgunShooter]

what will happen if your cousin does actually go through with the purchase? Will the shipping agency intercept it?

 

[Handy]

I don't understand the problem here: He hasn't payed for it and the owner hasn't shipped it. Ebay doesn't have a police force. At the very worst he'll get some bad feedback, which he can prevent by threatening the same. There is no legal contract here. Block sender and move on.

On the other hand, your cousin is a bonehead for thinking an 18 round pistol that was made in the '80s would have 10 round mags made for it. The advertiser was forced by Ebay rules to advertise it that way-look at all the G3 magazine ads for 10 rd. German surplus.



I've told a couple people to get stuffed after I won an auction when more description created a conflict with what I thought I was bidding on. I do not yet have a bounty on my head.