27th June 2007
eBay sold on eBay in administrative error
eBay |
Speaking to reporters as he began to pack up his belongings at the firms' former headquarters in San Jose, USA, Mr Omidyar blamed himself for entering his firm as an item to be sold when processing the latest batch of invoices.
Alice
"I was working late on Friday processing what I thought were invoices to customers. However, in one, rather than submitting a bill to a seller, I had in fact clicked incorrectly and without realising it, eBay was up for sale on my own site," the red-faced former chairman told reporters.
"In fact, I did not even notice I had put it up for sale, although in retrospect I ought to have spotted that the process seemed a bit different."
Alice
It was not until winning bidder FatBoyCouldSlim2000 contacted Mr Omidyar to arrange the transfer to his home in Alice Springs, Australia, that eBay realised that there was a problem.
"I thought that I could fob him off by demanding a ridiculously high postage fee, but unfortunately I had put it down as 'free p&p'," a glum Mr Omidyar bemoaned.
Looking to cancel the transaction, the Paris-born entrepreneur contacted his own customer service team, only to be told that his bid was legally binding and he could not go back on his word.
Who the fuck is Alice
Mr Omidyar admitted that he was tempted to ignore the seller, but when the payment was accepted via PayPal, he admitted that he was at risk of fraud and being banned from his own site.
The move is due to take place in seven to 28 working days, depending on whether eBay opts for 1st class or 2nd class postage.
Alice
"I was working late on Friday processing what I thought were invoices to customers. However, in one, rather than submitting a bill to a seller, I had in fact clicked incorrectly and without realising it, eBay was up for sale on my own site," the red-faced former chairman told reporters.
"In fact, I did not even notice I had put it up for sale, although in retrospect I ought to have spotted that the process seemed a bit different."
Alice
It was not until winning bidder FatBoyCouldSlim2000 contacted Mr Omidyar to arrange the transfer to his home in Alice Springs, Australia, that eBay realised that there was a problem.
"I thought that I could fob him off by demanding a ridiculously high postage fee, but unfortunately I had put it down as 'free p&p'," a glum Mr Omidyar bemoaned.
Looking to cancel the transaction, the Paris-born entrepreneur contacted his own customer service team, only to be told that his bid was legally binding and he could not go back on his word.
Who the fuck is Alice
Mr Omidyar admitted that he was tempted to ignore the seller, but when the payment was accepted via PayPal, he admitted that he was at risk of fraud and being banned from his own site.
The move is due to take place in seven to 28 working days, depending on whether eBay opts for 1st class or 2nd class postage.
