Online Auction items Don't Exist? company labelling themselves "gamages of London"

[gibbo1969]

I have regularly purchased items off auction sites and never had any real issues. However I've hit a problem with an online auction and not sure how I stand with this.

 

The auction was online. No physical auction took place and there was no facility to view the goods before hand ( I'll get into more detail about this in a moment ). I would also point out that the auction house clearly say a seller is someone who has consigned goods to them to sell. GIven the goods have never been in their posession at all, and I was not able to view the items, then surely the terms and conditions of the auction house become invalid because the fact they don't have hte goods means their definition of a seller doesn't apply.

 

The listing were for watches by a company labelling themselves "gamages of London". Upon checking the name out, there was a website, and very professional it was too. 

 

I bid on three items which were all successful. All the items were listed as NEW and offered a 5 year manufacturers warranty.

 

The auctioneer sent me a request to pay, which said "click here to pay" however the link did not exist and the only option was to pay via bank transfer. i requested an online payment method, but the amended link still didn't work so I paid by bank transfer. As is normal for auction houses they will send you delivery details upon payment. 

 

After I had paid they send me delivery instructions and this is when I started to get worried. They said I had to contact the seller so he could arrange the delivery. So they never physically had the items in their posession ( which isn't in itself unusual ). However, the contact number for the seller was a mobile number, which guess what.. didn't work,. I have attempted to email them but had no response. 

 

It now transpires that the company that makes the products doesn't actually exist. They claim to be manufacturers however when you delve into the ins and outs, its a one man show who has produced a website claiming to be a company, selling the items which I have no idea if they even exist or not.

 

The auction house have the money. The seller has the goods. However, I have no idea what my course of action should be given I cannot contact the seller, and what if any recourse do I have against the auction house if the goods don't arrive or as I suspect, they are basically cheap items falsely advertised on a website set up by the seller. 

 

What am I able to do about it. I have paid over £500 to the auction house and now I have a horrible feeling I've lost the money.. Lesson learned I suppose, but is there anything I can do, and am I covered by any consumer protection.