Ah, the seemingly infinite human energy to be upset because someone got something we didn’t. I have to wonder when in our evolutionary history this was ingrained. Somewhere there was a band of primitive apes who were really, really prone to sour grapes. Maybe hey were literal grapes...who knows?

From a legal perspective, Zos can’t really take back the homes they accidentally sold. Under U.S. law, there are certain conditions that constitute a contract, which once conducted offer the seller and buyer the rights to retain the transaction.

In this case a merchant (Zos) offered a product for sale at a certain price. Several customers thought it was a good price and “asked” Zos to sell it to them...in this case by putting it in the cart and checking out. Zos accepted money. Transaction complete, the buyers have a legal right to the item at that price.

The fact that the transaction was automated doesn’t make a difference. It’s Zos’s responsibility to maintain their storefront. They could, I suppose, try to void those sales, and most buyers would probably let that go with minimal fuss. But if a buyer wanted to make a legal claim, they have a right to the item at the low price. Note...Zos could, of course, have rejected the sale at pointof purchase. If I find a toaster marked at 12 cents instead of 12 dollars, a cashier can refuse the sale BEFORE accepting money. But once cash has hanged hands, it’s done.