Why so many bid retractions? (2024)

FAQs

Why does eBay allow bid retractions? ›

We want to ensure a fair marketplace for all our users, so we only allow bids to be retracted under certain circ*mstances. A bid is a binding contract that's active until an auction-style listing ends or you're outbid. Once you place a bid, you need to pay for the item if you're the winning bidder.

eBay states that a buyer can retract a bid if any of the following apply: The seller has significantly changed the description of an item you've already bid for. You bid the wrong amount accidentally!

To see a bidder's retraction count history (which is what I first thought you were asking about), go to your bidder's feedback page, and select their Feedback as a Buyer tab. Their bid retraction count is listed on the right edge of that page, about halfway down (just above the section showing the feedback comments).

Can I cancel my eBay bid? According to eBay, you're allowed to retract your bid if the seller changed the item description significantly or if you accidentally bid the wrong amount. If more than 12 hours remain in an auction, you can retract all your bids, according to eBay.

Cancelling an eBay Best Offer does not incur a cancellation charge or penalty for the buyer or seller. However, it does count against the total number of offers per item a buyer can submit, which may vary. Some items may also not be eligible for offer cancellation.

As a seller, there are some situations where you can cancel bids that have been placed on your auction-style listings. However, once cancelled, a bid can't be reinstated.

Sellers can cancel your bid although they do not have to. If they let your bid stand and you win you have to pay for the item. If you don't the Seller can cancel on day 5 and your account will get 1 Unpaid item strike that takes 12 months to roll off your account.

A home seller can always reject an offer that they don't think reflects the value of their real property. Even if the offer is above the listing price, the seller has the legal right to deny the offer and accept a higher sale price.

As a seller, you can cancel bids on eBay in the following situations: when you agree to a buyer's request, when the item isn't available anymore, if you made an error in the listing, or if you're concerned the bidder might be fraudulent.

If the bidder has bid on many auctions from the same seller, the bidder may be a shill. Compare this to the bidder's percentage of bids with this specific seller. If the percentage is also high, the bidder may be a shill.

Is shill bidding on eBay illegal? ›

Besides the fact that shill bidding is against eBay policies and is in fact considered a federal crime (felony wire fraud), shill bidding by dishonest sellers results in unsuspecting buyers to having to pay more and the widespread corruption of these cheating sellers results in the loss of integrity and trust that ...

The seller cannot see the hidden maximum of the leading bidder. Not unless it is not hidden and your full bid amount is already used up and the price is showing as less than a full increment over the underbidder's maximum (in which case everyone in the world sees it).

Most auction houses choose not to pursue complicated, expensive, and time-consuming lawsuits, so failed bid cases rarely end up in court. Instead, unpaid items are usually returned to the original consignor, put into a future auction, or sold privately.

The best eBay bidding strategy is to bid once, bid as late as possible and bid the absolute most you will pay for that item. Don't bid in even dollar amounts. If the highest you can pay is $17, then make it $17.26. By bidding in the last few seconds, you don't give other bidders the chance to react to your bid.

A bidder can retract their bid if the auction has more than 12 hour left. During the final 2 hour, a bid can be retracted only within an hour after being placed. In addition there is a short list of valid reasons for retraction.

As a seller, you can cancel bids on eBay in some situations: when you agree to a buyer's request, when the item isn't available anymore, if you made an error in the listing, or if you're concerned the bidder might be fraudulent.

A buying restriction means you won't be able to make any purchases on eBay. It is usually placed on an account due to a possible policy violation. If you have a buying restriction on your account, you won't be able to buy items or bid on auctions until the issue is resolved.

If you don't pay, 96 hours from the end of the auction the seller can cancel the transaction citing buyer didn't pay. You will get an unpaid item strike placed against your account.

Sometimes a member who knows the seller – perhaps a family member or friend – bids on an item to drive up the price. This is known as shill bidding and isn't allowed on eBay.