cancelling auction with a bid on it. Is this possible at all?

Question

I took a break from auctions but lost track of a scheduled auction and it launched. It was a draft with a goofy title that does not match the items, but close enough to cause someone to bid. Discovered the auction today with 8 hrs left. Ebay default says if I cancel, the current highest bid wins? Seems bad for everyone. We have to follow thru even though I do not have the items. I can't even update the auction to try to warn bidders.

cwb13 · Answer

Thanks for the reply. That is correct. I also spoke to Ebay support. You can remove the bids as they occur, but you still cannot cancel the auction within 12 hrs of closing if you have no bidders. If you have a bidder, you can cancel the auction, but it is sold to the current high bidder. My solution was to contact another ebayer I know and have them bid, so that they were the high bidder when I ended the auction. Between us we will figure it out how to cancel the auction. I hated to disappoint the other bidders, but I simply did not have the lures listed. I have the lures pictured, but the description was for something else.

woodland_gnome · Answer

Not if it has had a bid and there are less than 12 hours to go.