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eBay Presale Question: Can Buyers Cancel After Market Price Drops?
Summary: tor677999 is seeking advice from experienced eBay sellers regarding presale orders and buyer cancellations after a market fluctuation. They sold multiple items presale and, following a manufacturer’s announcement that increased supply, all buyers requested cancellations. tor677999 declined the requests, as the terms were clear at sale. They are concerned about potential eBay intervention and are asking whether eBay could force transaction cancellations or refunds, and whether sellers are protected in such scenarios. They seek clarity on eBay policies before the release date.
Question about presale orders, buyer cancellation requests, and seller protection
Hey everyone, I’m looking for some clarification from experienced eBay sellers regarding presale orders and buyer-requested cancellations.
I sold multiple presale items a few days ago. Before listing them, I researched the market and made the decision to sell early based on the information that was available at the time. I had to purchase and invest my own money into each item that sold.
There was significant hype around the product, and my presale listings sold very quickly. I intentionally priced them below what other sellers were asking because, based on the market at the time, I felt my buyers were receiving immediate equity in their purchases.
After the sales, I started questioning whether I had made the right decision by selling the items early instead of holding them and potentially selling for substantially more later.
Then the manufacturer announced that the quantity being released to the public would be significantly increased. The original expected production/release quantity was essentially doubled. As you would expect, the additional supply caused the market price to decline.
After that announcement, every buyer contacted me asking to cancel their order. I declined the cancellation requests because the items were sold as presales, the expected release/shipping date was disclosed, and the buyers knew at the time of purchase that the items would not ship until the announced release date.
Now I’m concerned about what happens if the buyers try to get eBay involved.
One buyer is essentially arguing that the item has not shipped yet, despite the fact that it was clearly advertised as a presale and the expected shipping timeline was disclosed before they purchased it. Another buyer is claiming financial hardship. In both situations, the buyers are asking to back out after the market moved against them.
My questions are:
1. If a buyer submits a cancellation request and I decline it, can eBay still override me and force the transaction to be canceled/refunded?
2. Can a buyer claim that the item hasn't shipped yet when the listing clearly disclosed that it was a presale and the item was not scheduled to ship until the stated release date?
3. If I purchased the inventory with my own money specifically to fulfill these orders, does eBay provide any protection for the seller if the buyer simply changes their mind because the market price dropped?
4. Most importantly, if I fulfill the order according to the original presale terms, is there any scenario where eBay can refund the buyer anyway and leave me responsible for the money, even though I did nothing wrong?
I’m not looking for opinions about whether I should cancel the orders. I’m trying to understand the actual eBay policy and seller protections before the release date arrives.
If anyone has dealt with this exact situation involving presale items, buyer cancellation requests, and a market price dropping after purchase, I’d really appreciate hearing how eBay handled it.
jacbarcollectibles
MentorAug 8, 2026 at 1:48 PMThis is complicated.
Question one - No eBay cannot override your cancellation denial but the buyer still have several avenues still available to them.
Question 2 - Your listings have a handling time of three days from payment so you would be in violation of the shipping time requirement from eBay and you will receive a defect for late shipping on each item. With a presale you need to set your handling time to include the time to receive the item. You say in you listing the item will be available on September 8th but the estimated delivery dates shown are at least a week prior to this date. Buyers can file "Item not received" cases once the estimated delivery date has passed and you will not be able to prove delivery.
Question 3 - No there is no seller protection from eBay for this.
Question 4 - This one is a problem since the items must go through the Authentication Guaranty program. Buyers may still be able to get their money back under certain circumstances. But there is no way to know in advance.
Keep in mind that refusal to cancel an order can result in you receiving negative feedback which as a new seller will kill your selling on eBay.