Deleted listings being automatically relisted - occurring with buy it now listing with auto relist
Summary: In the discussion, participants shared their experiences with deleted listings automatically being relisted on eBay. stephenmorgan mentioned issues with Multi Quality/Variation listings, explaining the importance of a two-step saving process and how it is noted in eBay's policy. nat-bla expressed frustration over items being simultaneously marked as sold and unsold, leading to negative feedback from buyers. They noted that eBay denies responsibility, and advised thorough checking of listings to avoid such problems.
I had a sale today for an item that I am certain I deleted from my inventory on November 6, 2025.
On 11/6/25, I sold an IKEA rain jacket in a size medium. That jacket had actually been removed from my stock about a year earlier. At that time (in 2024), I had given my last medium jacket as a Christmas gift, so I deleted the listing and moved it to “unsold,†then permanently deleted it. I believed the item was gone for good and did not check again.
When the jacket sold again on 11/6/25, I initially questioned my own memory and wondered if I had failed to delete it back in 2024. However, when the same jacket sold again today, I am absolutely certain this is not a memory issue, and I for 100% deleted it on 11/6/2025.
I clearly remember the events of 11/6/25. I spent approximately five hours searching my inventory to ensure I hadn’t found another jacket and accidentally relisted it. I did not. The only reason I was able to fulfill the 11/6/25 order was because I used my own personal jacket that I had tucked away for myself to use in the future. After shipping it, I immediately went into my listings and ended the listing. It then moved into the “unsold/unavailable†section/folder, and to prevent any accidental re-listing I permanently deleted it from there as well.
To be extra cautious, I checked again a day or two later and confirmed that the only IKEA item at all in my listings was for the size XS/small jacket that I still physically have in stock. There were no other listings, drafts, or duplicates.
Despite this, I woke up today to find that the same medium jacket had sold yet again.
I contacted eBay support, and the representative told me that according to their system, the listing was never deleted. I know for a fact that it was. After spending hours searching for the item and carefully removing the listing (multiple times), I verified repeatedly that no such listing existed. I am also aware that eBay database searches can sometimes behave inconsistently, which is why I rechecked days later in several variations to ensure nothing had reappeared.
At this point, the only explanation seems to be a system deleting or relisting glitch, as this item continues to reappear and sell despite being permanently deleted on my end if nowhere else.
According to eBay this item was set up to be re-listed on the 27th of each month (with the automatic re-listing option), so I have calendared it every month to go in and make sure it doesn't reappear AGAIN!
I am curious if this has happened to other sellers, especially any 'buy it now' sellers. I believe it has happened a few times with various other items over the years. Something sells that I had pulled and deleted from inventory previously. Usually when I pull something that I don't plan to relist, such as if I pulled the listing that I had been misfiled, but I plan to re-list it once the item is located. I'm talking about when I pull it permanently. Maybe when I remove it because I'm going to sell it on Facebook or something because the market has tanked on it's no longer valuable enough to pay the Ebay selling fees.
If I delete an item, and it goes into the unsold section, then I delete it from the unsold section because I don't intend to re-list it again, seems to be the scenario when it is automatically re-listed at some point in the future. I'm wondering if this is somehow triggering it to be automatically re-listed, if I was to just leave it in the unsold section till it just expired and disappeared on its own, would it still be automatically re-listing?
thoughts? Personal experiences?
thetimetunnel
·1 week agoYes it's happened to me a number of times
nat-bla
·1 week agoI have literally seen items marked as sold and unsold at the same time on my account. It makes for angry buyers when you don't have the item because of what I consider an Ebay glitch. I have received a negative and neutral feedback in the past because of this. Contacted Ebay but they deny it is their problem. Now, I just have to check and recheck my listings and sold items to make sure this is not happening.
stephenmorgan
·9 months agoIf you were using Multi Quality/Variation listing then it is possible that when it is relisted that the initial starting quality will be repopulated to the original amounts.
It has happened to me several times before I figured out that changing the quantity and saving the changes is actually a two step saving function you have to do within the Multi Quality/Variation listing.
This does not seem to be an issue eBay is concerned with fixing because they state it in their policy a "TIP", that this may happen. Basically you have been informed and you need to check you listings occasional to make sure the correct qualities are available.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/creating-listings-variations?id=4150
Other possibility is "Ghost Listings" where the system relisted some sold items, but I do not find anything in policy saying that this may happen.
Is this the item you are talking about?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/176060300819?_skw=ikea+rain+jacket&itmmeta=01KE0WS8MRPE36QXE07XN4JWS3&hash=item28fe02fe13:g:VVYAAOSw9QRlZB9P
kensgiftshop
·9 months agoThe item was listed with 2 avaliable.
Did you have 2 of them?