Seller cancelled all bids....twice...3 minutes to go..

[logandiagnostic]

Very odd auction.....never seen this.....

7 day auction (no reserve) for a used engine repair tool. These often sell used on eBay for $200-300. 

Auction had mutiple bids up to over $200. (7) hours before end of auction all the bids were cancelled. Reason was listed as 'error in the listing.'

Same auction back to $9.99. Auction itself was not cancelled....just all the bids. 

Auction generated new bids. Up to $150. Then with less than 3 minutes before end of the auction......AGAIN...all bids were cancelled. 

Item still generated 4 bids (mine included) and ended at $305. 

Then....item was relisted and sold 9 minutes later for $340. 

Some kind of funny business going on. How are all the bids cancelled multiple times and with less than 3 minutes to go?

[7606dennis · Accepted solution]

Until the action closes the seller has the right to cancel all bids and let the listing end without a winner without any consequences.  Although it is somewhat risky since a bidder could snipe and win the item at or near the opening bid price.  However, they would be billed the FVF by eBay if did so and then ended the listing early, I believe.  Of course, if they ended a listing with bids early with less than 12 hrs remaining and didn't cancel all the bids first, they would be required to sell to the current high bidder at the time they ended the listing.

Of course, if a seller gets the reputation of one that cancels all bids too often they will probably soon find that their auctions do not attract many bidders.

[chrysylys]

Might wonder if they ever get paid.  Sounds like possibly they were contacted by one of the many scammers running rampant here that offered more than current bids without wanting to bid.  We see threads like that more often than we should.

[mudshark61369]

@logandiagnostic,

In looking at completed listings I only found the listings that ended at $305 & $340.  They both ended on the same day, so my guess is the seller canceled the bids on the auction, to sell the kit to the high bidder, whose canceled bid on the $305 auction was over $2,200.00.  That seller has only sold 5 items previously, all over a year ago.  He is not very experienced, and may not have known how to end a listing to sell to the highest bidder properly.  His feedback number is high because he also buys on that ID. 

The auctions you mentioned that had bids of over $200 and $150, are not showing up in the completed listings. They would have even if the seller canceled all bids and the auction ended without a sale.  Those may have been listed by another seller, but they are not showing up at the prices shown even as unsold items. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@7606dennis wrote:

Until the action closes the seller has the right to cancel all bids and let the listing end without a winner without any consequences.  Although it is somewhat risky since a bidder could snipe and win the item ....

---

That seems to be what happened here.  During the final 2 minutes of the auction, the seller  canceled 7 bids and no doubt he would have also canceled the 4 bids that came in during the final 10 seconds, if he had had the time to do so.

During the final 12 hours of an auction, it is not possible for the seller to end the auction early, except to sell to the current high bidder.  He cannot cancel all the bids and end the listing early with no sale (during the final 12 hours).

Since the cancellation action on this auction began during the final 12 hours, we can infer that the seller would have canceled the listing itself, if that had been possible.

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@mudshark61369 wrote:

---

...  my guess is the seller canceled the bids on the auction, to sell the kit to the high bidder, whose canceled bid on the $305 auction was over $2,200.00....The auctions you mentioned that had bids of over $200 and $150, are not showing up in the completed listings....

The $200 and $150 were high bids showing during the course of the auction that ended at $305, just before each of the seller's two sessions of canceling bids, not in some other auctions.  The OP was describing the rise and fall of the high bid showing in that specific auction.

I see no indication that the buyer of the item at $340 was the same member who had bid $2200; that bid was placed when the auction had just 17 seconds left to run and was canceled 9 seconds later, during the seller's apparent attempt to make the auction end with no bids.

[logandiagnostic]

Everyone has good answers providing some insight. 

I think he may have had a high offer toward the end but was unable to cancel the auction with less than 12 hours to go. 

And 9 minutes after this one ended it showed up as relisted and purchased at $340. And of course it doesnt show who purchased it. 

I just have never seen this done in nearly 20 years on eBay.....cancelling all bids several times. 

[moms**art**window**]

An auction i had that was eager to see if there were going to be any bidders (7 watchers) the countdown clock said 3 minutes left then the auction ended (not by me but unknown outside forces),weird things have been going on with eBay iv'e seen enough of them to recognize this is another what i have dubbed another sneaky change.sellers i am certain that this is the latest sneaky change that eBay will pass off as a random glitch,you may want to warn your bidders on critical items.