SELLER CANCELS AUCTION WHEN THEY DON'T LIKE WINNING BID AMT

[jamoomoo]

I would really like to know exactly HOW EBAY ALLOWS SELLERS TO CANCEL AUCTIONS WHEN THEY DON'T LIKE THE WINNING BID BC IT'S TOO LOW....  HOW ARE THESE SELLERS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE SELLING/ KEEPING THEIR ACCOUNTS???

This has happened to me multiple times, and just again today & I'm really sick of it!  I have been A LONG TIME eBay member (w a 100% rating, from nearly the beginning of its inception).  I have both bought & sold over the years, and have ALWAYS abided by the RULES - as I expect every other member to do as well.  

When a seller lists an item for auction, they have the choice to start bids at .99 or a specific reserve - yet it seems they DON'T WANT TO PAY THE FEES associated w a reserve  - so when their .99 auctions don't have more than 1 bid (or winning bid not that much more than the .99)  -  WHAT GIVES THEM THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THAT 'CONTRACT' TO SELL BC THEY DON'T LIKE THAT WINNING BID AMOUNT?  It's not only DISHONEST, BUT ALSO BREAKS THE RULES & ESPECIALLY THOSE SELLERS WHO HABITUALLY 'BREAK CONTRACT' SHOULD HAVE THEIR MEMBER ACCOUNTS CANCELLED & BANNED FROM THE SITE ALL TOGETHER!!!  I've abided by the seller rules, even if I haven't been thrilled about the ending bid amounts - butnI made the CHOICE to not list with a RESERVE (which AVOIDS like getting less than you want BUT COSTS MORE in fees)!!!

As A BUYER, I expect to receive what I 'CONTRACTUALLY ' have the RIGHT to receive - sometimes more than I would want to spend, sometimes less...  THATS HOW AUCTIONS WORK!  TO DO ANYTHING OTHERWISE  IS NOT ONLY UNETHICAL, BUT ALSO AGAINST THE RULES!  If I cancel a bid I made, it's usually automatically reflected in my % score -  if a seller cancels the sale bc they don't like the amount - WHAT REPERCUSSIONS do they endure?  

SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE HERE WITH THESE TYPES OF SELLERS -  MOST NOTABLY, THE HABITUAL ONES!

[stainlessenginecovers]

I would assume these are fairly new members and just don't understand the system.

What is the feedback/age of account of these sellers? 

[12345jamesstamps]

I have done auctions in the past. A seller puts an item up for auction not usually knowing what the value would bring. If he cancels the auction you as a buyer can look elsewhere for bidding on items. Honestly, if the seller feels he has to cancel it because its going to cost more to mail it than what the seller gets. Have to understand this if you are a seller and a seller who does auctions. A seller still has to pay for canceling a auction on the percentage of the bid. So the seller will lose you as a bidder plus a fee for canceling the auction. I had a stamp started as a penny auction knowing nothing about it and made $600.00 off it. I also had stamps on auction that made .99 cents and cost me $1.40 cent to mail out each. Small sellers can't afford this loss.

[pfoos · Accepted solution]

If you in good faith believe a seller has cancelled an auction you've won without any good faith explanation and/or in violation of eBay policy, please report the seller here Online Customer Service - Report an issue with a seller (ebay.com).  It is important for buyers and sellers to self-police the platform to ensure the marketplace is safe and fair for all.  

[jamoomoo]

Thanks a bunch...  you are 1000% right & have already done that.  I have seen sooo many sellers (mostly overseas, without mentioning specific Countries), who consistently do unethical things & yet, seemingly face littlrepercussions repercussions for their actions...  it really gets my goat (so to speak).  eBay used to be great addressing most of these issues BUT has since removed any 'easy to find' ways of reporting them.  Reporting an individual item is still obviously displayed, but for any other violations for example, - I've had to go digging thru every obscure resource I could find on the website/ app...  and then subsequent action has  seemingly (& sadly) been far & few between.  I just believe that while most of us follow the rules, they should really do everything to protect all of us - which has been kind of lacking these days. 

(sorry about the rambling -  just so deeply feel about what's morally right & what's wrong)

[jamoomoo]

Agree with you, but that's no excuse - as there's always the OPTION to have a reserve (& not risk losing $)   I've been on the seller end before with more out of pocket expenses than what was gained, but that's the chance I took with using a .99 auction...  It was on ME as the seller (NOT the buyer) to honor the deal, regardless -  it was the chance I took and/or learn from. I do not feel much sorrow for any seller who ends up with less than they wanted or having to pay more -  they could have just as easily avoided it, but I'll say was maybe too cheap just bc they didn't want to pay the extra eBay fees to have a reserve....  and it should NEVER negatively effect a buyer, who expects sellers to follow the rules just as much as they do

[woodland_gnome]

The seller already got a "defect" when s/he cancelled the transaction. That is the primary tool eBay uses to weed out bad sellers, downgrading the selling status of those who get too many relative to their sales volume (as opposed to having to pay employees to actually investigate to see how likely it was that the seller had a legitimate reason to cancel vs. deliberate policy violations).

You may leave appropriate (calm, factual--if the seller said that x was the reason say "seller said x. . ." so people don't think you are just jumping to conclusions) feedback to warn future buyers/bidders. If the usual links have vanished, go to anyone's Feedback Profile (doesn't matter who, click on the feedback score in parentheses behind the username) then scroll down to below the last comment on that page to find a "Leave feedback" link that doesn't vanish (it brings you to a list of items you can leave feedback for).

Theoretically you could sue the seller for breach of the contract of sale (for the difference between the auction price and what you ended up having to pay for a replacement), but that is almost never practical.

[jamoomoo]

Seller from India with an account since 2015.  So they should be more than familiar

I did find that seller's canceling auctions definitely doesn't have the same end result as a buyers canceling a bid (that's ultimately held against them in their scores)   The most a seller loses, is just that bidder (potentially)   NOT much of an incentive to do the right thing, eh...

[downunder-61]

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@jamoomoo wrote:

Seller from India with an account since 2015.  So they should be more than familiar

I did find that seller's canceling auctions definitely doesn't have the same end result as a buyers canceling a bid (that's ultimately held against them in their scores)   The most a seller loses, is just that bidder (potentially)   NOT much of an incentive to do the right thing, eh...

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Retracting a bid is not ''held against a buyer in their scores''. Buyers can only ever get positive feedback and while your bid retractions are visible to seller's it does not affect you or your 'score' at all.

A seller who cancels using the correct reason will get a defect, and if they lie and say you asked to cancel or claim a problem with a buyers address you can report them and they receive a defect for that as well.