While a direct link to the relisted item rather than the now-ended item
would be logical and save an extra click, I've found that there are occasions
when the current behavior is preferable. Sometimes the relisted item link leads
to an error message -- because the seller has substantially changed the listing
or the new listing has not fully propagated through ebay's system. Currently, you
can use the "back" button on your browser to find the original item. If the system
behaved as you want, hitting the "back" button would lead to your item list, not
the individual item.
My current practice is to periodically go through my completed watched items
list, right click on the link for any that have relisted to open in a new tab, and
simultaneously check the box on my item list. When I get to the end of the list,
I delete the checked items, and then go on to each tab to see if the relisted item
has changed in price, needs to be added to my list again or can be ignored.
If the link worked as you intend, any error messages would be impossible to
backtrack from as the items would have already deleted from my list.
However, I could train myself to right click on the auction title rather than the "item
has been relisted" link, so perhaps the behavior you expect makes more sense
after all.
Upon further reflection, you are correct. The "item has been relisted" link should
point to the new listing; the auction title already points to the old one.
