Having problems with duplicate auction listings when only one is without bids.

[nps]

Our program is automated so that it feeds listings to eBay via API.  It's programmed to upload one auction style listing, then in 24 hours is checks the listing to see if it has bids.  If it has bids, then another identical listing is uploaded.  This has worked for us for the past 10 years or more, but sometime in the past month we started getting a lot of warnings on eBay that our listings were being hidden from buyers due to being duplicate listings.  I checked every instance and we had an active listing with one of more bids, BUT the second listing was being hidden from eBay and showing up in our active listings as a duplicate listing.

Has anyone else experienced the same problem?  I checked eBay's duplicate listing policy and nothing has changed recently.  Is says you are allowed to have identical auction listings as long as only one is without bids.

[myhomeschooldelights]

@nps 

This is only a guess, but I have a feeling that this glitch is related to the latest cancellation glitch that just got resolved.   Ebay rolled out the ability for sellers to cancel unpaid orders and as soon as that happened, orders were being cancelled without sellers input AND lots of folks can't list at all  - see various threads lately on this board about those topics.  Also read tyler@ebay "resolved" post just today regarding the cancellation glitch.    What you're experiencing may be related - again, just a guess on my part - but I'd file a support case and hope for some help.  

[nps]

Thanks for your reply.  Yes, it does seem like it was around the same time that we were getting unpaid listings automatically cancelled by eBay.  I don't know if it is related, but if I were to guess, I would say that a past rollout broke the part of the program that was supposed to allow duplicate listings to be seen as soon as the other listing received its first bid.

I've contacted support via phone and email a couple of weeks ago and the agents in both cases could see the same problem I was seeing with the examples I gave them.  I was told that my case would be sent up to the technical support team, but that was weeks ago and the problem persists.  I understand that unless the problem affects many sellers they are not going to make it a priority.

[myhomeschooldelights]

@nps 

You're probably right about support not prioritizing it unless it's widespread.  It seems like your system would not be widely used by the average store owner, but, again, that's only a guess too.  I don't even do auctions at all, only gtc, so I'm no expert here anyway.  I think all you can do is keep calling, refer to the past support tickets, etc.  I've had support tickets go to IT also, with promises to look into it and get back to me, and never once have I received followup.  (Been here 23 years.)  I hope you can get this taken care of with persistence.  Best of luck!