Buyer canceled bid

[old51]

I didn't know a buyer could renege on a bid. 

[ms.rodriguez*]

Well, now you do.  Better that they cancel than they stiff you and not pay.  

[inhawaii]

If there is 12 hours or more left on the auction, a bidder may cancel their bid.

Like @ms.rodriguez* said, it's better they cancel their bid than win the auction and not pay.

[pburn]

It's unclear whether you're referring to a bid retraction while the auction is/was still active, or whether you're referring to an auction winner who didn't pay.

You've already received the information that a bidder can retract a bid under certain circumstances. Since there's already been misinformation posted regarding this option, here's an eBay help page with the actual policy:

Retracting a bid 

When you can retract a bid

You can retract a bid if:

• The seller significantly changed the description of the item
• You accidentally bid the wrong amount. For example, you meant to bid $20, not $200. In this case, enter the price you intended to bid as soon as you've retracted the incorrect bid

As well as the above, timing is also important when retracting a bid:

• If there are 12 hours or more left before the listing ends, all of your bids can be retracted
• If the listing is ending in less than 12 hours, you can retract your most recent bid if it's been less than an hour since you placed it

Any other bids can't be retracted, but you can still contact the seller to see if they'll agree to cancel a bid for you. Remember, the seller isn't obligated to cancel the bid so they may not agree.

[pburn]

If, however, you're referring to an auction winner who hasn't paid,  there are a number of ways a seller can reduce or avoid nonpaying customers. Perhaps you've already relied on a couple of them, but here's a list of approaches you can utilize:

• List all items as fixed-price, immediate payment required. Do not list with the auction format.
• Remove the "best offer" option from your listings or decline each offer manually--no matter how tempting it appears.
• Make sure to use the new cancellation process for members who don't pay within four full days (cancel on day five). A strike for nonpayment will be recorded on their account. The cancellation process can be done manually or you can set it to cancel for you automatically.
• Set your Buyer Requirements to block any member with two or more strikes in the last twelve months--the most restrictive setting.
• Add the member id to your Blocked Buyer List.

Utilizing these tools will help eliminate unpaid transactions.

[a_c_green]

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@old51 wrote:

I didn't know a buyer could renege on a bid. 

---

They can, yes. To be clear, bidders can retract; sellers can cancel. A seller's bid cancellation does not go on a buyer's record, but a buyer's retraction does get counted. (Their 12-month total of bid retractions is shown on the Feedback as a Buyer tab of their feedback page, about halfway down on the right side.)

The ex-bidder in your case shows only that one bid retraction on his record, so it looks like he either got cold feet or found a better example elsewhere. It's irritating, yes, but better to have them cancel now than return later, especially for a massive item like your vintage cash register.

[dirk12955]

A bidder that retracts their bid is a bigger problem waiting to happen.

I'd block him.   Then I'd do a happy dance that I don't have to deal with them at all.

[house*of*paws]

Hi @old51 

 It’s common for a buyer not to notice a ‘Local Pickup Only’ restriction immediately.  I’d bet that’s the reason for the retraction.

The buyer should have asked you to cancel their bid … since it’s not a valid reason for a retraction … but it’s better for you that the bid is gone if the buyer lives too far away to pick up the item.

[old51]

1 town away.