Getting too many bid cancellations with no reasons stated

[krys888]

How are buyers able to cancel their bids without asking or giving reasons to sellers? I get these notices from ebay saying a bidder has retracted or cancelled their bidsbut no reason. I’ve started listing more auction items since sales have dropped the past few months with no sign of picking up, which is troubling. Seems like I’ve had bid cancellations on at least 30% of the items I list for auction. Getting confused.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@pburn wrote:

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@castlemagicmemories wrote: 

With all due respect, it's telling you right there to enter the price you intended. 

Thus implying it is required to do so.  If something is a suggestion, Ebay has stated that.

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If it were required, eBay's bid retraction feature would not allow a bidder to retract the bid unless they reentered a new bid. The software would prohibit it from happening. As it stands, a person can retract their bid, using the reason that it was the wrong amount, and walk away. They never have to enter a "corrected" bid. Nothing prohibits that from happening, as we've seen illustrated in so many threads on these discussion boards. 

I'm sorry, but I don't see how it can be suggested that a second, corrected bid is required to be entered. What is it exactly that requires it, other than an interpretation of the verbiage I quoted (an interpretation with which I disagree), or prohibits a bidder from retracting and not bidding a second time? With all due respect, I just don't see how you can say it's required when it happens all the time.

If it were required, the bullet point would say, "In this case,  you are required to enter the price you intended to bid as soon as you've retracted the incorrect bid." And--the bid retraction software would support that.

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It happens all the time because those users are not following policy.  The policy tell you to enter a bid but it is not set up to police you and require you to do so.

It just tell you how it is supposed to work.  You retract for wrong bid, you should enter a correct bid.

It's like your bid is a binding contract.  Yet the winner can request to cancel.

There are things that are supposed to work a certain way, such as your bid being a binding contract, that Ebay has not chosen to have the software support, and to simply expect that the rules of the site will be upheld.

We can agree to disagree.  

[castlemagicmemories]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

I don't know if it is deliberate or willful or misunderstandings.  There was a recent thread by a buyer who said that all "professional" buyers that he knew retracted a lot, to find out what other's max bids were, etc.  If it wasn't allowed, then Ebay should not allow it.  He was advised that there are only three reasons and to discover a max bid or changed your mind aren't included so he would be choosing a reason that did not apply every time he did that, which he would have known having retracted so much.  I believe he was adamant that it was Ebay's fault.

In what world does this make sense? How could a “professional” buyer have the time to investigate something so useless? We all know that an auction isn’t over until the end. Bids present in the middle are barely relevant. That comment makes no sense. That behavior makes no sense, especially for a “professional” who should know better. It sounds like somebody blowing smoke to me.

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Absolutely, I agree, and that was the point.  He had to have known that his reasons were not Ebay legal because they were not covered under the reasons that are presented to you when you retract.  There is no reason that says, I was just trying to find out what someone's max bid was, or sorry, I changed my mind and don't want it after all.  It was pointed out that "professional"  (assuming that he meant frequent users) users know that those are not valid bid retraction reasons and they don't jeopardize their accounts or buying by doing so.  There have been some users with literally thousands of bid retractions.

They would use it to uncover max bids~someone may have placed their max early in the listing and let it ride~along with changing their mind.  

[castlemagicmemories]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

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@pburn wrote:

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@castlemagicmemories wrote: 

With all due respect, it's telling you right there to enter the price you intended. 

Thus implying it is required to do so.  If something is a suggestion, Ebay has stated that.

---

If it were required, eBay's bid retraction feature would not allow a bidder to retract the bid unless they reentered a new bid. The software would prohibit it from happening. As it stands, a person can retract their bid, using the reason that it was the wrong amount, and walk away. They never have to enter a "corrected" bid. Nothing prohibits that from happening, as we've seen illustrated in so many threads on these discussion boards. 

I'm sorry, but I don't see how it can be suggested that a second, corrected bid is required to be entered. What is it exactly that requires it, other than an interpretation of the verbiage I quoted (an interpretation with which I disagree), or prohibits a bidder from retracting and not bidding a second time? With all due respect, I just don't see how you can say it's required when it happens all the time.

If it were required, the bullet point would say, "In this case,  you are required to enter the price you intended to bid as soon as you've retracted the incorrect bid." And--the bid retraction software would support that.

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It happens all the time because those users are not following policy.  The policy tell you to enter a bid but it is not set up to police you and require you to do so.

It just tell you how it is supposed to work.  You retract for wrong bid, you should enter a correct bid.

It's like your bid is a binding contract.  Yet the winner can request to cancel.

There are things that are supposed to work a certain way, such as your bid being a binding contract, that Ebay has not chosen to have the software support, and to simply expect that the rules of the site will be upheld.

We can agree to disagree.  

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Also the same with non paying bidder; although you are expected to pay, many don't.  There is nothing that can force them to pay.  So while there are policies and rules, for sellers and buyers, Ebay cannot force them to be followed under certain circumstances.

[Anonymous]

I've had this happen to me as well; at least 3 times in the past 6 months.  I've called and spoken to eBay CS reps each time it has occurred.  Not only have they essentilly refused to answer my question as to why the bidder was allowed to retract, they also refused to give me the bidder's ID so I could put them on my blocked bidder list.  One rep said she'd call me back with more info; that was back in July and I've still yet to receive a return call.

With all the lopsided policies against the sellers and the absolutely horrid customer service, it's no wonder eBay stock is down 25% and the number of listings has dropped 40% since November of 2017.

I'm actively on the hunt for an alternative to eBay in which to sell my wares.

Take care...Jerry

[Anonymous]

That's how it's supposed to work for sure, but in each case of a bidder retracting that I've dealt with, none of those 3 reasons were cited nor was I contacted by the bidder.  In fact, I've spoken with a CS rep each time that a bidder retracted and asked for the reason.  Every single time, the rep said that the reason did not fit one of the 3 official criteria and wasn't sure how/why the bidder was allowed to retract without getting prior approval from me the seller.

It seems to be just another example in a long list of eBay's continued pandering to the buyers at the seller's expense.

I'm currently searching for an alternative to eBay.

Take care...Jerry

[castlemagicmemories]

I am sorry to see you go if you decide to do so.

I think Ebay is getting away from the rules that have governed this site for years, because other sites don't have such rules and buyers just want to buy.  To make it harder for buyers is to risk losing sales.  Giving bidders the flexibility to change their mind doesn't run them off from the site.  I know that can be hard on those of us who have spent many years learning and abiding by those policies.  

[annasunicorns]

Ugh that sounds really frusterating! Internet fist bump of solidarity.

[annasunicorns]

*side note... I see you have several new in box items of similar nature for $1 auction plus exact shipping. I am buying lots of new in box items for my kids this christmas. Example, if buying a barbie, and all i want is generic barbie, I sort to find ones roughly x$ each shipped. The size of the lot is less relevant than the price each, to me when I am Christmas shopping.

There must be a number at which you make more money on multiple barbies when shipping together, is it 2, 3, 4? Bundle and start that auction at ($12× number ofbarbies) -shipping, plus shipping listed extra. So if it costs you $20 to ship 4, list 4 for a start bid of $28 shipping $20. This way you at least make money that reflects your time listing things.

Just an idea based on how I shop, I might not be your target market.

[buyselljack2016]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've had this happen to me as well; at least 3 times in the past 6 months.  I've called and spoken to eBay CS reps each time it has occurred.  Not only have they essentilly refused to answer my question as to why the bidder was allowed to retract, they also refused to give me the bidder's ID so I could put them on my blocked bidder list.

Take care...Jerry

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I am a bit confused here !!!!

Whenever I have done an auction I am able to see bidder ID's.

When someone retracts a bid, that action shows at the bottom of the bidding history.

Is that bidder ID now encrypted (like a***g or such)so that even the seller does not see it????

[femmefan1946]

@castlemagicmemories

 other sites don't have such rules and buyers just want to buy.

Yup.

@krys888

How are buyers able to cancel their bids without asking or giving reasons to sellers?

They all have the same reason for cancelling the bid. They don't want to buy the item.

Better a cancellation than chasing an Unpaid Item Dispute.

I’ve started listing more auction items

Most Unpaid Item Disputes we hear about on the Boards are for Auctions.

It's probably one reason why Auctions are less than 15% of current listings.

And most of those include a Buy It Now option.

Getting confused.

No confusion necessary.

Buyers don't much like Auctions.

They want Instant Gratification.

You can avoid most of the  problem by listing as Fixed Price.

And avoid the whole problem by adding Immediate Payment Required.

If you personally love auctions, in spite of the 30% bid cancellation rate, you can add the Buy It Now option. Or you could decide not to look at bidding until the auction is over, which takes the stress of seeing bid cancellations away.

[Anonymous]

I've never been able to see the cancelled bidder's ID anywhere.  I simply receive an email stating that a bidder has retracted a bid-that's it.  I don't even receive notification through eBay's internal message system; just an email to the address I have on file. 

[femmefan1946]

I wonder if eBay would be wise to stop sending those notices, since the seller can't do anything about them and it just makes them unhappy.

[krys888]

I used to sell all my dolls in the box but as you said there are so many in the box that I had to price them so low I couldn’t make any money. Those big barbie boxes are heavy so there’s no way to get around the shipping costs and the commissions go up because of that too. So I started selling out of the box and had a great year! Until late September anyway.

[krys888]

Hate auctions but was frustrated by drop n sales so thought I’d try auctions. Not doing that again lol

[Anonymous]

Agreed.  I've been selling on eBay for over 15 years in one form or another and have seen it go from an open and honest auction site filled with quality items and with policies equitable for both the buyers and sellers, to a clearing house for mass-produced imported goods with policies completely lopsided in favor of the buyers.

Just a few of the riduculous changes I've experienced during that time:

-no longer allowing sellers the ability to leave neutral or negative feedback for our buyers; therefore not being able to warn other sellers of a potential deadbeat buyer

-eBay charging a final value fee on the shipping we charge; therefore forcing us to raise our shipping rates to cover the costs and making us look as if we are gouging our buyers

-the issue we're discussing here of bid retractions for no good reason and no recourse or compensation to the seller

I'm sure there are more, but those jump out at the moment.  I've also noticed that the customer service has gradually gone downhill to the point of being essentially useless. 

It's not the buyers that make eBay function, it's the sellers.  Without sellers listing items, the buyers won't come. Why eBay continues to make it increasingly more difficult and expensive for the sellers to make them money is beyond me.

Take care...Jerry