Seller cancels bids when auction almost over then relists with higher starting price

[negan]

This has happened a few times. An auction is almost ending, I have the highest bid. I then get a notice saying the seller cancelled all bids. Then I notice the same item is re-listed with a higher starting price. The only viable reason I would think someone would do this is to try and get a better price for their item, but isn't that the point of starting an auction is that you choose the lowest starting price you would accept? There seems to be no consequnce for sellers who do this.

[enigmabear]

Many sellers belive the starting price they put will get dozens and dozens of bids  (incorrect,usually)

Or that there is a 'reserve price'  (incorrect, unless it is a car/real estate)

Or they start an auction at 99 cents because 'ebay suggested it' and then find they get hardly any bids

Or that they can start an auction at a very low price and then either  cancel it or refuse to honour the sale if they don't like the sale price

[springyzone]

Maybe they panic.

I think some sellers list low for all the reasons enigma outlined, then towards the end of the auction they start to worry as perhaps they only have one bid and they are afraid the auction won't take off as they expected.

You're right-they should set it at the lowest price they would be willing to accept but sometimes they don't.

It is annoying that they don't think more carefully before listing an item but in some ways I can't blame a newbie if they have an expensive item and suddenly discover their buy it now was not a reserve or the auction price isn't moving above 99c.

Probably cancelling the auction is the most sensible option for them in those cases.

[negan]

They could at least explain it to the bidders instead of just cancelling it without giving a viable reason.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

the problem a seller would have with messaging bidders when they cancel bids and end a listing is that, depending on the content of their message, they may attract the attention of eBay who may think they are trying to sell off-eBay.

Best to move on and find another seller.

[collect247]

It's a catch 22 situation and some sellers start to panic when the price is to low and not much time to go and decide to end the listing.

But I have seen plenty of auctions and was also a bidder in those auctions where the price is about to become a bargain and then

in the last 5 seconds bam a bidding frenzy happens and the end price becomes a lot higher than expected,alot of times some auctions

end up selling for more than a BIN listing.

It must be the adrenalin rush and the excitement of it all lol because one could have bought it cheaper from another seller.

Yes these days you might as well start off with the price you're happy with getting if only one bid is made.

[dmh160161]

I just missed out on a bulk listing of 9 dresses (listed for 10 days), starting price $0.99, it had no bids but while I was still on listing it auto relisted for another 6 days.  I put 2 bids on it one low and one quite a lot higher so hopefully I won the auction, thinking at that starting price for NWT & NWOT dresses it would get a few bids.  Ended yesterday arvo, no one else bid, so I won at $0.99 with $12 postage, so I paid immediately.  I had a message this morning from seller, telling me she had made an error and due to circumstances (have a feeling it was low bids) that she is unable to sell the dresses and refunded me my money.  I accepted her explanation though I was a bit annoyed that after 16 days she suddenly realised she listed too low.  Honest sellers honour the sale, but some sellers just don't understand, they list items at a lower price than they want they risk selling at that price.  

[springyzone]

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@wardrobe_delights wrote:

I just missed out on a bulk listing of 9 dresses (listed for 10 days), starting price $0.99, it had no bids but while I was still on listing it auto relisted for another 6 days.  I put 2 bids on it one low and one quite a lot higher so hopefully I won the auction, thinking at that starting price for NWT & NWOT dresses it would get a few bids.  Ended yesterday arvo, no one else bid, so I won at $0.99 with $12 postage, so I paid immediately.  I had a message this morning from seller, telling me she had made an error and due to circumstances (have a feeling it was low bids) that she is unable to sell the dresses and refunded me my money.  I accepted her explanation though I was a bit annoyed that after 16 days she suddenly realised she listed too low.  Honest sellers honour the sale, but some sellers just don't understand, they list items at a lower price than they want they risk selling at that price.  

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I'd be annoyed that she hadn't woken up to herself after the first listing because she's just wasting your time.

But in all honesty, I think the woman had a screw loose to advertise 9 dresses, all new, for 99c.

Let's get real here. Even in an op shop, they would go for at least $5 each usually, if new. (Not that I have seen the frocks, but just assuming they may have been eg $25+ each new).

If I were selling them, I wouldn't really want to start the auction under $20 and would probably start a bit higher to tell the truth.

At 99c plus commission paid on the postage, where is the profit for this woman? She would need to pack them then go post them. I don't know the combined weight but would $12 even cover postage with tracking? It may not.

She may be an honest seller. I'd say she probably is as she refunded immediately. Stupid seller maybe, slow learner but I can't find it in me to be critical of her cancelling that sale. That was the most sensible thing she has done so far.

[fixnwear]

wardrobe_ delights,

thank your lucky stars you didn't get all those new dresses for 99c!

Trust me - there is no way you would have felt comfortable about it, giving them a dollar for them - and if seller didn't cancell your purchase wouldn't have gone as far even a payment, your concience would have HAD to get better of you!

Or, you would have continued with the  sale and payment but offered at least another 50 bucks - yes?

Anyone who is capable of proceeding with the sale on anything that they got for nothing virtually - and justifying it with " Oh, but it's seller's fault, they set it too low, not my fault at all" guess what?   It is their fault as they are gaing something at the great  expence of someone else!

As springyzone said - even attempting to get 10 new dresses from someone for a dollar is embarrassing. And who cares whose fault it was, weather seller took Ebay's advice and listed them for 99c, didn't know any better - in these case primary reason ceise to matter.

[collect247]

Pigs **bleep** what are you talking about?

A sale is a sale and it wouldn't worry me the slightest if I got them all for 99c.

Wouldn't offer another cent lol.

Their loss is my gain seriously.

I would be sleeping like a baby.

With all those pretty dresses haha