@elajayemn,
When you place a bid, eBay tell you that you're entering into a binding agreement.
In eBay's All about bidding page, they state:
❝When the listing ends, the highest bidder wins the item and completes the purchase. However, you should keep in mind that each bid you make is a binding contract to buy the item if you win.❞
On eBay's Non-binding bid policy page, they state:
❝In most product categories on eBay, when you place a bid in an auction it's considered binding – when you win an auction, you're agreeing to complete the sale.❞
Once you've won the item, you have no automatic right to expect the seller to cancel the sale. In many cases, it's not possible for the seller to cancel, particularly if notifications of winning bids are sent directly to the seller's packing department (or outsourced packing) and the item is already in the process of packaging and preparation for shipping.
There is no automatic self-cancellation of orders. I understand why you may think there is, but when you look at eBay's Cancelling an order page, you need to read the whole page, not just a snippet. I quote:
❝If you've changed your mind about an order, you can cancel it within an hour of your purchase, as long as the seller hasn't posted it yet.❞
Sellers are inconvenienced and potentially disadvantaged financially by cancellation requests. This is particularly the case if the seller has listed items during a promotion period where they incur no (or lower) listing fees or final value fees, and a buyer has come along and purchased, then the buyer shortly thereafter wants to cancel for "change of mind" reasons. The seller then has to go through the process of either cancelling (and hoping that the buyer will actually click onto the cancellation agreement, otherwise there's a frustrating wait since so many buyers simply don't bother clicking), or the Report Unpaid Item process being initiated. (In some cases the Report Unpaid Item is set up to proceed automatically if payment isn't received.) In some casees the item will only be relisted some months later if there's another promotion period. That means stock hanging around... Or there's the process of relisting, and possibly finding and unpacking the item to put it back into stock, and the paperwork involved. Other potential buyers have probably been lost, and some buyers are put off when they see a relisted item after seeing that it sold - and come here to post bitter complaints about how they suspect shill-bidding because "why would the item be relisted so quickly if it were legit?" ...
You've mentioned that you have 100% feedback. All buyers - including buyers from the bowels of hell itself - have 100% feedback, so that is really not relevant. You mention that you have previously changed your mind post-purchase, so I sense that you simply didn't realise all that may be involved, and how sellers often have a major focus on avoiding buyers who quickly change their minds and want to cancel once the purchase has already been made.
eBay have put in place the Unpaid Item Strike system to deter buyers from buying and then willy-nilly changing their minds and not paying to complete the transaction. I'm afraid you will simply have to wear the UPI, but don't worry - as long as you follow through with purchases in the future, it shouldn't affect you. If you do it again, it will probably affect your buying on eBay, as quite a lot of sellers set their Buyer Requirements to block bidders who haven't paid for 2 or more items in the last 12 months. Maybe check with the person for whom you're buying items before you place a bid...? Even after placing a bid, you can still withdraw your bid (although bear in mind that the valid reasons for bid retraction do not include "I found out that my daughter had received the same sort of item from a friend"). eBay say:
❝A bid is a binding contract that's active until an auction-style listing ends or you're outbid. You can only retract a bid if the seller significantly changed the description of the item or if you accidently bid the wrong amount. Retracting a bid for any other reason is considered an invalid bid retraction.❞
The best strategy really is to be sure before you place a bid that you'll complete the sale if you win.
I hope that helps with your future bids!
