Buyer "accidently" bid... next highest bidder offered $100 less than they bid.

[retrogamestoreau]

If you've been selling on eBay long enough I'm sure someone has won one of your auctions or purchased one of your items only to send you a message shortly after asking you to cancel because they bid "accidently" or their son or daughter made the bid...

This happened to me recently when I sold a phone, I got a message shortly after the auction ended and the bidder apologised and asked me to offer the item to the second highest bidder..

I knew I had two options, I could offer the phone to the second highest bidder or wait a few days and open a case against the buyer.. After a while I reluctanly chose to offer the phone to the second highest bidder as I didn't want to risk recieving negative feedback or false returns.

The following day I recieved a message from the 2nd highest bidder who offered me $100 less than he bid... This infuriated me. Why bid more than you're willing to pay?! Is it possible both accounts are owned by the same buyer and this is a cheap scam to win cheap auctions?

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? It's exhausting selling on eBay sometimes.

[eol-products]

Look at it from the buyers point, they may be thinking you had someone pushing the bids up so they pay more.  

[retrogamestoreau]

What?! Why would they bid if they thought that? Why would they bid more than they're willing to pay? That's no justification.

[curraone]

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@retrogamestoreau wrote:

The following day I recieved a message from the 2nd highest bidder who offered me $100 less than he bid... This infuriated me. Why bid more than you're willing to pay?! Is it possible both accounts are owned by the same buyer and this is a cheap scam to win cheap auctions?

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? It's exhausting selling on eBay sometimes.

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I would reply saying no politely - and explain that he has limited time to accept - and then offer it to your third bidder (if you can do that?)

Did you cancel the first transaction - using seller requested cancel option?

[go-tazz]

Look at their feedback and if they've done it before there could be signs there that point that out.

It's possible but to the buyer it's possible that the price was driven up to try and entice them to pay more and

they may think that your "shill" bidder won the item so you have no choice but to ask them.

The winning bidder only bid once nearly 2 or more hours after everyone else stopped bidding (it's not what shill

bidders normally do but it could be construed that you weren't getting a high enough bid so had someone else

bid to raise the price).

If that "buyer" then cancels it's leaves it open to interpretation.

The other option is to cancel the sale and use the buyer asked to cancel option and then just relist it.

[retrogamestoreau]

Yes, I did cancel the first transaction and selected 'buyer requested cancellation'. I did what you suggested except I just realised the 3rd highest bidder is located in 'China' apparently... despite the fact that I have international bidders blocked and clearly state I don't ship overseas.

So this should be interesting.

[retrogamestoreau]

There is nothing in his feedback that suggests he's done this before, but then again, I would never leave negative feedback based on my suspicions alone, so I'm not sure if it's much to go off.

I would never use a fake account to increase the price of one of my auctions..  I still think a buyer should only bid what they're willing to pay.

If I relist the phone are there any ways I can prevent this happening in the future? It's such a waste of time. I sold another phone the same day and that buyer still hasn't paid either..

[oz-e-seller · Accepted solution]

Phones are the worst for scam buyers and flaky bidders. Why don't you list them buy it now with immediate payment required? Then you can be sure to get your asking price and no faffing about with non paying bidders.

[retrogamestoreau]

I agree. I think this is the best option. Thank you.

[go-tazz]

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@retrogamestoreau wrote:

There is nothing in his feedback that suggests he's done this before, but then again, I would never leave negative feedback based on my suspicions alone, so I'm not sure if it's much to go off.

A seller can't leave negative feeback only positive so it would only be in the comments where other sellers

may have stated that something similar has happened.

I would never use a fake account to increase the price of one of my auctions..  I still think a buyer should only bid what they're willing to pay.

A buyer isn't going to know that and looking at the bid history it can look suss to someone that may be just

a "bit" paranoid about the bidding process in the first place.

Some buyers will see it as an oppertunity to get something cheaper if they can and I would just point them to

the bid history were the next bidder down only bid $5 less than them.

I would also inform them by saying no thanks and then just relist as BIN.

If I relist the phone are there any ways I can prevent this happening in the future? It's such a waste of time. I sold another phone the same day and that buyer still hasn't paid either..

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As pointed out use the BIN with immediate payment option and you don't have to worry about non payers and

you also don't need to wait for an auction to be over as it can be bought within minutes.