Auction auto relisted, but a customer says they've won and it's in their cart

[plasterdisaster]

Hello, advice on how to proceed would be appreciated. I hope it's the right Board..  I'm the seller in this case -  an auction finished without bids and auto relisted. Now there is a bid on the new listing. Customer has contacted me because they've bid and won on the original auction and it is showing in their cart (twice?!).

I've looked and it is their bid on the new listing. It doesn't show as sold to me, unless I try using the eBay help process and it comes up as a sale I can query, so I believe the customers account of what happened. Obviously a glitch in the system somewhere. I was thinking I could cancel the auction and see if that fixes it on their end allowing them to pay and finalise the sale. If I cancel this listing with a bid (6 days to go) will I incur fees or negative effects as a seller?

[jellybirddesigns]

@gutter - I cancel several transactions a year and have never received a neg for doing so.

[gutterpunkz05]

Maybe you have been  lucky.  You are obligated to complete the transaction, obligated not compelled, and if you fail/refuse to meet your obligation to the buyer and ebay, then the buyer is entitled to leave negative FB and report the seller.  Ebay is also entitled to refuse to refund the sellers FVF,  they can also include the failure to comply in seller metrics, which you would be aware, especially for low volume sellers, can quickly  result in additional penalties being applied by ebay.   Such penalties as I am sure you are aware, include additional fees  to complete loss of selling privileges.

These boards have been littered with sellers wanting to know why their accounts have been restricted etc.

[gutterpunkz05]

And just to add,  ebay specifically  uses the term  " obligation"

When you enter into a transaction you create a legally binding contract with another user, unless the item is listed in a category under the Non-binding bid policy. You must ensure that you comply with your obligations to that other member and are aware of any laws relevant to you as a buyer or seller. If another member breaches any obligation to you, you – not eBay – are responsible for enforcing any rights that you may have.

[*sons_n_daughters*]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

(I hadn’t checked OP’s feedback left for others. I’m posting from my phone and it’s not as easy to zip from one screen to another as on my computer - which is downstairs - and to which I am reluctant to hobble limpingly… although I’ll have to later today.)

OP, please do take note about not leaving any feedback for problem buyers! eBay disallowed negative feedback from sellers to buyers some years ago; as you’ve found, you can only leave a shiny green positive dot. You may have felt that the only avenue to vent your spleen against bad buyers is to give the green dot purely for the purpose of being able to leave a negative comment… but eBay specifically say you must not do this. It is a policy violation.

• The negative comment will be removed if eBay notices it or are informed by the buyer, leaving only that flattering green dot;
• Your account may be penalised by eBay, with actions such as temporary suspension, listings having reduced visibility, removal of seller protection, and more — up to permanent suspension for, I suppose, repeated or serious infractions;
• No other seller will know to whom you have given feedback. eBay buyer names are anonymised/masked in feedback. To others, the username will simply be something like 7***f (34). Log out and take a look at the feedback you have left and you’ll see what I mean. Hence… you are not warning other sellers about particular buyers in the slightest.
• Just give bad buyers no feedback whatsoever. Block them instead.
• Make sure you cancel sales with non-paying bidders after 4 full days with the reason “Buyer didn’t pay” (only available after 4 days) and the NPB will get an invisible strike. Two of those within a certain period will get them blocked from any seller with the appropriate blocks in place.
• Don’t take the actions of buyers personally. Why allow bad buyers to impinge on you emotionally, professionally, or physically?

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Quite a few months back I clicked to cancel after 2 days, just to see what happened. It went through. As an unpaid. I was expecting a you can't do this yet message.  The buyer contacted me saying they hadn't paid yet because they were watching other auctions that were close to finishing. I felt terrible because I was only experimenting. I relisted the item for them, with a discount, and told them to contact ebay to get the strike removed, which they did. They ended up buying 8 items!

While it used to be 4 days before you could open an unpaid dispute, I think it's different now. 

[twyngwyn]

interesting read:

How Cancelling an eBay Auction Can Get Sellers in Trouble (ecommercebytes.com)

[gutterpunkz05]

Yes, very interesting.

Confirms you have obligations, be they enforced by ebay or not.

[countessalmirena]

That instance would not occur in Australia, fortunately, as the decision by the German court was found under EU contract law still valid in the UK.

It’s clear, too, that the seller (Godden) didn’t cancel the existing bids before cancelling/ending the auction early. If he’d cancelled the German bidder’s bids, and of course all other bids, before ending the auction, I don’t think that particular legislation would apply.

eBay’s reply is as expected:

❝Godden is now attempting to recoup his losses from eBay, who told the Mirror in a statement: “We discourage sellers from ending auctions early, as listing an item and accepting bids from potential buyers creates a contractual obligation to sell the item.

“However, we understand sellers may occasionally need to cancel an auction and there are legitimate reasons for them to do so, including if the item is lost or broken. If they do end an auction early, sellers need to make sure they have proof of a legitimate reason.”❞