I guess I see that as a fault on ebay, not one of the favourable features.

I don't have a problem with someone retracting a bid if they make a genuine mistake ie $500 instead of $5.00, but in that case, I would expect them to re-bid with the correct amount, and ebay in fact says that is what is expected.

But I do have a problem with people being allowed to withdraw a bid days after it is made. They have the right to refuse to pay or to go ahead, but I think they should then deserve a strike.

I also have a problem with people who bid and counter bid one other person, then withdraw their last bid, exposing the other person's top bid. You may say that is the amount a person was happy to pay but no, not if it is a shilling bid and that can be suspected but harder to prove.

I see it this way-if a person withdraws their winning bid, especially days later, what makes you think that any of their earlier bids were valid or would be honored by them? And why should someone else's counter bids be held valid if the other person's final bid has been accepted as invalid?

Yes, I do have a problem with it, as a buyer.

And yes, if I am outbid and stay outbid for days, I should be free to move on and buy elsewhere, I should not have to wait till the end of the auction.

I can't think of any scenarios where if outbid at a normal auction, I would be deemed the winner later on. I might be approached later to see if I was still interested, but usually once you are outbid, that is it.

I suppose all this is only my opinion, it obviously isn't how some others see it but it is a pet peeve of mine, I have had it happen to me and didn't appreciate it. If I had to pin it down, I would say it infuriates me that ebay says a person claiming incorrect amount is supposed to rebid but does not enforce that, the bad bidder gets off scot free, while the genuine person behind them risks getting a strike. It's not fair.