Cancellation reason Found better price *bleep* !!!!!

[keepsakesandkollectables]

Well now I have seen  it all.

Just had a winning bid cancellation notice.

Not really an issue or a problem, I just relist & carry on as per normal.

But it was the reason given that has got me flummoxed, which was "Cancellation reason Found better price"

I don't think in what is approx  17 years of trading on Ebay I have ever heard of such a thing.

Would not have been so bad, if they had cancelled the bid PRIOR to the listing ending, but Nooooooo, they wait for approx 2 mins after the listing ends then open the request.

Now I have seen ad's on the television, offering price matching as in "If you find it cheaper we will match it". but I didn't realise a buyer could use the cancellation process for such a lame excuse, especially as they were the only bidder, so it was not even as though the price had gone up !!!!!.

Excuse me whilst I get a drink of water, as I am spitting feathers !!!!!!!

[*vyolla*]

I'd be furious too, that is absolutely bonkers. eBay spent a long time drumming into buyers that they considered the final bid price to be binding etc., and now allow buyers to win auctions and then cancel, which is crazy -  it just encourages them to place a £500 bid on an item that's got a highest bid of £100,  and then change their mind when they win it for £300. 

I recently saw a piece of jewellery sell for £346 final bid price, then get relisted same evening and this time round it went for £127. I think that original bidders get put off so don't bid again.

What happened to sanctioning buyers for pulling out in the form of a non-payment strike? Surely they can play this as a game should they be that way inclined and just auction wreck. 

[keepsakesandkollectables]

As you say " BONKERS " sums it up nicely.

Not sure about the sanctioning of buyers by Ebay, but the 1st thing I did was to add that buyer to my BLOCK BIDDER LIST.

I know what you mean about the jewellery item you mention as well, that seller must have been raving, I know I would have been.

What made it worse is as I said, it was not like the item had been bid up, it was theonly bid !!!!!

Also not sure where they " FOUND A BETTER PRICE"  as it certainly was NOT on Ebay as I have checked the item ( There were a few available of the same kind ) & not only was mine the cheapest currently listed for sale, it was / would have been the cheapest sold looking at completed / sold listings.

But heyho there you go, move on I will.

Guess that's why about 90% of my listings are now on B.I.N's  / B.O as opposed to auctions.

[gjalp]

I get cancellations saying ‘bought by mistake’ or ‘entered wrong amount’. Both require confirmation of bid/purchase.

[bumblebeeinternational]

yes i find that some customers can be rather rude when confronted about it too. When a customer cancels i want a more detailed reason why, partly so i can see if i am doing something wrong so i message them before accepting a cancellation and ask why but those customers never really tell you, its like they have the right and nothing else matters to them. Selfish at the very least. 

[department28]

Does anyone know when eBay introduced 'found a better price' as a reason for cancelling? I bet it's more often 'bidder's remorse' than genuinely having found a better price. I think once you bid, you've committed to buy, and it is bad form to back out.

Waiting until just after an auction ends to cancel is pretty poor - in some cases, there might be a good reason, but not many will bother to add any sort of explanation, let alone apologise!

[ed_58611]

The most practical method of avoiding cancellations would seem to be to immediately mark the item as dispatched or to buy the postage label, effectively removing the option for buyer cancellation which, in my limited experience, is what most sellers are doing, private and business alike... I encounter this for approximately 90% of my purchases, when tracking is almost immediately available but the parcel can take several days to actually be scanned into the courier's system at pickup, shop or drop off location. In fact, cannot the generation of postage labels and tracking numbers be automated with Simple Delivery?

[akemp1]

At least they cancelled before you dispatched so didn't raise a false INAD to make you pay the return postage!

[ed_58611]

I can imagine that some buyers would deem it a wonderful scheme... to enter a whopping max bid to ensure that they will see off all the competition, secure in the knowledge that they don't have to pay if they already know of an identical item elsewhere at lower cost... even on another online site/platform.

[dancewithadingo]

Good Morning Keep

I think that a lot of us have been there, me included.  I would be tempted to message your (none) buyer and tell them that they may have found a better price but they won't find a better seller. 

[gjalp]

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@ed_58611 wrote:

The most practical method of avoiding cancellations would seem to be to immediately mark the item as dispatched or to buy the postage label, effectively removing the option for buyer cancellation which, in my limited experience, is what most sellers are doing, private and business alike... I encounter this for approximately 90% of my purchases, when tracking is almost immediately available but the parcel can take several days to actually be scanned into the courier's system at pickup, shop or drop off location. In fact, cannot the generation of postage labels and tracking numbers be automated with Simple Delivery?

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I wouldn’t do this as the buyer could then come up with not as described and then return it at the seller’s expense meaning not only do you not have a sale, you are also out of pocket for return costs.

Ive had an increase of low feedback bidders not paying for auctions recently and its not because of the BPF as it’s happening on my business account.

[dancewithadingo]

Good Morning Again Keep

Don't get mad,get even.  What I have done in the past is to tell the person who cancelled 5 minutes after the auction end (but who bid within 1 hour of the 7 day auction going live and who thus had 6 days and 23 hours to cancel their bid) that 4 times a year I have a mystery, unannounced draw. 

Unbelievably they won the latest random draw and it was my intention to send their valuable prize with their item.  However as they chose to request a cancellation and thus didn't make a purchase I will have to organise a new draw and re-assign their prize.  I know that they will understand the reason for this.

[ed_58611]

Yes, it's entirely your decision and if it works for you... 

I have to say that I've noticed an alarming number of buyers who open INADs having used, damaged, or decided against the purchase, often deliberately damaging the item in question... which is horrid behaviour... and they are able to do this at any time and for any "reason".

I'm only a buyer on eBay who comes to the Community to learn, keep up to date with changes and sometimes comment or question... in that vein, can you tell me if you are referring to cancelled bids before they have paid, or have you opted for requiring your buyers to agree beforehand to pay and for eBay to use the seller's presaved details, in which case the payment is also cancelled?

[kyanyama]

At least you didn't post it.  I sold an item and posted it.  Was a good auction price.  Buyer opened an NAD case despite it being in perfect working order.  They returned it (luckily in the same condition - working perfectly) but I had to refund and lose out on the postage there and back.  I looked on their feedback and they had won another auction (after mine) for the same item but a lot cheaper so returned mine.

I provided eBay with photos of it in working order and the feedback left for the other seller.  They replied, "It's been returned now refund it"!  I knew then that as a seller I was on the lowest rung of the eBay ladder!

Don't blow a gasket - it's not worth your health.  Block the buyer (eBay id and email address), report them for abusive buyer behaviour:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/feedback-policies/seller-protections?id=4345&ra=true

It only works if all sellers do report bad buyer behaviour but a lot can't be 'bovvered' so buyers continue their merry way of disruption.

[ett1954]

I have had two cancellations in the last year (one from an auction, one BiN) where the buyer has mentioned that after they won or purchased they were immediately shown the same item from another seller at a cheaper price.  As a business seller I have to accept cancellations.

I suspect I have had a third last week where a Buy it Now was cancelled 2 minutes after the purchase.

When I purchase items myself I have increasingly noticed I am presented with a never ending scroll of listings similar or the same as that I have just purchased (hilariously some are my own).

Weird business strategy by eBay.

[akemp1]

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@ett1954 wrote:

I suspect I have had a third last week where a Buy it Now was cancelled 2 minutes after the purchase.

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As long as they cancel before dispatch I'm totally chilled - it's not worth getting upset over.

Someone once told me that forgiveness isn't something you give people, but a gift to yourself, as then you don't have to be annoyed about them anymore.

[ett1954]

"you don't have to be annoyed about them anymore." - I am not annoyed with them at all.  All cancellations have been done in a timely manner before packing or shipment and each buyer was within their rights to cancel.

My annoyance, if you want to call it that, is with eBay showing buyers a cheaper option immediately after they have confirmed a purchase or won an auction.

[4_bathrooms]

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@ett1954 wrote:

My annoyance, if you want to call it that, is with eBay showing buyers a cheaper option immediately after they have confirmed a purchase or won an auction.

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I agree and I also do not understand why eBay do it.

If the buyer purchased from a business seller or a private buyer who has chosen to accept returns they can almost immediately cancel their purchase and purchase from the other seller meaning eBay would almost certainly receive less in fees; it's bonkers! 

It rarely happens to me as I mostly use eBay as a clearance outlet for old or otherwise redundant stock. The one time it did happen the buyer mistakenly thought the cheaper item was an identical offer - it wasn't. I was selling a new vanity unit in sealed packaging whilst the cheaper item was the same model but used. I know this because minutes after cancelling their order the buyer messaged to tell me their mistake then expected me to sell my new vanity unit to them for the same price as the used one! I politely declined and relisted at the same (BIN) price as it had been listed previously. A few hours later it was purchased by somebody else which resulted in the original buyer calling and asking why I sold "their" vanity unit to somebody else. After trying to explain it ceased to be theirs once they cancelled their order and explaining they had had every opportunity to re-purchase it for the same price they paid originally the call ended with the original buyer threatening to "sue" me (I never did receive a summons).

[keepsakesandkollectables]

Thanks for all the replies, greatly appreciated.

I am over it now ( HAD A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP ).

Some interesting points, in your replies as well.

I didn't kow ebay showed similar items to the buyer once the listing ended, why on earth would they do that?

Well similar maybe, if you are a collector of certain things, but not for the same item at possibly a better price, that's just stupid.

As to sending I never would have unless payment had been completed & I had not had a cacel request.

On that note I would never decine a cancel request either, as it would I suspect cost me in the long run, with a buyer then saying "Arrived damaged" ect & exacting a return that way.

So best to just cancel right from the start, while I still haver the item in my possession.

As I said that buyer has been added to my block list, so at least it's another time waster less for me to deal with in the future.

As to reporting them, pointless if even possible, in this instance, as if ebay are showing them "Better" alternatives price wise, I can't see them issuing a strike against them, can you?

It does raise the issue in my humble opinion about ebay not letting sellers leave neg or neut feedback for buyers, so that sellers can judge potentail buyers & block / cancel there bids prior to this sort of fiasco happening the the first instance.

But we move on, another day another dollar as they say & await the next issue / installment to raise it's head down the line.

Have a good day everyone.

[censualite]

Found better price’ is just one of eBay’s canned cancellation reasons—it doesn’t mean much. Buyers can request a cancel even after winning, and if you refuse, they often just don’t pay, so most sellers accept and relist.