Is a bidder allowed to just cancel a bid?

[lorraineash2012]

Wonder if somebody can help me.

Somebody placed a bid on one of my items about a week ago. They were the only bidder. Now with 22 hours to run, they've retracted/cancelled their bid. I've had no reason given, eBay are telling me to do the following:

"A previously entered bid on your item (***********) has been retracted or cancelled. You can view the retraction/cancellation and the reason provided by selecting the (bid history) link from the individual item page. As a result of this retraction/cancellation, there is a possibility that the highest bid amount and the current highest bidder have changed. You can always view the current status of any item by going to the individual item page. (Be sure to refresh or reload the page to view the most up to date information.)"

I have searched and cannot find any link to 'bid history' on the item page. So I cannot check to see any reason for the cancellation. Any ideas where it is?

Is the bidder allowed to do this? I was under the impression that I had to agree to it first.

Many thanks,

Mark

[jckl1957]

You've got to love a trier!

[lorraineash2012]

Think he must have thought I'd just fallen off a turnip cart 😆😆

[arkwebus]

Thank you - that is what I had always believed!  As eBay says "need" which in my view is "must".

@jckl1957 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

same with me, exception being if they message me beforehand to say they would like to cancel and would that be okay, that shows they have some thought about it.  No point in saying no to anyone but if someone cannot be polite i do not want the risk of them doing it again.

[vinylscot]

@jckl1957  @arkwebus  Both of you are correct in that that's what it SAYS. But it is not what happens. Buyers who cancel a bid claiming "wrong amount entered" are NOT forced to input a correct amount. (If they were, we wouldn't be having this discussion).

[leon9503]

They could have also bought the same product elsewhere in the meantime, it happens.

[lorraineash2012]

Yes, they may very well have done, but they could have had the courtesy to pop me a quick message to let me know that they wished to cancel. That would have been the polite thing to do. 

[lorraineash2012]

Since they cancelled, I have picked up a new watcher on that item, but obviously I can't see their identity. I mentioned this in another reply. I am waiting to see if that new watcher is the same person who put the original bid on. Before they cancelled, their opening bid was slightly higher than my starting price, and am now interested to see, if it is the original bidder, whether they come in and now offer me a bid of the starting price. I can't say for sure until the auction ends tomorrow. 

A polite message asking to cancel would have been appreciated. I'm pretty easy going and would have said okay.