Unfair cancellation

[vinylscot]

I've just had a buyer submit a cancellation request to me, within a few minutes of the end of a listing, after he had paid. The reason he gave was "found a better price".

This was an auction listing, so he suggested the final price, not me. It wasn't a last minute panic bid either, he bid eight times on the item, with the first bid over four hours before the end.

I suspect that his reason is either a lie, or he has been shown "a better price" by eBay even after he had made his final bid. There are some versions listed cheaper than the amount he bid.

eBay needs to have a think about this. Cancellations on auction listings shouldn't be given such automated treatment. I know that, in real life, if the buyer asked, I would probably cancel, rather than force the issue and probably get an INAD, but this just makes it too easy for the "buyer", and makes a mockery of eBay's claim that a bid is legally binding.

Anyone else feel the same?

[*help_no_brakes*]

I just cancel as Buyer Requested & move on.

Btw looking at the bidding history you will see that your buyer did not bid 8 times. They placed a max bid & then automatic bidding took over.

[vinylscot]

I will end up cancelling and moving on. I don't really have any sensible alternative.

And not all the bids were automatic. His final winning bid, for example, was placed four hours after his previous one.

I'm not looking for a way out of this. I'm just interested whether others think it is unfair.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Unfortunately this kind of thing puts you between a rock and hard place.
As a business, you have no choice but to give a consumer the right to cancel.  Even for an auction.

But better to do the cancellation than send it out and get the SNAD instead.

[gjalp]

I usually get the reason ‘bought by mistake’ (or whatever the wording is). Whether an auction or BIN its a bit hard to buy in error due to the number of times you interact with the listing

[kyanyama]

It is unfair and not really permitted under the eBay User Agreement.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/buying-practices-policy?id=4374

Misusing eBay messaging or bidding:
Not allowed

- Sending messages to force or intimidate the other member into something outside of the original agreement

- Bidding on and winning an auction, but failing to pay for the item

Cancel their transaction, add them to your blocked list and report them for disrupting your auction.  Most sellers can't be 'bovvered' reporting disruptive buyers so they continue until enough make the effort.

[lucy_farmer]

'....or he has been shown "a better price" by eBay even after he had made his final bid.'

'eBay needs to have a think about this'

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I'm amazed that ebay haven't  thought that this is a ruddy silly thing for them to be doing : the higher the selling price the more fees ebay get. 

Why would they try to reduce that?

It's almost as daft as the 'authentification over the phone when trying to place a last  minute bid' joke, that's popped up recently.....

ebay are getting more baffling by the week.

[department28]

I expect this happens more often since eBay started putting loads of 'Similar items' around every listing.

Personally, I would never ask to cancel because I'd found a better price. It just seems like really 'bad form' to renege on a purchase after paying.

I tend to think that it's up to me to check out the range of prices before bidding, or buying-it-now. And if I happen to see a lower price afterwards, that's tough cheddar... 🧀