eBay bid retractions.

[ChocolateFrog]

I normally using sniping software for this very reason however a car I've been watching was recently relisted, it's been listed once before. It was on a 4 or 5 day auction and I stuck a bid on, almost immediately I was outbid and didn't think much of it.

Roll on a few days and with 1 day and 1 hrs remaining said bid was retracted leaving my max bid as the highest bidder. I think I'm right in saying you can't retract bids with less than 24 hours to go.

I'm still the highest bidder and the price, assuming the description is accurate is fair however I'm tempted if I do win the auction to offer to pay the next lowest bid +£100, I'm certainly not wedded to the purchase.

I'm not sure if I can retract my bid within 24 hours due to the above, not sure why eBay hides bidders identities as shill bidding would be easy to spot then.

[boyse7en]

Didn't you bid what you thought it was worth? Even if the guy "ahead" of you was a shill bidder and that's why he retracted his bid, it won't have made any difference to your bid.

[grudas]

when you bid you commit to buy at that price so you can stick with it or waste the sellers time if/when you win.

[Mr Pointy]

ChocolateFrog said:

I normally using sniping software for this very reason however a car I've been watching was recently relisted, it's been listed once before. It was on a 4 or 5 day auction and I stuck a bid on, almost immediately I was outbid and didn't think much of it.

Roll on a few days and with 1 day and 1 hrs remaining said bid was retracted leaving my max bid as the highest bidder. I think I'm right in saying you can't retract bids with less than 24 hours to go.

I'm still the highest bidder and the price, assuming the description is accurate is fair however I'm tempted if I do win the auction to offer to pay the next lowest bid +£100, I'm certainly not wedded to the purchase.

I'm not sure if I can retract my bid within 24 hours due to the above, not sure why eBay hides bidders identities as shill bidding would be easy to spot then.

Yes, you've probably been hung out to dry. Although bidder IDs are hidden, look at the details about what percentge of bids the bidder has made with the seller - often it'll be 100% over several items indicating something fishy.

Contact the seller either withdrawing your bid or offer the next highest bid plus the minimum (as you suggest) However, check the bid history to work out what the price whould have been if the suspected shill bidder hadn't bid at all. This is the bit sellars often have issues with.

[SistersofPercy]

Someone did this on me a few years ago. Can't even recall the item but digging into it I found a really obvious case of shill bidding.
Couldn't do much as it was within 12 hours of auction end so I found myself winning. I told the seller in no uncertain terms I knew his game, I'd either pay my opening bid or I could send all my evidence of his scam to eBay (he was stupid enough to bid between the two accounts and leave himself feedback).
He grudgingly agreed. I got my item. I reported him anyway.

Of course, eBay has changed massively since this and I barely use it anymore, especially as you can't do detailed searches anymore and spot this kind of crap as easily.

[untakenname]

I often don't put in my max bid till the end but if I think there's a shrill bidder against me then will increment the bid up by nominal amounts and wait to be outbid then do it again multiple times just so the other bidders activity will be noticeable.

[SistersofPercy]

untakenname said:

if I think there's a shrill bidder against me.

Surely the sound would give them away?

[anonymous-user]

The only way to sell a car on eBay is via a classified ad, and the car is not sold until you have someone in front of you handing over the money. Selling a car via auction or buy it now is a complete waste of time as invariably the person will not make contact, or pull out with some pathetic excuse the night before.

There is no penalty for a buyer to back out so I wouldn't worry in the slightest, if you don't want the car then just tell the seller.

[strath44]

Mr Pointy said:

Yes, you've probably been hung out to dry. Although bidder IDs are hidden, look at the details about what percentage of bids the bidder has made with the seller - often it'll be 100% over several items indicating something fishy.

Contact the seller either withdrawing your bid or offer the next highest bid plus the minimum (as you suggest) However, check the bid history to work out what the price would have been if the suspected shill bidder hadn't bid at all. This is the bit sellers often have issues with.

Chances are if someone is doing this they won't be stupid enough to use an account with linked previous history, I understand shill bidding is illegal but as usual ebay don't seem to care that much nor with the people hijacking accounts and listing C63s for silly money.

There's not much they can do ultimately to get the money off you, just say your dog placed a bid by mistake whilst you were asleep!

[shtu]

ChocolateFrog said:

I think I'm right in saying you can't retract bids with less than 24 hours to go.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/bidding/retracting-bid?id=4013

•If there are 12 hours or more left before the listing ends, all of your bids can be retracted


Pull your bids, set up a snipe. Now.


ETA - Sounds like "the other bidder" also thinks it's a 24 hour-in-advance lockin. Do you want to buy from someone who's happy pulling these stunts?

Edited by shtu on Thursday 27th February 15:13

[ChocolateFrog]

boyse7en said:

Didn't you bid what you thought it was worth? Even if the guy "ahead" of you was a shill bidder and that's why he retracted his bid, it won't have made any difference to your bid.

The difference between my bid and the next genuine bid is £1000, so it does make a difference it makes £900 difference.

[ChocolateFrog]

Joey Deacon said:

The only way to sell a car on eBay is via a classified ad, and the car is not sold until you have someone in front of you handing over the money. Selling a car via auction or buy it now is a complete waste of time as invariably the person will not make contact, or pull out with some pathetic excuse the night before.

There is no penalty for a buyer to back out so I wouldn't worry in the slightest, if you don't want the car then just tell the seller.

Yes I know car auctions are not binding. Think I'll stick to Gixen in future.

[ChocolateFrog]

shtu said:

ChocolateFrog said:

I think I'm right in saying you can't retract bids with less than 24 hours to go.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/bidding/retracting-bid?id=4013

•If there are 12 hours or more left before the listing ends, all of your bids can be retracted


Pull your bids, set up a snipe. Now.


ETA - Sounds like "the other bidder" also thinks it's a 24 hour-in-advance lockin. Do you want to buy from someone who's happy pulling these stunts?

Edited by shtu on Thursday 27th February 15:13

That's the thing it's very local to me so if I do win I'm tempted to go look anyway, certainly won't be guilt tripped into paying them. That said there's potential the car itself is decent. I spoke to the owner the first time it went round ebay and he didn't seem a total tt.

[ChocolateFrog]

grudas said:

when you bid you commit to buy at that price so you can stick with it or waste the sellers time if/when you win.

Not technically true with car auctions. There's certainly nothing legally binding. That said I wouldn't knowingly mess someone around and have bought plenty of cars sight unseen

[ChocolateFrog]

Could be all for nothing as I'm still half expecting to be outbid in the last hour.

[Angpozzuto]

If you win an item on eBay its a bit of a stty move to try and renegotiate on collection. Arrange to view the car before bidding.

[Wacky Racer]

strath44 said:

There's not much they can do ultimately to get the money off you, just say your dog placed a bid by mistake whilst you were asleep!

[ChocolateFrog]

Angpozzuto said:

If you win an item on eBay its a bit of a stty move to try and renegotiate on collection. Arrange to view the car before bidding.

I'd agree but I'd say Shill Bidding is sttier and you can hardly complain about being messed about if you do it.

[ChocolateFrog]

I did actually get outbid by one bid in the last few minutes so drama over.

Unless a second chance offer comes in today.