eBay bid retractions

This is another pet peeve and I know there is nothing we can do about it but be conscientious ourselves- but do your research before you bid. Don’t win an auction and then decide it’s time to scrutinize the pictures. Know what you are buying and then if you win it- it’s yours. I have had several auctions after which I have had buyers remorse or gotten the watch and realized it’s not exactly what I wanted. But if it was my mistake, my impulse, my lack of due diligence- then that’s on me.

I also have moved away from selling on eBay for similar reasons. I still feel comfortable buying there (but the golden rule is 'buy the seller', as is so often stated on OF).

I have been using local auction houses for some time, and have been able to negotiate lower seller's premium for each of them - 10% plus GST (sales tax in Australia). It is definitely worth a try, especially if you tell them you are clearing stuff out and will have a number of items to bring them in the future. It won't work if you offer them junk, but if it is good they like the idea of return business.

It is not just local either. I sold some ancient coins a few years ago to an international coin auction house in the US that liked what I had so much that they agreed to nil seller's premium on most of the stuff and only 5% on the rest. So ask nicely and see what they offer.

On a recent ebay auction, I not only had one bidder retract their bid because they “bought a watch from another seller, but the person who bid in the last seconds of the auction and won canceled their order immediately - immediately like I got their cancellation request from ebay via email before I even got the “Congrats your item is sold” email. He said he was entered the wrong price, even though his winning bid was only $5 over the previous bid.

I tried making second chance offers, but as others have said, this sort of nonsense sure makes it look like shill bidding is going on, and probably hurts a seller’s credibility with other bidders.