I bid on an item by mistake and emailed the seller to cancel the bid. before the end time, he agreed

[enkiabsu]

I bid on an item by mistake and emailed the seller to cancel the bid. Before the end time, he agreed. I was the only bidder, won the auction anyway and now it shows in my account as a purchased item I haven't paid for. How do I resolve this. I have the seller's confirming email.

enkiabsu

[dmil8030 · Accepted solution]

Hello 'enkiabsu',

Y'know, it's not really possible to bid by mistake.  First, you type in the amount, then click the bid button, and then click again to confirm that you are actually bidding.

So, - either your seller plumb forgot to remove your bid having been distracted by more important things, or he rolled up his eyes at that "bid by mistake" excuse, having heard it several hundred times already, and decided to let you sort it out.

What you should have done is had a look at the following link to tell you about bid retractions:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/questions/retract-bid.html

There are a few valid reasons for retracting, but generally it is considered pretty poor form.  That's okay, you're new, and most people do it at least once when they're new.  Just don't make a habit of it.

For now, however, you've got the thing in your Purchase History.  Here's a link about that:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/questions/unwanted-item.html

You'll need to contact your seller, apologize for inconveniencing him, and ever-so kindly ask for a Cancellation.  He does not have to comply, but if he is so inclined he will send you a Request for Cancellation.  The second you click to Respond then click to Agree, - you will be off the hook and no longer have to pay for the item.

If, however, your seller is having a 'fed up with frivolous bidders' day, he just might decide to wait 2 days and file the Unpaid Item Case against you.  If that happens, you have 4 days to pay up, or you get a strike on your record.  Most sellers block people with 2 or more strikes in 12 months, so if you get another one it will be an awful lot like shopping somewhere else for a year.  Here's ebay's official link about that:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/questions/unpaid-item.html

It says a seller can open the Unpaid case in 4 days, but that was very recently changed to 2 days.  And if the seller has his listings set to start Unpaid cases automatically, that's only 48 hours after the auction ended.

In future, might I suggest using your Watch List when something catches your eye, - just under that alluring blue Bid button you'll see the phrase "Add to watch list".  Click that instead.  Then you can store up all the items you're thinking about but not sure.  It gives you time to shop and price compare.

Access your Watch List from the top of the page under Me eBay.

For today, however, first thing to do is contact the seller, sweet-as-you-please, and beg for that cancellation.

Best of luck.

[enkiabsu]

Thanks, dmil8030. I did figure it out before the end of the auction, emailed the seller and he agreed to cancel the bid.

enkiabsu.