Also dumb, since the seller pays fees based on the high bid at cancellation.
EBay stupidly encourages new sellers to start bidding very low, to attract more bids. This advice is more than a decade out of date, since the preference today is for Fixed Price listings and purchases.
If your maximum bid was going to be higher than the point at which the seller cancelled, you could contact him and ask if he would make you a private listings at your bid (don't forget about shipping). He should use your name as the title. A one day or three day auction would be fastest.
He may say no, but if you don't ask, he can't say yes.
