Change Your Mind About An eBay Bid?

Posted by Nick Niesen on November 1st, 2010

We have all made choices in life that two seconds later we know we should take back. Especially when there is money involved this can become a problem. In the age before computers it was very simple to change your mind about something you purchased. However, since computers have come into the picture changing your mind has become a lot more complicated process.

In terms of eBay there are a few rules that apply when a bidder decides to change his or her mind after winning the bid on an item. This can be both challenging for the person bidder and the seller, but remember no matter what your circumstance you do have the right to retract your bid on an item after you won, if you choose to do so.

The problem is mainly about credibility. While there are many legitimate reasons to retract a bid on eBay, such as accidentally entering an incorrect amount for your bid, we must also keep in mind that eBay will allow you to retract your bid for almost any reason. This means that a compulsive customer could decide to retract a bid for illegitimate reasons more than a number of times. This not only is a breach of the contract mentioned in the buyer?s guide, but also it wastes the seller?s time and resources. This can also damage the buyer?s reputation and possibly disqualify him or her from future bids. For these reasons I would not recommend bidding on an item unless you are completely confident that you want it.

Though retracting is never a healthy idea for your reputation, more than likely at one point you will need to use this option. Your first move should be to notify the seller immediately about the reason you are retracting. Next, click on the ?Services? link that is located at the top of the navigation bar. From there find and click on the ?Retract Your Bid? link which is located under ?Bidding and Buying Services.? Then, put the item number in the form located on the Bid Retractions page. Last, you can select an automated explanation, click on the ?Retract Bid? button and rest easy that your bid has been removed from the auction.
The eBay management, in reality, is reasonable on things like these. In fact, eBay may accept whatever reasons buyers have whenever they want to pull back a certain bid. But then, it may pose harm on the bidder's reputation in the future.

Retracting can sometimes be a necessary life saver. But remember, while eBay will accept many different reasons for retracting bids, just as a final warning, it can and will hurt your reputation if you abuse this feature.