retracting and reentering bids on eBay - what do you think of this? AGAIN???

pursuitofliberty

I get up this morning and find a retracted bid from one of the auctions I am running on eBay. I don’t sell there that much, so I figured maybe those of you who do can chime in on what you think.

I see that the bidder apparently put in a really strong bid, retracted it 15 minutes later, and then placed another bid for enough to become the high bidder a few minutes later.

What it looks like to me is that he could have made an honest mistake (as the first bid was at or over what I would expect even in a good bidding war), but in doing so he flushed the current high bidders hand (who I’m pretty sure is a board member). I don’t recognize the new high bidder, but he/she could be a board member here also.

Just in case it matters, the auctions run through Sunday, and the new high bidder (the one who retracted and then reentered) is bidding (current high bidder) on another piece I have up.

Does this taint the auction?

What would you do, if anything?

Russ

Check his bid retraction history. If he has many, he might be playing games. If not, could just be an honest mistake.



<< <i>What would you do, if anything? >>



In this case, nothing. I do, however, block bidders who retract late in the game and don't re-bid.

Russ, NCNE

pursuitofliberty

Thanks Russ ... I didn't think of that ... looks like an honest mistake ... he has just this 1 in the last six months (I suppose that is this one), and he is a active one lately.

cullenbryant

i had a situation once where top bidder had large proxy in. underbidder keeps fishing until they busts the proxy,
then retracts,
but they only retract the top bid, so my prior top bidder wins but at several increments above what
he would have won at had this renegade done this. it looked badly like i had shilled that auction up.
i emailed the winner and sold it for their original top bid.

Garneteye

Todd, I am now the underbidder on the coin and don't have a problem with this since it occured several days prior to the end of the auction. I bid what the coin was worth (to me) since this is a secondary collection and not my primary focus. Hope you have a bidding war at the end!!!!

Dan

pursuitofliberty

Cullen, yes I've seen that ... thankfully that isn't the case here.

Dan, Thanks for chiming in. In following the idea Russ presented it does look like he made a mistake, and was pretty quick to correct it. The fact that you're good makes it easier for me to accept as well. Thanks!

pursuitofliberty

I can't believe it - he did it again - this time same excuse, five hours later ... WTF ??

This time on the other auction

Anybody have any ideas?

cullenbryant

cancel their bids and block them

Steve27

Link?

pursuitofliberty

Cullen ... I'm thinking maybe I might have to do that ... which sucks


I just wrote him/her a letter through ebay asking for an explaination before I decide ... any further input will be considered and appreciated


The first time this morning on the 08-D it bugged me a little, but seeing as you had no other bid retractions in 6 months and 100% feedback, and it only took you 15 minutes ... well, hey everybody makes mistakes. But to then retract again on a different auction of mine, five hours later, on the same day kind of throws up red flags to me ... I'd like my auctions to be clean, no reserve, no BS ... would you like to tell me what's going on?

ziggy29

One retraction can be an honest mistake. Two retractions is time to block the bidder.

flaminio

Life is too short to worry about stuff like this.

ccrdragon

he's playing games to find the current high bid - then bid 1 increment above it

If the e-mail doesn't get a reasonable response, ban him and then cancel his bids (ban him first so he can't bid again before you ban him).

pursuitofliberty

Reasonable response recieved momments ago ... nothing left to see here for now ... if it comes up again I'll just shoot him ... or myself

Thanks for all the inputs however!