eBay: The Missing Manual

Buyers' Woes and What to Do About Them

Shakespeare knew that "the course of true love never did run smooth"; sometimes, the course of commerce takes a bumpy road, too. Most eBay transactions begin and end without a hitch. But the eBay world isn't perfect. This section describes some common problems buyers face and what to do about them.

The Seller Cancels Your Bid on Your Very First Auction

Sellers have the option of canceling bids or blocking bidders from their auctions. They don't have to give a reason. Some sellers are wary of new buyers with no feedback and will cancel bids from zero-feedback buyers if they see them. From a new buyer's point of view, this stinks. How can you earn feedback if you can't even bid?

You have a couple of options.

One option is to email the seller (use the "Ask seller a question" link on the auction page). Explain that you're new to eBay but you understand the rules and are serious about bidding. Emphasize that you know that a bid is a binding agreement and you intend to follow through if you win. This sort of communication will convince many sellers that you're sincere and will lead them to let you to bid on the auction.

Note

Sellers can set their auctions to automatically block bids from buyers with a negative feedback score or who live in countries the seller doesn't ship to.

The other option is to build up your feedback rating by buying several inexpensive items quickly, paying up even more quickly, and leaving good feedback for the seller. (BIN auctions, ...