Bid Retractions - A Punk Move?

[vintagetoppsguy]

I've had a few bid retractions that I can remember.

1). I was bidding on what I thought to be a 1978 Topps Baseball unopened vending box (from a reputable seller), but once I placed my bid I realized it was a Basketball (I believe) vending box, not baseball. It was my fault for not reading the description more carefully.

2). There were a couple times when I've placed a bid on an item and then asked the seller a question about the item with no only to have no response, and therefore I retracted my bid. I assumed the seller had something to hide by not answering my question. Probably my fault again for not asking the question before I bid, but I didn’t want to get stuck with something I wasn’t happy with.

3.) There have been a few times when I was high bidder on an item with a very high proxy and someone outbids me only to retract their bid. At that point my high proxy is exposed and is very easy to run up my bid if someone wanted to. When that happens, I'll retract my bid every time. Please don't lecture me on sniping, I choose not to bid that way.

All that said, I have probably only retracted my bid less than a ten times in my 11+ years on eBay.

[ALR-bishop]

I think I have had one that fits your # 2 David ,and a couple that fit number 3 in my pre snipe days. No lecture intended , but sniping solved those issues for me. It's just a personal choice.

When placing my snipes I just assume the seller has a price that he will try to get to by minimum bid, reserve or shills ( if I get a totally honest seller, great) , so I bid what I am willing to pay for the card and let it go

[pawpawdiv9]

Have ya ever bid on something and wanted to 'retract' but it was under the 12 hr limit and unable to do it? So then you send a message to the seller asking to retract and waits till the auction ends and sends a bad reply.
I told them exactly what the card was in my message...so it was not identified.
And was told i was rude???

[MBMiller25]

I am not sure how many bid retractions I have done in my lifetime, but I have done them. I have never done them to find a hidden reserve or to find out where someone might be with their bid on a card I want to buy. Where I typically found myself doing it, is with BIN/BO auctions. I am totally am impulsive buyer, and would see a card I like, put a offer on that card, and between the time I put my offer in, and waited to get a reply from the seller, come to my senses and retract the BO I had placed on the card.

I have gone to a snipe program now, and it tends to curtail my impulsive purchases.

[MattyC]

Matt, with your great taste in cards, an impulse buy would never steer you wrong. It might only make you money, lol.

[steve B]

I've got one retraction since I think 1998.

I saw a nice film projector at well below the going price and bid. Later that night I was telling my film collecting friend about it and he said "didn't you see the shipping is $80?! " Which put it about $40 over the usual price including shipping. I cancelled that bid, but haven't had a reason to cancel any others. I've mistyped a few times, but the give you plenty of chances to catch it.

I can see maybe using it to find the reserve, but have never done it. Just nothing I want that much, that's also within my budget. I also usually ask about a reserve. Some sellers will tell you what the reserve is, some won't. I always did as a seller and eventually started putting it in the description.

Most buyers were really good about that, and I learned a lot about a couple items I had. One thing a buyer sent me a few links to sales of the same item at major auctions or dealers, showing me I'd made the reserve about double what I could expect. It gave me time to change the reserve to be more reasonable. Another item I had 3-4 potential buyers ask about the reserve then tell me I was going to be very pleasantly surprised. I was, it went for over 6X my reserve.

Steve B

[the 'stache]

I've never once had a bid retraction. If I make a bid, I'm prepared to buy the card at that price. Period. If somebody wants to jack the price up, and I end up paying at the high end, or ceiling, well, I'm a firm believer that karma will get them. But I'm still within the amount I budgeted for the card.

I have a very big problem with the games people play on Ebay, and the hobby in particular, and it's turning me off to collecting.

[MattyC]

Bill, don't let it turn you off. See Miller's thread entitled COME ON!... There are philosophies we can employ, perspectives we can take, that really brush off those annoyances like so much dirt off Jay-Z's shoulder. Focus on the cards, brother! The cards never bothered nobody