...and decide at the last minute you don't want it? I am relatively new to the whole ebay phenomenon and I bid on something and 5 minutes later, realized I didn't want it. I frantically emailed the seller and told him I made a mistake and to please retract my bid. Then I saw something that I wanted and it said buy now, so I clicked on it and it said I needed a credit card. I gave up all my cards because they are pure evil. I tell ya, my initial ebay experience was rough.

Sorry, but once you click "Bid" or "Buy it now", you're saying that you will go through with the transaction if you win. I hope everything works out for you, though.

No. Though I have regretted paying a lot for something.

As a seller, I have had people ask to retract bids. I'd rather retract their bid than hassle with them when they won't pay for it.

And some of the Buy it Now auctions do make you immediately pay with Paypal, but you can use electronic check too. Great if you don't have a credit card.

You can use debit cards on eBay too. I don't have any credit cards, altho I do have a debit card. I'm pretty careful about how much I buy on eBay. I've been using it on and off since 2002, but got my own account last year.

I made the mistake of buying something I didn't want on eBay once - luckily, it didn't cost me too much (under $5).

There are sellers who don't even take credit cards. They request you send them personal checks or money orders. I've brought from a few of them in the past.

i only retracted a bid once and it was more trouble than it was worth i should have just went ahead and bought the item i bid on. i got a headache from all the hassale

I am still a novice on Ebay myself; I used to use my boyfriend's ebay account, but now I have my own, and so far, there has been a few items that I bought, and when I recieve the item in th mail it was like What the hell did I want this for? :lol:

I paid about $100 for a signed TSR cast picture....I think it was worth it but I'm not sure if I really wanted it

I paid about $100 for a signed TSR cast picture....I think it was worth it but I'm not sure if I really wanted it
Wow, the most I ever brought was about $42 for a signed Mama's Family script.

I think those scripts are rare. Was it signed by all the cast at that time?
No, only by Vicki Lawrence (it was her copy). It was a script from the "Santa Mama" episode...Fittingly, one of my faves...So it was awesome that I won it. There was a bidding war on it towards the end, to boot. You don't see MF scripts on eBay too often, so everybody pounces on it.

Well the seller I bought the "Buy Now" item said that I could pay with a money order so that problem is solved. As for the other item, the seller refuses to retract the bid. They said I have to go through ebay. Something tells me this is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

Some sellers can be real a-holes when it comes to retracting bids. Hope you can work something out... if the item is cheap, you might just want to buy it to save yourself a migraine.

Some sellers can be real a-holes when it comes to retracting bids. Hope you can work something out... if the item is cheap, you might just want to buy it to save yourself a migraine.


....and bad feedback.
I have a debit card but I try to buy most of my purchases with money orders and never had a problem. I have to watch myself on E-bay, my fingers love to click on the 'Buy it now' button :D

....and bad feedback.


Yeah, that too. That could ruin future purchases. In my experience, I've seen a lot of sellers add "Bidders with no negitive feedback only please", so that's one thing to watch for.

Wow, the most I ever brought was about $42 for a signed Mama's Family script.
I ended up framing the picture and hanging it up in my room :lol:

Some sellers can be real a-holes when it comes to retracting bids. Hope you can work something out... if the item is cheap, you might just want to buy it to save yourself a migraine.


i've had my problems with ebay, as most who use it enough will, but i don't think it makes the seller an "a-hole" when they don't accomodate people who want to retract bids.

i've never sold but as i understand it, sellers pay just to list and owe ebay whether they sell or not.

as for bidders, if you're retracting, you're not only screwing up the seller but other (potential) bidders also.

i think the responsibility for the honesty, quality of merchandise and prompt delivery belongs to the seller, but the responsibliliy of the bidder is not to hit that enter button if they're unsure.

I was an ebay addict back when I first heard about the site back in 1998, before it really blew up.

Well the seller I bought the "Buy Now" item said that I could pay with a money order so that problem is solved. As for the other item, the seller refuses to retract the bid. They said I have to go through ebay. Something tells me this is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

O_o That's lame. Sellers can retract bids themselves. This guy is just being a jerk.

I've only had two problems with sellers.

1. I bought a VHS tape (am not saying who it is, but they were a popular group back then but now it's embarassing as hell) in 1998 from somebody, and she never sent it to me, and ironically she was high-bidder on a cd I was selling, and she never paid either. What a deadbeat.

2. Back when I started ebay, I didn't have a job, so I'd pay for stuff as I got it (and if someone said "must be received within 10 days", I adhered to it. However, I bought a movie and the guy gave me a negative mark after I didn't send payment after 5 days (and I was working on paying him), he should've at least consulted with me first because I had every intention of paying for the movie.

i've never sold but as i understand it, sellers pay just to list and owe ebay whether they sell or not.

as for bidders, if you're retracting, you're not only screwing up the seller but other (potential) bidders also.


That's true. But depending on the starting price, it could be as little as 25 cents. If you can't afford to lose a quarter or 2, you shouldn't be listing on ebay in the first place.

How are you screwing other bidders? And so you as a seller don't sell it. Better than either not getting paid or the bidder getting mad at you and leaving you negative feedback.

I've only had two problems with sellers.

1. I bought a VHS tape (am not saying who it is, but they were a popular group back then but now it's embarassing as hell) in 1998 from somebody, and she never sent it to me, and ironically she was high-bidder on a cd I was selling, and she never paid either. What a deadbeat.

2. Back when I started ebay, I didn't have a job, so I'd pay for stuff as I got it (and if someone said "must be received within 10 days", I adhered to it. However, I bought a movie and the guy gave me a negative mark after I didn't send payment after 5 days (and I was working on paying him), he should've at least consulted with me first because I had every intention of paying for the movie.

lol...that first story reminds me of this one guy. I bid on a tape, and he cancels my bid, telling me I have no right to buy the tape just to sell it. Which was ridiculous; just because I'd sold similar tapes myself, I wanted this tape to watch, not sell. Jerk. Well, just Sunday he buys a DVD from me. Fortunately he paid for it, but still. I tried to get his ass banned off ebay for selling stuff he taped off TV. Didn't work.

What an impatient *******. If I only waited 5 days, I'd have left tons of negative feedback.

i've had my problems with ebay, as most who use it enough will, but i don't think it makes the seller an "a-hole" when they don't accomodate people who want to retract bids.


I'm not saying they have to accomodate them, but they can at least be polite about it. I've had my fair share of sellers be complete jerks to me, while others were absolutely golden.

And like Cathy said, if you can't afford to lose a quarter or two, how the hell do you have a computer in the first place?