How To Retract An Offer On eBay As A Buyer Or Seller: Steps To Take & What Happens Next

eBay is a global online marketplace where sellers can create offers for their listings and sell them to customers with the best bid. While the platform allows for negotiation, both parties can retract an offer or a bid when necessary.

However, they must be familiar with how the process works and the conditions attached to it. This guide covers how a seller and buyer can retract an offer on eBay, the eligibility conditions, and common reasons for the action.

You will also discover what happens when you withdraw a bid or an offer.

Table of Contents show

How to Retract An Offer or Bid on eBay

As a buyer

When you submit an offer or bid, it means you agree with the price the seller places on its product. This offer becomes a binding agreement if the seller accepts your bid. However, this does not mean you cannot retract your offer.

Here is how to retract your offer:

Go to “Bids/Offers” and open a new window or tab
Find the bud you would like to retract and select the “Review offer” button
Click on “Retract Offer.”

Fill out the form and state your reason(s) for retracting the bid before sending your request.
Your bid will retracted within minutes

Please note that you can retract a bid or offer on eBay if:

You have about 12 hours or more left before the listing ends
You placed a bid less than an hour ago
You have sent 5 offers in a specific category

The seller has accepted, declined, or sent you a counterbid.

As a seller

Retracting a bid or offer as a seller on eBay is a different process. Below is how to get started:

Go to “Selling“ and select “More Actions”
Select the “Review All Offers” tab to review all active offers
Select the offer(s) you want to delete or retract from your listing.

Please note that you can only withdraw an offer if a buyer has yet to accept it.

Why Do Buyers and Sellers Retract An Offer on eBay?

Buyers

Buyers or customers may be forced to retract their bids for the following reasons:

The initial bid was wrong. A buyer might enter the wrong bid amount due to misunderstanding an item’s value, or it could just be a typo.

Change of mind: You can also decide to retract your offer for an item if you no longer need it or have found something better.
Unclear descriptions: Buyers may eventually retract their bid when an item’s description features discrepancies. A good example is when the item’s description does not match the actual condition or image provided.
Financial issues: Financial emergencies can also make buyers reconsider or retract their bid if they can no longer afford the item.

Technical glitches: Technical issues or errors on eBay can prompt buyers to decide to retract or stop placing a bid. This is very uncommon if every bid attempt is unsuccessful.
Communication issues: When a seller is unresponsive to questions raised by buyers regarding an item, they may decide to retract their bid if they feel uneasy.
Buyer suspects fraud: If a customer suspects fraud after placing a bid, they may rescind their decision and retract their bid.

Sellers

Conversely, retailers retract offers for the following reasons:

Unavailability: Your bid may be automatically retracted or removed if a seller is experiencing issues with their supplier or no longer has the item in stock.
Listing errors: Mistakes or errors like publishing an incorrect price or description for an item may prompt sellers to retract their orders. Such offers will be reviewed before being re-enlisted.

Technical or system errors: Technical glitches on eBay can interrupt a seller’s inventory management and force them to readjust to retract bids that are no longer valid.
The buyer requested it: Retailers on eBay can also help buyers cancel or retract their bid for an item if they demand it.
Sellers suspect fraud: Sellers can also retract offers from buyers with security concerns to protect themselves.

Unforeseen circumstances: Unforeseen circumstances such as delivery delays or unexpected increases in shipping costs may force a seller to retract their offer. Personal emergencies may also be responsible.

What Happens After You Retract an Offer?

As a buyer, you will be issued a complete refund, provided the seller has not accepted your bid. Please note that eBay will not charge you any cancellation fees. However, if the seller has accepted your bid, you need to contact them to request a refund.

Please note that how fast you get your refund will depend on the seller, payment mode, and your financial institution. Nevertheless, such money should be reflected within 3 to 5 days.

FAQs

Does retracting a bid on eBay frequently affect your reputation?

While retracting bids may be sometimes necessary, too many withdrawals will stain your reputation as a seller or buyer on eBay. Ensure you read the item’s description before publishing a listing (as a seller) or sending a bid (as a buyer).

Can you retract a counteroffer on eBay and accept the original offer?

You cannot do this on eBay. You can only contact the seller and request they accept the previous or original offer.

What happens when you decline an eBay counteroffer?

The seller will consider you as someone who is no longer interested in the item.

In a Nutshell

Retracting a bid or offer on eBay is a simple procedure both buyers and sellers can execute. While buyers can do this without any limitation, sellers may find it difficult if a buyer has already accepted their offer.

Nevertheless, every bid withdrawal issue can be resolved via proper communication. In addition, buyers need to know that they can leave feedback for a seller after retracting a bid on eBay.

This feedback will be made public and can assist other buyers in deciding whether to buy from a seller.

I hope you found this guide helpful. For further reading, please see how to calculate shipping costs on eBay.

Thanks for reading.