Did you just realize that you can no longer sell an item you have auctioned on eBay? If that happens, there are a few things you can do to close the auction before it expires.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Reasons and Requirements
Step 1. Find out if you have a valid reason or not
When you decide to close an auction early, eBay will ask you to indicate the reason for your decision.
- Since closing an auction early can cause buyers to discontent, the rationale must be valid, so just avoid "changing your mind".
- You are not allowed to close an auction to avoid selling an item at a lower price than you had assumed. This goes against eBay's policy.
- The most valid reasons for closing an auction are the loss of the item, its breakage or that it is no longer available.
- If you find that the description, title or price is wrong, edit the listing or add a note. If these options are not available, then you can close the auction early.
Step 2. Check how much time is left
There are fewer restrictions if you close an auction more than 12 hours after the deadline. If the ad expires in less than 12 hours, there are additional complications you will have to cope with and you may not be able to close the auction.
- You can close an auction more than 12 hours after the deadline even if there are no bids.
- When there are less than 12 hours left, you can close the auction if there are no bids, including withdrawn bids. If there is at least one bid you can close the auction, but only if you agree to sell to the highest bidder.
- If there are less than 12 hours left and there is no bids because you canceled them, or if there are bids but the reserve price has not been reached, you cannot close the auction early.
Step 3. Learn about possible administrative burdens
If there are less than 12 hours left and there is at least one bid, you will need to pay a small fee to cancel the bids and close the auction.
- This rate is not applicable to listings belonging to certain categories. Read the rules carefully.
- You will not have to pay this sum if this is the first time you close an auction early in the current year, but you will have to do so for subsequent times. The year taken into consideration is that of the calendar, which runs from January 1st to December 31st.
- This amount is equivalent to what you would have paid to eBay if the auction had ended normally with the item sold to the highest bidder.
- You will also have to pay the normal ad fees even if you closed the auction early.
Method 2 of 3: Close the Auction Early
Step 1. Go to "My eBay"
After logging into your profile, click on the "My eBay" link in the top right corner of the page.
Clicking on this link should open the "My eBay" summary page
Step 2. Go to the "Sales" page
Look in the left column of your summary page. Look for "Sell" and then click on "Sales" to see all the items you have for sale.
You can also click on the "In Progress" option to view all active ads. Both methods should allow you to find the auction you want to close
Step 3. Click on the "More options" button next to the advertisement
Scroll down the page until you find the auction you want to close. Look to the right of the ad and click on "More options" to open the related menu.
Step 4. Choose the "Close Listing" option from the drop-down menu
Doing so will open the "Close ad early" page.
Step 5. Indicate how you want to close the listing
If there are any active offers, you will be asked which closing method you want to use.
- If there are more than 12 hours left for the auction to finish, you can choose between "Cancel bids and close the listing early" and "Sell the item to the highest bidder".
- If there are more than 12 hours left, you can only select "Sell item to highest bidder".
- If there are no offers for this item you will not need to select any options.
Step 6. Select the reason for the auction closing
You will need to indicate why you have decided to close the listing early. Select the reason from the list.
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Possible reasons include:
- "The item is no longer available for sale".
- "There is an error in the listing".
- "There is an error in the starting price, the Buy Now price or the reserve price."
- "The item is lost or broken".
End an eBay Listing Early Step 10 Step 7. Click on "Close Listing"
After selecting your reason, click on the "Close ad" button at the bottom of the page.
- After clicking on this button, the auction will be closed. The ad will no longer be active on the eBay site.
- If you close an auction with bids, bidders will receive an email explaining that their bid has been canceled. The message will also say that the auction was closed early.
Method 3 of 3: Precautions
End an eBay Listing Early Step 11 Step 1. Do what you can to avoid closing an auction early
While it is possible to close a listing early, eBay may penalize you if you do it too often by limiting your account. For this reason it is better to look for an alternative solution rather than closing the auction.
- Be careful when setting prices the first time, so you don't have to change them later.
- Check each listing before submitting it to eBay to avoid any mistakes.
- Manage your inventory with care. If you only have one item or a small amount of the same item, only list it on eBay and not on other sites as well.
- Block some types of buyers, so you don't have the temptation to close the auction in order not to sell the item to someone you don't want to sell to. You can block buyers who do not have a PayPal account, who have unpaid items on their profile, who live in a country you are unwilling to send goods to, who have a low feedback score, or who have violated eBay's terms.. You can also block users who have bought certain quantities of items from you in the past.
End an eBay Listing Early Step 12 Step 2. Know what to do if you are unable to close the auction
If you are unable to close the listing due to time restrictions, you will need to contact the buyer and arrange a solution directly.
- If you want to act before the auction closes, contact the bidders, explain the situation and ask them to retract their bids.
- If you want to wait for the auction to close, contact the winner and explain the situation. If you can find a solution you can cancel the entire transaction.
