Did you know that when you place a maximum bid with ebay on an item that the seller of that item can get access to your maximim bid. And therefor know what you are prepared to pay for it.
This means that if the price has not risen much and the seller gets greedy he can end the current auction have a look at the bidders maximum bids and re list the item with a new starting price close to the highest bidders maximim bid, and hope that the same bidder bids again.
All they have to do is Pay the list fees.

Not a fan of Ebay & never have been.

Allways thought it was a rought

Is that a new thing Frank cause months ago when I sold some stuff I couldn't see the bidders max bid!

My only thing with E-Bay is that some peoples get their mates to bid against you to raise the price on their items then when the auction is over you get a second chance offer saying the winning bidder pulled out!

know what your buying and know what it would sell for elsewhere!! simple!

I personally have sold one item on Ebay. I did not see the bidders Maximum bids and I was happy with whom ever purchased the item as long as it was out of the house.

I know that I will be selling more items as I have some stuff that needs to go. But that will be in time. No real rush to do this.

Jason. As a seller you can pull the item from the auction up to 12 hours before the auction ends. after that you apparantly have to let it run.
When you as a seller end the auction early, you can then look at the bid history and it tells you what the bidders maximum bid was.
You can then re list the item with a new starting price (higher then the last one ) somewhere near to what the bidders max bid was, and send the bidder the new link and invite him to bid again at the inflated price.

As long as you pay for the listing Ebay support this practice.
Anyone can look at what the bidders maximum bid would have been as long as they know the item number of the stopped item.

Now that is a tricky one and I'm sure EBAY will be shutting that loophole down when people start complaining too much that auctions get pulled.

I for one do not pay my highest bid if they offer me again because the "highest bidder " pulled out. Happened once and I offered less than my bid and still got it.
My reasoning being that the higher bid had increased my bid artificially and I should not have to pay for that. (Mind you I would not do this for stuff that needs shipping to me)
If the item would be pulled and put on at a higher price I do not think I'd be bidding on it again. Specially knowing what I know now.


jack

When the guy sent me the link to the new auction with the higher starting price, My reply to him was not very friendly.
He then made the excuse that he recently had a heart attack and was trying to recoup some expenses back ( trying that trick on with the wrong guy, I know all about heart attacks and expenses ) anyway he stated that his son had put the item in and he hadn't noticed the starting price, and when he did thats when he pulled that auction and relisted it with higher starting price.

Ebay are fully aware of the practice and support it. As long as they get their listing fee that's all that matters.
I have this confession in writing by a ebay rep.

Cheers Frank, I wasn't aware you could do that!

I guess we do not have to put the maximum bid.

Sometimes when you see a product you want, and you know you won't be near the computer when the auction finishes, you place a price what you are prepared to pay for the item as your max bid.
Then if you get outbid you don't care cause it was the max you was prepared to pay for the product.
IF you don't place a max bid and only bid to be slightly higher then the current bid, and someone outbids you while you are away from the computer, and wins the item for LESS then you was prepared to pay for it.
YOU loose out on the item.
This is the idea of placing a max bid and letting ebay bid for you.
A good idea, UNTIL you get the arse who want to be greedy and withdraws the item cause your bid is the only bid and it is for a small starting price. And then relists the item at a much higher start price, once he has seen your max bid was heaps more then what he would have got for it if he let the auction run.
Hope I have explained this so you can see my point.

I have bought and sold loads of stuff on eBay (over 200 items) and have only seen one of my items end early. I complained to eBay and they contacted the seller. In their rules they state that it is against the 'rules' to do so, unless there is a note on the item, something like - 'this boat is advertised elsewhere, so I reserve the right to end the auction early'. I have had a couple of buyers not pay over the years, but paypal have reimbursed me or pressured the sellers into refunding me my costs. The last one was for a brand new ice maker which didn't make ice. The store gave me a full refund and also didn't want to go to the trouble of shipping the item back, so I kept it. Anyone know a refrigeration mechanic? It appears that the icemaker was placed upside down (it was upside down on my balcony, after the courier delivered it to my place) and the oil has run into the particulate filter and motor. It needs to be drained or otherwise cleared. It also didn't have any gas in it, but the guy who checked it out for me, fitted a part to it and regassed it. He didn't have the filter or the gas needed to flush the system. Be good if I could find someone to do it.

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I have it in writing that ebay are happy with someone cancelling the auction, looking at the bidders max bid and relisting the item at an inflated price.
They support this type of thing as long as the seller PAYS for each listing.
That's all they care about.
In fact the rep I was talking with who told me this was quiet smug about the hole thing, as If I was the sucker for placing a high Max bid.
( talk to as in typing on line, that's how come I have a copy of our conversation ).

Yes I see your point. I understand how upset you can be with someone trying to get you to pay more for something that was on auction. The whole purpose of an auction from a buyers perspective is to get this at a discount to the price on retail. From the buyers perspective is to get this at a premium price.

So what do we do. As buyers or sellers we do not accept this and so we end up not buying or selling the item.