Bid retractions

What it looks like on eBay

• eBay lists retracted and cancelled bids in a separate section under the bid history.
• The bidder detail page counts that bidder’s retractions over 30 days and 6 months.
• A bidder who pushes the price up, leads, then retracts once a real buyer has bid above them leaves exactly this trace.

Why it counts

eBay allows retractions only in narrow cases, such as a typo in the amount. Retracting after leading can reveal another bidder’s maximum bid without the retracting bidder having to buy, which is why experienced buyers check this first.

Innocent explanations

A present sign is a reason to look closer, not a conclusion. Common innocent reasons for this one:

• Typos happen: $1,000 typed instead of $100.00 is the classic case, and eBay allows a retraction for it.
• The item description changed significantly after the bid was placed.
• The seller couldn’t be contacted to answer a question about the item.

Check it yourself

1. Scroll to the bottom of the bid history page and look for retracted or cancelled bids.
2. Tap the bidder in question and read the retraction counts in their 30-day summary.
3. Read eBay’s own explanation next to each retraction, if it shows one.

Read more about shill bidding and how to spot it, or see how Susbid decides a sign is present.