Popular questions

• What's a reserve price?

A reserve price is a hidden minimum price—essentially, the lowest price that the seller is willing to accept for the item. If the listing ends without any bids that meet the reserve price, the seller is not required to sell the item.

As a buyer, you are not shown the reserve price. As you bid on an auction-style listing with a reserve price, pay attention to the label next to the current bid price to see if the reserve has been met.

• Can I retract or cancel my bid?

As a general rule, you can't retract, remove, or cancel a bid. When you place a bid, you agree to pay for the item if you're the winning bidder.

A bid on bidcy is considered a contract, and you're obligated to purchase the item.

However, honest mistakes sometimes occur. You can retract a bid if you have a valid reason for doing so as defined by Bidcy policy and you retract the bid within the required time period.

Valid reasons for retracting a bid include:

You accidentally entered the wrong bid amount. For example, you bid $99.50 instead of $9.95. If this happens, you need to reenter the correct bid amount right away.

The item's description changed significantly after you entered your last bid. For example, the seller updated the details about the item's features or condition.

You can't reach the seller by telephone or email.

Changing your mind isn't a valid reason for retracting a bid. Be sure to carefully review listings before bidding.

• Why should I register?

Registration is fast, easy, and free. 

Once you’re registered, you can:

Buy, sell, and interact with other members.

Save your favorite searches and get notified whenever items you’re looking for appear.

Watch the status of up to 200 items.

View your eBay information from any computer in the world.

• How do I contact a seller?

If you have questions about an item, here's how to get answers.

Before you bid or buy

Click the Ask a question link in the listing.

On the Find answers page, choose the topic that best fits your question, and look for your question.

If you can't find your question, under Did we answer your questions?, select No, I want to contact the seller, and then click the Continue button.

Enter your question. Depending on the topic, you may be asked for additional information.

Enter the verification code for security purposes, and then click theSend button.

Note: Not all sellers accept questions before you buy an item, but all sellers will accept questions after you've bought an item. 

After you've bought or won an item

After you've won an item, we'll send you an email with the seller's email address.

If you've tried contacting the seller by email but haven't received a response, you can request the seller's phone number and call them.

Note: Buyers can only obtain a seller's contact information if they bid on or buy one of the seller's items. Sellers can only obtain the contact information of bidders or buyers on their listings. 

• I won an item but no longer want to buy it. What should I do?

A bid or commitment to buy on eBay is considered a contract and you're obligated to purchase the item. However, if you feel that you have a legitimate reason for not buying the item, you can contact the seller and explain your situation. 

Many sellers are willing to work with you if you communicate with them openly and honestly. If you haven't done so already, request the seller's contact information, explain the situation, and see if they are willing to cancel the transaction in the Resolution Center. If the seller opens a case, you'll receive an email asking you to agree to the seller's request to cancel the purchase. Be sure to promptly accept the seller's request.

If the seller doesn't agree to the cancel the transaction and you don't pay for the item, an unpaid item will be recorded on your account. If you get too many unpaid items recorded on your account within a short time period, your account may be limited or suspended.

• How do I show more information in search results?

After you’ve searched, you can change the amount of information shown in the results about each item and choose how your search results are sorted. Click the Customize view link at the top of the results page.

Here are a few of the things you can do:

Choose the columns you want to display and select their order. For example, you might want to see PayPal in your search results.

Display more item information, including the item number and location.

Display more seller information, including the seller’s user ID and Feedback rating.

Choose the sort order for items.

After you’ve made your changes, click the Apply Changes button to see your selected preferences every time you sign in.