I can understand mistakes when putting in your maximum bid. However, there is little excuse, when an item goes for this much, to fail to check the status of the auction sometime before it finishes. If your max bid was intended $400 (but you mistakenly entered $4,000) and you see it at $600 with hours to go in the auction, it is only fair to engage in the bid retraction process. If you want something this pricey that bad, unless money is no object, you should be keeping track of your auctions.

Of course, if you were unable to keep track of your auction due to exigent circumstances, like a power outage or a family emergency, you should state the reason to your seller as soon as possible. Ultimately it stinks for the legitimate buyers because they have to go through the process all over again, that is the most fair outcome to everybody.

When they buyer pays for it and it makes them feel good I gladly include insurance.

Great Hierophant wrote:

I can understand mistakes when putting in your maximum bid. However, there is little excuse, when an item goes for this much, to fail to check the status of the auction sometime before it finishes. If your max bid was intended $400 (but you mistakenly entered $4,000) and you see it at $600 with hours to go in the auction, it is only fair to engage in the bid retraction process. If you want something this pricey that bad, unless money is no object, you should be keeping track of your auctions.

Of course, if you were unable to keep track of your auction due to exigent circumstances, like a power outage or a family emergency, you should state the reason to your seller as soon as possible. Ultimately it stinks for the legitimate buyers because they have to go through the process all over again, that is the most fair outcome to everybody.

It's true. The whole deal felt a bid dodgy.

In the end I offered it to the third highest bidder, who is someone from vogons, so I feel a lot better about it, for about $400. With any luck he should have it before the week is out.

Yeah!