I listed an item on ebay and I can't live up to the deal...

Question

It's an "how to" type of product and I just realized it doesn't work. What the h**l can I do? It's already tracked by 7 people and has a few bids... Canceling the deal now would tarnish my reputation, but if I cancel then I'll get negative feedback as well. Lose/lose...

Answer 1

[EDIT] Oh no worries! eBay allows you to cancel it if the product doesn't work.

Trust me, the buyers won't be mad. They'll be mad if you ship them a broken item though. You can also cancel everyone's bid I think and then close it.

Answer 2

If the auction has more than 12 hours remaining, end the listing.  You cannot get feedback when you've ended the listing.  Your reputation is fine.

If it has less than 12 hours, try reporting it for policy violations.  Sounds crazy, but reporting yourself just might be the thing to do.  If it's a digital item, eBay will remove it.  But they would probably take a few hours from the time you report it, so do it now if you have to.

One policy violation isn't a big deal, except maybe shill bidding.

Answer 3

Send a message to the highest bidder stating that it doesn't work anymore sorry and end it. :|

Answer 4

Your only responsible to deliver the product they purchased to them. If it sucks, that's not your fault. But, if you can't in good conscience sell an item that sucks, then you're a good man.

And you can't get negative feedback for canceling an auction.

I would cancel the auction and let the bidders know why.