Ending a listing early
In some cases, you might need to end a listing early. For example, you might discover that the item you're selling doesn't work or is missing a part.
The guidelines on this page are for ending a listing early in most categories.
Important: We may charge a fee if you end an auction-style listing early.
Before ending a listing:
Make sure that you have a valid reason for ending the listing.
Check that you meet the requirements for ending the listing. If there are fewer than 12 hours before the listing ends, restrictions apply.
Reasons for ending a listing early
When you choose to end a listing early, buyers may be disappointed. If you regularly end listings early, your account may be subject to account restrictions and other consequences. However, we understand that sometimes you may have a good reason to end a listing early.
Reason | What to do |
The item is lost, broken, or otherwise no longer available for sale. | As soon as you notice a problem, try to end the listing. |
You made a mistake when creating the listing. | Consider revising the listing or adding a note to the item's description, rather than ending it. Learn more about the restrictions and steps for revising a listing. If you can't revise the listing, try to end the listing. |
Requirements
Your ability to end a listing early depends on the amount of time remaining in the listing and whether the listing has received any bids.
Timing | Number of bids | Can the listing be ended early? | Fee for ending a listing early |
12 or more hours left in the listing | No bids | Yes | No |
1 or more bids and you want to sell to the high bidder | Yes | No |
1 or more bids and you want to cancel bids | Yes | Yes |
Fewer than 12 hours left in the listing | No bids, including no canceled bids | Yes | No |
No bids, because you've canceled them | No | No |
1 or more bids | Yes, but you must sell the item to the high bidder. | No |
1 or more bids, but the item's reserve price wasn't met | No | No |
Fees
Ending an auction-style listing early once it has received a bid can lead to disappointed and frustrated buyers who may be less likely to bid on listings the next time around. For this reason, we may charge a fee if you end a listing early. This fee is equal to the final value fee you would have paid if the listing had ended on its own and sold for the highest bid received at the time you ended the listing.
We charge this fee if you cancel bids and end an auction-style listing early without a buyer.
We don't charge this fee if you end an auction-style listing early and sell to the high bidder. (In this case, normal final value fees apply.)
This fee doesn't apply to listings in the Real Estate and the Classified Ads selling format.
Because we understand that sometimes it may be necessary to end a listing early, we don't charge a fee for the first auction-style listing you end early (where a fee applies) per calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
How to end a listing early
To end a listing early and cancel all bids or sell to the high bidder:Go to My eBay > Selling and find the item.
If there are bids on your item, choose how you want to end your listing.
If there are 12 or more hours before the end of the listing, select Cancel bids and end listing early or Sell item to high bidder.
If there are fewer than 12 hours before the end of the listing, your only option is Sell item to high bidder.
Note: If your item has no bids, you can skip this step
Select the reason you're ending your listing early and click End My Listing.
Your listing ends and is no longer active on eBay. If you end a listing with bids, we send bidders who didn't win an email explaining that their bid was canceled and that the listing ended early.
Tips to avoid ending your listing early
Price your items carefully. While it's always best to price your items competitively, if there's a minimum amount you're willing to accept for an item, you can set that amount as the reserve price for your auction-style listing.
Check your listing before you submit it. Many sellers end auction-style listings early in order to correct errors in their listing. Make sure all of the information in your listing is correct before you create your auction-style listing.
Manage your inventory carefully. If you aren’t able to complete a transaction because the item is no longer available, it may affect your seller performance. If you have only one or a small number of an item to sell, don't list the item for sale elsewhere. That way, you won't have to end an auction-style listing early because you no longer have the inventory. If you’re selling multiple quantities in a fixed price Good ‘Til Cancelled listing, consider using the out-of-stock option to allow you to keep your listing active when you run out of stock.
Revise your listing to add more detail instead of ending it early. If you want to add pictures or additional details to your auction-style listings, you can often do this without canceling your listing.
Consider blocking certain types of buyers. To avoid ending auction-style listings early because you've received bids from buyers who don't meet your requirements, specify these requirements in your listings so buyers who don't meet these requirements will not be able to bid on your item.
If you can't end the listing
If you don't meet the requirements for ending your auction-style listing early, your best option is to communicate with the bidders.
If the listing ends and there is a winning bidder: Contact the bidder and explain the situation. If you and the bidder agree not to complete the sale, you can cancel the transaction from My eBay.
Other terms
We still charge listing fees (such as an insertion fee and any optional fees) if you end your listing early, even if you don't sell to the high bidder. If you want to change or improve your listing, consider revising your listing instead.
Sellers aren't allowed to cancel bids and end listings early in order to avoid selling an item that did not meet a desired sale price. This is considered to be a violation of our reserve price policy.
