What if I can't reach my winning bidder?

Like you, bidders can have emergencies, illnesses, or computer problems. Check your bidder's feedback to see what other users have said. If there is mostly positive feedback with little or no mention of problems, be patient. Your bidder may not be able to respond to you right away for legitimate reasons.

If you get no responses through email, you can request your bidder's phone number. A phone call may help facilitate the communication.

Please note that if your auction is a Reserve Price Auction and the reserve is not met, the transaction is not considered successful. Offering to sell an item directly to a bidder in a Reserve Not Met auction is against eBay rules and is also called fee avoidance. (Reserve Price Auctions are available only in select vehicle categories.)

If this is a regular auction without a reserve price or a Reserve Price auction where the reserve is met and you are unable to contact your winning bidder, your auction may fall under eBay's Non-paying Bidder Policy. This policy will tell you how to request a fee credit from eBay if your bidder does not pay.

Additional Related Questions

• Why do I get messages immediately telling me I've been outbid?
• I bid against myself to raise my maximum and the high bid increased. Why?
• Why was the bid increment bigger than I expected when I placed my bid?
• Why did my bid jump up so high?
• Why doesn't the high bid increase when I raise my bid?
• I was outbid at the last second. How can I prevent this?
• Why did this listing end early?
• Why was I outbid by less than one increment?
• What if I can't reach my seller?
• What if I won, but my seller won't sell to me?
• What if my winning bidder won't pay?
• What is feedback and how do I leave it?
• My item didn't get any bids. Can I list it again for free?