? An auction can be canceled at any time buy the seller ?
If it hasn't received any bids, yes. Seems fair....it might frustrate people who were planning on bidding on it, but from the seller's point of view, if there's absolutely no bidder-commitment, no visible interest on his item, he should be able to change his mind about selling it, for whatever reason.
Actually there may be bids, but the bids must first be closed.
EBay says: "Canceling Bids:
You can cancel bids in an auction if one or more of the following circumstances
apply:
1.You have decided to end the auction early
2.A bidder contacts you to back out of a bid
3.You cannot verify the identity of a bidder after trying
all reasonable means of contact
Note: Since bid cancellations are publicized in the auction bidding
history, you will be asked to provide a reason for your cancellation to
bidders.
End the Auction Early
You may miss out on just the bid you've been waiting for if you end
your auction early. Still, there may be times when you have a valid reason
to end an auction early. You may end your auction if you decide not to
sell the item. To do this, you must choose the option to cancel all bids
on your auction. You may also choose the option to sell to the high bidder.
You will need to provide a reason explaining why you have ended the
auction early. This reason can be found at the top of the Closed item page.
You may also provide additional details in your item description. "
Respectfully,
Ken Newton
