The current highest bidder that I have on an item on Ebay has asked if I would terminate the auction early to sell to him. The price is very reasonable so I am happy to do so. I have had a trawl through the Ebay website to see how to do this and cant actually find the mechanics of how to do it, maybe I am thick? Ebay warn about closing the auction early but the fact I am selling to the highest bidder seems to comply with their rules??

You can do it but if its going to end within 24hrs I think that option switches off… Your not meant to do it but if your happy yo sell outside of ebay, then who can stop you, the only problem is if the buyer changes his mind and youve paid the fee’s…

I’d say no, personally. Doesn’t it impact your protection if you do that? Ie, likely to be a scam? Been a while so I’m not sure, but I’d read the fine print.

Add a ‘buy it now’ to your listing for the price that he/she has agreed to pay and get them to click on it. You still have the protection then if it all goes tits up.

Edit: just read your post again. Why end it early? he/she is the highest bidder and you are happy with price being offered. Let it run, if he/she is outbid then you’ll be in for more money, if noone else bids he/she is still the highest bidder. I thought that ebay advice was to report ppl who ask you to remove listings to sell to them. Not used it for a while though.

If the auction is already at a price you’re happy with just let it run to the end, you may well end up with an even better price. Can’t see the point of ending early just to please a buyer.

Depending on how long is left on the auction, there should be an option to end it with the item being sold to the current high bidder…

Note: It is acceptable for sellers to end a listing early and sell an item to the highest bidder at their current bid price. Bidders are permitted to contact sellers with requests to end a listing early for this reason; however, sellers are under no obligation to do so. To end a listing and sell to the current high bidder (at their current high bid), go to the End My Listing Early form and select “Sell to the high bidder”.

You can’t end a listing less than 12 hours before the end of the listing if the item has a winning bid:

*

You may cancel bids, but not end the item unless you are selling the item to the high bidder. To do this, go to the End My Listing Early form and select “Sell to the high bidder”.

I stand corrected !

What the issue is is that the highest bidder has contacted me and offered a much higher price which I am more than happy with. So its within the rules to sell to him. Also he needs it fairly soon and the auction has 7 days to run.

That said what would be the better option I think would be to offer a buy it now price which he can click on and end the auction, then that would keep everything in order??

Can you add a buy it now option?

You can’t add a buy-it-now once the item has bids.

I’d pop another auction up as a buy-it-now only and send him a link- and then cancel all bids and end the other auction

Worth noting that the post offices (in Scotland at least) are shut until Wednesday so he may not actually get it much quicker..

Just send the seller a paypal invoice for the agreed price and tell them when its paid you will end the auction, that way you won’t have tp pay ebay the 10% fee ebay charge these days. Just make sure when you post the item its insured.

I gave the guy a call and we have came to a mutual arrangement via paypal and ended the auction with him as the highest bidder which is a faction of agreed total. Its a big oil tank so its not getting posted, so money will have to be in my sweaty palm before I give him a hand to hump it over the garden wall.

Cheers 😀