Sellers are getting notices today that eBay cancelled orders due to what it vaguely called a "systems issue" (and in a tweet as a "technical issue" and a "technical hiccup"). Those who received the message are confused and upset not only because eBay cancelled the orders, but because of the lack of information about the reason and whether eBay used its own funds to issue the refunds, or whether it was coming out of sellers' pockets.
In one thread on the eBay discussion boards, a seller said they had gotten the message about eBay refunding the buyer and wondered, "Item has been mailed, so I guess I am out the money and item?"
Various sellers posted the identical message from eBay, which stated the following:
"eBay recently identified a systems issue that impacted your order. As a result, we have had to cancel your order and issue a refund to the buyer. Please check your canceled orders for more details. We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused, and we have refunded your fees. We hope you choose to relist your item.
"We'd like to assure you that your seller performance rating won't be impacted by defects resulting from this issue, and we will proactively remove neutral or negative feedback.
"If you have already shipped your item or have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help.
"Thank you for being a part of the eBay seller community."
While eBay's missive said it would refund seller fees, it didn't specify if that included Promoted Listing advertising fees.
One seller, former eBay employee Dan Wilson, said in a
tweet exchange with @askeBay that the cancellation had been a terrible experience for his buyer who was as confused as he was. "I had already confirmed the address as requested," he said, and called it a farce. He also expressed concern over the safety of users' private data.
Some sellers said they didn't receive a notification from eBay, but instead, they received questions from buyers asking why their orders had been cancelled, such as a seller who explained in
this eBay discussion board thread:
"I had two auction items that were sold and paid for yesterday canceled today, the reason being "other". I did not receive any email from eBay that the ordered were canceled, which I always receive if I cancel an order because of non payment or a buyer request. I only found out because the buyer sent a message asking why the order was canceled. I've never had something like this happen before. The buyers were refunded and the money removed from my account, so it is good that I hadn't shipped the orders yet. I can make new listings for the buyers to purchase again, but I would like to know what is happening."
The timing of the decision by eBay to cancel orders has some sellers wondering if it was connected with
a glitch that it acknowledged on Thursday in which it had provided sellers with incorrect ship-to addresses on some orders going back to April 7th.
Update: 4/22/2024: eBay Confirms Canceled Orders Due to Shipping Glitch
An eBay moderator back at work on Monday morning
confirmed that the reason it cancelled orders on Saturday was the weeks-long shipping glitch recently discovered.
"We recently identified an issue that caused a limited number of orders to be shipped to a buyer's alternate address. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are moving quickly to address customer concerns."
eBay Is Cancelling Orders Today for No Apparent Reason
by: COVID-19 
by: Rexford 