Need help with cancellation - can't find the button
Summary: esistwiesist reports problems with a commercial seller on eBay who can’t find an item they won. They want to cancel the purchase contract, but can’t find the corresponding button. voli-maus and perfect-sally advise opening a case for an item not received. petersmodellbahnstuebchen and others explain that cancellation is possible via the order details, but there is no special button for it. In the discussion, it is repeatedly said that canceling the purchase or opening a buyer protection case would be better. esistwiesist is unhappy with the process and plans to contact consumer protection organizations.
Hello to everyone who’s reading and wants to help,
I won an item at auction from a commercial seller on July 27.
Yesterday, after 8 days, I politely asked when the item would be shipped.
Today I followed up and got the reply that he can’t find the item.
He still needs a few days to look for it.
I doubt that he will find the item
and asked for the money to be sent back.
I can only report the item as not received in a few days.
Now I can, of course, withdraw from the contract with a commercial seller using the withdrawal button
withdraw from the contract.
Now I can of course write a long email, but the lawmaker had something in mind with the button.
It’s definitely on me that I can’t find the required button.
Can someone give me a hint??
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·Aug 5, 2026 at 9:09 PMHi @esistwiesist
I’m sorry, I can’t judge which specific reasons for a cancellation are provided by Ebay, since I haven’t had a cancellation as a buyer myself for years.
Maybe the reason "without giving a reason" is the only thing missing here.
However, I can’t judge that myself, only an Ebay employee can, and we’d be happy to bring one in tomorrow if you’re interested.
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter
samantha@ebay
·Aug 5, 2026 at 6:29 PMHello @esistwiesist
As @perfect-sally already said, you can also go the other way. You don't lose anything by doing so. You only have the option to cancel the purchase, so opening a case is actually the better choice.
Best regards
Samantha
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 7:51 PMHello Samantha,
glad you replied quickly.
So I’d like to ask a specific question:
Is the cancellation button binding for commercial sellers on eBay,
since these are implemented European consumer protection rights?
Where can I find it, since I only ever find “request return”?
Then I can only choose between wrong item, didn’t like it, or or . . .
I’m not begging the seller for a reversal, but want to make use of my right of withdrawal.
It may be that I can wait until the item doesn’t arrive.
But I do have a 14-day right of withdrawal with commercial sellers, even on eBay, don’t I? Also with a cancellation button? Or are there exceptions under EU law on eBay? But then that would have to be published; a buyer can’t know that.
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 8:12 PMNow I’ve looked closely at the purchase,
I can’t find a button there that has anything to do with the right of withdrawal.
If I understood it correctly, such a button must not be hidden so much and then hidden even further and additionally concealed,
that you can’t find it at all.
It has to be easily visible and impossible to miss.
The EU says that you should be able to cancel a contract just as easily,
as it was concluded.
What I found is ONLY the option "Cancel" with the question:
Why are you canceling the purchase?
Select:
Purchased by mistake
Won’t arrive on time
Found a better price
Wrong delivery address
Wrong shipping method
Wrong payment information
kometenhuhn
·Aug 5, 2026 at 8:21 PMEbay only shows the button after delivery, or when it's marked as shipped. Before that, it isn't displayed, as far as I know.
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 6:08 AMGood morning, Kometenhuhn,
That would mean that on Ebay, via the button, I would not have an immediate right of withdrawal (theoretically from the 1st second after purchase). I can also withdraw before it is sent.
In that case the EU apparatus in Brussels could just have done away with the law altogether, or they would have had to declare Ebay a lawless zone at the same time.
On Ebay, the item would have to be shipped first so that I can enforce my rights.
That would mean there is a button, but it only takes effect once the commercial seller has shipped, and the buyer may then still keep the goods, may want to avoid the hassle of returning them, or may have concerns about the seller's billing, with the seller saying the item is damaged and and ...
And that Ebay is quite consciously restricting buyers' rights under the right of withdrawal to the detriment of buyers. Along the lines of: The right of withdrawal applies, but not on Ebay in every case, only where it doesn't cause much trouble.
Pretty harsh. if that were true.
Thanks a lot for your answer.
Now I'm curious what Ebay has to say about it,
I'll wait for the reply for now.
selina_b@ebay
@esistwiesist I'll take over here for @samantha@ebay .
What do you want to cancel if you haven't received the item? You can cancel if you have received the item and want to send it back, by opening a return.
Here you have the option either to ask for a purchase cancellation, or to open a buyer protection case for an item not received, as @voli-maus already wrote to you.
Best regards
Selina
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 6:34 AMGood morning Selina,
thanks for the reply.
I am revoking a contract - a purchase contract.
It is a valid contract that applies until it is revoked.
I can also revoke a contract if the goods have not been shipped, because it is a contract.
And that is what I want to do with the button.
This complies with national and European consumer and contract law.
More specifically: do I have the option on Ebay to use the revoke button, and where is it located?
Has Ebay intended for me to only be able to use the revoke button once the seller has shipped the item.
It would be nice if I could receive a concrete answer to this.
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 6:39 AMHello Seline,
I read the reply again more carefully.
" What are you trying to cancel if you haven't received the item? You can cancel when you want to receive and return the item, by opening a return."
So now I’ve received the info from eBay that, according to eBay, I don’t have a cancellation option before shipping, or rather that it isn’t granted to me.
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 6:51 AMIn the meantime, I find this process so serious,
that eBay is telling me here that with commercial sellers I have no right of withdrawal before the item is shipped.
That violates consumer protection rights so blatantly that I’m currently at a loss for words.
hasjana
·yesterday at 6:59 AM@selina_b@ebay
you can definitely also cancel purchases before payment and shipping
selina_b@ebay
@hasjana This is correct. For that, you use the purchase cancellation. Or the buyer waits until the item has arrived, then they can start a cancellation via the return.
There is no separate cancellation button.
Kind regards
Selina
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 9:54 AMThe article from the consumer advice center linked by Peter also says:
thanks.
The right of withdrawal generally applies 14 days after conclusion of a contract or receipt of the ordered goods.
That would make the answer clearly wrong:
" What are you trying to withdraw if you haven't received the item? You can make the withdrawal when you have received the item and want to send it back, by opening a return. "
Last question for you, Selina - just so we can at least wrap this up. Which reason do I choose for cancelling a purchase:
Bought by accident
Will not arrive on time
Found a better price
Wrong delivery address
Wrong shipping method
Wrong payment information
But it is already known that when I withdraw from a purchase from a commercial seller, I do not have to give a reason. If I choose a reason, is it then a legally compliant objection with the commercial seller and the prescribed confirmation of the withdrawal (not a request).
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·yesterday at 7:35 AMMornin' @hasjana , mornin' @esistwiesist
The following is what the Consumer Advice Center says about the right of withdrawal:
To what extent eBay fulfills its legal obligations with the solution for the "withdrawal button" is something I am not able to assess.
Maybe the lovely@miriam@ebay has more information that she may / is allowed to share about this, thanks Miriam. ❤️
Since this discussion is solely about a technical solution on eBay's part, which I cannot influence myself / assess legally, I am now out of this discussion as well.
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 1:20 PMSo now I’ll follow your advice,
and start the order cancellation according to Ebay’s advice.
To me, the point “bought by mistake”
seems the most suitable.
As I said, I asked about the statutory right of withdrawal and got this answer: order cancellation.
If it is not a statutory right of withdrawal, but rather a request for order cancellation, I’ll contact the consumer advice center directly to get help,
since I’m not getting anywhere here.
Since it was said at the beginning here that I have no right of withdrawal with a commercial seller before he has shipped it,
to be honest I’m skeptical now.
I’ll see in a moment.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·Aug 5, 2026 at 5:25 PMHi @esistwiesist
for a cancellation, you would have to pay for the return shipping yourself.
For an item not received, the seller must provide you with a return label.
If you still want to cancel, you can read in the seller’s cancellation policy what to do.
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 5:39 PMHello Peter.
Greetings to the Baltic Sea - the perfect place for this summer.
I have the suspicion the button is a phantom, supposedly it exists
but no one can find it.
Perfect-Sally has apparently just switched on Ebay.
Then I'll wait and see what comes from there.
Have lots of fun in the north and best regards
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·Aug 5, 2026 at 8:03 PMHi @esistwiesist
as you were already told, you can find the cancellation function in the purchase details or directly in the order.
It’s not a button directly, but rather a function that’s available there.
According to Ebay’s statements on this topic, that is completely sufficient to meet the legal requirements.
I can and also don’t want to write any more about this topic.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 8:46 PMHello Peter,
thanks for the reply.
I unfortunately haven’t found a function.
I’ll wait for an official second reply then.
I read here in the discussion that
the button can be found after purchase.
Yes, it’s not good for Ebay if buyers can simply withdraw from the contract according to EU wishes,
there are commissions attached too.
The advantage is that you automatically receive a confirmation.
Now I’ve read through everything.
The seller writes that I can withdraw by letter, fax, or email. There’s nothing about a button there either.
translate freely: In my bathtub, I’m the captain
Because now we have exactly the problem that the EU was supposed to prevent.
I wrote to the seller today at noon that I want my money back. And now . . . not read? not understood?
What if I send the cancellation by post . . . .
not arrived? By fax - device broken?
Never read? Never understood?
And email - see above.
With the button, an automatic confirmation is provided,
that the cancellation has arrived.
Let’s end our nice conversation here.
Best regards
Of course I could wait, if the time had expired,
until the seller should have shipped it and then hope that Ebay decides in my favor. How does it work with other online shops then?
But none of that can be right.
I wish you a nice evening
and thank you.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·yesterday at 1:45 PMHi @esistwiesist
now also from me, one last time on this topic.
From the very beginning you were advised to start a cancellation due to an item not received instead of a revocation, since then you wouldn't have to pay for the return shipping. You رفض that, because then you would have had to wait a bit longer.
Then you keep going on and on about not being able to find the "button" for the revocation, even though it was explained to you several times how to get to the revocation solution introduced by Ebay.
Now you are starting a purchase cancellation, which the seller of course still has to agree to; that's called the agreement phase.
Hopefully you'll soon receive a return label and then be able to send the goods back.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
esistwiesist
OPyesterday at 2:13 PMAll right, and gladly for the last time: if I don’t want to rely on eBay’s goodwill that I may possibly get the money back because the item didn’t arrive, I was advised by eBay to cancel the purchase, and I had to find out
that this has nothing to do with the statutory right of withdrawal in my view when it comes to commercial sellers. In all my inquiries, I was asking about the statutory right of withdrawal.
With a withdrawal, there can be no phase of agreement,
because it is a clear declaration by the buyer to the seller.
And the seller certainly can’t take 3 days to think about whether national and European consumer protection applies to them as well. What if they write, nah, can’t be bothered?
The item was not sent out because the seller says he can no longer find it, so I don’t have to send anything back
And . . . the withdrawal button is MANDATORY and eBay’s symbolic message: We ain’t got that.
is probably not what the lawmakers intended.
I’m waiting for the response from Brussels. Let’s see whether they see it there like they do here.
I also no longer feel like discussing this here, I’ll just draft the letters
now and then enjoy the summer.
Have fun at the Baltic Sea and, as I said, we’re ending the discussion now.
Enjoy the weather and the sea and best regards
.
voli-maus
·Aug 5, 2026 at 5:11 PMYou are not canceling the purchase, @esistwiesist .
You open a case for an item not received.
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 5:19 PMThanks voli-maus for the quick reply.
I understand your help.
Return due to item not received would be in a few days.
In a few days - and then the seller can once again rest in peace for a few more days.
If I withdraw from the contract via button, I get an automatic confirmation email and don’t have to wait for any decision from Ebay - whatever it turns out to be.
Can only beg for a return now - that doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Voli-maus can you tell me where I can find this button.
Do you have to request this from Ebay or do you get a link.
Probably simple - but I’m drawing a blank right now.
perfect-sally
·Aug 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM · EditedYou’re really making it easy for the seller and even meeting them halfway so they can get out of this whole thing unscathed!
And even if you think you’re making a cancellation, it can very well be that you’ll still have to wait for your money if that’s what you’re after!
Just wait a few days and then open the request mentioned.
And the button on eBay is not a button in the strict sense, but rather a function that was introduced. Check under "Purchase details"; that’s where you’ll find the function.
An eBay employee will get in touch here and help you further.
@samantha@ebay would you be so kind? Thanks
esistwiesist
OPAug 5, 2026 at 5:36 PMThank you very much for the help.