Click the links below for answers to sellers' top questions about making Second Chance Offers.
If you are a buyer: Beware of emails offering fake Second Chance Offers. Only accept Second Chance Offers shown under "Buying" in My eBay and complete the purchase on the eBay website. Find out more about
Receiving Second Chance Offers.
What is a Second Chance Offer?
A Second Chance Offer is a fixed-price opportunity to buy your item. You may only send a second chance offer to one of the other bidders in the same auction. You'd send a Second Chance Offer in the following circumstances:
If your winning bidder backs out of the purchase you can make a Second Chance Offer to any of the other bidders.
If you have duplicate items to sell (they must be exactly the same), you can make Second Chance Offers to as many under-bidders as you like.
If the reserve price isn't met in a reserve price auction you can offer the item to the highest bidder at their high bid.
Each Second Chance Offer gets a new eBay item number, different to the item number for the original listing.
Note: In the case of a back-out buyer, please ensure you've done everything to resolve any issues before you send a Second Chance Offer to another bidder. While it's possible to cancel a Second Chance Offer, we strongly discourage sending them "just in case" your first buyer backs out. If you don't have enough items to fulfill your accepted Second Chance Offers, you risk being reported to eBay as a non-selling seller, and receiving negative feedback.
How much can I charge for the item?
The person you send the offer to is always offered the item at their highest bid. You can't change this price. If their bid wasn't high enough for you, don't make the Second Chance Offer to the bidder.
If you and the bidder agree a price different than their original high bid, we recommend you make an agreement to relist the item at that price in a Buy It Now listing. This will ensure you sell the item via the eBay checkout. The buyer will be eligible for the eBay or PayPal payment protection programmes. We strongly discourage selling outside the eBay platform - it's more risky, it isn't subject to feedback and it may constitute fee avoidance.
What fees will I pay?
There isn't a specific Second Chance Offer fee. However, you'll pay a Final Value Fee on each offer that is accepted as follows:
Back-out Buyers: You pay the original listing fee, the Final Value Fee for the back-out buyer (which you can claim back via an Unpaid Item Dispute), the Final Value Fee for the accepted Second Chance Offer, plus any other optional listing fees you incurred. Example:
You sell an item for £5.00. The Final Value Fee for the sale is charged to your seller account. However, the winning bidder then contacts you to say they can't continue with the sale.
The second highest bidder's bid was £4.60. You send them a Second Chance Offer, which they accept. They pay £4.60 (plus postage and packing) for the item. The Final Value Fee (based on the item price of £4.60) for this sale is also charged to your seller account.
To claim back the Final Value Fee for the original sale, please file an Unpaid Item Dispute to let us know the buyer backed out of the sale. If the agreement was amicable, you should tell us that both you and the buyer agreed to withdraw from the sale so they don't receive an Unpaid Item Strike.
Duplicate Items: You pay the original listing fee, the Final Value Fee for the winning bidder, the Final Value fee for each bidder who accepts a Second Chance Offer, plus any other optional listing fees you incurred.
Reserve Price not met: You pay the original listing fee, the Reserve Fee, the Final Value Fee for the accepted Second Chance Offer, plus any other optional listing fees you incurred.
Note: You can't specify the price you want the Second Chance Offer recipient to pay. They'll automatically be offered the item at their highest bid.
How do I send a Second Chance Offer?
You can send a Second Chance Offer immediately after an auction or listing ends, and up to 60 days after the end of the listing. Please note that some members opt not to receive Second Chance Offers.
You can send a Second Chance Offer from either of these pages:
Bid History (Go to your closed listing and then click the "Bid History" link)
My eBay (click "All Selling" on the left-hand side of the page, scroll down to "Items I've Sold", find the item and click "Send a Second Chance Offer" in the Actions column)
Note: The Second Chance Offer link is only available for closed items with at least one under bidder. If you can't make an offer, you won't see the link.
Can I cancel a Second Chance Offer?
Yes. To cancel a Second Chance Offer, type the item number for the offer you want to cancel (not the original item number) into the End Listing Early form. Cancelling is recommended if you want to extend an offer to another non-winning bidder without waiting for the offer to expire, or if you have more offers open than items available.
Can I extend a Second Chance Offer?
No. If the other person doesn't accept the offer before the deadline, you'll have to make the offer to another bidder or agree to relist the item at that price in a Buy It Now listing.
How does feedback work with Second Chance Offers?
A seller can leave feedback for the non-paying winning bidder in the initial sale and for the buyer in the Second Chance Offer sale. Buyers, as usual, can leave feedback for the seller.
How does Checkout work with Second Chance Offers?
Buyers who accept a Second Chance Offer will be able to use Checkout.
What happens after the offer is accepted?
After the offer is accepted, the buying process is exactly the same as it would be if the buyer had won the item via Buy It Now or by being the highest bidder in an auction. You are obliged to sell the item to the buyer who accepted the offer. You can't hold out for higher bidders to accept their offers. If you don't fulfil an accepted Second Chance Offer, you risk being reported to eBay as a non-selling seller and receiving negative feedback.
I don't want to make a Second Chance Offer, I just want my Final Value Fee back
If your buyer backed out of the purchase, you can claim back your Final Value Fee by filing an Unpaid Item Dispute. If the agreement with the buyer was amicable, you should tell eBay that both you and the buyer agreed to withdraw from the sale when you file the dispute. This is explained on the Unpaid Item Dispute Help page.
Note: Insertion Fees are non-refundable. However, you may be eligible for a Free Relist Credit.
Help! I made more Second Chance Offers than I have items to sell
You can cancel a Second Chance Offer before it's accepted. If an offer you can't fulfil has already been accepted, please contact the buyer with your apologies. Be aware that they are within their rights to open an Item Not Received Dispute against you or leave negative feedback as a result.
You should only make as many Second Chance Offers as you have items to sell. If you only have one of the item, please don't make a Second Chance Offer unless you're sure the high bidder has backed out. If you have duplicate items, only make as many offers as you have items.
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
