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This is a somewhat new rule that Ebay has crept in at some point. Ending an auction early, with or without bids, didn't use to cause any kind of penalty. But for some time now, Ebay will charge the full 10% final value fees to your account against whatever the highest bid was at the time you ended an auction early.
This happened to me on a revision for an item where I needed to revise more than once, and the fees, at the time of ending, added up to more than a hundred dollars. Since this had never happened to me before, I phoned Ebay and as a courtesy they credited the hundred plus in fees back - but, just beware, be careful - on auction style listings do not end them once bids are in place unless absolutely necessary. Instead, revise.
The Ebay rep who credited my fees back said that there is a way to end an auction by first cancelling the bids, which will incur no fees, but I'm not convinced she knew what she was talking about. I cancelled the bids too before ending the auction. (On an auction with bids, the bids must be cancelled before ending early.) However, she suggested phoning in next time this situation arises to avoid paying a final value fee when ending an auction.
That would be my suggestion - if you ever need to end an auction early for whatever reason (including to relist it) phone Ebay first, and do it WHILE on the phone with them after getting an assurance that you will not be tagged with the final value fees against the highest current bid.
This happened to me on a revision for an item where I needed to revise more than once, and the fees, at the time of ending, added up to more than a hundred dollars. Since this had never happened to me before, I phoned Ebay and as a courtesy they credited the hundred plus in fees back - but, just beware, be careful - on auction style listings do not end them once bids are in place unless absolutely necessary. Instead, revise.
The Ebay rep who credited my fees back said that there is a way to end an auction by first cancelling the bids, which will incur no fees, but I'm not convinced she knew what she was talking about. I cancelled the bids too before ending the auction. (On an auction with bids, the bids must be cancelled before ending early.) However, she suggested phoning in next time this situation arises to avoid paying a final value fee when ending an auction.
That would be my suggestion - if you ever need to end an auction early for whatever reason (including to relist it) phone Ebay first, and do it WHILE on the phone with them after getting an assurance that you will not be tagged with the final value fees against the highest current bid.