1913 Old Town Near Mequon, WI on eBay

[Benson Gray]

My direct question is, what did Benson see in the bidding that led him to believe there may have been shill bidding taking place? And, what does the buyers rating have to do with it?

Most people will not risk an eBay ban by shill bidding from an account with a multi-digit feedback rating since it takes a long time to build this. The more likely approach is to create several new accounts, buy a few things with them to get some feedback, and then use those accounts for the shill bidding. Then they have not lost as much if the shill bidding is discovered and their low feedback accounts are banned. This is why I am suspicious if the bidding ever starts to go unusually high between a few bidders with low feedback.

My usual approach to shill bidding, sniping, and other auction tricks is very simple. I decide how much I'm willing to pay, add one bid increment more, and then put in my bid for that total. Then I never lose an auction by just one bid. I admit to occasionally faltering and breaking this rule but not very often.

Benson

 

[Howard Caplan]

Now I get it. Thanks to all. More to this then I knew. I have bought a few items on ebay. Years ago I was bidding on a pond skimmer and won it at about half of normal retail and the skimmer was brand new. I still don't know if it fell off the back of a truck and it is still in use.

howard

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Not to get the flames going but, after sniping and getting sniped on ebxy auctions, I really don't like it. It's not the money or bid but the fact that the technology allows someone to bid in the last fraction of a second.

I much prefer the practice that "regular" auction houses use on online auctions of requiring a short time of no bids, usually 2-3 minutes, before the auction closes. That way the time element is taken out of it and anyone can allways place a final bid.

And as for the ebxy change of requiring paypal, I don't and won't. If an auction/seller states he requires it, I don't bid on that auction.

And it's been a good change as my purchases have dropped dramatically.

Dan

 

[Greg Nolan]

Dan --

No flames, just curiosity --

Unless I misunderstand what you are talking about, the practice of "regular" auction houses receiving on-line bids is an extension of the "going, going, gone" practice, where any bid is taken during the warning calls just before the gavel falls, and where that new bid keeps the auction alive.

In such a case, the auction does not end at a pre-set time, as do eBay auctions, and an auctioneer is needed. I suppose eBay's technology could be modified to keep an auction alive for a very short time following the last bid -- in effect, provide an electronic auctioneer calling out an electronic warning "going, going . . .." That could be better, and more fun that the current system, and would eliminate the current form of sniping bids.

But I bet that sniping programs could be modified to provide for a certain number of follow-up snipes during the warning period -- computer programmers seem endlessly ingenious. So would a change really be for the better???

Gil's attitude seems to me pretty good.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

PayPal, eBay...

I resisted PayPal for a while... I'd pay with money orders so my item could be shipped as soon as the m.o. arrived (many eBay sellers don't take personal checks or will hold them until they clear before shipping). Then I bought a handmade teddy bear from a lady in the UK and learned that if I sent her a money order, it would cost her more to cash it than the value of the money order. Money Changers may have a bad reputation , but it's convenient to have PayPal making that transition happen easily.

I recently found a CD I'd been looking for.... an out-of-print music CD that I've seen on Amazon (a used copy) for over $50 (Amazon is a great place to find "used stuff", and it's often very inexpensive). But I found a copy of this CD on eBay, offered by a guy in Australia, and got it for about $12 including shipping. It took only a week for me to get it... PayPal converted the money... and the seller was able to put the CD in the mail right away. I let him know how pleased I was, and we emailed back and forth about the magic of sending things to the other side of the world.

I do wish eBay would make its guides for buying and selling easy to find. One important tip I learned "the hard way" is to check what the seller usually sells... not just his feedback. I bought a computer from a seller who made it seem (in the listing) that this had been his personal computer and he was "trading up"... but he had sold many computers in the past, and probably used much the same text in the ad for each. When buying a used computer, you don't necessarily want "an eBay Power Seller" even if he has good feedback... you may want a kid who used the computer at college, or someone who felt the computer was "too complicated" for them.... those would be the comps I didn't bid on.

The little computer is running okay now, but was obviously used very hard for "gaming" by kids who abused it. Then someone (the seller?) wiped the hard drive and because they didn't have the disks that came with the computer, put an old version of Windows on it that corrupted a bunch of stuff... the seller said the laptop "works great"... well, it turned on... and that's about it.

I will stop talking now.

 

[Michael Grace]

People have every right to voice their opinions. If they love Ebay, if they hate sniping, whatever... a person isn't wrong for having an opinion. Ebay and traditional auctions are simply different beasts. Given the way Ebay works, a buyer has little choice but to accept sniping... they don't have to like it.

Gil... what do you mean by "photos always lie!!!!!"? I've read that before and wonder where it comes from. The best defense is knowledge. I recently bought an early Willits and had many photos sent to me. I asked for more of areas where I wanted to see more detail. I asked about some vague things that suggested problems, but the seller (just a regular person- not a wooden canoe bulder/restorer/collector/user) assured me that the canoe was in perfect condition, that none of the issues I raised were real. In fact, every single thing I saw was as I suspected. These photos didn't lie, and I was well prepared for the canoe when I finally saw it in person. No surprises, thanks to the photos and trusting my own eyes.

M

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Greg,

Yes, you got it right, but remember that in the auction house on-line auctions, there must be no bids for the final 3 minutes for the auction to close, if a late bid is placed, the 3 minutes starts over again.

And yes, it's a little like the last minute of an ebxy auction, with all the 'real" bids coming in the last few minutes, but it doesn't stop when a certain time is reached.

I've been in bidding "contests", ie, back and forth bidding late on both ebxy and on-line auctions, and the fever is certainly there in both cases, the only real difference is that time doesn't beat you on the on-line auctions.

Kathy, yes, my daughtor loves paypal for the real time payments and fast shipment. I just don't want another account that I have to remember/maintain. I try to always pay via personal check, just cause it's so convenient but I really want an item, I'll subject myself to a PO MO.

Dan

 

[Michael Grace]

Of course I knew what you meant about photos lying, Gil. I was just being provocative (though the story about the Willits is true and I stand by the notion that knowledge is power). In any case, you gave me the best chuckle of the day with that last line!

Michael