Ebay

[Lanceb1b]

Anyone ever suspect a seller on e-bay was bidding on their own crap to raise the price?

[engtaz]

Yes and irt does happen.

[Drunkonjack]

It would be easy to do. They can set a low price to atract buyers and then have friends bid it up when the action starts.

[persisting1]

It would be easy to do. They can set a low price to atract buyers and then have friends bid it up when the action starts.

Like state before, this does happen.

I rarely use eBay anymore. Just not worth it.

[Fancypants]

Not that there is much you can do about it, it would be hard to prove, but technically this practice violates eBay policy.

[droht]

It would be cool if you could do a more traditional auction. Put your item on display for a week or so, then have a scheduled auction so those that have interest can participate. The auction itself would only be 30 minutes maybe, with no tools for bidding up to a certain amount. You'd just have to stay active on it and keep bidding.

I understand why ebay operates the way they do, but it pretty much eliminates any excitement from the process.

[noysboy]

eBay does try to randomly slow this down...I know from direct conversations with some eBay DB guys.

the problem is that there are so many auctions that they cant possibly catch everyone. However, if you report it...there is a good chance that in the coming weeks/months, the seller will get "warned" about it violating policy.

Still, there isnt much that anyone can really do. As others have stated, bidding early is just silly.

[graphicguy]

Over the years, I've probably sold 10 things in ebay.....all AV gear. So, not a lot of experience here. Trying to think.....I bought only one thing, a Harmony Remote on ebay. All transactions went smoothly.

First, I started out with "long" auctions (7 days or more). Finally, I just made them short (3 days or less)....particularly higher priced items (like amps or AVRs). Get in...get out.....I may leave a couple of dollars on the table, but longer auctions, as a seller, tend to get bogged down with question after question. I didn't mind pertinent questions. It was the inane ones that would irritate me.

-"Do you offer financing?" Well certainly I do. I'm a "buy here, pay here" place. (j/k)....$10 down, $10/month....for the next 10 years....or you disappear, whichever comes first.
-"Why no warranty?" Well, the piece is 5 years old. Manufacturer's warranty ran out 2 years ago. If it shows up busted at your doorstep, it would have to be because you chose the cheapest way to ship....and declined shipping insurance.

I got into a tussle with one buyer who said some speakers (Ascend) showed up all busted.

The buyer declined insurance and wanted to arrange his own shipping. I (stupidly) agreed. They were perfect when I sent them out (not even a scratch on the cabinets) I assured him that they were shipped in the original packaging, with the original padding, etc.

Wanting to keep my rep in tact, I arranged (and paid for) shipping of the speakers back to Ascend. I paid for them to be fixed. I paid for shipping back to the customer. I ended up losing money on the deal. But, the buyer still dinged me on feedback.

David F. said it didn't look like shipping damage. But, it looked like they were taken apart and all the pieces were dumped into a box. No damage to the cabinets....just a bunch of pieces showed up in a box (not the original shipping box). One of the drivers were missing, too.


Sorry, not what you asked. Needed to vent a bit, though.

ebay is something of a crap shoot.

[Lanceb1b]

"ebay is something of a crap shoot."

Yep I agree! I guess, I should be happy that the worst thing that has happened to me after 120+ ebay purchases is encountering a "Shill". Also, at least I didn't bite and win the (inflated) bid after this guy, who bought the same item (serial number) from the same seller previously. I did report it.

[edward]

[QUOTE=Lanceb1b;22262]Anyone ever suspect a seller on e-bay was bidding on their own crap to raise the price?[/QUOTE
The thought has crossed my mind a time or two.
so.. is there a better place to purchase audio gear?

[Putz]

[QUOTE=edward;22306]

Anyone ever suspect a seller on e-bay was bidding on their own crap to raise the price?[/QUOTE
The thought has crossed my mind a time or two.
so.. is there a better place to purchase audio gear?

Audiogon--TCA Forum classified, all the other Audio Forum classifieds. None of these are without risk. Look at the seller's feedback. Buy local if possible. Insure the packages if shipping. Research prior sales. Most of this is simple common sense.

Regarding e-bay, all of the above applies, plus you need to set a price limit you are willing to pay and stick to it. There will always be another auction if the one you are bidding on goes too high. Buy it now with Live cashback can also be a good deal. Cashback has been as high as 30%, lately its running 10-15% off.

[edward]

[QUOTE=Putz;22311]

Audiogon--TCA Forum classified, all the other Audio Forum classifieds. None of these are without risk. Look at the seller's feedback. Buy local if possible. Insure the packages if shipping. Research prior sales. Most of this is simple common sense.

Regarding e-bay, all of the above applies, plus you need to set a price limit you are willing to pay and stick to it. There will always be another auction if the one you are bidding on goes too high. Buy it now with Live cashback can also be a good deal. Cashback has been as high as 30%, lately its running 10-15% off.

thank you
i do know risk is inherent in transactions such as these.
the ol Buyer Beware or Buyer Be Aware not to mention Buyer Be Patient seems to be the way to go.
again thanks for the info.:)