[Spridgets] Holy SMOKES !!!

[Dean Hedin]

The other day my brother and I were discussing the ebay shill bid issue.
I was wondering why ebay couldn't do something about this.

I have no problem a "zero" history bidder coming in at the last moment and winning the item.
You never can tell, somebody might want the item but does not have a current ebay account.

BUT,  if after the auction completes the seller contacts the second highest bidder (through ebay's email) 
and offers the item, then something is afoul and the ebay machinery should be able to flag this
situation and penalize the seller and revoke the shill bid account. 
This is what happened to me when I tried to bid on a 210 trans.

Also, If the item payment is managed by ebay, and the shill winner never completes the transaction
then ebay should also flag it.  Or if the item is re-posted by the same seller soon after a prior auction
completes.

So I'm telling this to my brother and he brings up a good point.  
He feels that it's not in ebay's interest to do anything about it, since the seller must pay ebay it's
cut when the item sells, regardless if it goes to a shill bidder or not.

I disagree with him,  I think ebay's reputation and seller's confidence is in jeopordy. 
So given that the incidence of a shill bid is easily detectable, then ebay should do something about it. 



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Rowe" <mdrowe at optonline.net>
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Holy SMOKES !!!


>> Now if the guy can just collect:)
> 
> I have been watching BE's on Ebay long enough to see a remarkable proportion 
> of failed sales.  Does anyone have a feel for why they happen?  Are people 
> just playing around?  Are they emotionally unstable or excessively caught up 
> in the bidding?  Are they legitimit bidders who failed to get financing?  Do 
> they go to pick up the car and reject it?  Etc.?