posted on August 31, 2000 12:48:06 PM new
I am bidding on an item that shows the high bidder (me, I think) as "private auction'. The eBay HELP page does not provide much info on this. My questions: What purpose does this serve? As a seller, why would I want to specify this?
posted on August 31, 2000 12:54:05 PM new
I see sellers doing this to protect themselves or their business.
Protects from:
1. Bottom feeders who will contact underbidders during or after the auction.
2. Users with a grudge against the seller who will contact underbidders during or after the auction.
3. Users with a need to be helpful, perhaps to tell bidders they are bidding too high, or that the item is of a questionable nature or of a not-so-PC nature who will contact bidders during the auction.
4. To generally protect a seller's lead list, or potential customer list from other sellers who will contact underbidders during or after the auction.
posted on August 31, 2000 12:59:49 PM new
I think Cheyenne is exactly right about the reasons behind most private auctions. However, you should be aware that private auctions can also be used by unscrupulous sellers to hide shilling.
Be cautious, especially if there are lots of bids but few bidders, odd bid amounts, or retracted bids.
[ edited by amalgamated2000 on Aug 31, 2000 01:06 PM ]
