posted on February 19, 2005 05:21:11 AM new
There have been several threads lately asking where the buyers have gone. I'm an occasional seller but mostly a buyer and while I can't speak for everyone, I find myself turning to Ebay less and less when I want something. The main reason? Auctions like this:
Look carefully at all the terms (hint - especially the "required" costs). And if you think it's a typo or mistake just take a look at the rest of his auctions.
Ebay used to be the place I would look first for things when I wanted something. But it seems there are more and more sellers like this one around and I'm not really interested in getting involved in a transaction with someone who tries to think up the best ways to "gimmick" buyers. Yeah yeah, I know, read the whole auction before bidding. I do that which is why I didn't bid on any of this guy's stuff. But it just leaves a bad tqaste in my mouth when I constantly see stuff like this and I'm seeing it alot these days.
posted on February 19, 2005 05:53:27 AM new
I didn't look at the terms. I couldn't get past the user name. Is this person a dyslexic neo-Nazi, or am I just reading something into this?
posted on February 19, 2005 05:59:46 AM new
Shipping is $1, shipping insurance $10 required, card BIN $8 so now the price is $10.30 (if he was meaning $10 insurance coverage which is $1.30, hopefully not $10 for insurance!) why buy a $10 gift card for $10.30?
posted on February 19, 2005 06:06:32 AM new
Thanks for posting the terms, but what I meant was not that my computer couldn't access them, but that when I saw the user name, I didn't want to look at anything else in his listing.
"Who could have possibly envisioned an erection — an election in Iraq at this point in history?" Prez.Jim Beam, at the White House, Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2005
posted on February 19, 2005 06:32:31 AM newI think he means $10 for shipping! What a rip.
Almost, he means $10 for insurance. So by using BIN, one gets the incredible deal of a $10 gift certificate for the low price of $19. Of course he's banking on the fact that bidder happens not to notice that there is a $10 required insurance fee so they will think they are getting a $10 gift certificate for $9.
As for his other auctions, he not only has a BIN price of $0.99 with $18 shipping (call me kooky but that sure looks like fee avoidance) he also has a $7 required insurance fee on top of that. His ID name aside (which I admit I didn't notice as I rarely look at ID names), this guy is looking to scam Ebay out of fees AND scam his buyers into paying more than may meet the eye if they don't really look hard at the auction (not to mention the fact that charging $10 insurance for a $10 gift certificate is a blatent attempt to rip off a buyer). Now, I'm not excusing anyone who doesn't read all the terms before bidding. After all, its all there for the potential buyer to see. But its clear that he's trying to make it difficult by burying his fees.
Had I been a new buyer, perhaps just looking at Ebay for the first time, I can tell you in all seriousness, that after seeing this auction I would close Ebay never to return. The point I want to make with this thread is that this is not an isolated incident. I'm seeing this kind of thing more and more and even though I know there are plenty of honest sellers out there, its starting to become more of a chore to find them and to weed out the scum like this seller. That translates into my being less inclined to look at Ebay for items I want. I doubt I'm alone in this and this kind of thing is likely a contributing factor to fewer buyers. At least it is in my case.
posted on February 19, 2005 08:53:18 AM new
Tomwii...Did you happen to notice that the seller lives in the Tampa area, and the buyer lives in Ponce De Leon, Fla? What a curious coincidence.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on February 19, 2005 09:25:00 AM new"...curiouser & curiouser..."
Da PRINCE-of-DARKNESS sells a video-game console to da Holy Ghost??
WHAT NEXT???
Tom-&-Ralphie joining the GOP?
"Who could have possibly envisioned an erection — an election in Iraq at this point in history?" Prez.Jim Beam, at the White House, Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2005
posted on February 19, 2005 10:44:50 AM new
Hey, if Ebay considers fee avoidance at all, they should be going after this jerk. I'd have no hesitation in ratting him out, but whether Ebay would pay attention is another story. This seller is disgusting.
___________________________________
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire
to become a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said,
"I want to write stuff that the whole world will read,
stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level,
stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
posted on February 19, 2005 11:14:24 AM new
Here it is in black and white. Under Safe Harbor.
Search Help
tips
Circumventing Fees
Users may not avoid eBay fees
Users may not use systems or techniques to circumvent eBay fees.
Examples:
* Unreasonable shipping or handling costs - listings with low prices but unreasonably high shipping or handling costs.
Listings that circumvent eBay fees are not permitted.
To report a listing that circumvents eBay fees through an offer outside of eBay, unreasonably high shipping or handling costs, Multiple Item (Dutch) listing avoidance, or a catalog sales violation, contact us with the item number.
To: eBay Customer Support
From: XXXXXXX
Please confirm the reason for your report:
Circumventing Fees Select a different reason.
Enter the item number(s) that you wish to report:
Up to 10 items separated by commas
(example: 1365609580 , 1748176843)
___________________________________
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire
to become a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said,
"I want to write stuff that the whole world will read,
stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level,
stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
[ edited by Roadsmith on Feb 19, 2005 11:15 AM ]
posted on February 19, 2005 11:18:29 AM new
A-a-a-a-and:
We will thoroughly review the listing(s) or Want It Now post(s) you have
reported for Fee Circumvention violations. We often rely on members like
you to bring these violations to our attention.
We base our decisions for this offense on the content of the item
description, item title, and shipping information. We recognize that
there are ways to circumvent eBay fees that are not reflected in the
listings or posts themselves. If you suspect that a seller is avoiding
eBay fees outside the listing or post text, please contact us through
one of the following Webforms:
a) In Section 1, select "Ask about bidding or buying;"
b) In Section 2, select "Problems with sellers;"
c) In Section 3, select "Seller ended the listing early to avoid
reserve price fees."
a) In Section 1, select "Ask about bidding or buying;"
b) In Section 2, select "Problems with sellers;"
c) In Section 3, select "Seller asked for additional fees after the
listing ended."
In light of our privacy policy, we cannot share any action taken by eBay
with respect to this listing or post. If we determine that the listing
violates eBay policy, we may:
- send the seller an informational alert;
- remove the listing; or
- suspend the seller.
Account suspensions are usually reserved for those sellers that
continuously disregard policy.
For more information on eBay's Fee Circumvention Policy, please visit:
The eBay Community Watch Team
___________________________________
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire
to become a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said,
"I want to write stuff that the whole world will read,
stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level,
stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
posted on February 19, 2005 12:06:31 PM new o.k. road I read it and I see it says they want YOU to turn in these dirty rats!
Check out this POWERSELLER! 5149284940. Then take a gander at his other stuffs.
edit. OH! BTW the thing I REALLY love about e bays policing. They want YOU to give them the number(s) of EVERY auction in violation as THEY are TOO laszy to L@@K for themselves...YOU do ALL their Work for nothing.
Have a Wunderful ebay enhancement.
[ edited by jackswebb on Feb 19, 2005 12:09 PM ]
posted on February 19, 2005 12:18:28 PM new
Jack-you know what the worse thing about this is?? Down below is this statement
"Item must be returned within: 7 Days Refund will be given as: Money Back
Return Policy Details: Shipping & Handling charges are non-refundable.
Buyer is responsible for returned shipping costs
No refund after 30 days"
Soooooooo if the item doesnt work all you get back is your 99 cents..WHAT A CROC OF B.S.
posted on February 19, 2005 12:37:36 PM new
Sellers like this Bozo are why we (sellers) get a bad name. I am not afraid to turn him to eBay. He is a crook & needs to be stopped.
posted on February 19, 2005 01:37:55 PM new
What got my attention was the gift card. Wasn't there something awhile ago about stolen merchandise and gift cards? The next thing that rang a bell was that I only do business at Blockbuster, but if you have a free gift card why not try another place. It doesn't make sense. I didn't get that far about the shipping charges but I guess that is why he hasn't sold it yet.
posted on February 19, 2005 01:45:44 PM new
Did you check his feedback. 97% He now has an x-box up for auction which he says is his and he received it in Jan 2004. If you read his feedbacks and at the bottom of the first page in November he sold another x-box with the same description. He just doesn't seem honest to me but what do I know.
posted on February 19, 2005 01:49:13 PM new
I turned this guy in for fee avoidance last night, not because I like helping Ebay as much as I'm happy to assist getting sellers like this in trouble. If Ebay does nothing, oh well, I did what I could.
But Sanmar is right, sellers like this hurt the honest seller, especially if a newbie encounters a seller like this first.
FYI, I reported a seller last month. They had a newly created ID 01-15-05 and were selling laptops for .99 no reserve. When you read the auction, they had a link to their website and info on how to buy from them direct. Did not not actually get a laptop, but information on how to buy the laptop.
It did me no good to report him. He is still there and has racked up 100+ feedback in the last month!
posted on February 19, 2005 02:00:55 PM new
I just checked this guy's auctions and all the Xbox games he was selling at $.99 BIN with $18.00 shipping have been shut down by Ebay and now show p as invalid auctions. Good.
posted on February 19, 2005 02:02:03 PM new
lol, just had an adrenalin rush when I realized the link I posted was directly from my ebay account. Glad I caught that!
Now you can find the 'file a complaint' link on the page I posted.
posted on February 19, 2005 02:32:03 PM new
I too reported him. It'll be interesting to see what his auctions are like in the coming week(s). We may need to report him again.
I'm normally not a tattletale, but I just saw red when I realized what this jerk was doing--and discouraging buyers, I'm sure, who've been stung by his behavior.
___________________________________
There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire
to become a great writer. When asked to define "great" he said,
"I want to write stuff that the whole world will read,
stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level,
stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"
He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.
posted on February 19, 2005 04:19:26 PM new
He now has 3 auctions left & he has changed shipping costs on the phone card. Now only $1.00. The other 2 have high stasrting prices , but still have high shipping costs ($40.00 Parcel Post) & no bids. Maybe he will get an education out of this.
Life Is Too Short To Drink Bad Wine
[ edited by sanmar on Feb 19, 2005 04:20 PM ]
posted on February 19, 2005 04:55:15 PM new
Actually, his shipping for the card was always $1 - its the required $10 for insurance (which is still there) that was the problem with this auction from the beginning.
o.k. road I read it and I see it says they want YOU to turn in these dirty rats!