Here's a good example of shill bidding

gtstang

Sold here to a 0 feedback buyer
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334516495098?hash=item4de2bca2fa:g:7fYAAOSwrtpi44pp

Relisted here right after for more money.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334523590117?ViewItem=&item=334523590117

Seems it didn't sell for as much as they thought it would from the looks of it.

Paradisefound

Hope Karma exists

ifthevamzarockin

Also a good example of a seller trying to avoid ebay fees.

All listings say "Cheaper if you buy from me off of instagram."

BuffaloIronTail

Everytime I think I've seen it all, I always see one more......

Pete

jwitten

Possibly. But not for sure. I’ve had zero feedback bidders win items, then message me immediately after saying they couldn’t pay. It’s annoying, and does happen.

paesan

Looks fishy! (Both the coin and the transaction!)

cheezhed

Reported

spyglassdesign

That coin looks terrible... It may be the pictures but I wouldn't buy that anyways.

jmlanzaf

@jwitten said:
Possibly. But not for sure. I’ve had zero feedback bidders win items, then message me immediately after saying they couldn’t pay. It’s annoying, and does happen.

I've had it happen twice this year only without the email.

U1chicago

@jwitten said:
Possibly. But not for sure. I’ve had zero feedback bidders win items, then message me immediately after saying they couldn’t pay. It’s annoying, and does happen.

That is definitely possible, especially since the zero feedback buyer only bid once and it was early in the auction.
The fact that it was relisted for higher gives some credence to a fishy auction but might also just be the seller deciding not to risk another no reserve auction (which some might not participate in, thinking it was shill bidding the first time).

jesbroken

Karma exists it just works at its own pace and depth.
Jim

rec78

Good detective work!! Nice catch!

gtstang

@jwitten said:
Possibly. But not for sure. I’ve had zero feedback bidders win items, then message me immediately after saying they couldn’t pay. It’s annoying, and does happen.

I understand what you're saying and I know that happens. Here is another same scenario from this seller just to show that it's a bit sketchy with this seller.

Sold auction.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334503411372?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=N8BdUw4X7JEqvDB8xz%2B9A0sv1q8%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

relisted.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334527374631?hash=item4de362a527:g:V2gAAOSwLKpi0KRf

ricko

Looks fishy... could be otherwise though.... So many ebay issues are posted here... of course, ebay also has millions (?) of items listed and sold all the time.... Probably the percentage of bad deals is relatively low.... I know I am guilty of thinking ebay is mostly trash after reading the issues continually posted here. I am likely over reacting. I do buy the occasional item there, but not like I did in the early days. Cheers, RickO

gtstang

It looks like what he was doing is having his zero feedback account bidding to his acceptable "value" early hoping someone would come along and bid it up and beyond that number.

Glen2022

If you click on the bidder's stats, he had bid on several other items, but only with this seller, winning this one item. Any conclusions from this?

logger7

Ebay has been weak on enforcement for a while now with abusive sellers.

Coin Finder

Yes! I have been saying this for many years here that this practice has been going on for a long time. I will add that it goes on with persons with 100 percent positive feedback and long standing Ebay members.. I wonder if this happens at other coin auction venues?

Jzyskowski1

Caveat Emptor. Gee whiz folks. Look both ways crossing the street, too. eBay is a platform for many things and just like anywhere else, watch yourself. 😉🦫🙀

ElKevvo

Anytime there is money involved there will be folks who push the limits. I don't recall which one(s) but there was a lot of talk several years ago about at least one auction site where the house would run up the bid to the max amount someone set for the item. Sort of the same thing but done by the house.

I do always chuckle at the 'watchers' for items on eBay. There can be 6 dozen similar items with 0 watchers and a couple of them will have like 15 watchers. Seems fishy to me.

K

TxCollector

I was watching 6 currency items at an online auction website last year that always seemed to have items sell above market. The following week 3 were relisted and the week after that 1 of those 3 was relisted. After asking the auction house what gives I noticed that they stopped posting historical auction sales info.

coinandcurrency242

This coin sold on heritage back in November of 2021 for $119. It appears the coin was not CAC at the time. Looks like the seller did not want to sell for a big loss if they indeed invested money to send to CAC on top the $119 they paid.

Here is the coin on heritage:

https://coins.ha.com/itm/peace-dollars/silver-and-related-dollars/1923-1-ms63-pcgs-pcgs-population-95905-119635-ngc-census-123800-201702-cdn-52-whsle-bid-for-ngc-pcgs-ms63-min/a/132144-21576.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

telephoto1

So someone paid double reality for a dirt common Peace Dollar with unattractive toning in 63, had it CACed and now think it's going to make them money... Alrighty then...Well, they are from Shafter, California... LMAO
Edit to add.. I'm surprised eBay is letting this person direct people to his Instagram to "buy it cheaper". Last time I checked, soliciting off-eBay deals was a huge no-no, or at least used to be.

Connecticoin

@telephoto1 said:

Edit to add.. I'm surprised eBay is letting this person direct people to his Instagram to "buy it cheaper". Last time I checked, soliciting off-eBay deals was a huge no-no, or at least used to be.

Unless someone reports it, the ebay bots won’t find it. Pricing for most of the seller’s stuff not close to reality.

telephoto1

@Connecticoin said:

@telephoto1 said:

Edit to add.. I'm surprised eBay is letting this person direct people to his Instagram to "buy it cheaper". Last time I checked, soliciting off-eBay deals was a huge no-no, or at least used to be.

Unless someone reports it, the ebay bots won’t find it. Pricing for most of the seller’s stuff not close to reality.

Looks to me like he's doing it on purpose, so he doesn't pay selling fees- and is mainly using eBay for their greater customer base to try to solicit private deals, where they have little to no recourse.

ifthevamzarockin

@telephoto1 said:
I'm surprised eBay is letting this person direct people to his Instagram to "buy it cheaper". Last time I checked, soliciting off-eBay deals was a huge no-no, or at least used to be.

@Connecticoin said:
Unless someone reports it, the ebay bots won’t find it.

Just for fun to see how well the "report" button was working I reported about a dozen of this sellers listings for avoiding ebay fees, 20 hours later and all listings are still active.

coinandcurrency242

@jeffas1974 said:
I was watching 6 currency items at an online auction website last year that always seemed to have items sell above market. The following week 3 were relisted and the week after that 1 of those 3 was relisted. After asking the auction house what gives I noticed that they stopped posting historical auction sales info.

I have noticed that about this one auction house.... I never win straight out, BUT they always send me a "second chance" offer... Very suspicious.

Cameonut

The Ebay seller is from Shafter, CA - you can't make this stuff up!