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What the heck do you make of this?

jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
The seller ends his auction early on a $950 SMR card to sell at the current bid of $113.50 .... and now that bidder is NARU. Huh? I can see the bidder being booted for shenanigans of some kind, but why did the seller (a PowerSeller) end early for 12% of market value on a card that is scarce and tough at that grade?

Comments

  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,035 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Me smells a shill. And the shill is also the seller.
  • StingrayStingray Posts: 8,843 ✭✭✭
    If you look at his feedback that is the second person who is NARU, coincidental?


    Stingray
  • jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭
    He sold early to himself for 1/8th of book value? That's what I can't figure out. If he wanted to end the auction without selling, all he had to do was end the auction. There were still 3-4 days left.

    And the bidder who got NARU'd right after this sale has no previous history of bidding on this seller, though he was bidding on several of his current auctions. He's bought from many legitimate sellers, including our own board members gaspipe and bkritz. The seller who ended early is still active, so I don't think it was a case of shilling.

    The NARU might even have nothing to do with this. But how on earth did he convince a PowerSeller -- who touted the $950 SMR value in the listing -- to sell early for only $113.50?
  • MorrellManMorrellMan Posts: 3,240 ✭✭✭
    Sometimes you don't have to ascertain the exact components of a pile to determine it stinks.
    I'd guess nothing changed hands on that one.
    Mark (amerbbcards)


    "All evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
  • baseballfanaticbaseballfanatic Posts: 2,415 ✭✭
    Sometimes the "current price" isnt what is agreed on by the buyer and seller in order to end an auction early. It is better than doing a complete offline transaction since you can still leave each other feedback and keep track of each other, and the seller only has to pay the final value fee on 100.00+ rather than on 900.00+
  • jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭


    << <i>Sometimes the "current price" isnt what is agreed on by the buyer and seller in order to end an auction early. It is better than doing a complete offline transaction since you can still leave each other feedback and keep track of each other, and the seller only has to pay the final value fee on 100.00+ rather than on 900.00+ >>



    Ah, I see how that would work. Duh! Thanks. Still, the NARU immediately after this took place is odd.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,035 ✭✭✭✭✭
    <<< Sometimes the "current price" isnt what is agreed on by the buyer and seller in order to end an auction early. It is better than doing a complete offline transaction since you can still leave each other feedback and keep track of each other, and the seller only has to pay the final value fee on 100.00+ rather than on 900.00+ >>>

    That's an interesting point - I know things like this are sometimes done between cash transactions with private used car buyers/sellers in certain states so that the buyer can pay less sales tax on the purchase and the seller can show a smaller selling price on their tax return. The naru here does makes it confusing though.
  • jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭
    Maybe he made offline offers in a bunch of auctions, telling sellers they could cheat eBay of some fees through this method, and somebody reported him.
  • envoy98envoy98 Posts: 4,000 ✭✭
    Maybe the bidder received his third NPB strike from a different seller, or hasn't paid his seller fees? Could just be coincidental. I agree with bballfanatic on this transaction though, buyer probably made an offer, seller ended early to pay fees on a smaller amount, exchange feedback and move along. Maybe the buyer knew he was about to be NARU'd and wanted to get the card.

    I've actually had buyers email me and ask me to end early at a current price before. One way to beat the ebay machine I suppose... But you'll never know what you would have actually gotten for an item.

    image
    My eBay Store

    BigCrumbs! I made over $250 last year!
  • TreetopTreetop Posts: 1,474 ✭
    The high bidder is a steady buyer of high grade 70's yankee cards and recently started buying Mets cards. I have dealt with him many times in the past and never had a problem. He has been NARU'd before and came back under a different ID. Probably do the same this time.

    Funny is only neg is for a 10 buck baby toy
    Link to my current Ebay auctions

    "If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
  • MajorDanbyMajorDanby Posts: 1,343
    he knew that you would have won the item anyways with a snipe....so, in order to have a fair distribution of johhny bench cards...he decided to end it early!
    My Auctions

  • jrdolanjrdolan Posts: 2,549 ✭✭


    << <i>he knew that you would have won the item anyways with a snipe....so, in order to have a fair distribution of johhny bench cards...he decided to end it early! >>


    image Probably true, Major, if I was in the market for that card. I already have mine, but I like watching where certain key Bench cards sell in top grade so I know actual market value (vs. SMR).

    The seller explained it to me:

    I ended early on the bench and the fisk cards that I had he paid 750 on the bench and 400 for the fisk and sent the money to me immediatly via paypal ....thanks

    So that's the answer. And I think he tried the same thing with other sellers, and one of them reported him to eBay for trying to deprive them of fees, and they banned him. If that's his MO, it will scarcely be an inconvenience.
  • SDSportsFanSDSportsFan Posts: 5,136 ✭✭✭✭✭
    JR,

    Another '70 Bench just showed up...

    JB


    Steve
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