Thoughts on a bidder with low feedback and a history of retractions?

pendragon1998

So I'm doing a little small-dollar selling on the Bay, and I get a guy who retracts a bid of $5 or so. Take a look at his feedback, and the guy has <75 f/b's total in <6 months and around 20 retractions in the same time period. What're your thoughts on this fella; how would you deal with him if he bid (or did this) in your auctions? I won't name names, but if anyone wanted to investigate it wouldn't be too hard to discover who I'm talking about.

lordmarcovan

Sounds like an indecisive person.

I wouldn't worry about it if it was small peanuts. If it's a headache, block him from any future bidding.

TayTay

Doesn't sound like the feedback would be anything to worry about to me, but I would probably block him from bidding based on his bid retraction history. Not that I think my opinion would change much, but how could we investigate it?

pendragon1998

I was just pointing out that my ebay ID is easy enough to figure out, and since I don't sell a lot of stuff, a quick perusal of some of my most recent auctions would reveal the retrator's ID. I don't care enough to make it personal, but I do think it's a violation of eBay's retraction policy. Screwing around with a small dollar item's bids by retracting can often eat into the already very small profit margin of such small transactions by possibly discouraging people who otherwise might bid. For example, I made much less than $5 profit on the item I speak of.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

The guy probably is just looking to get a bargain and if someone bids him up he retracts his bid

cullenbryant

retractions can be damaging....

i had someone nibble at a proxy. they must have bid 10 times until, finally they were winning.
with very little time left in the auction, they retracted their TOP bid. All the nibbles, they failed to retract.
it looked like to the bidder who won the auction like a shill gone bad.
i explained and sold it for the price before the retractor started nibbling.

which ultimately cost me money because other bidders didn't bid it up.. the retractor did that part.

sounds like you have a persistent retractor. good advice from the others. block from future.

pendragon1998

Oh, he's blocked now.

relayer

<< <i>I made much less than $5 profit on the item I speak of. >>


I don't have an opinion about the bidder, but I 'm curious on how to make almost a $5 profit by selling on eBay?

lordmarcovan

Good point, cullenbryant- I can see how a retractor can make a good bidder look at your auction and think you're playing the shill game.

pendragon1998

<< <i>

<< <i>I made much less than $5 profit on the item I speak of. >>


I don't have an opinion about the bidder, but I 'm curious on how to make almost a $5 profit by selling on eBay? >>



Buy low, sell for what the market will support, and keep your other costs low. That's the same way you make a $0.05 profit or a $5,000 profit. I'm not trying to be tongue-in-cheek, that's just simply how you do it.

Coinhog

block him and when he asks why, tell him

291fifth

A high number of bid retractions is often a sign of a "bid fisher," as I call them. These folks place high bids in order to find out the competing bidders maximum and then quickly retract their bid. I used to get annoyed with them but don't anymore. I have found that they are usually low-ball bidders who never win anything good, if they win anything at all.

greghansen

I'd block that person.

Russ

<< <i>I don't have an opinion about the bidder, but I 'm curious on how to make almost a $5 profit by selling on eBay? >>

Buy low, sell for what the market will support, and keep your other costs low. That's the same way you make a $0.05 profit or a $5,000 profit. I'm not trying to be tongue-in-cheek, that's just simply how you do it. >>



I see Relayer hooked a live one.

Russ, NCNE