Adventures in Pack Buying

vintagefun

So I've been looking for a difficult and spendy pack and was feeling a bit adventurous, and found a raw one on eBay with about 21 hours left within a range that I might consider rolling the dice, especially since he at least had a 100% feedback score. Before doing anything I started my homework to see what types of items he's selling and has sold. All raw packs. Dug into feedback and saw good reviews from folks with strong numbers, and saw more than a few repeat buyers. But I was shocked when looking at how low the closing prices were on what would be considered hot product. I noticed one buyer in particular was buying a lot. At the time I thought that may be a good sign. I reviewed the bids on the item I wanted and found a few others I'd consider at the right price. Did I mention I was feeling adventurous? I put in low, but leading bids on 5 of 6 items. The one item I was initially looking for was the one I didn't take high spot on, but with time left, I decided to let it play out and would reevaluate closer to closing time. Thinking I might still throw a bid at it, I kept digging and through Google found some questionable feedback from 2009 via toolhaus, and also found some of the more recent feedback with updated notes from a buyer suggesting the packs were bogus. Yet from my phone, all I saw was the initial positive feedback, and NOT the updated note! Let's just say at this point, I'm hoping to be outbid.

Well, lo and behold, within the hour I'm outbid on all but 1. It's all by the same buyer. And it's the same buyer that has made what seems like half the positive feedback scores of this seller. I feel I'm being shilled, but if so, and this is the same person buying/selling all these items, isn't the seller having to pay eBay? Then I start thinking, well, if they're all bogus packs, he just keeps taking little hits, building positive feedback, and just waiting for the sucker to pop his shill.

So now I'm just hoping someone outbids me on the last item, and it eventually happens, but I continue to watch until close to see which buyer IDs win each. Several of them seemed to be won, by "repeat" customers, and can you guess what happens next?

Well this morning I had 4 messages in my eBay Inbox with Second Chance Offers on 4 of the 6 items I had bid on, at my top bid.

Am I right in thinking this smells fishy?

I mean look, as if raw vintage wax packs, off of eBay, at a third the going rate, with only a handful of bidders isn't fishy/sketchy enough...do these other actions make it a certainty?

I know enough to know what I don't know and I have no proof, so I don't want to name the seller publicly, but if you're still looking for the occasional raw pack gamble, don't like what you've read above, and would prefer to avoid the seller, just PM me.

If I'm being Chicken Little and over-reacting to these actions, that would be helpful to know. Heck, in many cases when I'm outbid, I'd be thrilled with a Second Chance Offer. Just shocked to get them on so many items, and at prices so far below market. If it sounds too good to be true....

grote15

Raw packs are a virtual minefield with many of the more notorious resealers continuing to reinvent themselves with multiple IDs which would also explain the shilling.

cpamike

Glad you were outbid on these packs Jim. Too many red flags for me. I think you did the right thing to pull back and let them go.

PM770

<< <i>Well this morning I had 4 messages in my eBay Inbox with Second Chance Offers on 4 of the 6 items I had bid on, at my top bid. >>



While this has nothing to do with resealing, I refuse to do business with people like this at all. Blantant shilling.

Davis

I was bidding on some vintage packs last night as well. I won a couple and received 2nd chance offers on a couple others. Do you mind sharing a link the auction you're referring to? There are 2 ebay sellers that seem to be run by the same person and both sold a handful of vintage packs last night. But both have 100% positive feedback from many different buyers.

A possible explanation for 2nd chance offers could be a quick way to unload additional inventory....who knows.

vintagefun

<< <i>A possible explanation for 2nd chance offers could be a quick way to unload additional inventory....who knows. >>



This is what I'd love to believe as well, but at those closing prices, the seller would be leaving a lot of cash on the table.

PM coming.

Stone193

Sounds like an adventure Jim.

I vote: No.

charrigan

<< <i>

<< <i>Well this morning I had 4 messages in my eBay Inbox with Second Chance Offers on 4 of the 6 items I had bid on, at my top bid. >>



While this has nothing to do with resealing, I refuse to do business with people like this at all. Blantant shilling. >>




+1. I don't even mess around with sellers like this. They get put on my mental "do not do business with" list and I move on.

runningman

Any chance you might tell us the seller to keep the rest of us from taking a hit ?

BeRoyalKC

Sounds like you answered your own question. You put the pieces together and they didn't add up. If it swims like a fish, and looks like a fish, you're right it's fishy.

curch

If I don't rip open packs from my collection from years ago, I only rip open packs that I purchase from bbce.