eBay hidden ID's

pocketpiececommems · February 23, 2007 11:52PM

Would it be unreasonable to ask who the next 2 high bidders were if I won an auction from you?

19Lyds · February 24, 2007 12:05AM

Why would you want to know?

Hyperion · February 24, 2007 12:06AM

personally I wouldn't disclose it

fishcooker · February 24, 2007 12:09AM

If you have to ask that question, perhaps sight-seen is better.

pocketpiececommems · February 24, 2007 12:57AM

I would just like to know who my competition is or perhaps to see if a shill bid is going on.

notwilight · February 24, 2007 1:09AM

I would be glad to disclose it but wouldn't because;

1. It is not my identity I'm disclosing, it is that of the bidders. How would you fell if I told the winner your identity? Then you started getting spam, phishing, and fraudulent offers?

2. I would guess it is a violation of ebay rules.

pb2y · February 24, 2007 2:22PM

If the auction is not won--why would it matter?

Bochiman · February 24, 2007 2:29PM

Agree with others....while I could understand that you may want to know about potential shill bidding, I don't shill and I would therefore be giving you other people's info (even the little bit that it is that you used to be able to see from ebay). They may not want that and it would not be my place to give it to you.

BigDaddyz · February 24, 2007 2:33PM

if it was a shill, they would tell you a lie anyway

cullenbryant · February 24, 2007 2:34PM

if they're willing to shill their auction up, do you think they would be honest about the underbidders

BiddlesBank · February 24, 2007 2:40PM

In my opinion it was a bad move on Ebay's part to conceal identities, unless the seller specifies bidder concealment. I can understand that with certain high rarity coin offerings a buyer might want to remain unknown.

Shill bidding is rampant on Ebay and knowing the bidders is important in discovering fraud. Ebay is best kept an open public forum that is transparent.

I have uncovered several cases of fraud on Ebay and obtained results from law enforcement action and obtained credit card reversals when fraud was found. One case of shill bidding was a bid that bumped up my bid $600. Only because I was able to see the shill bidder's name was I able to find out it was the seller's brother. This brother never bought coins on Ebay and only lived about 20 miles from the seller. A little detective work nailed it down and I got to keep the coin and also got $600 back through a credit card settlement. The seller wanted me to return the coin instead but I refused since he was the one who created the fraud, not me. The $600 refund was like a sweet kiss.

The way it is now it would be very difficult to detect such frauds and shill bidding is just one of the many frauds on ebay. Here is a nation wide case in which I recovered almost $37,000 for Ebay victims as reported by MSNBC. ">Ebay Fraud Victims Fight Back

pb2y · February 24, 2007 3:23PM

BiddlesBank -- You know how to fight back. Most do not or cannot.
I wrote a guide "Concerning Proof Sets of 1979 and 1981" on EBay "malt819".
Its another way to fight fraud. This is another scam that may never end.

mozin · February 27, 2007 3:42PM

I agree with BittlesBank on the ebay poor decision to allow hidden bidders. I have known BiddlesBank for almost ten years. Don't mess with him.

sonoranmonsoon · February 27, 2007 9:15PM

I believe it is very important to keep your buyers and bidders identities private. Especially coin buyers. I may be wrong, but this need to know bidders identities is unique to the internet. Other auction formats such as phone, mail, and to some degree live auctions do not receive nearly the debate on this issue as EBAY does. I my opinion, if there was anyplace that hiding bidders identities is the most approriate, it is on the internet. A lot of scamming thieves out there who would love to know who is bidding on coins. If Ebay is willing to let the world know who is bidding, that is fine with me. That is not my responsibility. I will not be the one to give up that information first.

seateddime · February 27, 2007 9:56PM

<< <i>if they're willing to shill their auction up, do you think they would be honest about the underbidders

>>

seemyauction · February 27, 2007 10:08PM

<< <i>Would it be unreasonable to ask who the next 2 high bidders were if I won an auction from you? >>

Would you want me giving out your personal info to the high bidder if you are 2nd in line?

AL

TwoSides2aCoin · February 27, 2007 10:21PM

This is a peculiar question but since you directed it at me, I would feel that you were wanting a potential customer list and would not want to share this information since that person was at my place of business and not yours.

Do you see where I am coming from ? This is asking for my customer data base. To share such information is a violation of a certain TRUST that was established when that customer made his "silent bid". Shill bidding is illegal and is the same as "bid rigging" in my business. Submit your bid and be done with it. Once the transaction is complete, the buyer and seller entered into a contract for the item in question, not for WHO ELSE was competing for it.

It's a good question, nonetheless.

Joe

BiddlesBank · February 27, 2007 11:00PM

.
Comparing Ebay to Auction Houses is like comparing oranges to alligators.

Auction houses put their best foot forward in describing the lots. Ebay is rife with scam artists and misrepresentation.

Transparency is a must for Ebay to survive. The reason Ebay went to hidden bidder identity was not to protect bidders but protect Ebay from sales taking place outside of the Ebay forum. Otherwise they were not getting their cut on these outside deals so they started hiding identities to slow down the outside traffic.

Ebay is still the place for us small guys but they are not big brother by any stretch of the imagination.

Transparency on every level is a must. If you want secrete identity bid Stacks or Goldberg and ect.

BobGreene · February 28, 2007 6:16AM

I would think that eBay's policy of hiding bidder ID's in a venue already riddled with fraud could convince a jury that such an action makes eBay a co-conspiritor, or at least an enabler of fraudulent activity. Maybe eBay's ability to avoid being held liable in past cases is nearing its end.

BobaFett72 · February 28, 2007 6:20AM

I believe that Ebay is usind the hidden bidder, hidden ID's now because of the huge increase in 2nd chance offer scams. That seemed to be the driving force behind the new secrecy.

pharmer · February 28, 2007 6:23AM

I don't see what the problem is. Bidder ID's are still showing up. Just checked again to make sure.

RareBronzeCollector · February 28, 2007 6:26AM

The primary difference between eBay and an Auction house is that an Auction house is a single entity, whereas eBay is like a market place with thousands of individual auction houses selling in it......

EBay provides the forum, but has NO control over the individual auctions..... providing an environment that is ideal for scammers etc......

All that the hiding of identities does is protect eBay.......

pharmer · February 28, 2007 6:52AM

What's the problem? You guys really can't see the ID's here?

RareBronzeCollector · February 28, 2007 6:56AM

<< <i>What's the problem? You guys really can't see the ID's here? >>

On sales over $200 US , 100 GPB, $220 Can.... the identities are hidden.....

garsmith · March 1, 2007 12:00AM

Instead of hiding bidders ID's why don't they get rid of the second chance offer

Hiding bidders ID's is just allowing fleeBay to become even move of a haven for shill bidders

eBay hidden ID's

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