Suspicious Bidders?

baseballjeff · September 23, 2007 8:32AM

Hey Everyone,

Does this look fishy to you? Look at the bidders that have bid on this card. I wouldn't be concerned if I wasn't planning on placing a bid, what do you all think?

Jeff

Link

BunchOBull · September 23, 2007 8:44AM

I think that's just a privacy feature eBay has been using on some items, maybe at the seller's request. I don't know for sure, but I've seen that on several auctions recently. It's like the 1st and last letters of the bidders' user names with "*'s" to keep bidders private and free of harassment until the auction end. I may be way off, but I think you'd be fine to bid on this ESP is a pretty solid seller, up and up if you will. Plus, that's a game used bat from the best pure hitter in the '90s, can't do better.

rube26105 · September 23, 2007 8:51AM

its on every auction after it gets so high,

BunchOBull · September 23, 2007 9:00AM

<< <i>its on every auction after it gets so high, >>

There you go, Randy knows.

Jeff, believe it or not, a lot of bidders get harassed when bidding on high profile items. People will ask bidders to not bid any higher or to sell the item to a certain individual after they win the auction. eBay doesn't like those kinds of deals because they're not "secure" in the sense that eBay offers buyers "real security" when purchasing from registered sellers. Mostly, they can't get their cut on deals outside of the bay.

I admit, if I'm bidding on a sought after item, I'll check the high bidder's feedback and recent transactions. I like to see their bidding style, do they snipe? Bid high once? Bid minimum multiple times? Even what time of day the auctions they win tend to end. It's all market research, if I believe a bidder is bound to get into a bidding war with me, I won't even allow myself to bid. My point in saying this is, by keeping the bidders private on these high profile items, eBay prevents me and others from conduction "market research." Even more, keeping bidders from being harassed.

There are people out there who will simply bid on an item because they know they will get outbid, jacking up the sell price, lessening the deal for the high bidder. I don't like to be a part of that.

baseballjeff · September 23, 2007 9:03AM

Thanks everyone!

I agree the Big Hurt is one of the best pure hitters of the game of the '90s. He's always been my favorite modern day player, so I think it's appropriate I shoot for a game used bat.

Thank you everyone,
Jeff

bullrat · September 23, 2007 10:01AM

I think after something gets to $200, ebay starts hiding the bidders' name. Supposedly for protection of the bidders, but more to keep others with the same card from contacting bidders after the auction ends trying to set up an off ebay deal in my opinion. Everything ebay does is for their bottom line, not to benefit the people using ebay.

Suspicious Bidders?

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