IS EBAY NOW RIGGED?

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BigPinoyHunk

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from time to time i watched ebay for good deals. as of the last few years now it seems as if ebay really isn't a place to get deals anymore. if you watch good auctions for good items, there is always alot of random and weird user name users bidding the price up just to raise the price. but i mean, who wants to get rid of a 460 intake that runs for 200 new for onl 25 dollars? it seems as if alot of these random weird screen names keep on doing random bids for a few days until the price is in a desired price to the value.

i bought a intake a while back that i really wanted and i got into the heat of the moment to get it. its a 460 stealth intake that retails fo about 190 new. i saw it for 50 used and just watched it after that starting bid. well shortly afterwards i see people with user names like "1***5, f***g, y***3 and i'm just like WTF. some of these guys obviously have feedback ratings of 1,2 and 3 so i know they are just scammers or something. of course some of them might be legit people possibly because some of them having feedback ratings of 100+.

i'm just wondering what you guys think cuz it seems as if people will rig their own auctions so they don't have to get rid of good parts for less than their desired price. i mean, i've had to get rid of some of my parts for below what i wanted but thats the risk of putting stuff on ebay. hell, i've gotten rid of parts here in the forum for less than i wanted to but thats the game sometimes when you want to move stuff out of your way.

i really honestly think deals on ebay really ain' there anymore and things are rigged. what do you guys think?

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=bidfrenzynow&&_trksid=p4340.l2560&rt=nc&iid=221104930336&sspagename=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

here is an example, this guy's auction always consist of bidders winning the auction in the funcy user names like "g***r, a***2 and etc". wtf

 
I think it's rigged. I don't buy much or sell on there anymore. Occasionally a buy it now auction will catch my eye but not often. Then there's the low price but very high shipping items.

I've had much better luck buying and selling on craigslist.

 
I don't know about being rigged. The username that you see with the "*" in it was started a few years ago to help protect the identity of bidders.

 
I don't know about being rigged. The username that you see with the "*" in it was started a few years ago to help protect the identity of bidders.
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That's right, only the seller can see the real eBay user names.

 
Seller fees have gotten out of control so I don't sell any more. I do buy but only for convenience. Living in a small town makes getting certain items a lot easier, and quicker, off eBay. We have no hobby shop so I buy most my parts and RC(remote control) goods off eBay.

Last item I sold on eBay was a metal detector I sold for $1,000. Between eBay and Papal fees it cost me over $100.

 
I've seen that funking bidding your talking about. Had a really good deal and put my max in and lo and behold, 30 seconds before it ends a fella with a rating of 2 takes it up to within .05 cents of my max bid. :dodgy:

 
Yeah, they hid the userid's. I used to 'look up' the other items people had won if I was up against them in a interesting auction. You could see if they were the type to just place a large bid or if they sniped at the end.

Sellers fees are just killin' ya anymore and the almost obsessive insistence that you use 'paypal'. I don't sell much on there any more.

There are bots now that will do your bidding (pun intended). If it is a part I want I normally just place my highest bid and see what happens.

Back in 1999 I did 'snipe' my tripower. I put in a very high bid at the last second. Got it for the reserve price which was a LOT less than what I bid.

 
I'm sure people who are ebay savvy will create dummy accounts and fluff the bidding if they're not seeing the movement they want. It can be a little risky though - if you use the dummies to fluff the bid too much and it sells to your dummy account, you just lost whatever money ebay and PayPal charge for the transaction.

Must be a new thing - I've bought lots of stuff on ebay and haven't really noticed any trickery. I do remember early on thinking the people were stupid for getting into bid-wars for items that they could simply buy locally - for instance, I saw a Creative Labs AWE-32 sound card run up to $150 back in 1999 or 2000... and you could actually buy an AWE-64 Gold at a computer store for $99. I lost faith in ebay for a long time over that one.

More recently, I've bought a bunch of used musical instruments (major deals on used horns), lots of Mach 1 parts, and all sorts of other various things. Just gotta be careful and not get wrapped up in the bid wars. There's always something else coming along if you don't get the one you want.

 
Yeah, they hid the userid's. I used to 'look up' the other items people had won if I was up against them in a interesting auction. You could see if they were the type to just place a large bid or if they sniped at the end.

Sellers fees are just killin' ya anymore and the almost obsessive insistence that you use 'paypal'. I don't sell much on there any more.

There are bots now that will do your bidding (pun intended). If it is a part I want I normally just place my highest bid and see what happens.

Back in 1999 I did 'snipe' my tripower. I put in a very high bid at the last second. Got it for the reserve price which was a LOT less than what I bid.
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I use to check the other bidders history too to see if there last bid was a snipe.

I usually bid once early, and then wait until the last few seconds of the auction to place my highest bid that way I do not get myself in a bidding war and go over my budget. That's how I got my 73 forged aluminum wheels. I still got them well under my highest bid. I still items on eBay that have limited appeal on a local basis, for instance I have a lot of vintage British parts that I acquired when I worked at a British dealership that went out of business in the early 80's.

 
A few years back I was bidding on a car for my son. I kept getting outbid. As soon as the auction was over the owner sent me an email saying the top bidder couldn't pay. I think the top bidder was him.I couldn't prove it but it certainly made me wonder. Most times I just use buy it now.

 
I've seen that funking bidding your talking about. Had a really good deal and put my max in and lo and behold, 30 seconds before it ends a fella with a rating of 2 takes it up to within .05 cents of my max bid. :dodgy:
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That was probably me. ;) I've bought a lot of parts over eBay and gotten some really good deals, if the bidding gets to high I just walk away from it.

The strategy that works best for me is to have a max price I'm willing to pay and if the item is under that price the last few seconds of the bidding I bet my max price. Many times I get the items far below my Max bid, other times the other bidder had a hidden Max bid that went above my Max and they got the item. By bidding your Max just before the bidding stops it precludes others from submitting more bids (unless they're doing the same thing or the last bidder had hidden Max above yours).

If the seller is bidding their own item up they run the risk of being the high bidder and having to pay the eBay commission on their own item. Of course it may be worth paying the commission to avoid letting the item walk away far below it's value.

Jim

 
Ebay is no longer the savings it use to be...Harder for people to sell things on there..And i noticed most are buy it now over all....Years and years ago it was easy to find some auctions on something you wanted....Heck i snipped a old vintage atari 2600 for 10 bucks..still in the box...lol...Now they all over 150 too 200 bucks for one in the box.....Deal is everyone figured out how to play the system ...Plus Ebay has lowered the value on some stuff...But raised a few things threw the roof...lol..Double edge sword ..Not quite the place you hunt for savings as much anymore...But i use the thing like a price guide now for something i buy over in town or craigslist....lol

 
Ebay is no longer the savings it use to be...Harder for people to sell things on there..And i noticed most are buy it now over all....Years and years ago it was easy to find some auctions on something you wanted....Heck i snipped a old vintage atari 2600 for 10 bucks..still in the box...lol...Now they all over 150 too 200 bucks for one in the box.....Deal is everyone figured out how to play the system ...Plus Ebay has lowered the value on some stuff...But raised a few things threw the roof...lol..Double edge sword ..Not quite the place you hunt for savings as much anymore...But i use the thing like a price guide now for something i buy over in town or craigslist....lol
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You are 100% correct...I was selling back in 99 up in till around 05...Started going down hill around that time..As far as price guide goes forget it..As I've said before it's hard to tell if a deal is ever consummated..Half the people never pay..tons of shilling going on..sellers can't leave anything but positive feedback...you can only take pay pal for payment..the fee's are freaking crazy..it's just not worth the effort Plus every body & their daddy thinks their JUNK is gold..I think alot it has to do with all the t.v. shows like pickers..storage wars..etc. I've had real good luck selling stuff on Craigs..Just like any online selling venue you have to know how to weed through the crap to get to the cream..

 
You are 100% correct...I was selling back in 99 up in till around 05...Started going down hill around that time..As far as price guide goes forget it..As I've said before it's hard to tell if a deal is ever consummated..Half the people never pay..tons of shilling going on..sellers can't leave anything but positive feedback...you can only take pay pal for payment..the fee's are freaking crazy..it's just not worth the effort Plus every body & their daddy thinks their JUNK is gold..I think alot it has to do with all the t.v. shows like pickers..storage wars..etc. I've had real good luck selling stuff on Craigs..Just like any online selling venue you have to know how to weed through the crap to get to the cream..
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Well..I mean i use Ebay as a price guide to sell my own stuff...And if anyone complains i say..."Hey the cheapest one on ebay is this much" And that usualy gets most people to think or go look and shop around.....And like i tell them...that doesnt including shiping and handling and waiting and hoping it shows up...lol...Its here...its now..it can be in your hands...and for a few dollars less than ebay;) Now thats a sales pitch!! hehe jk
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