posted on May 6, 2001 06:18:38 AM newThe retractions, scams, shill bidding, and non-payers will continue to thrive on eBay until sellers have the option of blocking newly registered bidders with zero or negative feedback.
ebay now does have the feature to block anyone from bidding on your auctions. You can block them in advance if you know their name or you can block them after they bid, but you have to cancel their bid first. I have no trouble with the newbies bidding, but I don't want anyone whose feedback has a - in front of the number.
Newbies do make me nervous bidding if it's a high ticket item, but that's just me. When I was new, I started out with low priced items just to make sure this ebay thing was going to work.
posted on May 6, 2001 09:20:00 AM new
Sasoony - sorry but I disagree with you about newbies. I have sold to quite a few of them and find their money every bit as good and spendable as any oldtimers. Recently had one who registered with eBay just to bid for one particular item that I had for auction. Bought it at a BIN price and spent almost as much for overnight shipping. It was for a present and money wasn't a problem. Would love more of these!!
Also, did you happen to see the auction that closed last week at $51,200.00? Also purchased by a newbie who registered that day. Of course, I realize this was an exceptional find that brings in a different element, but I was just pointing it out as a counterpoint to your generalization of newbies.
posted on May 6, 2001 12:50:47 PM new
"the problem with having the option of blocking everyone with a 0 feedback-if everyone did that how would a legitimate
"newbie" ever get a feedback rating?"
Would you block new users with 0 feedback? Judging by the comments in this thread, it doesn't sound like reddeer, jugghead, or loosecannon would either.
I wouldn't want to block ANY bidders on my slower selling items that get few bids. I'm reasonably sure most sellers would accept any bids on lower priced and/or slow selling items, regardless of the buyers feedback.
But I do have some higher priced that get a lot of bids and I would like the OPTION of blocking new users until they have established some feedback that shows they are for real and have intentions of sending payment when they bid.
I'm tired of newly registered users with bogus AOL IDs outbidding a dozen or more bidders with no intention of paying. I've had AOL users bid and win auctions, and had my email bounced back because the email address is gone within hours from the close of the auction.
Its not just a problem of bid retractions and non-payers. Bogus AOL IDs are responsible for the vast majority of shill bidding and scams on eBay. As I already mentioned, there are so many scams with AOL sportscard dealers shill bidding and manipulating prices, I could no longer list newly released boxes.
I'm 100% against credit card verification, but why does eBay require verification for hotmail accounts and not AOL accounts? EBay would rather kiss AOL's ass than take real steps to eliminate the fraud and scams.
I've watched the same scams on eBay for years. One class action suit and eBay would clear it up within 24hrs.
posted on May 6, 2001 01:52:47 PM new
That's correct, I would never block a new bidder.
I've sold numerous high ticket items over the years to newbies, and just today had a user with less than 5 feedback win 4 of my items, the total is for $400. Ive also accepted numerous personal checks in the $250-750 range, and never held them to "clear", and many of those buyers also had low feedback.
posted on May 7, 2001 06:52:53 AM new
Hello Sasoony,
I am in favor of eBay providing sellers with the option of blocking bidders based on criteria other than userid.
Feedback rating, time on eBay, ISP, retraction history, starting bid or reserve on an item.
It would be up to each seller to decide if and how they would implement bidder blocking. Which is just as it should be. The owner of the business should be able to run their business as they see fit.
It is not for someone else to decide if a seller should be allowed to block a bidder based on zero or negative feedback or any other criteria. No one has an obligation to accept a bid from a 0 feedback user.
eBay already has that tool for sellers that want to use it.
...........................................
Pre-approved Bidder List — Create your own pre-approved bidder list for any item and
only allow those on your list to bid. Any bidder who is not in your pre-approved list will be asked to contact you by email before they can place a bid. You can add or delete bidders up until your listing
ends.
...........................................
Oh, I know, this tool isn't exactly what sasoony & you had in mind, is it?
But guess what, I NEVER want to see the tool you speak of in place on eBay. The last thing I want is frustrated "newbies" or AOL users leaving eBay & not returning because they are constantly getting blocked from bidding.
You wanna block "some" users, go right ahead, use the Pre-approved Bidder tool & make customers beg you to allow them to bid.
I know about both tools eBay has for blocking bidders.
Can I ask you a few questions and get reasoned answers instead of the usual type of response I see from you?
Why do you believe that eBay owes you as a seller certain options (or the lack of certain options) but should not allow other options (or the lack of other options) to other sellers?
Do you think that other sellers are incapable of making their own decisions based on what they see as their best interests?
Or do you see all eBay buyers as a marketplace that eBay must deliver solely to you?
As I recall you have always opposed reserve auctions. Yet reserve auctions have not ruined eBay or your own business, correct?
Why the adamant opposition to any suggestion or request for a change in the way eBay does things? Particularly when the suggestion or change is not across the board but optional at the discretion of the individual?
And by the way, I don't block anyone from bidding on my auctions.
And you know as well as anyone that the pre-approved bidding list is a total farce for controlling bididng on small ticket items. It was implemented for those occasional big ticket items where the seller wants to pre-approve bidders just as it is done in brick and mortar auction houses. And to my knowldege, no one uses the option anyway. But the option is available should someone wish to use it.
Now suppose that eBay did allow bid blocking on criteria other than userid as it now does?
I don't suppose you would ever think to block bidders with, say for example, 5 or more bid retractions in the past week? You would rather use some of your precious time to report the dork to eBay and have them suspended?
posted on May 7, 2001 08:50:59 AM newCan I ask you a few questions and get reasoned answers instead of the usual type of response I see from you?
What the hell is that suppose to mean?
As I recall you have always opposed reserve auctions. Yet reserve auctions have not ruined eBay or your own business, correct?
Sorry, you lost me there as well, I have never opposed reserve auctions.
Why the adamant opposition to any suggestion or request for a change in the way eBay does things?
Any suggestion?
Perhaps there's another deer out there who's comments you've been reading?
I'm only opposed to changes that will drive good honest buyers from eBay. Like CC and/or Equifax verification for ALL buyers.
You might have faith in all the various sellers on eBay making their own decisions, but I don't. There's a lot of screw balls out there, and I don't want their lack of business sense affecting my bottom line.
posted on May 7, 2001 09:39:42 AM new
Aha - it's getting interesting here again
First off, sasoony sounds like a miserable person to want to do business with so s/he can set any policy s/he wants wrt newbies.
cod - you wrote: "Why the adamant opposition to any suggestion or request for a change in the way eBay does things? Particularly when the suggestion or change is not across the board but optional at the discretion of the individual?"
There seems to be something inconsistent in this statement. The "individual" can do whatever s/he wants. Why do you need eBay to change anything? eBay doesn't need more features, policies and rules - they have too many already
On Sunday, I listed my first items on eBay in two years.
And goes on to say:
I canceled all the bids and yanked all the auctions. My apologies to the bidders but its just not worth my time.
It sounds to me like someone has a lot to complain about with regards to the fees,
and final prices realized, and not too much about the scammers & cheaters &
deadbeats?
Sorry, but I can't get too excited about someones complaints when they don't even
sell on the same site as I do.
posted on May 7, 2001 11:51:53 AM new
"Sorry, but I can't get too excited about someones complaints when they don't even
sell on the same site as I do."
Who asked you to get excited? If it's an OPTION you don't have to use it.
If you had competitors using bogus AOL IDs to ruin you auctions, you would be canceling bids and contacting safe harbor too.
Instead, you are only concerned about the scams that might affect you, so you "Just got a DORK suspended, and feel good!" but you can't get "excited" about scams that don't affect you. Your problem is obvious.
posted on May 7, 2001 01:40:21 PM new
redeer; "struck a nerve"???? You're not even making sense.
You feel good that "you got a dork suspended" for bid retractions, but sellers who want the OPTION to block shill bidders "want eBay tailored to their specific needs".
You feel good when eBay helps you with one of your "specific needs" but you don't want "ebay tailored" to help other sellers with their "specific needs".
posted on May 7, 2001 02:23:15 PM new
Block shill bidders?
Now how exactly would one go about doing that sasoony? If it's someone you know for a fact is indeed a shill bidder, then you already have a tool to block their ID.
If the tool you want is to block ALL low feedback AOL users, then damn straight I don't want "ebay tailored" to help other sellers with their "specific needs".
BTW - Just what the hell does any of this matter to you, you don't sell on eBay, remember?
I do, and your idea does not sit well with me, even as an OPTION.
posted on May 7, 2001 02:45:29 PM new
Reddeer; Nice smoke screen but try reading the thread.
I had bogus AOL IDs bidding on newly released sports card boxes every time I listed them.
All of these were reported to Safe Harbor and eBay does nothing because they are bogus IDs with AOL email addresses.
-----------------------------------------
"BTW - Just what the hell does any of this matter to you, you don't sell on eBay, remember?"
It matters to me the same as it would matter to you if AOLers were creating bogus IDs to ruin your listings. How can you be this clueless?? Unbeleiveable.
posted on May 8, 2001 06:30:32 AM new
Hello RedDeer,
Seems to me that you have always trashed folks who have suggested that eBay offer an extended auction format at the option of the seller.
Excoriated them as sore losers and by calling them other names as well. And you have, if I recall correctly, always taken the approach that extended auction would dilute the bidder pool that eBay brings to you.
I suppose you don't recall or recognize my userid from the times we went on about this particular topic on the New Board?
That is the basis for my request that you give a serious and reasoned response to my questions.
To get back to the current topic, you are now trashing folks who would suggest that sellers be allowed to block bidders based on various criteria (feedback rating being only one of them).
You completely ignore an answer to my question about whether you would use the number of retractions made by a bidder as a blocking criteria. This despite the obvious utility such an option and criteria would have made in the very instance that caused you to report that bidder and have them suspended.
You are also somewhat disengenuous when you criticize others because they don't sell as much or as often as you on eBay. Perhaps others would be encouraged to sell on eBay if eBay gave them the facilities to prevent retractions and other turn offs? It seems that you could care less about what turns other sellers away from eBay. They are potential competition for you, afterall. But you are adamant that no one should suggest something that might, in your opinion, turn buyers away from eBay... "I'm only opposed to changes that will drive good honest buyers from eBay."
Hello RB,
I agree in that eBay has too many unstated or ambiguous policies and "rules". I can't agree that eBay has too many features. I will agree that eBay's poor implementation record and questionable site stability would argue that eBay should work to improve their programming and quality assurance efforts but not to shut down development.
A bidder block based on the seller's own criteria could actually help to improve eBay in the long run. What did a seller have to do until quite recently in order to prevent an unwanted bidder on their auctions? An email to the bidder with a copy to SafeHarbor. Then, if the bidder should bid yet again, a second email to SafeHarbor. Very staff intensive way to keep someone from bidding on your auctions, wouldn't you admit?
Now, you can simply add the userid to your personal list of userids whose bids you will not accept.
This is an improvement in that it places bidder control more firmly within the province of the individual seller and thereby relieves eBay's own staff resources for other work.
Now extrapolate this new feature and its benefits on the basis of additional criteria (other than userid) by which a seller might block a bidder.
I can think of a lot of sellers who would welcome the option of refusing bids from someone who has x number of bid retractions total or y number of retractions in the past month or z number of retractions in the last 7 days.
Now replace retractions with negative (or non positive) feedback.
These two criteria would be, in my estimation, the most useful options of an enhanced bidder block on eBay. And their use would reduce greatly the constant hand wringing that sellers go through when they now see a bid by someone who appears, by all indications, to be a problem buyer in the making.
The (0) feedback rating and the time registered with eBay filter criteria might be employed by those sellers who have been burnt or who are just paranoid about newcomers to eBay. But really, so what? These sellers will either find success with their own way of doing business or they will change or even stop selling altogether.
posted on May 8, 2001 07:00:57 AM new
Hey Code, thanks for the early morning laugh! Good grief, I'm now being held hostage over something I said to you close to 2 years ago?
Get a freakin grip.
Trust me, if I was trashing someone on these boards, the Mod Squad would be all over me. Seeing as they're not, I'd say once again your comments are way off base.
You are also somewhat disengenuous when you criticize others because they don't sell as much or as often as you on eBay.
Oh, well excuse me if a certain posters comments aren't taken serious by moi.
They haven't sold anything on eBay in over 2 years [they admitted this] and I'm supposed to be concerned with something that supposedly took place 2 years ago? Yawn
Sounds to me like you both need to quit worrying about the past, and move forward in life.
posted on May 8, 2001 07:11:07 AM new
Oops, almost forgot.
You completely ignore an answer to my question about whether you would use the number of retractions made by a bidder as a blocking criteria.
The answer, no. As long as a potential bidder is a registered user on eBay, they're welcome to bid on my items, and I would not refuse them access to my auctions, unless I have had negative dealings with them in the past.
This particular user was an extreme example, and of course is now NARU, so that solved that problem. I've had other bidders with numerous bid retractions who have come through with flying colors in the end.
I'm not saying that anyone has to agree with my personal feelings on buyer/bidder restrictions, and quite frankly I could care less if they do, or do not.
After all, you of all people should know by now that I don't give a rat's azz what others have to say about MHO.
posted on May 8, 2001 08:15:35 AM new
Hello codasaurus:
Perhaps I am missing something here
I have no problem with a bidder block based on a seller's own criteria, even if that criteria is something as unfriendly as "you're new and therefore I don't trust you" nonsense.
I just can't see why some sellers expect eBay to provide a way for them do this.
"Now, you can simply add the userid to your personal list of userids whose bids you will not accept."
I am not a fan of these types of lists. They assume that people never change.
"The (0) feedback rating and the time registered with eBay filter criteria might be employed by those sellers who have been burnt or who are just paranoid about newcomers to eBay."
Then why are these people doing on line business at all? Maybe they should look at how they became a success - they must have been a "newbie" at one point. Good thing someone gave them a chance to grow.
"These sellers will either find success with their own way of doing business or they will change or even stop selling altogether."
posted on May 8, 2001 11:15:54 AM new
"s long as a potential bidder is a registered user on eBay, they're welcome to bid on my items, and I would not refuse them access to my auctions, unless I have had negative dealings with them in the past."
So you report a bidder to safe harbor for excessive bid retractions but you wouldn't block bidders with excessive bid retractions from bidding on your auctions.......unless you have had negative dealings with them in the past.
So you list an item and a newly registered AOLer with 0 feedback outbids everyone and doesn't send payment.
You list the same item again and another newly registered AOLer with 0 feedback outbids everyone and doesn't send payment.
Everytime you list this type of item a newly registered AOLer with 0 feedback is the high bidder and doesn't send payment.
"As long as a potential bidder is a registered user on eBay" they're welcome to bid" on your items...........unless you have had negative dealings with them in the past.
