posted on October 17, 2000 11:55:40 AM new
Are these allowed on eBay? IOW, if a member gets a warning about an illegal auction, are they allowed to create another ID and carry on?
This particular seller has been selling illegal items for quite some time. eBay has been notified, and on one occassion (only!), they took one of her auctions down. She has created another ID and has relisted the identical illegal items. eBay was again notified, only this time it appears as though they do not intend to take any action.
Here's a cut from an email I received from this seller this morning:
"You just make me laugh XXXXX. Oh well ebay auctions were a complete success. Doesn't really matter what you do. And I sold the last two on a new name, and I can make up another ebay name whenever the hell I feel like it, so you can think whatever the hell you want, but I can go on ebay whenever I want."
Can anything be done about this? I have emailed safeharbour et al, but they don't seem to care.
posted on October 17, 2000 12:17:44 PM new
I have multiple IDs for selling, not for hiding from buyers but offering different merchandise. I always thought it would be good to have one ID specializing in one item. I just didn't feel right selling camera gear and when they buyers look at my other auctions they see me selling carvings, to me it looks bad.
posted on October 17, 2000 01:08:36 PM new
RB...you can forward the e-mail to SafeHarbor, but don't count on anything happening. In fact, if you complain too much, they can block your e-mail addy.
Although you are allowed to have multiple ID's, I believe the only restriction is that they do not interact at all within the bidding process. Starting up a new ID to sell items is not against the rules.
However, selling illegal items IS and I'm surprised they are not being shut down due to their content. Not much you can do but e-mail SH & let them know.
***********************
That's Flunky Gerbiltush to you!
posted on October 17, 2000 01:28:35 PM new
If an account is NARU'd, a person is prohibited from creating a new account. That's different from "only" receiving complaints/warnings on one account, which appears to be the situation you're talking about.
posted on October 17, 2000 04:04:59 PM new
Sure Glenda they can really enforce that ..... Fact is you can have as many as you want and they cannot know.
posted on October 17, 2000 04:50:39 PM new
It was my understanding that they could not re-incarnate using the same Email Address? When a Seller forged signature and cashed a check sent to her in error and was reported, and NARU'd, she reappeared under 5 different ID's within one week, using her daughter's, her husband's, her sister's and a friend's Email addy. To my knowledge, she was still there as of a year ago, and operating her website AND linking her website to her Ebay Pages....She was so easy to follow, it became a game.
Maybe the rules are a little different now?
Edited to correct: that's 4, not 5
********************
Shosh
posted on October 19, 2000 07:51:03 AM new
Thanks for the ruling on multiple ID's.
Another question: Is is OK for this seller to use one of her other ID's to place 37 bids on her own item, all within seconds of each other, just to get it into the "hot" category?
This is what she has done, and eBay is STILL letting the auction proceed
I wish I could identify this seller - you folks would howl when you see it, and the 'clever' way this vampire-killer-lover is trying to sell her illegal tapes! She is spitting on eBay, and they are saying "thank you"
[ edited by RB on Oct 19, 2000 07:52 AM ]
posted on October 19, 2000 09:21:54 AM newbubbahyide: Nevertheless, that is the policy, and in that context it's irrelevant whether it is easily enforced or not.
RB: You know it's not okay to shill bid, or to multi-bid to make an item "hot."
If ya want to send me the seller's name via email, I'll take a look and see if I can see the same things you are. Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is they're not paying attention to you 'cause you're NARU?
posted on October 19, 2000 09:41:35 AM new
Hi Glenda ...
It's on the way ... thanks
PS - forgot to add that this time the seller took out the part about the fact that these are 'conversions' from the PAL tapes. I think that's what got the auctions canceled in the first place. Everything else, including the graphics is identical to the listings (there are currently 2 running by the same seller) that got previously canceled. She simply changed her ID and started over ...
However, the tapes in question have been released on PAL format in the UK ONLY (they cannot be played on North American VCRs as the seller has stated unless they are converted during the copying process.) It is also interesting to note that this seller has sold multiple copies of these same tapes - almost to the point where she is going to get the attention of the US DOJ
posted on October 20, 2000 12:11:00 AM newRB: Well, I had been told that the revised bidding history page would make it easier to find shill bidding and bidding to reach "hot" status - unless I'm misreading what's there, the second seems pretty apparent, and probably the first as well.
What did eBay say about this? Did you tell them to look at the bid history page?
posted on October 20, 2000 04:52:58 AM new
Glenda ...
eBay simply gave me their usual canned response, and yes, I did point out the shill bidding. As I have stated, they just don't seem to care.
What's even funnier (dumber?) about this seller is that she spammed my mailbox with a couple hundred blank emails all using the exact same id as the shill bidder. And, she 'subscribed' me to a whole bunch of teen sex sites
posted on October 20, 2000 06:40:30 AM new
I didn't think you were allowed more then one ID. Last night a guy I used to sell for called me he wanted to open his ebay account and try it for himself. When he tried he couldn't open it with the same credit card he opened his first account with. We can't remember what his id was and all that stuff. It has been a long time. I told him he would have to find his old id because he can't open up more then one account on one credit card number. The only one he has. Was this uncorrect? Is there another reason he can't set up an new account on this number?
posted on October 20, 2000 07:53:58 AM new
I have several IDs on ebay: one for selling, one for buying & one for my husband who never seems to know WHAT to do with it.
Only my selling account had a credit card on file. Just out of curiosity, I just went in, used the same credit card, name, address, as my selling account to change my buying account to a selling account & it accepted it all.
So, it appears you can use the same credit card on different accounts. Now I have separate email accounts for each ID, so maybe that is the key difference.
posted on October 20, 2000 08:10:21 AM new
I have 2 ids--one for selling and one for buying. I have paid for merchandise that was never delivered; therefore I leave negatives for unsrupulous sellers who also leave retaliatory negs. One of my 2 negs is from a flaky seller in retaliation; the other from a deadbeat bidder.
posted on October 20, 2000 08:22:12 AM new
You can have 2 selling ID's on ebay and use the same credit card. I have 2, and use the same credit card, and all the same information as my first. I am not selling illegal items, nor hiding, or shilling my bids. I did have to use 2 different email addresses though.
I just finished off a list of 10 items last night on my second ID, and I'm sure ebay is happy to take my money from the one credit card.
posted on October 20, 2000 10:58:09 AM new
Glenda ... one for the good guys
I would be willing to bet that her illegal tapes will be up again within a day or two under another ID - this has been her history with this particular set of tapes for the past few months (I figure she has sold over 10 sets so far), and is the reason why I was wondering about multiple ID's being allowed. Based on what I am reading here, eBay does allow multiple ID's so I guess there is really nothing that can be done to prevent this seller from trying again ...
posted on October 20, 2000 11:08:53 AM new
RB: My only advice is that the next time you "turn someone in", don't let the person you are turning in know who you are. I can only imagine what they could do using your e-mail address.
posted on October 20, 2000 02:41:09 PM new
nicepolice ... actually I anticipated that and I created a hotmail account specifically to communicate with that one person only, and that's ALL it has been used for. I use a separate account (my real one) when I communicate with the rest of the world, including eBay.
That's another way I am 100% sure that she is the same person who spammed that account using the same addy as the person who placed 30 some odd bids on her auction, she is the same person who shilled her own auctions, and she is the same person who signed that account up to hundreds of teen sex sites.
Just another thought here ... although I don't agree with many of the rules and laws governing these types of sales, and I do not make a habit of "turning people in", the way this person responded to me when I tried to give her a heads up, coupled with her somewhat poor eBay business practices, leads me to believe that even the staunch MYOB bunch would have to agree that she needed to be spanked ...
posted on October 20, 2000 03:32:33 PM newRB: When an account is NARU'd, the email from eBay specifically tells them they are not allowed to create a new account to circumvent the suspension. Now obviously, they can't catch all of the new accounts, but I'm aware of a few that have been thwarted from re-registering due to software they have implemented over there. Hopefully, that will eventually happen with this person.
As to the tapes being illegal, I'm sure it is much, much easier to enforce to-the-letter policy infractions (like 'thou shalt not shill' and 'thou shalt send the money for thy winnings'} than it is to read between the lines of an auction. I mean, you (apparently) know that these tapes are illegal and why, but I'd be willing to bet that the average person wouldn't know it, and it would probably take more than just you telling eBay why they're illegal for them to document yet-another addition to the "what you can't sell" lists.
posted on October 21, 2000 07:45:46 PM new
Glenda ... eBay doesn't have to add anything to their list - it's already there in very plain language that these items are not permitted to be sold on their venue. Information that I have on file from legal firms representing copyright owners require the sellers (when caught) to name all of the people who they sold their stuff to. It's not really that hard to find that info if the seller refuses to cooperate.
The Judge won't buy the "gee, I didn't know they were illegal" argument (the old 'ignorance of the law is not an excuse'). It would make sense for buyers of this stuff to ask questions directly from the seller before committing to a purchase.
