shendra
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:31:11 PM new
Please forgive this long post.
My parents are getting old and wanted to distribute their Estate items while they are still alive.
Rather than face arguments between us siblings, they asked me to list everything on EBAY and let us kids bid on anything that we really wanted. I have three brothers and two sisters, and everyone has been actively bidding on my folk’s items. In fact, most all of the bid’s are from family members.
Anyway, I noted that someone had pulled my contact information last week, and the requestor’s e-contact info was complete gibberish. I did not think much about it until I received the following e-mail late last week:
Dear Scumbag Shiller.
It has been very clear that you have been cheating innocent bidders with your illegal shilling activities. It is very clear that you have 7 eBay ID’s and you have been cheating people and stealing their money.
I know that you think that I cannot get you, but I know where you live. How can you sleep at night? As a member of the eBay Detective Agency I am making it my business that you do not get away with this heinous crime. The eBay Detective Agency hates thieves, and we will not rest until you stop stealing.
I immediately reported this to the police, and I noted the full-header from the e-mail. The source was [email protected], and after checking, it appears that this message originated from an e-mail kiosk at the San Francisco Airport. The ISP says that there is no way to know who sent me this message.
In any case, both me any my family are petrified, and we cannot get any type of response from eBay on this. Why did they let this creepy person request my contact information? My husband went off a bought a gun last week because we are so afraid for our safety.
What is the eBay Detective Agency, and what right do they have to threaten me?
The Police say they can do nothing until they know who sent the e-mail.
I must find this eBay Detective Agency . . .
Please help if you can. Thank You.
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amalgamated2000
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:36:45 PM new
That's an awesome way to split up an estate, I think. But you really should have done it on Yahoo so you wouldn't have to pay any fees...
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xardon
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:41:35 PM new
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sg52
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:42:14 PM new
I'm listening for a "ring of truth", but I keep hearing something else.
sg52
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Meya
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:42:59 PM new
If this is a serious post, and I have my doubts, don't you realize by listing items on a public type auction site you are also bringing other non-relatives into your "game"? Why not just do a "Silent Auction" amoungst your family for your parent's belongings? Why go to the trouble and expense of listing on eBay?
This makes no sense, but it is very imaginative. I'll give you a B+ for creativity.
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upriver
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:43:42 PM new
Sounds like the Ebay Defective Agency. I doubt someone like that is at all serious, likely just some scumbag trying to ruin your perfectly good day.
Does your e-mail allow you to block sender. Then at least you wouldn't get their nasty e-mail on their return flight from nowhere.
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UpInTheHills
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:45:11 PM new
http://pub29.ezboard.com/bebaydetectiveagency
There ya go
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UpInTheHills
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:47:30 PM new
LOL upriver. just noticed the defective.
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Glenda
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:48:32 PM new
(1) It is against eBay's rules for family members to bid on each other's items:
"... Please remember that family members or housemates should not be bidding on each other's listings."
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/investigates.html (look under Shill Bidding-Deliberate)
(2) For more information about the eBay Detective Agency, go to the eBay Trust and Safety chat board.
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UpInTheHills
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:50:23 PM new
Glenda's right, you'd get better info from the trust and safety board at ebay.
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raygomez
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posted on November 4, 2000 03:57:29 PM new
Shendra:
Glenda is right, you and your siblings cannot bid on your parents hierlooms, no matter how bad they want them.
It is immoral and against the ebay rules.
You will probably be suspended by ebay for this offense.
The EDA provides the ebay community a great service by finding frauds, shillers, and rule violators.
If I were you, I would immediately cancel the auctions and ask ebay to NARU your user ID. They will probably leave you alone after that.
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danilynn71
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posted on November 4, 2000 04:55:44 PM new
Okay, I'm not even going to give my opinion on whether or not what Shendra is doing is ethical or not. However, I will say that whoever this vigilante is, he is WRONG!
First of all, last I checked, sending threatening mail was illegal. Second, I am CERTAIN that eBay has rules against registering accounts using "gibberish".
I think that if these people want to continue their crusade they need to do so within the boundaries of the rules of eBay and the law.
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ksterni
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:01:28 PM new
HEY FOLKS
Deja vu!
Doesn't Shendra rhyme with the unmentionable Br word????
[ edited by ksterni on Nov 4, 2000 05:02 PM ]
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sg52
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:08:38 PM new
I think that if these people want to continue their crusade they need to do so within the boundaries of the rules of eBay and the law.
You've concluded guilt based on an oddly constructed, anonymous accusation from a first time posting?
If I were to accuse this poster of making this posting to manufacture evidence that the eBay Detective Agency truly behaves in an illegal way, would you believe me just as quickly and change sides?
sg52
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switch
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:10:16 PM new
Ksterni, you were too quick for me. Is this an anniversary by chance?
Shendra, there wouldn't be any dolls in this estate, would there?
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Shadowcat
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:15:37 PM new
She posts elsewhere now.
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amalgamated2000
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:18:38 PM new
Glenda is right, you and your siblings cannot bid on your parents hierlooms, no matter how bad they want them. It is immoral and against the ebay rules.
OK, it is against Ebay rules. But, if they intend to purchase the items, I don't see how it is immoral or unethical.
If you are going to make such accusations, I would be interested in hearing your rationale.
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shendra
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:26:53 PM new
I am a first-time poster here, and I don't understand some of these responses, but I REALLY appreciated the link to the EBAY Detective Agency.
Does anyone know the password?
amalgamated2000, Yes, we thought this would be a great way to sell my parents stuff.
We were shocked to be accused of shilling.
I was not aware that it was against the rules to have family members bid on my parents items. Where I live, there are Estate Auctions all the time, and family members bid.
Regardless, I do not understand why EBAY would allow this organization to use their copyrighted name. Since EBAY allows them to exist, it looks to me like EBAY sanctions this organization.
I will forward the link to my local police and see if they can get some real names from the owner of this board.
Can anyone tell me how dangerous these people are? We are very concerned that EBAY allowed these people to get our personal contact information.
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macandjan
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:30:57 PM new
WOW - The old folks found a way to have a reverse estate - like a reverse mortgage.
They may sell tickets to their funeral also.
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toyranch-07
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:43:35 PM new
It is against ebaY rules. I've seen situations where family members all wanted the same item and couldn't work it out, resulting in a 'live' auction. Taking it online makes sense, but it is against the rules.
I suggest you take the auctions to a smaller venue where this type of thing can be arranged with the administrators of the site. Most of the smaller auction sites are also without fees. If you are trying to hold an auction 'all in the family', it would be smarter to keep fees out of it and make the auction more 'private' and kept within the family.
As for the Detective Agency, that email doesn't sound like something they would do. Making threats and bragging about where they are made from is typically associated with terrorists who remain safely hidden in countries without extradition policies on terrorists.
http://www.millionauctionmarch.com/
[email protected]
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RM
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:52:44 PM new
Your husband didn't buy any bullets for that gun, did he?
Ray
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cassiescloset
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posted on November 4, 2000 05:53:43 PM new
I don't understand why your parents are giving eBay a cut of THEIR estate.
Glenda is right, it is strictly against the rules to have family bid on your auctions.
Why don't you cancel all your bids, and then cancel the auctions and have your family hold a private auction at home.
Do you really want strangers to have your family heirlooms.
This whole scenario seems a little disfunctional.
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mtnmama
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:06:14 PM new
That link was not from eBay. It was the eAuction Detective Agency. Probably formed by a group of users through ezboard, where anyone can start a forum or bulletin board.
Do you all think that eBay would start a letter to a user using the word Scumbag?
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Shadowcat
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:12:20 PM new
It would sure liven up their canned responses if they did.
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mtnmama
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:21:16 PM new
Shadowcat..rofl! Sure would!
I'm at that site now, have registered and want to see what they're up to. Their first disclaimer said they are not with eBay and not sanctioned by eBay, so far so good.
They've taken it upon themselves to be the eBay police and of course, we all know that eBay is full of that kind of person.
Still a threat to the originator via email is considered a terroristic act and they need to be warned by an official agency.
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raygomez
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:26:18 PM new
This is very strange.
Two days ago, this board was the
"eBay Detective Agency"
tonight, it says
"eAuction Detective Agency"
I wonder why they changed the name?
It is still all related to eBay scams. . .
[ edited by raygomez on Nov 4, 2000 06:57 PM ]
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mtnmama
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:27:35 PM new
Toy Ranch
Hi there! I noticed you're a member of that eAuction site.  Did you know that they send out letters to users like that? Do they know they broke the law by threatening the user?
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UpInTheHills
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:27:47 PM new
Actually, last time I checked, prior to today, that was the ebay detective agency. They have changed the name to the eauction detective agency. Must've changed since yesterday.
The first time I went over there you could read some of the threads. Now you have to register to read any of the threads. I'm not going to register tho.
You really should ge read some of the mess that has been going on over at ebay's trust and safety board. I certainly don't know all of what's been going on, but it has bbeen a major blow up and board war. Kinda silly really.
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isworeiwouldneverdothis
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:29:55 PM new
No, I think that email may have come from someone who is specifically NOT a member of the EDA and who wants to make the EDA look very very bad.
If you have any more questions, I can answer them if you like. In the meantime, have you reported that user to eBay's safeharbor?
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mtnmama
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posted on November 4, 2000 06:34:27 PM new
They can't use eBay's name if they're not eBay.
The real eBay states this about threats between users:
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User-to-user threats - Threats of bodily harm made via email. Remember, eBay can only
act when there are emailed threats of physical harm. All other forms of harassment should be reported to the proper authorities. If you experience email harassment, report it to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), too.
===============================
First thing I'd do is send that email to safeharbor along with the link to the ezboard. If whoever sent that letter is still a member, (I surely hope not), there may be a lot of explaining they'll do.
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