posted on May 7, 2001 11:23:17 AM new
I am wondering how many of you report infractions like shill bidding, etc. to ebay.
I am asking this because at the moment I am tempted to turn in a seller for shilling their own auctions. Also within their auctions where the description usually is they are outright advertising products from their website that they are not selling on their auction. Then they have "click here to buy my blah, blah, blah".
I don't usually report things and I am always kind of torn between the "good of the community" and "minding my own business".
Do you report things that you see or do you just ignore them?
posted on May 7, 2001 11:43:34 AM new
Unless it DIRECTLY affects my sales, like infractions by my direct competitors, I ignore them and mind my own business. I am not the Ebay police, and I don't believe in getting in the middle of other people's business. I also don't report my neighbors for breaking water restrictions, I don't call the IRS if I hear of a friend fudging their taxes, and I don't call the animal pound when my neighbors cat wanders into my yard. Live and let live.
posted on May 7, 2001 11:50:10 AM new
If it affects me directly, ALWAYS.
If it doesn't affect me at all, NEVER.
Why should I do the dirty work for ebaY? My time is worth a lot more than they're willing to pay.
posted on May 7, 2001 11:50:11 AM new
Depends on the infraction.
If someone contacts me with an offer to purchase an item similar to the one I didn't win on eBay, I won't report it. I might even buy it. I won't even report someone who contacts me when an auction I am bidding on is still live.
That's free enterprise.
If someone is advertising a similar product off eBay with a "click here" logo, I won't report it.
That's also free enterprise.
If someone is selling an illegal item, I will report it.
That can hurt an innocent buyer.
If I saw what I thought was a shill bidder, and if I could prove it, I would report it.
That can hurt an honest buyer.
There's really not much consistency in how eBay deals with these reports though, so whatever you decide to report, the result is a crap shoot.
posted on May 7, 2001 01:01:51 PM new
If I am bidding on the item where shill bidding is happening then YES.
If an item I am selling has something sneaky going on then YES.
And last week I was bidding on bubble mailers and another seller emailed me and offered to sell me the same mailers for less outside of ebay. YES I reported them.
But if I see something is going on with an auction that I am not involved in, then NO. I just don't get involved.
posted on May 7, 2001 01:02:31 PM new
I nuked a shiller on a digicam I was going to bid on.
Occasionally when I see somthing strange while browsing I will follow-up with safeharbor.
I know it's not cool to snitch, but damn, I look at some of those ripped off bidders as customers walking out the door!
I agree Ebay should get off their money-green a$$ but they are such an amorphous (sp?) blob now that it's hard to know what they are paying attention to!
posted on May 7, 2001 01:15:03 PM newUnless it DIRECTLY affects my sales, like infractions by my direct competitors, I ignore them and mind my own business.
If it affects me directly, ALWAYS. If it doesn't affect me at all, NEVER.
You will probably find quite a few who will express similar beliefs to the two statements above. I copied these because they said it so well.....it's a look-out-after-yourself world. If it doesn't affect you directly, don't get involved.
How often do we hear: "it's not my job".....????
It can apply to all areas of our lives not just in our businesses.
It is a common practice. We do it, one way or another, everyday.
Is it right? I don't know. Will it change? Probably not.
I have observed in my looong life, those of us who feel this way are the ones who will scream the loudest when we feel it is directly affecting us.
If ignoring "infractions" is truly none of our business....then we should ignore them all the time. That's not very likely though is it?
Most of us prefer not to "stick our nose" into other's business until we are directly affected. By then, it is too late.
Once we have been affected, we often become determined to see that nobody else has to fall victim. We start demanding something be done!
Wouldn't it be simpler to just do that in the first place?
posted on May 7, 2001 01:20:38 PM new
Yes I report infractions, especially the ones that harm buyers. They buyer I might help might be a buyer I'll deal with in the future. Once a buyer gets screwed it hurts all honest sellers.
posted on May 7, 2001 01:28:20 PM new
If you see something that is wrong and don't report it, you are willfully participating in the same. Make it easy with a quick email template and let it fly to Safeharbor with an auction number. If the word out there was eBay cracking down; things would start to change.
You don't have to go looking, but if you see one, take action.
posted on May 7, 2001 06:16:33 PM new
"If you see something that is wrong and don't report it, you are willfully participating in the same."
Using that logic, all eBay Directors would have been put in jail a long time ago. eBay constantly and knowingly allows illegal activities to take place on their site under the guise of "we're only a venue".
posted on May 7, 2001 07:38:48 PM new
My problem with this is; how do you tell for sure that someone is shill bidding?
I would want to be 100% sure that they were (shilling) before I turned them in.
posted on May 7, 2001 08:17:27 PM newmballai - Absolutely. [b]Silence condones[/i].
capriole: it's not cool to snitch. Know who made up that rule? Wrongdoers who want your complicity.
Yes, I have and will report infractions I run across. If I have to follow the rules, why shouldn't others? On rare occasion, I've emailed a seller to advise them they're doing something wrong in ebay's eyes instead of alerting Safe Harbor. When you're new, it's tough to know (and understand) ALL the rules.
I will say, tho (and this will be SUCH a surprise to some of you), that ebay enforces some of its rules differently -- or not at all -- in some categories than in others. And, of course, I've seen Power Sellers get a pass where others wouldn't have.
I guess that's the Golden Rule in action: He who has the gold (ebay) makes (and selectively enforces) the rules.
posted on May 7, 2001 08:25:36 PM new
I report all of the infractions I see. I want the buyers to come to Ebay and buy my things. If they continually get burned by shill bidding and other bad seller habits then they will not keep coming back to buy my things.
posted on May 8, 2001 11:58:35 AM new
Ques: if we had to provide our real name, #, address when turning someone in for an alleged infraction - and then - face that person ... in person... would we do so?
posted on May 8, 2001 12:15:20 PM new
thepriest ...
I have done that.
As long as you are 100% accurate in your accusation and you have done your homework before your cry foul (not like that famous auction site that begins with an 'e'!), there shouldn't be any problem. In spite of some of the shady people who play on eBay, I don't think most of them fit into the "Fat Tony" category
[ edited by RB on May 8, 2001 12:18 PM ]
posted on May 8, 2001 01:17:14 PM new
Well, to the extreme: the holocaust happened because people looked the other way instead of doing something.
Not my name on ebay.
posted on May 8, 2001 01:27:19 PM new
Now before you start flaming me, this reminds me of the old story.....
A man is having a conversation with his date. They are discussing morals and ethics. He asks her if she would keep the extra change the sales clerk accidently gave her, she says no. She asks him if he would speed if no one was watching. He says yes. He asks her if she would spend the night with Robert Redford for a million dollars, she hesitates and then says, "well, Robert Redford and a million, yes probably". Then he asks her would she go back to his apartment. She says "No, What do you think I am?". He tells her, "we've already established that, now we're haggling over price".
Not my name on ebay.
Sniping works up a thirst"