posted on June 4, 2001 10:46:31 PM
It's been a few weeks since I last posted or visited(I have been ghosting a little bit) but I see things are still jumpin'.
After a fairly dull night of watching "Sex and the City", Quantum Leap and the Golden Girls and NOT SLEEPING(I am a diehard insomniac in the summer). I log on to check my auctions and inbox and find this little number. Has anyone ever gotten anything like this? Is this a perfectly normal thing that eBayers ask other eBayers to do? I have kept my email address as my eBay name to make it easier for buyers to contact me and I have gotten weird emails but this one takes the cake.
<bold>
Subj: eBay auction for xxxxxxxxx
Date: 6/5/01 1:27:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: [email protected] (xxxxxxxxxxx)
To: [email protected]
Hi
I am a long time ebayer bidding & sellin with a problem. I saw your auction and would like to bid. I have a problem though. I have had some problems with my account and I cannot get ebay to do anything about it. I have been inforrmed that if I try to cancel my eBay account it will take a month or longer for it to process. The support person at eBay has not been very helpful and keeps tellling me what a wonderful place eBay is.I keep running up against a brick wall. I wont to close out my account as soon as posible I don't want to wait any longer than I have to. I am sick of eBay. Sinnce I no how the no-pay bidder thing works at eBay I was wondering if I could bid on your item pay you and then have you file a no-pay on me. I have contacted a few other sellers and I hope that you will help me. I know that this is an odd request but I am at the end of my rope. I hope that you will help me. Please look at my feedback I have some auctions up right now and you can check my history.
Thank you,
xxxxxxxx
</bold>
I did not include the headers because I dont know what is identifying and what is not. Her feedback is really good(500 positve with 2 negs from what appear to be deadbeats and 1 neutral from a NARU but it was still positive). She has left almost double that in feedback. She has been a member for almost 2 years or so. She does have some items up for auction. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. What should I do?
edited because I can't spell
[ edited by caravaggio on Jun 4, 2001 10:53 PM ]
Edited because I cant get the bold thing to work, how in the h*ll do you do it?????
[ edited by caravaggio on Jun 4, 2001 10:56 PM ]
posted on June 4, 2001 10:59:52 PM
Oh my! I knew I should've waited to send out my newsletter. I'm definately going to have to put this in the next issue.
I've heard of desperation but this beats all.
You could write back to her and tell her to just go ahead and let eBay close her account. If she's insistent on it they will get it closed and it shouldn't take more than a few days.
posted on June 5, 2001 12:20:38 AM
I emailed her before I posted which is included below with her reply. I feel bad for her, BUT I am still hesitant can I have more feedback please????? Isn't there something that she could do? She has already bid on the auction, so I guess I let her pay and file an NPB or not go along with her and she doesn't pay me and I still file a NPB? So this is what happens when you get a nut for a bidder, they can decide to hunt you down and kill you and ebay is blameless. Hell, eBay makes it even easier with contact information that they hand out to whom ever requests it. It makes me feel safe and cozy that eBay cares so much.
<bold>
Subj: Re: eBay auction xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 6/5/01 2:32:54 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: [email protected] (xxxxxxxx)
To: [email protected]
I have been on eBay for a couple years now and have not had that many
problems until now. There have beeen alot of changes to enay that affect the
way that I do business.Thye dont care about us bidders or sellers. Anytime
I have a problem with anyone on ebay and email them I laways get a big run
around. Another thing is I had a no-pay a few months ago, I did the form
for my fees and gave the peron a negative, they returned feedback calling me
a #*!@ and ever since then they wont leave me alone they keep me busy
bidding on my auctions and having me cancel the bid. They emial me from
different internet accounts to threaten and harass me. They even requested
my contact informatin, which really scares me. I have gotten late night
calls since then.No one answers. I think they tried to break into my ebay
account too. Before ebay put that email a seller option into affect they
were emailing my bidders. Ebay woulndt do anything, it took me forever to
get them to remove the feedback which contained cursing. They stilll wont do
anything, the stress is getting to me in a big way. I think this person is
disturbed or something. Now they tell me they just wont cancel my account. I
have to wait. I am afraid of what will happen. I am a nervous wreck and no
one will help me. ebay could care less, they keep telling me they can not do
anything. I feel like this is my last resort. I am already going to change
email accounts and my phone numeber. I have a pobox that was in my contact
intormation so at least he dosent have that but I am still afraid. I will
jpay for the auctin.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 1:36 AM
Subject: Re: eBay auction xxxxxxxxxxxx
> I am going to have to think about this one. Maybe if I had a bit more
> information? Can you tell me exactly what is going on with you and eBay
>
</bold>
edited because still no bold
[ edited by caravaggio on Jun 5, 2001 12:23 AM ]
posted on June 5, 2001 03:10:53 AM
okay, maybe it's because i just came from reading the 'odd email from ebay' thread, about someone trying to get ebay passwords, but do you think it's possible this is a disgruntled buyer trying to get a seller kicked off? maybe someone who's hacked the good seller's password?
unless it's really true that closing one's account isn't easy and quick. but why have auctions up and running if this person's so desperate to get off ebay? couldn't they just cancel the auctions and leave the account alone until it went naru at their own request? am i missing something here???
kittyx3
edited to add, to do ubb it's the same as html, but use [ ]s instead of <>s
[ edited by kittykittykitty on Jun 5, 2001 03:12 AM ]
posted on June 5, 2001 05:12:42 AM
There's something wrong here.
1. She has items up for auction, and yet wants ot get NARU>
2. She's at 500+ and doesn't know how to block the bidder who is harassing her?
Fishy. I'd stay out of it, cancel her bid and block her from bidding.
And don't carry on a correspondence with "her".
posted on June 5, 2001 05:43:30 AM
I agree with CAPOTASTO. Something very fishy here.
I wouldn't "help" on this one in any way shape or form. You would be participating in a violation of eBay rules, which leaves you open to attack/blackmail/etc. I would not even lead the person soliciting your help to believe you will help. I firmly believe in the old adage, "If something feels screwy, it is." Trust your feelings in the matter. It's against your better judgement or you wouldn't be asking for our opinions in the matter, right?
This person's message to you has appealed to your sense of fairness, righting a wrong, fair play, whatever, but may be a clever ruse. Ignore it, don't even aknowledge email in the matter, even if you already have. There are an unfortunatly a few people (a small percentage) in life who are just out to make trouble for the rest of us. Ignore them and flourish and prosper.
her problem with eBay may be legitimate. Let her follow the correct procedure and don't help her deceive eBay or circumvent the rules you agreed to, especially if caught, you could stand to lose YOUR account. What if she kept copies of your emails, agreeing to help and sent them to Safe Harbor?
Er, excuse me, I'll get off the soap box... Nuff said.
TheWiseBuys
posted on June 5, 2001 06:07:30 AM
Very Odd!
Sounds like some type of retaliation.
It is incredibly simple for a seller to get kicked off of eBay.
Don't pay your eBay bill.
They don't take very kindly to that.
Shouldn't that be no brainer if the e-mailer was the seller that they claim to be?
I'd ignore and stay away from this loon!!!
posted on June 5, 2001 06:15:12 AM
RUN, don't walk away from this one. Something is definately wrong here.
If this "seller" is so darned anxious to get kicked off in a hurry..there's a dozen ways they could have done so quickly. Just throw up an auction violating every VeRO on ebay, use half a dozen website or 3rd party banner links, BOLDLY DEMAND a surcharge for BillPoint fees, keyword spam until the servers drop from exhaustion...the list goes on.
Something is going on here & I'd refuse to be a party to it. Not sure I wouldn't contact that buyer/seller directly & ask what is going on.
Might indeed be a disgruntled competitor or buyer trying to mess with their reputation.
posted on June 5, 2001 07:53:54 AM
caravaggio, have you thought of trying----
Dear Nut'er,
I appreciate your position but unfortunately feel that any prior knowledge I have of your intent regarding ebay item 236748947326xx, as made clear in your 0riginal email could be viewed as my being an accessory to the violation of EBAY RULE-101X?(deadbeating).
I regretfully am left with no alternative but cancel your auction bid & to hear by forthwith request that you refrain from biding on my 'fancy deluxe widget including free delivery to 52 states and a set of steak knives'(in 45 characters or less) auction. Failure to respect my request can result in your ebay account being terminated.
Respectfully
TROLL?????
PS. I trust this contingency has achieved the same outcome which you desired.
.
.
.
.
BUT HEY! caravaggio you'd better make sure the person you are canceling is the same person that emailed you.
[ edited by austbounty on Jun 5, 2001 07:55 AM ]
[ edited by austbounty on Jun 5, 2001 08:07 AM ]
posted on June 5, 2001 08:04:38 AM
Smells fishy to me too. I agree with an earlier poster, seems like someone has hacked into the account and is trying to do harm.
posted on June 9, 2001 09:55:15 AM
Well, I have an update. I could have taken the advice of the people on this board and ignored the emails but I was afraid if I did this then I good seller/buyer would be kicked off eBay. I wanted to make sure whatever I did was the right thing. So I asked for proof I asked her to forward emails to prove that it was that difficult to cancel an account at eBay and proof this guy was being a pain. After I got her proof I pulled her contact info and gave her a call. After all that I have to say I do believe her. I offered the suggestions you all gave me and asked why she still had auctions up and WHY she just didnt block the person. SHe said it was difficult because he was an aol user and could sign up for different eBay accounts because of AOL's "screen name policy". She said that she had put the auctions up before dhe decided to try to cancel her account and now that she knows it will take over a month to get off eBay she just left them up. She was outbid on my item at the last minute, so I dont have to worry about that. I do believe her and feel sorry for her, I know that I have had my share of wierdo bidders. I dont know what other advice to give her. If she doesnt pay her bill that is a black mark on her. She doesnt have too many options other than to wait and let eBay cancel her account.I remember a post not too long ago that had a link to a site that dealt with "cyber stalkers" does anyone have a link like this. I am not the kind of person who could ignore this because either way someone gets screwd either an eBayer with a good reputation by a nutcase who was trying to get him kicked off eBay or an eBayer whose life was being made miserable by a nut case.
posted on June 9, 2001 11:11:12 AM
She could try contacting http://cyberangels.org/
They really do help with cyberstalkers. I know from experience. Had some guy contact me with a question about my research. 1st e-mail sounded legit., I couldn't reply because he clicked a link that truncated his e-mail address; the 2nd e-mail was a bit argumentative; I still couldn't reply (same problem); 3rd e-mail got somewhat crazy and the 4th & 5th & 6th got insane. They were somehow able to stop him all the way over in England.
If she's serious, they are the ones who may be able to help her.
posted on June 9, 2001 01:14:52 PM
A person can get NARU'ed for having incorrect contact info. This person could go into her personal info section and change all the info (phone, address, etc) to bogus info. Then, she could have someone report her. Ebay would NARU her. End of story. Hope this helps.
