posted on September 7, 2001 03:00:27 PM new
Due to a local competitor's devious intent (also)was an ebay seller/bidder he was unknowingly to me bidding on my items with alias ID's. Well, Safe Harbor deemed that this was shill bidding and kicked me off as well as him. Sad part is I personally know this person and we have successfully traded many times thru ebay. He recently purchased a very old lighter from me and paid by check. According to his words he was outbidded on a clock that he wanted to restore so he re-bidded. Fair enough right? Well because he lives in the same area, is interested in the same items as I sell, the phone exchange is similiar and even our account names were close, they claim the purpose was to shill. Now I'm telling you, this guy watched me like a hawk! After (3+) years and a past PowerSeller I'm ruined. If a person was to see my bidder history it plainly shows the last 30 days. I did not play the stupid game as Safe Harbor (1)investigator claims and I have never had any previous problems. I guess what I'm asking is has this happened to others and are there legal channels to go through? I am considering a Mediator that ebay recommends to settle disputes. I am Wrongfully Accused but the ebay dictatorship won't even listen or give a decent reply that makes common since.
posted on September 7, 2001 03:47:01 PM new
Blackball - Early forms of voting (Roman Empire) involved dropping a small ball into an urn. Usually this was to decide a simple yes/no decision and white and black balls would be used to signify the two alternatives. This practice also gave us the verb to blackball, meaning to ostracize or exclude a person by means of a vote.
Blackmail
Blackmail derives from the old practice of freebooting clan chieftains who ran protection rackets against Scottish farmers. If the farmers did not pay the mail, the chiefs would steal their crops and cattle. Mail is a Old English word meaning rent or tribute. The black either comes from the evil connotation of this practice, or from the fact that this "rent" was usually paid in goods, like cattle, as opposed to silver coin, known as white money.
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition dates this historical usage of the term blackmail to 1552. The modern sense of any type of extortion money dates to 1826, but was probably not in common use until sometime later. Webster's 1828 dictionary only contains the original, Scottish sense. The verb to blackmail dates from 1880.
To be in someone's black book or to be on a blacklist; these expressions both meaning to mark someone as out of favour, have the same basic origins. Black books were common in medieval times and seem at first to have been records of laws and customs of the times. In Henry VIII's time (1491-1547) the books were considered as records of supposed corruption by the monasteries and were used as a basis for their dissolution. At about the same time merchants began to keep records of bad debts and black books were created of persons who had gone bankrupt. Later still Oxford and Cambridge Universities as well as Army Regiments kept black books and lists of persons guilty of misconduct; such persons could not then advance in their careers. This is the definition given in the 1811 dictionary but, today, although the expressions are in common usage, the most common use is that found in the Trade Union movement where "to black" has replaced the full phrases.
posted on September 7, 2001 04:59:52 PM new
Ok, I run around with friend to RL auctions, friend is good. Knows how to buy. Friend is no good, does not know how to sell.[p]
Mispellings, Title no good. So I snipe his auctions so I can resell.[p]
Sometimes, I help him out, place early bid, opening only, attract other bidders so he can sell.[p]
Scenario; same same - I can get in trouble, huh?
Slink Eye
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OLD JAPANESE SAYING: More Talk - More Mistakes, Less Talk - Less Mistakes, No Talk - No Mistakes.
