posted on December 14, 2001 05:25:06 AM
I have a good book on eBay, 3 days left, should end up about $80-100, currently $62
Top bidder registered October, has 0 feedback.
There is 1 other copy of this same book on eBay, too. It is at $51, 2 days left, but the same 0 feedback bidder is high bidder on that one, too.
Their bid history doesn't show any other activity in the past month.
So I'm wondering if I should e-mail them & ask for an explanation or something. I just cannot see why someone would need 2 copies of this book, and I'm wondering what is going on, or maybe they are playing one off against the other, and intend to retract the higher bid before auctions end, or something like that.
Would you do anything, or just let things end naturally?
This isn't anything that I would get too concerned about. New people join eBay all the time. This person could have joined in October to learn the ropes, and is just now starting to bid on items. If these books should be selling at the $80-100 range, it could be that the bidder is a book re-seller.
Another thing to consider... just because the ID has low-feedback doesn't mean that the person behind the feedback has little ebay experience. For example... my selling account has been open since '96 and I have an over 1100 feedback rating. However, I just recently opened a buying account and my feedback on that is 2. Just goes to show you that you never know for sure just how much experience some of these "newbies" may actually have.
posted on December 14, 2001 07:02:15 AM
it is a little confusing to follow your thread when you say 1 bidder and keep referring to THEY.
is one bidder bidding on two books??where does THEY come from??
it could be he wants two copies of the book or he does not want to be outbidded,by bidding on both books,he may win one copy.
ebay rule on retracting bid has changed-high bidder cannot retract bid within 8 hours of closing.
posted on December 14, 2001 07:35:25 AM
Seems clear to me that "they" is referring to the bidder. While not gramatically correct to refer to a single person with a plural pronoun, it's sometimes done when the gender of that person is unknown.
BTW, the cutoff for bid retractions is twelve hours prior to the auction's closing, not eight.
posted on December 14, 2001 07:46:02 AM
I would be slightly concerned, but I probably wouldn't contact the bidder. I have done such in the past, and usually bidders don't respond well. If I were to contact the bidder, my opening email would be neutral: "Hey, I see you bid on two of these. Are you a collector?" Then follow up in subesequent emails. Don't clobber new users with "the rules." My $.02 cents.
posted on December 14, 2001 07:52:53 AM
I have been guilty of bidding on identical items from different sellers at the same time. I didn't realize I might have caused concern to the sellers.
I wanted the item. I entered identical proxy bids on both. I was hoping I would get at least one. If I had gotten both, I would have bought both. I didn't get either! Was overbid by several people on one, but didn't worry because I still had the high bid on the other. Got sniped on the other.
posted on December 14, 2001 08:05:57 AM
holderex said.
Seems clear to me that "they" is referring to the bidder. While not gramatically correct to refer to a single person with a plural pronoun, it's sometimes done when the gender of that person is unknown.
EXCUSE ME,THERE IS NO WAY THEY MEAN SINGULAR WHEN GENDER IS UNKNOWN????????
when gender is unknown,one may say he or she or just use he (she)but never THEY as it confuses the listener .
12 hours versus 8 hours,ebay is getting more and more difficult !!!!!!!!
posted on December 14, 2001 08:13:21 AM
i would not tell the high bidder that you spotted him/her bidding on another copy of the book.
some bidder may get turned off by such seller behavior (call it nosy,predatory or just come across like seller is too anxious ,that seller needs the money very badly or has nothing else better to do).
in fact i may retract the bid as i feel i must be overbidding if the seller is so anxious to get her dough.,it must mean a big fat profit for her,that she pays very little for that copy).
just my 2 cents.i have been on ebay for 6 years
posted on December 14, 2001 09:05:48 AM
Ashlandtrader,
Actually... ebay was founded in September of 1995. I know... I found it surprising myself! Seems like just yesterday when I was browsing through the 10-50 listings in the comic book section. Now there's more like 10-50 thousand!
posted on December 14, 2001 11:26:54 AM
Just because I've always enjoyed being on top...
Thanks Kiara, I figured it was so (notice I didn't use the "royal" we!)
I'm just gonna let things ride as they are, if by chance it doesn't work out fine, then there's always re-listing available, it's a book that will sell in that range regardless, so thanks all, you calmed my mind a bit.
posted on December 14, 2001 11:32:41 AM
The "grammar police" ought to clean up their own acts before criticizing how other people write. The person who spent two posts commenting on the improper usage of "they" doesn't seem to be able to figure out the proper use of punctuation (he or she generally writes one big long disjointed non-sentence) or capitalization. I could go on about the misuse of plurals, possessives, etc., and poor spelling...but I won't.
It's been said that grammar/spelling flames are the last refuge of a poster who is out of ammunition during an argument, and I agree. I make it a personal policy to [almost] never critique another person's post for grammar and spelling, but I make the occasional exception for the person who whines about somebody else's usage when his (or her) posts are nearly unintelligible.
posted on December 14, 2001 11:40:13 AM
Thanks eauctionmgnt, that's interesting.
This thread is just all over the place, sorry to be derailing it.
I can add something to the original topic too. I used to bid on beatles stuff for my mother in law and occasionally there would be an item that she would just absolutley have to have and I would do the same thing (bid on two in hopes that we would win at least one-- had we won two we would have paid for them.) So I wouldn't worry too much either. It'll probably work out just fine.
posted on December 14, 2001 12:08:33 PM
sonsie,
i never give myself the job title of GRAMMAR POLICE.
if you want to dish out such title to me,i will say THANKS BUT NO THANKS.
i pointed out the usage of THEY when it appeared there is only one high bidder for the book,the same bidder is also bidding on another book offered by another seller.
it is confusing to me,how many bidders are there and how many copies of the same book and how many sellers??
i also do not understand why the seller is concerned about high bidder bidding on another copy of the same book from another seller when there are 2 more days to go ??
some bidders do not like sellers or any one studying their bidding activities,it is not like they are doing something illegal .
how would you like if you go shopping at a mall,you went to one store and told the clerk you want to buy item ABC and if it is still available at the end of the day,you will buy it.
while you continue shopping ,visiting other stores in the same mall,the first shop dispatched a detective to follow you and see where else do you shop??
posted on December 14, 2001 12:34:15 PM
who is running out of ammunition?who is finding post unintelligible?who is busy reading posts and commenting with shallow substance and outlook??
LOL.
posted on December 14, 2001 12:49:02 PM
Author of this thread also said,
So I'm wondering if I should e-mail them .
///////////////////////////////////////
so it is not just THEY,but also THEM.
i think the seller does want us to know there is more than 1 high bidder??
posted on December 14, 2001 07:49:03 PM
upriver
Your thread was very clearly stated..
I don't know what their,they, his/her's problem was with it... I'll be danged ,aint it a shame that we need grammer lessons to post here so he/she,they,those, can understand...This he/she,they, needs to chill out and stick to the thread topic or move on.. Hats off to all that ralleied
for upriver... Good advice..
posted on December 14, 2001 08:39:28 PM
the reason why i am so hung up on THEY is that one day a korean lady came to me and said a spanish lady living in such & such a place ,a black guy rang her doorbell,when she answered ,he pushed his way in and THEY RAPED HER!!!!!
as i lived in the same complex ,i am concerned how many were involved??
but she kept repeating,he pushed his way in and THEY raped her!!
if according to the research done by aw member,THEY can be used to refer to a singular person when gender is not known,then it could be either a man or woman who raped the spanish lady.
it was very annoying not to be able to find the truth from this korean lady,may be she went to a different grammar school??
so from now on,when i hear someone says THEY when there is just one person involved,i say to myself,HERE WE GO AGAIN.
posted on December 15, 2001 08:46:26 AM
We have been mod-free for about 45 days and I don't miss them at all. I don't see any reason why we would need them here.
posted on December 15, 2001 12:55:54 PM
stopwhing, you may want to look up "they" in the dictionary. The second definition covers upriver's original usage: "Used to refer to the one previously mentioned or implied, especially as a substitute for generic 'he'."
The American Heritage Dictionary then goes on with a history of the usage of "they" used as a singular pronoun, with examples:
The use of the third-person plural pronoun they to refer to a singular noun or pronoun is attested as early as 1300, and many admired writers have used they, them, themselves, and their to refer to singular nouns such as one, a person, an individual, and each. W.M. Thackeray, for example, wrote in Vanity Fair in 1848, "A person can't help their birth, " and more recent writers such as George Bernard Shaw and Anne Morrow Lindbergh have also used this construction, in sentences such as "To do a person in means to kill them, " and "When you love someone you do not love them all the time. " The practice is widespread and can be found in such mainstream publications as the Christian Science Monitor, Discover, and the Washington Post. The usage is so common in speech that it generally passes unnoticed.
posted on December 15, 2001 01:42:58 PM
kiara> Lighten up. I'm not trying to call the mods back. I was just trying to add a little humor into what has become a totally ridiculous thread that started with a simple question about a book auction and turned into a story about some guy's neighbor being raped.
posted on December 15, 2001 02:24:30 PMdoormat Hey, I'm the one here with all the smilies. My mood is light.
Sorry I missed your attempt at humor. You could have put a smilie or a winkie. With the sad face I actually thought you missed the mod intervention. Who knew?
This isn't the first time a thread wandered down another path, not a problem.
posted on December 15, 2001 04:55:42 PM
thanks holdenrex,you really light up my day.
i have a sara lee apple pie in the oven,i will tell THEM they are so nice!!
posted on December 15, 2001 06:28:35 PM
Currently there are 1,303 auctions on eBay with THEY in the title. And in checking I see THEY are all for ONE item only! I'm just sooooo confused, the auction titles say "WHILE THEY LAST. 14k GOLD RING" and when I read the description, it's just for one gold ring!!!! So I ask you, is it one item, or more. Where does they come from? Is it it (Bill Clinton would know what I mean), or is it they? And while I'm on this subject, who's on first? Perhaps THEY should be on eBay's list of Prohibited, Questionable, and Infringing Items. Indeed, I would like to see that, right there wedged between Slot Machines and Used Clothing: THEY. And I would also like to give a nod & a wink to stopwhining, I'm glad they posted their response!
posted on December 15, 2001 07:15:51 PM
To get back to the Original topic - I had several items up with bids from many bidders with Zero fb and even two bidders with -2 I was very worried but decided to give them a clean slate and treat them just like a high FB bidder - All my zeros except one paid: and one of the neg2 s was a db - Ive also had a winner with a three fb who bid on 85 auctions for similar items ( I did a search on him) never did get paid - negged him and soon after filing for my fvf refund he was NARU . Its hard to tell what will happen - but you can always relist and file for fvf if you get a deadbeat.
Best of luck !
Ed
