sparkz
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posted on June 4, 2003 10:09:43 PM
There is currently an auction running for one of the original Sputnik satellites. It seems to have drawn a number of game players and Ebay has unloaded on them. Go to this auction and click on the bid history. Scroll down and look at the bid cancellations.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3611062497&category=40129&rd=1
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
[ edited by sparkz on Jun 4, 2003 10:13 PM ]
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Roadsmith
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posted on June 4, 2003 10:23:49 PM
Holy Cow!
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sparkz
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posted on June 4, 2003 10:30:36 PM
The price had reached 100 million at one point. When I started the above post it was back down to $750,000.00. By the time I finished the post, a few more heads had rolled and it was down to $26,000.00. Looks like the hatchet man is working o.t. I'm almost afraid to go over there and look now!
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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lindajean
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posted on June 4, 2003 10:53:55 PM
It appears the auction has been cancelled.
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sparkz
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posted on June 4, 2003 11:13:03 PM
That's really a shame, too. Ebay started out getting good press over this auction. I found out about it on Yahoo news and CNN. They must have NARU'd at least 25 bidders on this auction.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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auctionace
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posted on June 5, 2003 01:26:20 AM
The news story I read heard on TV that the Soviets had made 4 Sputniks copies but there were more than that in circulation so there were some fake Sputniks. The seller should have made all the bidders be approved like the auctions for the expensive art objects. There are millions of throw-away ebay accounts and many just bidders have fun with them and could care less if those accounts get NARU'd.
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Twelvepole
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posted on June 5, 2003 05:16:12 AM
Probably had to shut it down because they couldn't verify it as an original... major scam avoided...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND... 
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pointy
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posted on June 5, 2003 07:41:24 AM
Twelvepole......do you think Ebay sent their team of rocket propulsion engineers out to the field to verify. You should know better. Ebay does not verify authenticity.
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auctionace
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posted on June 5, 2003 08:26:52 AM
Ebay does try to avoid bad press though.
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Twelvepole
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posted on June 5, 2003 11:09:44 AM
"they"= seller, not eBay, you are right ebay won't verify anything, but with bad press staring them in the face...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
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capotasto
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posted on June 5, 2003 12:56:15 PM
Ebay is just a venue .... except when bad press is a possibility.
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sparkz
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posted on June 5, 2003 02:12:43 PM
The seller actually has pretty good credentials and specializes in Soviet era and European items. He has already been identified in the press as sovietski, so I don't think I'm doing anything wrong by identifying him here. I doubt if authencitity was the central issue here. I don't think he considered the possibility of things getting as out of hand as they did. He's probably going to follow Auctionace's advice and relist as a pre-approved bidder only auction.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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