Seller Scam?

SRS

Well-known member

Donor 2011
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
4,098
Reaction score
617
Location
Cranston, Rhode Island
So I recently got outbid on a game on eBay by what certainly seemed to be someone using snipe software.

The funny thing is that after I got outbid I was actually relieved because I realized that I went a little overboard and set my max bid too high.

So today I get a second chance offer to buy the game for my high bid. This is very suspicious to me. I do not think some random bidder that outbid me - I believe it was the seller - essentially a shill bid.

I sent the seller an email back telling them that I would buy it for what my high bid was before the snipe pushed the bid to the max amount, but I would not buy it for my max bid because it was only pushed to that amount buy the snipe bid, which was not valid.

Now I'm not sure that I even want to do business with this seller at all, but I really want the game for a Christmas present for someone.

What do you guys think? Do you think the seller did this with a shill bid, or do you think it was a random bidder using snipe software and they just backed out of the deal?
 
Certainly sounds like the seller pushing the price up. But if you can get if for what you want to pay for it, you might as well get it.
 
Either the top bidder backed out (unlikely), they had more than one for sale, or it was shill bid. It will probably be relisted so wait and see.
 
If the second chance offer came quickly i would be suspicious.But i could see a buyer from a distance backing out when they found out what shipping was,but i would imagine 4 or 5 days should pass.The 4 or 5 days would say to me that the buyer explored all options and backed out.If i lost friday and wake up to a second chance offer i would say shill.Then again the buyer could have went to pick it up and it was junk in their opinion and they passed,but again this takes time.
I agree,you should get the game for the price of your bid before the bidder who backed out.
You can view his past auctions and i know you can't see the bidder id anymore but you can see feedback scores.Say the bidder who outbid you had a score of 230,look at past auctions,do you always see 230 or slightly less,the week before it may have been 228 or something.It wont be proof positive but it can reinforce your suspicions.I'm not sure if the id would always be the same as they claim it is random ,like if he was named f****x 230,would it be f****x 228 in an earlier auction.
Sorry for rambling ,i've drank way to much coffee this cold ass morning.
 
There's no way to know how often a particular seller makes "second chance" offers, but there is a simple solution: offer him what you're willing to pay, and if he balks buy one somewhere else.
 
There's no way to know how often a particular seller makes "second chance" offers, but there is a simple solution: offer him what you're willing to pay, and if he balks buy one somewhere else.

I did offer to pay what the high bid was before the last bidder pushed the bid way up. They declined.

It sucks because I really wanted to get that for a Christmas present for someone. :(
 
So today I get a second chance offer to buy the game for my high bid. This is very suspicious to me.

What do you guys think? Do you think the seller did this with a shill bid

its too soon for the "real" buyer to back out. or at least its awful quick, makes me think you were bidding against the seller.

so heres what i would do IF i decide to deal with the crooked seller.
i would look at the bids and try and determine when he started bidding and the previous amount before his scam bid is what id pay. that make sense ? otherwise you are winning the auction at the higher bid and he sort of wins.

probably what i would do is decline to pay for the item and i'd contact ebay and tell them about the shill bidder and how quick you were offered a second chance as proof of the shill bidder.
 
so heres what i would do IF i decide to deal with the crooked seller.
i would look at the bids and try and determine when he started bidding and the previous amount before his scam bid is what id pay. that make sense ? otherwise you are winning the auction at the higher bid and he sort of wins.

That's exactly what I did. They declined to sell at that price. Oh well.
 
not sure why they'd try to snipe it...? It seems it would make sense for them to jack up the price with time left so that serious bidders have time to come back to the table...Sniping it though would allow for the 'second chance' situation I suppose?
 
not sure why they'd try to snipe it...? It seems it would make sense for them to jack up the price with time left so that serious bidders have time to come back to the table...

I've seen plenty of shill bidders like this one seems to be.
By sniping it right at the end is like have a safety net in case no "serious bidders" show up and play the bidding war. If they jack it up too much too early, people will drop out and ignore the auction all together. Their intentions is to make it look like regular bidders by upping it a little at a time and hope that real bidders jack it up in the end. It's also like setting a reserve that no-one is aware of. Sniping it just means they will keep with the machine and get another chance to sell it again.

With that being said..... it will most likely show up on ebay again, almost guaranteed.
 
Sad this person would not take your offer, but leave it at that with them.

My guess is, the bidding was driven up because this person put a new monitor in it and even lists in the auction a new CT, would be $3,500 now. Those two things make it obvious to me this person wants a lot of cash for this game.

This game is in good condition with only a few cosmetic issues, but not probably what they "think or want" it to be cash wise.
 
Last edited:
I sent the seller an email back telling them that I would buy it for what my high bid was before the snipe pushed the bid to the max amount, but I would not buy it for my max bid because it was only pushed to that amount buy the snipe bid, which was not valid.
I think this should be "the rule." If a bidder does not honor their winning bids, then ALL their bids should be invalid. Of course this would mean eBay both doing the right thing AND making less money in the process, so it will never happen. I'd take a little time to think it over. If the price is worth it to you, accept and if not, decline.
 
The seller saying the other buyer backed out is very suspicious. Sounds like a shill bid or scam. I've had sellers send me a second chance offer immediately after auction close but that was due to the fact that they had multiples of the same item. This just doesn't sit right.
 
new bidder?

were you the new bidder or was that someone bidding against you?..
stuff like that raises my red flags quicker than morning wood!
 
Back
Top Bottom