Just curious pro's if you could shed some light....

[LilyPily]

I've been examining some bids of others lately (random, not focusing on any one seller but a niche market) and I've noticed that the majority of winning bidders has 0 feedback, bids at the very last second and wins the bids!

No big deal, though I was wondering if these people are genuine newbies how do they know to place a bid at the very last second or use a sniping programs to help them.

Or is it because the seller has multiple accounts and has done this themselves so they can offer 2nd chance offers to the real maximum bidder???

Can someone please enlighten me on this one?

[JamesNorth101]

I will use my mother as an example

She has never used eBay, has no idea that just because you put in a bid of £50 when the item is on £10 it will go to £10.50 (or the equivalent), so she always leaves it to the last seconds to put in a winning big just over the required amount. I have tried time and time again to explain that is no how it works, but this falls on deaf ears. I always assume that a lot of buyers new to eBay also assume that this is how it all works (much more in line with a traditional auction house, when you can put your hand in the air and shout out a certain amount and then then bidding jumps to that amount)

It will of course also sometimes be that the seller is shilling their own items if they have not got what they feel they ought to as a selling price.

Another tactic sometimes I have noticed when I get outbid by a 0/1/2 (or generally other low feedback buyers) is that not soon after the auction the buyer will offer me the item saying that they winner changed their minds. In my mind 90% of the time this is the seller shilling their own items in order to maximise its selling price, and then offer it to the second highest bidder, often trying to invoice though PayPal to cut out eBay fees all together

My 2 pence and slightly cynical view on it anyway

[LilyPily]

Thanks James, seems just too much of a co-incidence that it happens a lot and seemingly all the time.

Though I never bid on these items I just research on the price they go for, interesting to see one day if I am the 2nd losing bidder if I do get offered 2nd chance.

[DotDot]

Originally Posted by LilyPily

Or is it because the seller has multiple accounts and has done this themselves so they can offer 2nd chance offers to the real maximum bidder???

don't think it's the second chance offer. I have always offers 2nd chance offer whenever winner is a non-payer. Not one single person has accepted my 2nd chance offer. Super annoying because by then i have wasted a week on a non-payer buyer + now have to re-list it again.

based on experience. strike rate very low on 2nd chance offer. :/

[Stealth4]

I believe most of the time it is a seller. I had listed an item bin. I sold 3 n none paid. Guessing it was a seller just wanted to take my item down

[JamesNorth101]

Originally Posted by DotDot

don't think it's the second chance offer. I have always offers 2nd chance offer whenever winner is a non-payer. Not one single person has accepted my 2nd chance offer. Super annoying because by then i have wasted a week on a non-payer buyer + now have to re-list it again.

based on experience. strike rate very low on 2nd chance offer. :/

I get around 40% accept my best chance offers, but only because I message the 2nd and 3rd highest bidder straight after the auction on expensive auctions when i have a bad feeling about the winning bidder and explain the situation to them.

[Dunersdunes]

0 feedbacks at end is schill bidding. Seller wasnt happy with final price so he jumps up bid. That works a few times.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by DotDot

don't think it's the second chance offer. I have always offers 2nd chance offer whenever winner is a non-payer. Not one single person has accepted my 2nd chance offer. Super annoying because by then i have wasted a week on a non-payer buyer + now have to re-list it again.

based on experience. strike rate very low on 2nd chance offer. :/

As a seller, I have had decent experiences with Second chance offer - generally well-accepted.

That point about seller shill-bidding is valid and quite noticeable on the "hot" items...

[Dunersdunes]

Yes rsot it is. Very noticable.


But hey, I let the schill bidding buyer/ seller know after researching the percentage of items that id has bid on with that seller and say hey dude
I want the item I was bidding on and u shill bidded on at half price or I link ur accounts

So ya know once I link them they all go down or I can just report this auction to ebay.

Seller then says no prob sorry.

Id never call ebay But would link them accounts. Thats how I do things if im bidding and a seller trys the old shill bid at last moment. Basically extortion It works.

Then makes other buyers safer in future cause,he wont try again. He will put a reserve instead on his auctions instead of shill bidding Lmao. Lol.

Devious and love it

I have also called a schill bidding seller once I knew they shill bidded. Call from spoof number so the caller id showed ebay calling them and say hey this is mark etc. After careful research we have determined urs and another account share similar characteristics in bidding techniques. I bull**** them like that for 20 mins and by end of call they make buy it now price for me cause the "ebay rep" said its right thing to do so they dont lose their account. And price is always super low. Thats one of nicer ways I deal with schill bidding. I dont buy alot so dont encounter this often

[LilyPily]

Well, I kid you not!

I have a listing at present of a second hand item with a start price of 0.99 cents and BUY IT NOW at a reasonable price, pick up only etc.

The bid has actually EXCEEDED my BUY IT NOW price and guess what? The highest bid is from a 0 feedback buyer! Doh!

I will have to wait this one out to see if the buyer is genuine or not their account was opened early October this year.

There's about 44 people watching the item.