More Amused Than Angry (French Bidder Related)

Rockadelic

So this French dude wins this 12" for the beyond ridiculous price of $809.00 and immediately sends me an email after the auction ends that says "I offer $100 this is a fraud".....the "fraud" is this dude bidding big money with no intention of paying.....I'll file a non-pay complaint, get my fees refunded and his "0" Feedback account will be suspended.I really want to understand what the hell goes through these French dudes mind about this stuff....can someone please explain?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&item=370202837533

Jonny_Paycheck

So he and one other guy both bid $7-800, hoping to win the record at all costs.

I've had this happen to me before.

Just re-list it. Chances are though, it'll probably go close to what he just offered.

Soulhawk

the immediate underbidder who drove the price from 60 to 800 has zero feedback

Rockadelic

the immediate underbidder who drove the price from 60 to 800 has zero feedback

Exactly.

Underbidder had also won another item from me yesterday and already paid.

Shit just doesn't make sense.

Jonny_Paycheck

See if you can work something out with said underbidder.

The_Non

The ancient French art of "le do-over"

Rockadelic

So he and one other guy both bid $7-800, hoping to win the record at all costs.

I've had this happen to me before.

Just re-list it. Chances are though, it'll probably go close to what he just offered.

I just want to understand the game/scam/deal?

Burns

I am as amused that this 12" gets that much scratch. Let these napoleonites scour over this.

Jonny_Paycheck

It's not a scam I don't think.

It's two guys who figure, "I'm gonna win this record if I just put in $xxx bid."

Then the bid gets pushed to the higher of the two.

This happened to me once, as a bidder, with A.Schrock... although the bid I put in was in my mind the max of what i wanted to pay (realistically) his was more done as a "guarantee"... we just collided at the last moment making the price much higher than it had to be.

Still though, that's the nature of ebay and I paid the cost. There's just no consequences of reneging on your bid with ebay so these guys have no reason to stop doing it. They'll get another account in a week or two.

Soulhawk

I am as amused that this 12" gets that must scratch.

it doesn't though, thats what this thread is about

$500 this week - $20 in 2 months

Rockadelic

It's not a scam I don't think.

It's two guys who figure, "I'm gonna win this record if I just put in $xxx bid."

Then the bid gets pushed to the higher of the two.

This happened to me once, as a bidder, with A.Schrock... although the bid I put in was in my mind the max of what i wanted to pay (realistically) his was more done as a "guarantee"... we just collided at the last moment making the price much higher than it had to be.

Still though, that's the nature of ebay and I paid the cost. There's just no consequences of reneging on your bid with ebay so these guys have no reason to stop doing it. They'll get another account in a week or two.

The fact that BOTH bidders set up their accounts yesterday tells me there is more to it than what happened to you. They obviously knew they were up to some shady shit and don't care if the account is suspended...I've asked them both to explain what they were doing.....don't expect to get an answer.

Okem

The ancient French art of "le do-over"

It's not just le'frogs up to this one, there's some Mexican dude who does this regularly with rare reggae records.

Rockadelic

See if you can work something out with said underbidder.

This has been attempted.

Reynaldo

I really want to understand what the hell goes through these French dudes mind about this stuff....can someone please explain?

I was just thinking that it's a good way to inflate the popsike price/perceived value of the item.

Okem

See if you can work something out with said underbidder.

This has been attempted.

It all sounds very suspect. I wouldn't want to deal with 'them' at all, on this item, or the other one the same buyer won.

Rockadelic

I really want to understand what the hell goes through these French dudes mind about this stuff....can someone please explain?

I was just thinking that it's a good way to inflate the popsike price/perceived value of the item.

Genius....this makes perfect sense.

DeeRock

I had the same exact thing happen. A FRENCH bidder with zero feedback bid and won a record than after winning emailed me to say he will only pay $100 and that it went too high!!!! Lol....... These guys are hilarious. I had another one win (France again!) and pay with zero feedback rating and after receiving the record, emailed me that he wants a refund because the record wasn't very good. Lol.....

Rockadelic

See if you can work something out with said underbidder.

This has been attempted.

It all sounds very suspect. I wouldn't want to deal with 'them' at all, on this item, or the other one the same buyer won.

I agree....but underbidder won and paid for a different item...if he pays I'll send it but only with shipping protection that can help prevent a charge back.

Okem

But if dude is trying to grip the record wouldn't that be like shooting yourself in the foot?

Okem

From the Pama forum about the exact same kind of scam.

What is the Mexican scam?

The Mexican scam is where fake bidders bid up an ebay auction for either of the following purposes:

!) To drive up the price with no intent of purchasing so that another of their IDs can buy the goods far cheaper on a second chance offer.

2) To deliberately outbid genuine collectors and ruin their chance of buying a record, effectively auction wrecking.



Who is behind this scam?

The majority and possibly all of these fake IDs and this auction wrecking can be traced back to a single individual in Mexico, he has used many names, both male and female, but his main genuine? ebay ID is house_reggae.



How do I spot one of these fake IDs?

The separate fake bidder thread on this forum lists many, but as they register new ones all the time it is safest to assume that any zero feedback Mexican, or American bidder is a fake.



How do I prevent them ruining my auctions?

Unfortunately ebay's blocked bidder functions are not very sophisticated so you have to cancel their bids and block each fake bidder manually.

It is recommended that you put this in your terms and conditiuons to prevent any problems.



Surely as a seller I will benefit from them bidding my records up.

Absolutely NOT, not only will you end up selling your record, if at all, to the third, or fourth under bidder for much less, but the fake bidders will have driven away most of the genuine collectors who would have bid your auction up to the best price.



Why don't ebay do something about this?

Why indeed, but when have ebay ever worried about it's customers.



Is there anything else I should know?

Yes, the person behind this scheme has sent abusive emails to many of Europe's top Reggae collectors and sellers, he is obviously a disturbed individual.

Jonny_Paycheck

Nah these guys buy the records, play them a few times, rip the mp3, and then sell them to someone locally in the "scene"... hence the wilde bidding and chargebacks.

The_Non

The ancient French art of "le do-over"

It's not just le'frogs up to this one, there's some Mexican dude who does this regularly with rare reggae records.

eBay's lack of buyer accountability is starting to chap my ass.

Rockadelic

But if dude is trying to grip the record wouldn't that be like shooting yourself in the foot?

I guess I don't follow you here....he pays, I send....how is that shooting myself in the foot.

Truth is I have no idea what the record is "really" worth and have $0.50 into it....don't see how I can really lose?

Rockadelic

I had the same exact thing happen. A FRENCH bidder with zero feedback bid and won a record than after winning emailed me to say he will only pay $100 and that it went too high!!!! Lol....... These guys are hilarious. I had another one win (France again!) and pay with zero feedback rating and after receiving the record, emailed me that he wants a refund because the record wasn't very good. Lol.....

The French obvioulsy hate our freedom.

Okem

But if dude is trying to grip the record wouldn't that be like shooting yourself in the foot?

I guess I don't follow you here....he pays, I send....how is that shooting myself in the foot.

Truth is I have no idea what the record is "really" worth and have $0.50 into it....don't see how I can really lose?

I was meant to be replying to Reys' popsike inflation theory. I was too slow.


If he want's the record, and for cheap it would seem, it makes no sense for him to be trying to inflate the price.

PABLO

Not if the bidder's sittin on stock.

Rockadelic

I received this note immediately after the auction ended.[/b]

Dear blackholerecords,

i offer 100 $ because there is fraud

- sturp1202.3

I responded by asking why he bid an amount that he had no intention of paying[/b]

Dear blackholerecords,

i knew this record would end this way.
I can offer 100 $ because i know nobody will pay much.

- sturp1202.3

I responded by saying that the only reason the auction "ended this way" was because of his bogus bid and again asked why he would place a bogus bid[/b]

Dear blackholerecords,

because i knew there would be a problem with this record

- sturp1202.3

My final response was that the only problem was his BS bid and I asked him to not bid on any of my items in the future.

Somewhere in France a guy is laughing his ass off at me.[/b]

holmes

A french guy also did this on a recent modern soul 45 auction of mine, luckily the underbidder was only a dollar less & snapped up the second chance offer.

behemoth

Google needs to step their game up and start an auction site

Soulhawk

luckily the underbidder was only a dollar less

um...

kitchenknight

Google needs to step their game up and start an auction site

eBay should consider it as well.