EBay *** bidders

[427TJ]

I've been noticing recently several eBay bidders (on cars and car stuff) with three asterisks in their eBay screen names with a number and/or letter on each end. Like this: 1***A (I made that one up) and their feedbacks are not accessible. Anybody know what this is about?

[69LM1]

Welllll, since I just got accused of shill bidding by someone I'll answer. Someone noticed that all of the bidders on my Monte Carlo SS on ebay had three *** by their name and accused me of shill bidding because all of the bidders looked alike with the *** in their name.

Ebay has a new system where it shows "part" of a bidders name. Nothing more and nothing less.

[John Brown]

Ebay is tinkering with ways to keep bidders identity anonymous.

Some of the finished auctions you may look at don't show the actual sale price either, unless you actually click on the completed auctions.

Another new scammer trick (it doesn't work if you have any smarts) is to list a totally restored car (scam auction) and put in the heading "ignore bids on this car. I'll still sell it to you for $6200 no matter what the amount is bid". I've been reporting 5 to 10 of these every night. There are some others. Like auction # 150155276891 for a totally restored 69 GTO Judge for $2900 buy-it-now. Yeah right......

[427.060]

What good does it do to have a feedback system if noone can look at the feedback.
James

[Chateau Slate 66]

IMO the feedback system is a joke anyway. Buyers are afraid to leave negative feedback because they will usually be given one in return even if it is not for a legitimate reason. Usually, the only feedback left are the positive ones and there is none left if the buyer is unhappy.

Also (rant continued) sellers rarely leave me a positve feedback until I give them one, even if I paid immediately after the end of the auction using their prefered method. I even had a seller email me and say, "we leave positive feedback as soon as we receive one from you"

B.S.!!!

[Woj]

Ebay is getting whacky these days. The feedback system has some merit, but I have been screwed on 3 auctions (as the buyer) this year and have not left negative feedback because the deadbeat sellers will do the same. They have my money and I have junk with little or no recourse. Positive feedback is the only faint signal that an auction will be legit.

Phil Woj.

[Fast67VelleN2O]

I'm afraid to leave back feedback on dead beat bidders for the same.... i just had a 55-64 4.88 posi go off and the high bidder is trying to back out saying his son bid it up...

[Mr. Chevy]

I have been lucky on there so far, but I don't want to JINX myself... I found that there are a few sellers that I am comfortable with and usually buy from them.. They almost always have nice stuff, it arrives exactly how it is advertised and they ship it in a very timely manner.. I think that it is bull$hit that the sellers don't leave feedback until the buyer does. That is not how the system is set up to work.. I have always left immediate feedback upon payment received.. If I leave positive feedback and the buyer leaves negative, oh well I will deal with it when the time comes and hopefully rectify the problem unless the buyer is being totally unreasonable or dishonest...

Rich

[427TJ]

I went to a bid page on a car auction and saw this message from eBay:

"eBay has changed how bid history information is displayed for higher-priced items. To help keep the eBay community safe, enhance bidder privacy, and protect our members from fraudulent emails, only you and the seller of the item can view your User ID in bid history. Other member will see anonymous names."