Was browsing the fleaBay a couple of days ago and I saw an auction that looked very similar to one I'd seen a few days earlier, so I looked at the seller's closed listings and I noticed that it was the exact same set as was listed earlier, so I contacted the seller to see if it had been returned or if it was a new set with stock photos. The seller's responses were unacceptable so I am posting here for all to see and be warned. The following is the text that I sent to eBay when I reported auctions 8375857692 and 8379402623: there are a couple of warning signs that this seller is no good (low feedback, and private listings) so I was wary enough to avoid being cheated, hopefully this will be an appropriate warning to others.
Good catch CT. :thumb: Unfortunately, based on past experience, I have to offer you odds of eight to five and half your money back if you lose, that EBay will do exactly nothing. There are listings still being made on a regular basis for the same fake coins, by the same scam sellers, that I have reported over and over and over again. :headbang: When they came up with the Community Coin Watch last year I had great hopes, and reported every auction I saw for which I could provide solid proof of fraud. Of my first couple of dozen reports, 1 seller was NARUed, and he had been caught cheating EBay itself.
I have never really trusted auctions where the bidders ID's are kept private. Never knew why I didn't feel comfortable about them nor understand why the seller or buyer would want there ID's kept secret? Now that I read this I understand, just always seemed fishy to me.
I'm hoping that the fact that he is cheating eBay out of its reserve fees will be enough to encourage action, but I also doubt that anything will be done. Heck I can't even get some of the newbies who win my auctions and then don't pay NARU'd even if they get unpaid item strikes for 3 or 4 items from me all at once and have no previous feedback! Only about half of them get NARU'd in my experience!
The problem is that there are good reasons to use private auctions. A couple of examples are; 1) the really competative items like DVD sales where some unscrupulous sellers will contact bidders to offer the same DVD at a better price, or 2)the adult categories where people don't want others to know they are buying adult products. Outside of that though, it is mostly used for much more nefarious reasons! As in this example.
