[dotdot]

Hi Folks,

Just a quick note detailing a poser.

Silky - if this is in the wong place - please redirect to ebay section.
I bid on a print - just everyone else...
I become outbid and give up the ghost.
The person - who wins is 'strangely enough' a zero bidder - who is FAKE.
..... i never find out what happens.

Unless I get an email from the seller saying the winner failed to pay.

Now - bearing in mind this 2nd chance might be fake - let's assume it's not - for simplicitys sake... if the seller says you last bid 500 quid before being outbid...
I'll sell you it for 500quid.

..In this case the winner outbid me a few times - towards the end..
i'd reckon if this started at 400 quid - i'd offer 400 quid ie taking the winner out of the equation.

I hope all of this makes sense...

..what do you kind folks recommend ? - before i try to confirm the person who emailed me - is in fact the seller.

..rgds

..

[Daniel Silk]

Hi DotDot ;D

If you really think that its been bidded up in some way dont buy it
Unless you think you might have trouble getting another one for that price on ebay, then it might be better to pay up and get the print you want If we are talking about a Banksy print then £500 sounds very good ;D Unless its a flag

[slowmo]

Dont know where the thread is on here but there was a dodgy group doing this, avoid it like the plague.

[andrewd]

It's called 'shill bidding' ( groups bidding an item up and hoping an outsider will buy it, often all it needs is a friend of the seller to put a high bid on an item )and has been discussed in the Sunday Times over the last couple of weeks. It's actually illegal under the Fraud Act however it seems easier to do now that a lot of auctions hide bidder I.D.
As always the rule with e-bay is if you are not sure of something leave it well alone

[Daniel Silk]

DotDot ;D

PM me the ebay item number and I will have a look at it ;D

[slowmo]

I wasn't thinking of shill bidding. There is definitely a thread here somewhere where people had got hold of bidders emails, they then said you came second still want the print, ask for card details to avoid paying ebay fees etc and then disappear along with your cash

[andrewd]

ok that's the second chance offer scam. That's the reason e-bay have marketed the secret bidder auction so that this shouldn't happen, of course what it does is help shill bidding!
I haven't heard of it happening to Banksys work but I wouldn't be surprised if someone wasn't at it. The e-bay forum normally has a thread about this type of thing.

[pastiepie]

Your situation could be one of 2. Either the seller legitimately didn't know the original buyer and is as pissed as you that a non-paying buyer won his auction. Otherwise he was in on it the whole time. If you suspect so there would be no way I would risk it. If someone is prepared to illegally bump up the prices of their auctions can you really trust them that the print is in good condition and that they will send it out to you undamaged?

andrewd said:

I haven't heard of it happening to Banksys work but I wouldn't be surprised if someone wasn't at it.

You obviously haven't heard of the iron tortoise!

[ptron]

I would offer as you suggested the amount to take the other bidder out of the equation but also offer to pay the ebay re-listing fees and have him re-list with "best offers". Once re-listed you offer the agreed upon amount and he accepts, auction done and through ebay.