ebay finds that PWCC engaged in shill bidding?
 

The email sure looks real. Of course if it isn't I'll delete it.

As one of the world’s largest marketplaces, eBay has policies in place to protect our buyers and sellers. eBay was founded on trust, and we work every day to ensure a fair and positive experience for the entire eBay community.
Recently, it was determined that individuals associated with a trading card seller, PWCC, have engaged in “shill bidding,” which is prohibited on eBay. As a result, eBay has restricted PWCC’s selling privileges and listings, effective today. eBay’s policies and standards were designed to ensure a trusted marketplace where our community can transact with confidence. If we determine that a buyer or seller is not acting in good faith, eBay takes this seriously and takes action. Our customer service team will work directly with anyone who has a question about a recent PWCC transaction [link].

eBay is the destination for buying and selling trading cards - built over 25 years with our passionate community of collectors and sellers, as partners, on that journey. Trust is the cornerstone of eBay, which is why we felt it was important to share this information with our community. We assure you that eBay will continue to take actions to deliver on our commitment.

eBay sent this e mail to you at XX about your account registered on eBay.com.

eBay will periodically send required e mails to you about the site and your transactions. Visit our Privacy Notice and User Agreement if you have any questions.

Copyright © 2021 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay Inc. 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.

I received it as well … not sure what it means for past purchases.

Got it too. Wow….

Pwcc
 

Dunno but a quick ebay search turns up almost 700 results..and they listed as recently as yesterday. Of course it could be a Today policy..

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=10

.

Yup, just saw this.

That has to be a fraction of what they had?

There are at least 18,000 PWCC auctions running at the present moment....

ebay email regarding pwcc
 

Peter, I got the email too....about time some action was taken regarding the shill bidding

Bruce Perry

I got it as well and am awaiting a call back from Ebay, do you think they'd have to credit winner bidders a portion of what was paid?

Yes there are. I guess my search was flawed :).

This should be interesting...

Wow!
 

This is huge, in my humble opinion. The evidence had to be overwhelming for eBay to take such action. Rock my world. Peace.

Have not gotten it but Wow

Let's see what the next steps/fall out might or might not be

They don't list "PWCC" in the subject line of every listing any more, so that search only showed the cards that got an extra special sticker for being from their special consignors....

I was as excited as everyone else when I read my email and even started a thread right at the same time as Pete (locked now).

But is this confirmed to be a legit email? I haven't gotten one in my eBay messages.

There is also a link to a page to discuss if you have had concerns about recent purchases. Is that link legit and to an ebay secure page?


Smells like a phishing scam to some degree.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

run...run...empty the vault!!!!

Now, do they mean PWCC engaged in shill bidding or the members that use their services engage in shill bidding?? There needs to be a distinction. If it is the latter, that is like blaming a casino for allowing card cheats to frequent their establishment.

I too got the email
 

I too got the email. Not good by any means

Individuals associated with PWCC is the language.

Might mean they were using employee accounts to run stuff up?

I don't know of course, but I've said for years the way PWCC items jump up so fast out of the starting gate was strange.

They have known for years, sadly this is a big nothing burger. As always nothing will change, nobody will be held accountable it’s 2021.

Like the FBI investigation probably will boost consignments and sales.

I didn't get it but my buddy just called me a told me about it.
I'm shocked:D

I assumed it was fake. Wouldn't a real email from eBay include my name? All the other ones for the past 20 years have.

100% this

I did not get the email.

Hope its true, but I kind of doubt it with all the pwcc listings still up.

About damn time.

I've read unconfirmed reports on Twitter and blowout of vault listing getting pulled and inability to list from the vault.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

I got it too, and I think that it is real. There is no other reason that anyone would have to send this email to my particular email address associated with my Ebay account. Even PWCC should not know this email address, so there couldn't be a master PWCC email list somewhere that someone could hack and use to send out fraudulent emails. I'm not surprised, and I also share the lack of confidence that anything will actually come from this.

I received the e-mail as well. I had purchased a card from PWCC last month.

The only link in the e-mail takes you to an eBay page that takes you to a page where you can click on a link to have eBay call you. Says wait time is 53 minutes (up from 17 minutes when I looked about 45 minutes ago). That page opens up with my user information including my cell phone number

The e-mail passes all the anti-phishing lessons I've had to take with my company.

I can't wait for a call back while I am at work, but will probably ask for one sometime over the next few days. Imagine they are getting deluged now.

My card cost enough for me to invest the time to find out what is going on.

If it's fake Brentsy can come here and say so, put out a statement, etc.

I received it too. Ebay has to be culpable here too, they most certainly have had the ability to have discovered this earlier and most likely did. Don't know how there would be or could be any restitution. The dollar amounts we are talking here in excess of the price the cards would have traded at are most likely in the 10's of millions and are impossible to quantify. I smell class action suit.

Maybe this is a CYA move by eBay. Could they have got notice form an outside entity that a investigation is going on.

A little late if you ask me, I still predict a big nothing burger.

I agree with Peter it looks and sounds legit. Still waiting for wider confirmation though.

However, the email came from “ ebay@reply5.ebay.com” which troubles me.
Other eBay missives have come from “ebay@ebay.com”

Got the popcorn popping, waiting to see this one play out!

Each net54 member gets to go to the Vault and pick out a card.

Can I bring a blacklight?

Maybe, hopefully, the FBI investigation is paying some dividends in putting pressure in certain places. I never got the email but don't doubt what everyone is talking about.
.

I agree that eBay probably knew about it and its hand is being forced by an outside entity like the government doing an investigation. I called to ask about a large item I purchased a few months back just to see if they could tell me if I was up against a shill. End price was fine with me but it was trending so low and I feel like the seller had a fail safe in place. I also saw pwcc auction a Goudey Ruth two months in a row and couldn’t help but think they had a shill accidentally buy it.

At any rate, not sure if she’s right or actually knows all the details, but the eBay customer service rep said they are removing pwcc from the site completely and that will take some time to do. This was just a customer rep but that’s what she thought was happening.

:eek:

I know there were a couple of high level ebay executives who were at the National. Wondering if there were a lot of complaints that led to this action. The timing after the National seems to add to the theory.

If Ebay just curbed bid retractions and cancellations, this problem would go away tomorrow.

If this e-mail is legit, it's Ebay throwing one of their biggest clients under the bus to shield themselves from their own negligence and malfeasance.

With advance apologies to one of my favorite posters on NET54, it's like Jose Canseco ratting everybody else out, for the drugs HE provided or turned them on to, and then acting like he's somehow the hero in all of this.

There are potential problems beyond retractions if in house shills are bidding on items.

BTW, Ebay is still providing that drug to whoever wants or NEEEEEEDS it.

You get a bid retraction, you get a bid retraction, you get a bid retraction............................EVERYBODY gets a bid retraction!!!!

https://c.tenor.com/hhQRUtga5z4AAAAM...u-got-this.gif

Sure, there's always a workaround, but it makes it a lot harder to cheat.

Ebay wants everybody else to police shilling, while they have the keys to most of the problem hidden right in their pocket.

So,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ed/1929959001/

When will all of this finally result in some level of judgment in the courts?

Unlike AI for grading, it's relatively easy for Ebay to create an algorithm to detect suspected shill bidding and confirm bids.

Wow

I got the letter too. I bought a couple things from them in the past. My beef with PWCC was in February, I consigned a nice 1961 Topps BB set and a graded 1960 Koufax Morrell Meats. They never listed them despite repeated and ever more edgy inquiries. I had to file an arbitration case against them before they responded and finally sent back the items to me in June.

This is one of those times that sometimes you just gotta say "WTF" :D

It came from an email address I have never seen before at eBay. Hence, instead of following the link I just went to the help page at eBay and requested a call back. 39 minutes so will wait until they call me and will confirm.

What!?!?!??! Did they ever say why they didn't list them?

FOR THE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THE EMAIL:

Did you also go to your "My eBay: Messages" page and see the email there?

I have questions!

1) Anyone surprise?

2) what happens to people who have a collection for sale / in vault

3) past sales that prove to be shilled ?

4) why would they continue to play dirty if they were being watched by The FBI?

I am sure this was a carefully conceived plan:

eBay has a Board Meeting about PWCC:

https://media.giphy.com/media/Qjf12eSG7eypG/giphy.gif
https://media.giphy.com/media/jk8UJxw0XFgo8/giphy.gif

eBay's outside counsel weighs in:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Bad%20Man.gif

And the fateful decision is made. The Crackerjack Public Relations Department at eBay Goes To Work and crafts a press, er, release:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ong%20jack.gif

Those of us who've long complained about the blatant crooks at PWCC respond:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...abulous%20.gif

While those of us who won't buy from PWCC and don't pay attention to PWCC results because they are bull$hit receive the news a bit calmer:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Well%20Bye.gif

Next Episode: The PWCC Empire Strikes Back

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...poo%20toss.jpg

a normal customer and they would just shut you down with No recourse. Maybe you'll believe me next time when I tell you it's all A "BILLION DOLLAR FRAUD"...Probably Multi Billions. I tend to think they are on a time out, maybe.

This is big news. PWCC in many cases controls the market price of cards. If PWCC gets shut down, which may very well happen (hello Mastro Auctions), then prices for cards could come down.

Great news for collectors, bad news for investors.

First response was it was late in the consignment period so they pushed it to March. After that, it was a series of endless "we're looking into it."

My wife's a lawyer, so we had our documentation in order but I figure they sat on my $5,000 plus or minus for 3-1/2 months.

(Excuse for using them: had dealt with them twice, worked out OK, and they were quick with the payouts).

Now i understand the prices those Jordan cards have been bringing. DUH!

I just got off the phone with eBay and they are telling me that the email is "NOT LEGITIMATE". Apparently the source is not an official eBay email account, so I would avoid any and all links associated with the email.

I'm interested to see how PWCC responds.

the plot thickens! could it be from the taliban?

I just got off with eBay and they said it was NOT REAL!!!!!!

Must be a real hater to take the time to do this.

I'm sure the Ebay investigation on how the e-mail got sent will be much more aggressive than their investigation into PWCC's practices.

No e-mail notification so far. Hmmm.

Just got off the phone with my rep at PWCC. There will be no September eBay auction, and it will take them 4-6 more weeks to get their own platform for auctions up and running. PWCC and eBay are separating

If it was a fake email, then who did you talk to? If a real customer rep, did they not have a clue and were just speculating? Bizarre.

There's this now:

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/ebay-accuses-pwcc-of-shill-bidding/


If booted from eBay will the National still welcome them with open arms?

Did Rich receive separate confirmation from ebay that this email was not a hoax before publishing it in SCD? The folks who called ebay have said that this email is not legitimate, and Rich's article seems to be copying directly from the email with no new information.

As another poster has said, ebay typically messages you in your ebay inbox in addition to any emails you receive. Therefore, if this email isn't also in your ebay messages, then it's more likely to be a hoax.

I did not receive this email, but I'm leaning towards that it is fraudulent.

Anyone else felt it was strange that Brent wasn't at The National? At least I didn't see him.

Correction: PWCC does have my email address. So this in fact could have come from someone with access to their mailing list.

they def would come down people are too naive

Can't wait until Brent gets shill bidded in prison. :)

Just to recap -
We have someone who claims to have spoken with ebay, and that they confirmed the email and even think that PWCC will be banned completely.

We also have multiple people who have spoken to ebay and claim the email is not legitimate.

We also have someone who spoke to PWCC who stated they are canceling upcoming auctions and separating from ebay.

Crystal clear.
Did I miss anything?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

This was my initial thought since I am on their email list as well.

Short term pain for long term gain?
 

Hopefully. At some point it would be nice to see integrity matter! That USA today article is the first I heard of any action taken at the National and an update that the FBI investigation is apparently ongoing!!

I did not receive this email but I have plenty of emails from ebay@reply5.ebay.com which is what people have posted as the address this came from.

Do you think someone rolled?

To quote Greg Popovich:

"Do you know anything at all" - reporter
"I know two sides of an isosceles triangle are equal" - Greg

Ever wonder how many auctions, outside of their own on eBay, PWCC bids on? Also, how many auction lots they may or may not be consigning with others off eBay.

A room without a corner to put baby into is a room without corners to cut.

pwcc_vault total # of listings are now dropping at the rate of about 100 per minute.

EDIT: right around 130 per minute actually. It's been very steady for the past 8 minutes I've been watching. Listings are being systematically removed by someone.

1:25 PM PST: 46,424 listings
1:35 PM PST: 45,185
1:45 PM PST: 43,976 and still dropping

Justin, I believe the first statement is incorrect. Reading through this thread, no one has said that they spoke with ebay, and ebay has confirmed the email.

For the second point, two people have spoken with ebay, and the ebay representative has responded that the email is fake.

For the third point, Zan said he spoke with PWCC, and PWCC said that they are separating from ebay.