Can't fight City Hall- eBay protecting their large sellers (probstein content)

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by Runscott

It's not about you getting what YOU deserve - it's about the seller and his consignors getting what they do NOT deserve. It's about a playing field that is not level.

I agree Scott...it's bullshit. But cornering people because they purchase stuff from probstein is out of line. IMO if anyone shops eBay, they are in the same boat as me


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[Runscott]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

IMO if anyone shops eBay, they are in the same boat as me


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It's certainly possible, especially if you buy from any ebay seller who accepts consignments, but the odds are lower if you avoid the crooks. That's all the anti-shillers are saying. On the other hand, the apologists are saying that because other sellers 'might' be dishonest, it's okay to shop with the ones you are sure are.

It's also curious that some of the apologists say that the sellers can't police their own auctions, when we've already given plenty of examples of how to do so - running an honest company is part of doing business, and if you can't afford to do so you need to get into another line of work. Sometimes a business is profitable ONLY because it is not playing by the rules. In addition, plenty of business owners have been accused of dishonest business practice and claimed they had no way of knowing what was going on. Courts don't normally buy that.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

I agree Scott...it's bullshit. But cornering people because they purchase stuff from probstein is out of line. IMO if anyone shops eBay, they are in the same boat as me


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I disagree. I might be getting shilled with the sellers I buy from, but I don't think so. You are doing business with someone you KNOW shills.

[CMIZ5290]

Guys...I am going to first say that I have bought many cards from Probstein, many of which I was very satisified with the final bid, and some cards after all of the original Probstein shilling accusations. This is what I don't understand...With the obvious proof and legal consequences, why in the hell doesn't Ebay do a damn thing about it? Yes, they love the money they get from Rick, but if these things are rock solid proven, it seems like they would worry just a tad with legal situations....Just my thoughts

[buymycards]

How about doing these two things with Probsteins auctions?

1. If you are bidding on an item and it looks like it is being shilled, don't make any additional bids, and retract your current bids. This will leave the consignor holding the bag and buying his own auctions.

2. If you win one of his items and it looks like you have been shilled, don't pay for the item. It won't hurt your ebay standing at all, since eBay seems to allow dozens of npb strikes before it affects your account. When Rick contacts you about the non-payment you can respond that you have been shilled. This will be a pain in the ass for him if enough people don't pay and maybe it will force him to take action.

Rick

[buymycards]

BTW, here is an excerpt from eBay's shilling policy.

Policy overview

Shill bidding happens when anyone—including family, friends, roommates, employees, or online connections—bids on an item with the intent to artificially increase its price or desirability. In addition, members cannot bid on or buy items in order to artificially increase a seller's Feedback or to improve the item's search standing.

Make sure you follow these guidelines. If you dont, you may be subject to a range of actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account. Shill bidding is also illegal in many places and can carry severe penalties.

Review our shill bidding policy tutorial to learn more about this policy.


Reporting shill bidding

Learn more about reporting listing violations. If you think you see shill bidding taking place on a listing, report it to us. Be sure to provide the member's user ID and the item number. We thoroughly investigate every report we receive. Often what appears to be shill bidding isn't a violation. If there is evidence of shill bidding, we will take action, which may include listing cancellation or referral to law enforcement. However, our User Privacy Notice prevents us from disclosing the details of our investigation to other members, including the person who reported the issue.

[cincyredlegs]

I don't buy anything from Rick because of two things......one being the evidence provided from the boards here.

Second, I had a friend that consigned big dollars with Rick. He shilled his own auctions. I know this for a fact because we discussed it. I told him this WAS not right and that if got caught, he would be screwed (he did and lost face with people who thought he was a good guy). Anyway, when I said, "if Rick finds out, he will not let you consign with him." His reply to me was "Dude, he knows shilling goes on....all the FK'R cares about is a sale."

I could go on about the examples I know about but will stop there. I agree that shilling is wrong and illegal. If I am willing to spend $100 for a card but can get it for $40 but am shilled to $100. I am out $60. That is complete BS and not right.

Mark

[xplainer]

Originally Posted by cincyredlegs

I don't buy anything from Rick because of two things......one being the evidence provided from the boards here.

Second, I had a friend that consigned big dollars with Rick. He shilled his own auctions. I know this for a fact because we discussed it. I told him this WAS not right and that if got caught, he would be screwed (he did and lost face with people who thought he was a good guy). Anyway, when I said, "if Rick finds out, he will not let you consign with him." His reply to me was "Dude, he knows shilling goes on....all the FK'R cares about is a sale."

I could go on about the examples I know about but will stop there. I agree that shilling is wrong and illegal. If I am willing to spend $100 for a card but can get it for $40 but am shilled to $100. I am out $60. That is complete BS and not right.

Mark

True statement. It is set up for shilling. More money all round. Though he is a ebay mega seller... I stay away. Very corrupt operation from the get go.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

I disagree. I might be getting shilled with the sellers I buy from, but I don't think so. You are doing business with someone you KNOW shills.

But my point is if eBay knows that probstein shills and does nothing about it, isn't eBay just as crooked? And if you turn a blind eye away from probstein, but not eBay....you're still supporting a crooked business...right?


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