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

[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.