question for experienced ebay sellers

[bnorth]

Just bid what you are comfortable bidding and don't worry about something beyond your control.

The seller could have hit the "private listings" option by accident. I know I have activated options I did not want on eBay. I usually spend the time to figure out how to turn them off. Maybe this seller don't care about private listings thing or feedback like 99.9% of people. Maybe they turned it on for a reason but really why care?

Best of luck getting it at a reasonable price for what it is.

[ClementeFanOh]

bnorth- the fact that I posed the question, indicates that I do care. With specific regard to my question for experienced sellers, can you advise if it’s easy to activate “private listing” as an option? Or does a seller have to make an effort to do so? I’m also aware eBay doesn’t make it easy for anyone but themselves on the site. Is is possible that auctions that reach a specific financial threshold, now convert to “private listing” of bidders? In fairness to the Seller he responded promptly, I’m just seeking specific advice from current sellers. Trent King

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

bnorth- the fact that I posed the question, indicates that I do care. With specific regard to my question for experienced sellers, can you advise if it’s easy to activate “private listing” as an option? Or does a seller have to make an effort to do so? I’m also aware eBay doesn’t make it easy for anyone but themselves on the site. Is is possible that auctions that reach a specific financial threshold, now convert to “private listing” of bidders? In fairness to the Seller he responded promptly, I’m just seeking specific advice from current sellers. Trent King

We have both been on eBay a very long time. I have noticed eBay will just activate an option sometimes. I have had it done many times over the years. So maybe he done it and maybe he didn't there is no way to tell. I have been an active seller the whole time I have been on eBay. I don't sell much but regularly sell a few items. I probably have 20 or so things listed now.

If you care that much just avoid the listing. There are many reasons to have private listings and being a scumbag isn't always the reason. Best of luck on whaterver you decide is best for you.

[D. Bergin]

I've never used a "Private Bidder" listing. I just listed a bunch of items for auction yesterday and I just went to look at my last listing which was still open, and it took me awhile to even find the "Private Bidder" option. It was hidden behind another tab.

I have seen many legitimate sellers use that option sporadically. Say if they listed something adult oriented, like a vintage Playboy or Penthouse magazine, and then turned it off for like Sports Cards, Comic Books, etc....

It would be easy to forget you had it on, and for it to carry over into subsequent listings.

Would be impossible for me to know your guys intentions, without knowing his history of listing. Was this unusual for his M.O., or has he been doing it for years? If all his listings for an extended period of time are "Private", I'd have a hard time believing he had no idea all along.

Personally, I'd be wary of "Private Bidder Auctions" on Ebay...though to look at it another way...aren't basically all Auction house auctions Private Bidder Auctions? I just looked at the bid history of a random auction on the Lelands site and they're all Private ID's.

[ClementeFanOh]

Dave- thank you for the insight, especially on the steps needed to get to the Private Listings tab. The specific seller has extensive comic sales history, so his current auctions aren’t an anomaly. To your final point, I’ve seen so much absurd or suspicious behavior on eBay that I suppose I’m prepared to expect the worst. I ended up sending him a second message, asking him to disable private listings. I can’t think of a valid reason on eBay to hide the bidder Feedback- the idea that sellers activate to protect bidder privacy is absurd, their privacy is protected from the start. Thanks again, Trent

[Peter_Spaeth]

His response would bother me more than the private listings itself. It's not very credible.

[D. Bergin]

Funny, I just discovered I had a bunch of listings marked "No Returns Accepted".

I know damn well well Ebay forces returns one way or another, and #2, they've never really been a problem for what I sell, so I had no reason to have that turned on.

The problem for me is, when you have "No Returns Accepted" clicked on, it negates your "Top Rated Seller" fee discount (admittedly paltry, but something at least) that I just spent the last 8-10 months or so working to get back after being fairly inactive for a bit.

Turns out a bunch of stuff that I already sold, and now, several items that have bids on them, and I'm unable to change the specs for....made that Top Rated Seller logo absolutely meaningless to me.